Who Do I Think I Am?

It struck me that I've made an introductory post, an anti-government post, and a chocolaty post about Milton without ever mentioning what gives me the balls to do this.  So I'll use this post to talk briefly about my favorite subject: myself. 

As the little blurb at the top-right of my page indicates, I am a full-time musician, a full-time graduate student, and a part-time teacher (though tutor is probably the better word, it sounds less professional).  Musically, I play guitar and bass in a few different bands.  But that isn't really relevant to this particular blog.

No no friends, what IS relevant is my academic past which will hopefully lead me headlong into my academic future.  I received a BA in English Literature from Wagner College, a small liberal arts college in Staten Island, NY.  Feel free to ask details, but suffice to say I did very well because my professors nurtured the particular interests I had in literature at the time, and as such allowed me to dive deeply into a couple of research projects of my own choosing. 

After graduation I took a couple of years off to achieve my dream of being a rock star.  Having met Dave Mustaine of Megadeth at a McDonald's in California, I considered my goal fulfilled and decided to return to school to pursue my slightly less realistic dream of achieving a Ph.D and a career in higher education.  

I took the required tests (GRE General and Subject Test in Literature in English) and did extremely well on one and not so extremely well on the other (I'll let you decide which is which), resulting in a hearty chorus of "Thanks but no thanks" from every single Ph.D. to which I applied.  I spun into a spiral of depression, drinking nearly three cases of Coca-Cola per week while raiding Illidan the Betrayer repeatedly.  I also studied Shaolin Kung Fu, in case Illidan or Kil'Jaeden ever became real.  Fortunately for them, they remained in Azeroth.  Realizing that my senseless beating of bricks was getting my career nowhere, I once again dove into school.


I decided to start smaller, and began pursuing an MA at CUNY College of Staten Island.  Two years and $5000 of debt later, I realized that there was no way I could succeed at a school whose English MA program was geared entirely towards training Department of Education "teachers".  That isn't to say I received poor grades.  On the contrary, 4.0 for four straight semesters (/backpat).  However, I found the material exceedingly easy and out of the seven different professors with whom I took classes, six asked, in varying ways, what the hell I was doing at CSI.

I applied to, and was accepted by, CUNY Hunter, a school of much higher repute whose English program would, in all likelihood, result in my being accepted, finally, to a Ph.D. program, provided I put in the requisite work.  And so here I am, beginning this blog to document my journey through CUNY Hunter to wherever my road through life leads me. 

Oh yeah, in between all that schooling, gigging, raiding, and Kung Fu-ing, I also am responsible for supporting a household.  But that's boring stuff.  I know you would all much rather read my thoughts on Milton or whatever other nonsense I plan on flinging at you.  Excelsior!