The conversation: I don't think I could go to school in Seattle. The commute from the ferry to downtown at 6pm is hellatious. What about Tacoma? I would have to move. I would get a storage unit on Vashon, where it's safer, and rent a studio in Tacoma. I would have to find someone to foster the cats. Wait, no I wouldn't. I could get to know my classmates this summer and then crash at someone's house a couple nights a week. I could ... I could...

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Yes, that was 5am. And last night before bed, while on the internet. And before that, in the car on the way home.

I'm thinkin' all the time.

I've got an appointment at another massage school today, but after looking at the logistics, it's looking like I'll apply to Ashmead.

The Cons:
- the classes (2-3 nights per week) go until 10:15pm, and the last boat from Tacoma to Vashon is at 10pm. I would either have to drive around to Seattle and take the 11:40pm ferry (getting home at 12:15am), or move to Tacoma, or just crash with a classmate or friend.

- going to school for the entirety of next school year, while still working as a full-time teacher, will be challenging. This would be the case for any program, though, and many are even more in-depth and therefore require a time commitment that isn't possible for me.

- that's pretty much it.

The Pros:
- the commute to Ashmead is much easier than to Seattle.
- start in summer, which means one quarter of NOT doing double duty.
- my current massage therapist graduated from there, sometimes teaches classes there, knows the instructors, and already is mentoring me in some ways.
- chop-chop all-inclusive package in a private school with decent facilities and plenty of parking.
- 6 months of medical massage, with the option of an externship as a massage resident at Tacoma General Hospital, doing rotations under physician supervision.

That squirrel's been running that wheel pretty hard. I'm going to need some bearing grease soon.