Graduated for real this time

Friday afternoon, after staying up most of the night to finish writing my final paper (“I’ve learned something today: common sense as a political tool in South Park”) and then turning it in, I lay on my bed and watched the pale blue light coming through the blinds. That was the first moment I can remember thinking: I am done with school forever.

Sadly, the very next day I realized that I wasn’t, not quite — two graduation ceremonies still remained. The CS one went uneventfully, my favorite moment being when Gary Yngves came onto stage to receive a teaching award with me (I won the undergrad award, him the grad), and he was dressed in grungy shorts, a t-shirt, and sandals. I made a bemused, “what’s the deal” gesture at him as he came to stand next to me, and the audience laughed.

Husky stadium graduation should have sucked, but it was really fun. I met Roman randomly on the way to the stadium, and he told me, “In every picture growing up, I was either shouting or frowning. This is my parents’ revenge.” We met up with his (our?) friends Alice, Erin, and Scott, and we all lined up and filed into the stadium together. The interesting part came when it started pouring rain, harder than it ever does in Seattle. Once it really started coming down, all semblance of order dissolved from the ceremony — everyone got out of their seats and milled around, talking loudly, ignoring whatever was going on onstage. At some point, volunteers started throwing ponchos, but by that point everyone was soaking wet. My mortar-board cap was soaking wet, completely wilted at the corners. The rain brought us together, though, and none of us that bad a time. It was hilarious.

I leave tomorrow morning to backpack on the Olympic Peninsula, so goodbye until next Sunday or so.