slowly learning

Once upon a time, I was doing some math homework. Let's just say it was second grade, approximately 1987. I believe it involved some subtraction. I asked my dad for some help, and after a few attempts, I started to get it right. My dad commented to me that I have troubles with new things at first, but after two or three tries, I learn it forever.

And oh man, I think he was right. I never really get things right on the first go around. Even the second attempt leaves me wondering what went wrong. For example:

School: I have tried to apply to graduate school two times. The first time I psyched myself out, bombed the GRE, lost my senior thesis, and decided to go to the bar and follow my boyfriend to graduate school instead. Bad move. The second time was a halfhearted application to ONE photo MFA program. Not surprisingly, it didn't work out too well. Now I'm on the third attempt. I know what I want to study, I'm excited about it, and I have put many hours into the applications. It seems like the third try is going to work out.

Traveling: I've been trying to go to India for at least 10 years. In college, when the option to study abroad came about, USC didn't offer a program in India. I could have applied to another school's program, but instead I chose to go to Prague. I loved Prague, and having the chance to travel in Eastern Europe (yay Dresden!), but I spent a lot of time wishing it was India. For the second at bat, I actually did apply to spend the summer in Hyderabad right after I graduated. I was accepted, I was making plans to go, and then at the last moment I decided to stay in Los Angeles and look for a job (some good that did me. Except it did produce Kim Miller. I love Kim Miller). So, here I go. Third try to get to India. I have a plane ticket, a visa, a passport, and malaria pills. Looks like the plane's going to take off this time.

Boys: Two down. Well, maybe more like 4 or 5 down, but who's counting, really?

Are we going to do some karoke before I leave, or what?