Possibilities

I have thought of several directions I could take my life over the years. My next chapter in life in Heidelberg is a positive step towards some of these goals. A few of my hairbrained ideas:

• Get a PhD in CIS at the University of Hawaii. This is an intense program and offers knowledge in librarianship, information, and computer systems. Get a small house near the beach with a hammock on the porch. Have a dog to walk along the beach, and have a weekend project of restoring a two or three mast schooner. I would open up a bookstore/cafe in some instances of this scenario.
• Earn a second Masters in Classics. I wanted to do this either at UW-Madison or Sanford (where it would most likely be a PhD). The problem with this is the four language barrier. With only a minor in Latin and two years of French, I was not accepted into the program because reading knowledge is necessary for French, German, and either Latin or Greek with some knowledge of the other. With the degree I would be a curator and occasionally work on archaeological digs categorizing realia.
• Somehow learn Tibetan, Mongolian, and Mandarin to work with ancient Asian texts. I thought about this while visiting libraries in Mongolia and saw ancient Tibetan sutras being restored. This is also the least likely of all the ideas due to the large language barrier, insufficient knowledge of Asian culture, history, and literature, and lack of funding in that area.
• Create a four-prong business. I thought this would require an MBA, which I applied for and was rejected (stress caused underperformance), but if I gain experience, read the books, and talk to business owners, I think it could be done. The four prong business is this: a hotel/b&b, restaurant, vineyard, and stable. I had started developing the plans for the building layout and how the businesses interacted. I had started reading textbooks on hotel management; considering business partners and people whose skills were suitable.
• Build a sustainable apartment building. This was being considered for the Kansas City or surrounding metro area, or someplace farther south. Sustainable building is more difficult the colder the region (as far as I know, my ecological building books are still on my wishlist). Not only would we eventually generate revenue from tenants, but the building and grounds themselves would generate revenue and look aesthetically pleasing. It’s a shame so many organizations and businesses are blind to this.

I suppose the directions could be summed up as staying with libraries, working with languages and history, or creating a business. I have always loved to create things, so graphic design is always something I have wanted to do. However, I just don’t have that innate ability, even when it feels like I do, to see what something should be using my mind’s eye. I can visualize things abstractly, but I can’t sketch it out or explain what I see. My mind’s eye has 120/80 vision. 😛