I haven't spent much time pondering why a person might have goal-oriented tendencies vs. process-oriented ones, but over the past few years I have discovered that I unquestionably fall under the goal-oriented camp.  Chalk it up to being a first-born, type A, mark-it-off-the-checklist type of person, but without goals—whether they be physical, mental, spiritual, or your general garden-variety ones—I think I would be lost, unsatisfied, and directionless.  I know that “it’s all about the journey, not the destination,” but really, can’t “it” (whatever “it” is referring to.  Life?  Joy?) be about both the journey and the destination?

My recent goals have included such random endeavors as building a bike (check!); training for the STP with my husband (in process); maintaining a blog (near failure); and learning how to successfully bake Canelé de Bordeaux (utter failure; I suggest, instead, a pilgrimage to an estimable bakery in France or, if a jump across the pond is a bit much for a single pastry, a good French bakery near you that makes them).

That said, over the past couple of months I have craved the intellectual stimulus (i.e. goals ) that being in school provides; in particular, I’ve missed studying Early Modern English Literature at the University of Geneva alongside fabulously talented professors and fellow students.  Alas, as modern science has not yet figured out a way for a person to physically be in two places simultaneously, and because I love my life in Seattle, I’ve decided that instead of heading back to Switzerland to study Shakespeare (another goal for another time), I’m going to stay put and bring Shakespeare to Seattle by attempting to read through all of his plays in a year.  Who knows if I will actually succeed in this goal, or whether I’ll get through Henry VI, part 1, and call it a day, but I’ve wanted to read the extant canon of Shakespeare's plays for quite some time, so why wait?

I’ve been tinkering with the idea for a while, but when I came across this website a few weeks ago, I decided that if another girl out in the great, wide world of Shakespeare nerds could make the attempt, then I could, too.  My “Shakespeare in a Year” marathon started May 1, as did hers, and the goal is to read about 3 plays/month.  Unfortunately, we’re not reading the plays in the same order (I want to read them, more or less, in chronological order), but it’s still nice to have a teammate of sorts. 

So this blog, for the next year, is going to be a journal of my reactions to, and observations and questions about, the Bard and his work.  Nothing fancy, nothing very academic, but simply a record of the process side of this goal.   Feel free to join me as I wade through histories, comedies, and dramas of Mr. William Shakespeare.