And, here we go!

Kiera made me blog. It's true.

But, don't let that statement fool you. My dream job would be to be a columnist somewhere. Not an entire novel, mind you. I doubt I could hold a train of thought that long. An occasional column in a huge newspaper somewhere would have been awesome. Who wouldn't want to read what I had to say about absolutely nothing of consequence?

The Dallas Stars' goalie situation? I've got an opinion. The state of public education? I can pontificate. Conan versus Leno? I'm all over it. Why I hate the Twilight books? I could go on for days.

However, I'm still not convinced I could turn my ramblings into opinions worth an editor's money.

Way back in my undergraduate days at Stephen F. Austin (Go Jacks! Whoo-hoo!), I was afforded the opportunity to "freelance." I co-wrote a few columns. I helped out with a few features. I did some highly suspect work on the yearbook. But, I never had an interest in journalism.

I did (and do) have a huge interest in books. For my degree, I had to major in two teaching fields. I ended up majoring in English and reading. (Yes, naysayers, you can major in reading. How do you think reading teachers learn how to teach reading?). So basically, books, books, writing, books, and some more books. It was through my reading classes I discovered Young Adult literature, henceforth called YA. Good times, fun, and yuks ensued.

So, armed with my certifications in English, reading, and later Spanish, I stumbled into junior high.

I meandered in the classroom for a couple of years before returning to school for a Master's in Liberal Arts degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Why not? All of my friends were in graduate school. I'm sure the alumni board has a more elegant explanation of the degree, but it was basically a "learning for the sake of learning" degree. Students are given a catalog of courses and given fairly free reign to pick and choose classes. Although not officially a "specialization," most of my classes were history classes.

My classes also allowed me to travel a bit as I was able to take a class in Spain and another class in England. Any excuse to bust out the passport!

All of the librarians I had worked with told me I would love to be a librarian. I already had an interest in reading and YA literature. I was perceived to be much smarter than I actually am, so they were convinced that graduate school wouldn't be difficult. However, it never occurred to me once I was in the program at SMU that I could obtain a second Master's degree.

After a particularly brutal day teaching 9th graders, and eighteen months prior to finishing at SMU, I decided as soon as I was done at SMU I would start library school at Texas Woman's University in Denton. My predecessors were correct. I could totally be a librarian.

As a librarian, I can finally spend time with the books that I enjoy so much. Yes, there are books in English classes. However, there is that pesky thing known as writing. As someone who never found writing difficult to do, I found it very difficult to teach. After teaching an elective I learned that while the scrutiny of a tested subject isn't involved, electives can become a dumping ground for reasons that could take up many a future blog.

Anyhoo, fate was kind, and I am now a librarian! I get to be a book geek for a living! And now, thanks to Kiera, I'm blogging a bit, too! We'll see how long it lasts.

Or if any editors call.