Once More into the Breach…

Back in 1984 I engaged in the ritual many American high school students do, applying for college. I applied to four private universities and one public one. I got into two private and one public. I went to my fifth choice (one of the private schools) mainly because of money.

You might be wondering how a private school could be cheaper than a public school. Obviously, the public school was at worst my fourth choice of five if the private school was fifth. The truth is the public school was sixth.

I never even applied to my first choice. My parents pretty much talked me out of it. That I didn’t even apply is a regret I carry to this day.

My first choice was Saint Johns College.

As much as we might want to we cannot change the past. I cannot go to Saint Johns at 18 and I’m much too old to go as a freshman today.

What I can do is the reading. While I can’t attend the seminars to discuss with peers the works in question I can write.

So that is the goal. Starting this month, August 2010, I will follow the reading from the Santa Fe Campus for each seminar period. Instead of joining a seminar there I will write on what I have read here. While in general I’m not a huge fan of word counts to do the reading justice I would say I’m shooting for the 700-1000 word range.

This is far from my first attempt at this. It is at least my third, including an attempted group on LJ. That doesn’t include all the years I thought “I meant to do that” or the year I tried to start late with Plato. I have no real reason to promise I will make any progress this time. That said, in the skills needed to do something like this that I have been lacking: planning, organization, focus, and determination, I have made considerable progress since my last attempt several years ago.

Of course, comments are more than welcome but strongly desired. It might not be the seminar of Saint Johns, but a healthy back and forth would certainly aid my understanding and hopefully that of the commenters as well.