"Why, anybody can have a brain. That's a very mediocre commodity. Every pusillanimous creature that crawls on the Earth or slinks through slimy seas has a brain. Back where I come from, we have universities, seats of great learning, where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts and with no more brains than you have. But they have one thing you haven't got: a diploma." The Wizard to the Scarecrow, The Wizard of Oz.

No more brains...just a diploma. And now, alarmingly, I am qualified to do more things than before when essentially, I am the same chap prior to entering this program. Perhaps with less patience than before (not a good thing). But, its true--its all in the empowerment, that fearlessness that we all have as children that we lose as we move forward in our lives and living, making a living and being queried and questioned by those who have less knowledge and more power than we do. I am currently having a hard time keeping my eyes open--as my brain is finally letting go...and letting me wander a bit. Its a bit tedious to have illustration guidance and key commands populating a restless night becoming little nod off snippets during critiques or dark lecture halls. Hugely embarassing...but beyond my control...(all the pinching, sitting up straight, etc did not work).

We drove home via New Paltz and were stunned that the town seemed much tidier...and nicer. We had lunch and trolled the local art store (amazing old style place with a great selection of stuff from hand made papers to jars of pigments, Golden Acrylics and Williamsburg Oil Paints. Very few "student grade" materials to my delight. The school seems good. We need to do some research.

Gotta go now...as we need to get Alex to Cornell.