On January 20, I blogged about what to do When Life Hands You Lemons. One of the things I mentioned that has worked for me in the current market (lack of 
work and pay) is getting back to past passions. I am once again drawing maps.
When I worked in archaeological illustration, I worked for the University of Missouri — St. Louis. When I started this job, I was an undergraduate, earning a BA in Anthropology. I kept the job for a while after I graduated and loved being on the University campus and the whole exchange of ideas. I attended guest lectures and poked around in the bookstore at the beginning of each session.
When I met with the professor for whom I’m doing the map, I was tempted to pop into the bookstore where I saw stack after stack of texts. But I can’t afford to take a class right now or stock up on those fantastic highly specialized books. And I knew I would want to.
But then Lynn Viehl came to the rescue on her Paperback Writer blog. In her post “Ten for Free” she included information on — The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) OpenCourseWare (OCW)and the UK’s OpenLearn site. While I’m sure Lynn meant for me to get all excited about the literature and humanities courses (MIT does offer a neat lit course on Darwinism in literature), poking through the MIT anthropology courses was like Christmas. Anthro classes for free! I downloaded the materials for both “Magic, Witchcraft and the Spirit World” and “Myth, Ritual and Symbolism.” I think both will come in handy for my current chapter book project.
How am I going to fit two classes into a crowded schedule? I’m going to actually create a schedule for myself. I’ll have to report back later on how that goes.
–SueBE
One Writer's Journey 