WAG - Grad’e’ating time a comin’
Okay, so I bought my graduation cap and gown today. I haven’t done that in a while.
I can’t recall filling out the paperwork for my high school graduation gown, though I can vaguely recollect the Jostens man who always seemed to be there in the spring trying to sell rings. I definitely can’t remember doing anything for my middle school graduation – which we had in my town because that was the only graduation a mentionable percentage of the students were going to get. I think I looked better in the gold middle school gown better than the black high school gown, though I didn’t lose my cap beneath the bleachers during my high school graduation.
It was strange going around the tables. There were familiar faces. I saw a member of my old F.I.G. (Freshman Interest Group) standing in the line for printed announcements. I saw several people from my English senior capstone class, which had dismissed immediately prior to our dropping by. I also saw some faces that looked familiar, I guess due to the semi-frequent crossing of paths over the last years, though I have no idea who most of them were.
The whole process wasn’t too bad. Apparently the university had the proper spelling on file for my diploma, though I learned it isn’t productive to joke around with the Spelling Lady. You may mean well by trying to lighten her day, but she had processed so many letters that she doesn’t have any brain cells left over to detect the ironic tonal inflection that indicates you are making a joke. Don’t even try.
I’d been planning on waiting before picking up items, but the 10 percent discount was enough for me to buy my cap, gown, and tassels (the red School of Journalism cord looks a lot cooler than the plain white College of Arts and Science cord). I held off on ordering invitations and/or thank you cards, though I did get some order forms so I can procrastinate looking at them over the upcoming Spring Break. I laughed at the price of the diploma frames and refused to make eye contact with the college ring guy.
Back in high school, my Dad told me to hold off getting an expensive class ring and save it up for my college one; he didn’t know I’d already been leaning toward the classic aluminum-colored Lustrum model. I do think, however, he knew I wouldn’t care to spend good money on a university ring four years down the road. I love MU, but I’m not a ring person and even one of the cheaper investments of $195 isn’t going to change me into one.
I still don’t know if I’ll be honors eligible at the end of the year. Greek honors start at the 3.5 average G.P.A. I’ve been hovering at 3.49 for about a year now. I hope to still pull one off, which is why I started studying for midterms the week before they came for a change. I won’t know for sure for a couple months, though.
I have a meeting with the head advisor of the English department tomorrow morning. I am getting my paperwork filed a bit closer to the deadline than I would care to be, but I believe it to be solid. Since I only have already jumped through various hoops for the journalism advisors, I know that if I pass the one journalism class I’m taking this semester, everything will be just fine.
I’ve got the outfit and the paperwork pretty much taken care of; I’m just not sure about the spirit. Graduation no longer feels like the hazy, nebulous event that would sometime come in the distant future like it did four years ago. But it doesn’t feel like it is only two and a half months away either.
I doubt the feeling will come when the invitations do. In fact it will probably wait until after the event comes and goes. That’s how it was in high school. Though only time will tell if things are different.
Either way, I have an extra black gown I can go trick or treating in come next October.
DING DONG!
“And what are you young… man.?”
“I’m a college graduate! I’m poor. Can you give me some money?”
SLAM!
“Hershey’s would do! Or a Snickers! I just got out of college. I’m hungry too!”
'Just_none_of_those_icky_peanut_butter_taffies'
