Dominican University of California

Currently on Assignment in the United States
New York City

I received word that I have been admitted to Dominican, located in San Rafael California. Sometimes I forget what I have previously conveyed in the blog, so forgive me if I repeat myself.

So what is the story with my trip around the blue planet? I don't know, but clearly it won't be done in one extended trip and I may never make it around. I have not lost the desire to complete the mission, I'm just less enthused about doing it alone. But there are other considerations.

I have always subscribed to the notion that when opportunity knocks, you don't flirt with it, you don't dither, you invite it in for dinner. And so this has been my mind set since the Post 911 GI Bill was passed by congress last year. It is a true opportunity, a true gift from the tax payers and an opportunity that if put off, goes counter to my above stated notion.

Someday I'll write about the perils of to much choice. There is such a thing and can cause vapor lock. Numerous choice causes one to look in the rear view mirror of life and ask the unanswerable after a course of action has not gone as first envisioned. This is/was the case with my grappling with where to go to school, why go to school and how to put it all together in the context of the all over picture that is my life.

One day, while stationed and living in Marin County California an old girlfriend and I were looking for Jerry Garcia's house in San Rafael, just to see what was shaking down on Shakedown Street. It was during that adventure we skulked onto the campus of Dominican University of California in San Rafael. Like many places in Marin Country, north of the Golden Gate Bridge, the natural beauty of the place will knock you out. The grounds are peppered with Red Wood trees, with beautiful buildings and mostly shaded from the intense sun. I just recall thinking what an awesome place. A great place to study.

My first choice to go to school has always been California. I simply like it their, plus I own a home in Sonoma that really needs my attention. San Francisco Bay is a wonderful place to own a sailboat, you can leave your boat in the water year round and you can even sail all the way to Sacramento if that moves you. But due to politics and complicated issues outside the scope of this blog, the GI Bill would not adequately fund school within the California school system. So I was contemplating, researching and thinking of alternatives when Dominican popped into my head.

Dominican is a private school and is somewhat immune from the politics that prevented me from getting funding for the state school system. I made one call to Dominican and that call sealed the deal. Each time I called, the phone was picked up by a human, each email was promptly returned and they went to super human lenghts to work out all the details of funding, the application process and they were enthused I was doing these steps via skype from obscure beach locations. It would be reasonable to think an institution that treats applicants with such professionalism and courtesy will deliver in other areas. I'll start in August 2010. My preliminary thoughts are to seriously consider becoming a high school teacher. Way to early for definitive statements. But I'm very excited.

So over the next 10 months or so I will slowly start making my way back to California. More on that later.

Capt Chris