Day 24

Title: Aftermath


I need a new camera.

I went to my Astronomy department graduation yesterday. It was in Fiske Planetarium, there were only 8 undergrad students there (of 11 that graduated), and 2 officiating profs. Small would be an understatement. There were jokes made about how interstellar dust is the stuff you use Pledge to clean. Total nerd-fest.

Ward Handley was among the graduates. He and I have been going to school together since 1st grade. We were best friends throughout most of elementary school. It's incredible that there were two Mesa Mustangs graduating at the same time in a program of 11 people. I've always really liked Ward. I hope things go well for him now that he's done with school.

Ally's ceremony for Women and Gender Studies was held at the same time. Dustin and I went over to Old Main where hers was and caught the last few minutes. They were brought into the theater by African drummers, there were songs performed accompanied by acoustic guitars, there were custom rainbow-colored tassels, there were inspirational speakers, and tears were shed. It was a little different than the astro graduation.

Ally looked beautiful in her cap and gown. I'm so proud of her. I'm kind of proud of both of us, actually.

Then after a 32oz mango margarita, an intense LOST (with Scott, Gordon, Mark, and Ally's cousin Derek), and a funny Office, the day concluded.

Today: a new computer (thanks Brian), a new 4x4 Rubik's cube, and Ally's party. The older generation there was telling us how good we have it. They were pretty bitter that we get to go to Greece later this summer. There was one guy, Sam (that Brian said is "like sweet creme...okay in small doses, but is easy to have a little too much of."), was asking everybody about their college experience to show us that going to Greece isn't typical. One guy lived in an apartment with no drywall, just empty wall frames. He had plastic sheets stapled up around the bathroom to keep it "semi-waterproof".

Sam told us a story about the day after he graduated. "I rented a 24 foot U-Haul and took off. It was packed with every crappy piece of hand-me-down furniture I had acquired over the last 5 years, and my '76 Monza Coupe hooked to the back . As I was leaving Detroit, it was pouring rain, and the potholes from the winter were completely full of water. As I was pulling up to a stoplight, I felt the truck shake, and I look in the mirror and see my Monza rolling down the left turn lane. That thing rolled clear though the intersection and ended up on the opposite curb. I put the truck's emergency flashers on and jump out to go chase after my car, and my leg sinks up to the hip in a pothole full of water. That's what college is supposed to be like."

I always thought that I was slumming it by having a duct tape couch, but apparently that doesn't negate my privileged domesticness. As Mark pointed out, I have a land line. No one has a land line.

Earlier in the night, Sam had come up to me and said "Plastics. Invest in plastics. Plastics are the way of the future." He was quoting Mr. Robinson from The Graduate. He then said that in actuality, old people are the new plastics. He told me to build high rise old-folks homes, then get out of the business when the market peaks right before they all die. That's how I'll make a fortune, he said.

Driving in the rain is like listening to AM radio: everything gets really quiet when you go under a bridge.