Walk of Life

When you're focused on one major event, it's amazing what kinds of things can slip through the cracks. Graduation, for example.

For the last couple of months, all of my effort and attention have gone toward getting married (about which I realize I haven't posted yet and I'm sorry; I'll get something up soon, I promise). Lost amidst all of this was the fact that Graduation is tomorrow, May 5th.

I haven't thought about it much, to be honest. In my mind, I 'graduated' when I learned that I had inexplicably passed my Quantum Mechanics class in December. Okay, maybe 'inexplicably' isn't the right word. On the other hand, almost everything in QM is inexplicable in my mind, so maybe it's the right word after all. Anyway, that's when I felt like it was all over for me.

Despite earlier comments to the contrary, I really hadn't planned on doing The Walk. In fact, I'd planned on not doing it. Time and money have both been at a premium of late, and I just didn't see how I was going to fit it in. And I was fine with that. But Nancy and I talked about it, and she convinced me that I should really do it.

And you know what? She's right. I should. This thing's been almost twenty years in the making. I've earned it. So I'm doing it tomorrow morning. It's sort of an impromptu decision; I didn't order invitations or advertise the event or anything like that. So it's probably just the two of us tomorrow. And that's fine. With only a couple of notable exceptions, I saw everyone I'd have invited two weeks ago at the wedding.

So I picked up my cap and gown this morning. I missed the pre-order deadline in March (I had other things on my mind at the time), so it cost me an extra $10. I can justify that as a one-time expense. I paid my fee and picked up the cap, gown, gold tassel (Science), and crimson Stole of Appreciation. The last item is a U of U tradition; you wear it at the ceremony, then give it to someone who made a difference in your life and/or academic career. It's an optional item; I chose to get it for my parents. I had serious struggles with Financial Aid my last two semesters, and they came through for me big time. I don't know how I'll ever repay that, except that I'll probably do the same for my kids one day.

So tomorrow's the big day. I have to be at the Huntsman Events Center, in full regalia, by 8:00 tomorrow morning. They start marching us in at 8:20, and the Commencement ceremony starts at 9:00. We graduate en masse at this ceremony. Then I have a Convocation for the College of Science. I line up again, outside Kingsbury Hall at 11:00, and the ceremony starts at 11:30. This is when I get the diploma--or at least the case to put it in. Finally, there is a reception in the lobby of the Skaggs Biology Building from 1:00 to 2:30.

And then I go to work. But I go to work as a college graduate!