THE LOVE OF MY LIFE

by Gina Sestak

My Sadie Hawkins Day comment here joked about wanting to use the blog to propose to my favorite actor -- it would be necessary to propose on the web, since I've never had the pleasure of meeting him in person, nor do I know of any way to get in touch with him directly. But this post is not about him.

This post is about the true love of my life -- learning.

Those of you who've been following my many posts about former jobs know that many of those jobs were part-time gigs I held while working my way through school. What you may not know is why I went to so much trouble -- working multiple jobs, selling blood plasma, being homeless. It was so I could go to school. I want you to know that I had no ambition whatsoever at the time. I wasn't thinking about a degree or a career. I was living my ideal life -- a life in which I could go from class to class and book to book, finding out all kinds of fascinating things about all kinds of fascinating subjects, solely for the joy of learning.

I am happy to report that I've once again assumed that way of life, albeit in a limited way. I'm participating in a 15-week Citizen Police Academy through the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and, since I'm over 55 and semi-retired, I am eligible to take classes through the Osher Life Learning Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. Due to my present three-day-a-week job, I cannot audit any of the undergraduate courses Osher offers, but I've been able to take a hands-on class at the Pittsburgh Glass Center (in which I made a disappointingly ugly square thing) and a film class, in which we watch movies and talk about them -- none, alas, featuring that favorite actor. In a few weeks, I'll be learning to recognize birds.

OK. That's what I love. Now, fess up. What do you love?