Long, hot, dull summer, let me tell you.
Dad’s been on my case for a couple years now about doing well in school so I can continue my education. Typical parental shtick, you know? He’s never been happy about my having dropped out of school, but he realized at the same time that I wasn’t getting the help that I needed. So we compromised – I would work on my GED so I could continue my education elsewhere (when I complained he pointed out that it would help me survive on my own, so I relented), and he would continue to support me, at least to an extent.
Now, Dad and I may have had our differences, but I’m on this end of things now and can kind of see where he was coming from. Kind of.
But anyway, I worked my ass off on that GED – getting a couple of tutors to help me in some subjects where I knew I was going to struggle…Math I got pretty ok on my own.
With help from someone not my Dad, I researched schools, gradually narrowing down the field based on location. Now, my criteria wasn’t anything as simple as getting far away from him or anything – it was a matter of accessibility, photogenic-ness, and shit to do.
Settled on another New England town, about three hours from where I was living in Connecticut. Easy for Dad to get to me and handle things should anything come up. Dad and I came down here at the beginning of summer to look at places suitable for me to live, and we found a couple. Touring their demo units though was sometimes an issue, so we kept looking. Settled on Highland Place – Dad cosigned for a two bedroom (so I could have studio/office space) and we gave a move-in date.
Next step was to enroll at the University and sign up for the college of Arts & Science. Specifically the art and design track. The reason I picked the school, now, is becuase of their Photography program. I know a little – but learning more about somethign I’m actually interested in? I’m okay with that. Here’s a quote from their site about the program:
The concentration in Photography focuses on photographic techniques, darkroom skills, and sound design principles, thereby preparing students for a creative photographic career or a career in commercial photography. Courses in Photography include Photography I; Photography II; Commercial Photography; Portrait Photography; Color Photography; Digital Studio Photography; Large Format Photography; and Advanced Commercial Photography. Facilities include a black and white dark room and professional studios for portrait, large format, digital, and commercial photography.
Dunno how Dad feels about me focusing on photography, but he was all over me actually being excited about going to school. Hell, I used to skip more than I would attend. Made it enough days to scrape by and pass my whole career.
Spent the summer procuring a stash and packing my own room — some things I just didn’t want Dad to find. Bought most of the stuff I would need to live on my own in Danbury – keeping it in it’s packaging until we could load it into the U-Haul when we were ready to leave for Salem. Once in Salem, the plan was to get my furniture.
I ain’t got anything fancy, mind you – just comfortable. Dad’s not rich, but he makes good money and owns his own house and all. He’s footing the bill for rent and utilities – which includes net…he’s big on how net access should be a basic human right. As bonus gifts, the tech nerd that is my father presented me with a new computer for home so I could work on a pro level, an inexpensive laptop for note-taking at school, and the digital cam of my fucking dreams. Now, I own a camera, but it’s an old school film style, and film gets harder and harder to find, and my phone just doesn’t cut it really.
I’d say I’m still unpacking and getting things in order, but I’m not. Dad made sure to get everything unpacked for me and put where I wanted it – he was more worried than I was about the whole accessibility issue. All in all I’ve been here a couple of weeks and am liking the place so far. Gotta settle in to the school vibe yet, but I’ll get there.
Social life is still up in the air, natch. Gradually meeting people though, and it’s nice having a place of my own.