What J-term is like

For the last two years, I've spent the month of January at home, not doing much of consequence. Interterm at Taylor, or J-term, as it is commonly called, was purported to be strange, some mythological hybrid of class and vacation, homework and movie-watching. Being home seemed like a better option than squishing around my financial aid to figure out how to pay a month's room and board, so J-term remained a mystery to me.

But no more. This year, stars and scholarships aligned, and I got to take a speculative fiction writing course taught by Jeff Gerke. The class itself was excellent. It and a couple of Writing Excuses episodes have gotten me really thinking about applying myself to writing as a craft with a work mindset. But college isn't just about the classes -- it's about the experience! So, what was my first J-term like?

One thing I'd been told was that J-term was supposed to be much more relaxed. You typically only take one class, so schedules aren't crazy, a lot of time the homework's not too bad, and the rest of the time you get to hole up and watch movies.

 I'm taking two classes and I have two and a half on-campus jobs. Also, things got off to a bumpy start because snowstorm.

I took this a few days ago after a lot of the snow melted, it snowed more, and then everything got plowed nicely again. But there is no escaping the wind.

Things were weird for a while because a significant number of students couldn't make it to campus on time, classes couldn't start, but they had a bunch of students living in dorms that needed to be fed. So what did Taylor do? It organized a fleet of campus policemen and other employees to drive students to the dining commons. It was very interesting, and I'm glad my school cares so much.

Eventually, things settled into what must be semi-normal operations. I woke up for 8 a.m. classes. I adjusted to homework. I reverted to being social with people to whom I'm not related. (It's amazing how quickly I relapse when given the opportunity.) Classes and life moved on.

Things were different because some people were home and some new people moved in. At times, I had a ton of work to do and other times I could relax. I had two game nights with friends. I built a snowman. I've watched several movies with my roommate. I wrote 35 pages of fiction and attended a great theater workshop.

I'm glad J-term has room for things like board games, snowmen, and movies. At the same time, the work has been a good mental preparation for the coming semester. Now I have a week left to convalesce, write, and work on theater stuff.

Overall experience, positive. Even including the snowstorm. (The cold never bothered me, anyway.)

And I'm already excited for a new semester.

Small adventures

Yesterday, my cousin and I took a romp through the woods. We climbed trees, put up a hammock, slacklined, and went exploring (though nothing was really new for her, since this was five minutes from her house.) We had hopes and dreams for a spring break filled with camping and nature, becoming one with our surroundings and wild at heart. And then today it snowed ten inches.

Of course, the weather people had been warning, but when do we ever listen to them? No, our hopes had been pinned elsewhere, on the expectation of the kinds of adventures we've tried to make for ourselves on every family picnic and gathering we've had since we were three. We would cross fallen logs, find rabbit trails, and send adults into a panic because we had disappeared again. Fortunately, we have reached the age of accountability and also cell phones. Adventures seem ever more feasible to our adult minds -- weather notwithstanding.

I have another week of spring break, and it looks like for most of it I'll be hanging around my cousin's house doing homework. Sure, it's not camping, but most of our lives she and I have been figuring out how to have small adventures. Today, we went walking in the snowstorm and sledded down the streets of what appears to be the only hilly town in central Illinois. It was great. We also built a spectacular snowman and had some good conversation. Later this week, we may take a train to some as-of-yet unknown city and explore. We have crafts to make, walks to go on, and stories to come up with. We have lots of little adventures we can have.

Someday, we may go backpacking across Europe. And one day we'll make up our spring break camping trip. Until then, I'm glad we have a positive enough outlook to come up with the small adventures that are trying new things and looking at the new places that are around every corner.

Happy spring break.