And it only took me 8 and 3/4 years to get here

In early January 2001, six months after finishing high school, I attended my first university class (a Thursday morning Spanish class). For the next number of years I, somewhat half-heatedly, plugged away at a BA, which I eventually completed in December 2005 (though I didn't convocate until May 2006). I then moved on to an MLIS at McGill which I completed in 2008 and then an MA at Dalhousie, the requirements of which were just completed about three weeks ago. During all of this time I held a variety of jobs to cover both living and tuition costs.

Now, almost nine years after my first university class, I have finally made the transition from the amateur, fee-paying ranks to the professional (or fellowship receiving) ranks. I find it both a odd and satisfying notion that I am now being paid to be a student, which is such a change in practice from these past few years. I feel a strange sense of accomplishment. It almost feels like a more definitive student-based accomplishment than finishing a degree.

To celebrate my change in status I decided to treat myself to a few new pairs of socks to replace a few other pairs that I have worn out over the past year. After a brief examination of the selection at MEC I ended up settling on two pairs of the same make and model (though in different colours) that I have purchased a number of times in the past. I was convinced to go with these largely because the pair of this variety that I purchased in July 2005 is still going strong and showing almost no signs of wear. And for those of you that are curious, these socks are 40% merino wool (a key sock component).

After completing my sock purchases I thought that I might consider looking into getting Neil a birthday gift, something I didn't manage to take care of on or around his birthday for a number of reasons. Based on some earlier thoughts about what I might like to purchase or him I decided to head to a local comic book and games store called Strange Adventures.

As I entered the store I saw something about them having a "Big Sale," though given store traffic I assume that this related exclusively to their comic book related stock. After checking out the board game section I made my way to the counter to take a look at a few of their card games. Only when I was standing at the counter did I start to grasp the breadth and depth of their "Big Sale." It eventually became clear to me that everything in the store was 50% off, and that the discount will be increasing to 90% over the coming days.

Not surprisingly, the comic book aficionados were going nuts and purchasing stacks and stacks of books. Once I understood what was going on I too modified my shopping strategy to take full effect of the sale. I ended up buying four items. The total, after tax price was less than the pre-tax cost of the two most expensive items, a detail I found to be both relaxing and satisfying. The other notable consequence of my taking advantage of this sale is that it allowed me to start my Christmas shopping, something that I normally wouldn't even begin to think about until about the second week of December.

Given that I have made the point of highlighting my student status is seems reasonable that I consider hitting the books (or printed articles) so that I am able to continue with my new student status for more than a single term. Unfortunately, it now seems quite likely that I will have to take at least a few minutes out of my planned reading time tonight to crack into a few of these games. I just hope that I am not completely sidetracked by these purchases.