Friday, August 03, 2007
The plot thickens
Got a laugh at my own expense this morning. As noted in one or two my previous posts, I wake up each morning to the sounds of Fisher and Boy of the 97X morning show. A vast majority of the time, I give little or no attention to the subject of the moment, but this morning they were running a call-in contest searching for the oldest male still living with his mom/parents in the Tampa Bay area. Today’s prize was a pair of concert tickets to one of the larger shows coming to town…I can’t remember which at this point. Now, I’ve gone over the reasons for my living situation, so I’ll save the explanation/justifications, because the phone calls that began making it to air made any justification I might have irrelevant. As far as the world is concerned, these men are my peers, and in some ways, my people. The more calls they fielded, the more pathetic things became, but I couldn’t help but laugh.
The contest was inspired by an AP story about a 61-years old man who still lived with his mother, received an allowance, depended on her for his meals, etc. The calls start coming in and the bidding, as it were, starts at 27 years old. Quickly things advanced to 29, 31, 33, and so on. I had to leave for the office before the contest could reach its conclusion, but I’m guessing they found someone in their 40s or even 50s before wrapping up. I was taken aback at how few of the 30-somethings even paid rent, and they all seemed to be jobless. The 33 years-old didn’t even have a high school diploma. I laughed, because like or not, these are my peers. These are the men strangers will associate me with. Finally, I have a peer group! What a relief it is to have people I can relate to. :)
In related news, I’ve decided that I am going to do a Masters in Fine Arts, and that I am almost 100% certain that I will be doing it through Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). I dreamed of taking classes there as a kid, and it seems reasonable to make that happen now that I am older and wiser. There had been talk that SCAD was looking for Florida facilities in order to open a satellite campus in the St Pete area, which would have been ideal, but that talk has since died down and things are now looking doubtful. This means a move to Savannah will be in order, should I decide to do my Masters there. USF has an excellent MFA program, but nothing like what is available at SCAD. The more I think about the possibilities, the more attractive the idea becomes.
SCAD is located in the heart of Victorian Savannah. The college has created something of a bohemian environment in which students of art can congregate and expand their collective understanding of what it means to be an artist. I’m told the area itself is beautiful, the residents being more Mayberry than Desperate Housewives, and the general vibe being more laid back, old-South, than sprawling metropolis. When I think about the possibilities, I get excited at the idea of getting away from Tampa’s vacuous ‘culture’ and diving into what sounds more and more like a tiny, artist’s retreat. Of course, the costs of getting a Masters at SCAD will be nothing short of exorbitant, but life is short, money comes and goes, and I’m bored with business anyway.
So my plan is starting to become more defined. First, I’m going to change my business major to a minor, thereby making it possible to finish my VA degree next Fall. By that point, I should have the Harley paid off. With a little luck, I will have six months or so of rent saved up, so that I can find a part-time job in the area. This means I will have to quit Nielsen…I’ll miss the salary, but not the work…and take out some student loans. The loans would be a nightmare and are the last thing I would actually want to do, but given the expense of attending SCAD, I won’t have a choice. With enough aid, grants, and assistance, I might be able to keep the costs from going stratospheric, but there’s no way I will be able to avoid digging a hole of debt, should I have to move to Savannah.
Bonus: Georgia has some awesome roads to ride on, I wouldn’t be too far from home, so weekend trips back to town wouldn’t be unreasonable, and I’d be away from the malignant nature of Tampa’s populace, which would certainly do my spirit some good. Ironically, it looks to be an almost sure thing that Scott and Laura will be moving back to the area, which means the twins would be nearby and I could potentially be moving away. What are the odds?! Hopefully, SCAD will come to St Pete and all of this talk of moving will be made moot, though I do have to admit that I would like to get away from here for a year or two.
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