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B.A. Degree in English: The Timeless Pursuit of Fulfillment

Watch this before you read today’s blog:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4GwrEuULwY
Pause. Deep breath. Commend yourself for your (insert degree).
Now you’re ready to read.

I’ve never been the kind of guy to plan out my entire life. In fact, though I am organized and a little OCD about my living quarters, my future has never been something that I’ve bothered to give much though to…so I got a B.A. degree in English. Why? Well, because it’s what I enjoy: I love to read and I love to write. Isn’t that what life is about? Finding that something you love and exploiting it for all its worth?

People used to ask me—they don’t now because the only organism I mingle with, besides a iguana that runs around in the halls, is my wife –“What are you going to do with that degree?” Then they’d smirk and drum their fingers on the table, thinking Checkmate! I always cringed at this question, because I didn’t know—I still don’t know—but I always had an answer: non-traditional teaching licensure…graduate school…newspaper…blah, blah, blah. (Secretly, and only inside—like typing this sentence in parentheses and hoping everyone will skip over it—I told myself: Write. Write for a living. Shakespeare. Hemingway. Heck, Mike McKinney.

Maybe I finished my B.A. in English because I subscribed to people like my parents, cousins, and friends, who always told me, “Well, just get a degree. That’s all that matters. Most people don’t even care what your degree is just as long as you’ve got one.” (I’m not nearly as bitter as that reads, family.)

Sounded good to me then; makes me want to throw things now. That’s like telling a kid who wants to play professional basketball, “Just go to college and play sports. That’s all that matters. It doesn’t matter if it’s intramural football, golf, croquet, hockey—just play.” Obviously, it’s worked before, just look at Antonio Gates (except it’s easy to do nothing and randomly pick up football than basketball when you’re 6’7’’ and can run), but it’s not the ideal plan.
If the rest of the blog doesn’t flow now, it’s because I stopped to read a few pieces on ESPN.com…trying not to write anything too irrational. Not that anyone reads this cra—wait. I just figured out why I got a B.A. in English.

(These are actual comments, from actual people, I should stress.
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfceast/0-3-72/What-s-in-Mosley-s-Mailbag-.html)

“strause27” said:
i am not an eagles or a cowboys fan but i can say that cowboys choke every year...and well eagles look like they can keep up with dallas...now i think dallas will win they always have a good regular season...dallas will just go into the playoffs like every year being and nfc favorite and then screw up. Romo's mistakes have made me laugh every year and i am excited to see another

“got five rings” replied:
strause your an idiot a 5 year old is smarter than you and all you haters out there. im going to have to slow it down and rewind it for you so you can understand.this goes to all the haters to by the way. ROMO HAS STARTED TWO PLAYOFF GAMES ONLY OK, ONLY HAS ONE FULL YEAR AS QB. BE PAIENT ELWAY DIDNT WIN A SB UNTIL HE WAS OLDER THAN MY GRANDPA. TOOK P MANNING OVER HALF HIS CAREER TO WIN ONE. ITS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BE PATIENT ROMO WILL SHOW THE WORLD WITH HIS ONE FULL SEASON AT QB. NOW MCNABB HES NOT CUTTING IT SURE HES GOTTEN TO THE SB , NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. HES THE TRUE MR. CHOKER AND GAG ARTIST.HIS CAREER IS ALMOST OVER AND HASNT WON THE BIG GAME. JUST ANOTHER MARINO HOLD UP WAIT A MINUTE I CANNOT BELIEVE IM COMPARING THE TWO.LOL

I may not have a job, but I feel a lot better now.
Thanks, ESPN.com Comments.

Comments

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Anonymous said…
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Anonymous said…
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