One down, five to go. We just returned from Louisville where daughter #1 graduated from college. During the 4 hour drive there, the 4 hour ceremony, and the 4 hour drive back, I've have plenty of time to ponder life's little mysteries.
A priest, a rabbi, and a democrat walked into a church... literally. The college
where we have been sending our paychecks for the last 4 years daughter graduated from is a small Jesuit college in the heart of Louisville. It's a great school and known for it's education and nursing schools, and it was a good fit for #1. However, there wasn't much in the way of diversity, at least not that I could see. Yes, there were minorities of course, but I think 99% were your basic upper-middle class catholic-irish white american teenager. There was a mass before the actual distribution of diplomas, and at the end of the mass there were 3 students that gave talks on their "reflections" of the last 4 years. Those students? You guessed it. A future priest, a future rabbi, and a raging democrat. I say "raging" because she was so naive and full of hope (much like I was at that age until I kept having to give that FICA person a huge chunk of my money, then got even more disillusioned by seeing the abuse the public aid system gets on a daily basis by those it is trying to serve) anyway she was so full of hope that it was almost comical. She was the epitome of what you think of with new graduates out to change the world and make it a better place... and yet we all know what happens. Reality sets in, the true uglies of the world reveal themselves, and soon those naive young graduates are the wizened old fogies that wish they knew what the world had to offer while they were still young enough to go get it.
If you are the president of a college and know that there are families out there in the audience waiting to see their child (or sibling, parent, grandkid etc) walk across the stage, don't be a windbag and drone on and on. Seriously. Did you not see all the people walking around during your talk? IT'S CUZ YOU ARE A PRETENTIOUS BLOWHARD AND NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR YOU TALK ANYMORE. GET ON WITH IT.
Also, if you are an alum of said college and have all sorts of fancy degrees and sure you may have done great things for the embarrassingly low standards of kentucky's education back in the 80s, but if you have nothing to say THEN DON'T AGREE TO BE THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER. YOU ARE MIND-NUMBINGLY YAWN INDUCING.
Okay, that was my rant on the day. The actual diploma distribution was quick and easy. Oh, and the best speaker of the entire day? The future rabbi. I don't remember his name, but he was smart, funny, self-effacing, and a joy to listen to. He should have been keynote. I'm just saying.
When deciding whether to walk your dogs or pack before your trip you might as well know that neither choice will be the right one. You should have packed the night before, then you would have had time to remember all the things you forgot. Like
- your Kindle
- your phone charger
- your socks
- your underwear
Yes. Underwear. Although it turned out to be a good thing. I went shopping. I bought more than socks and underwear. Sneaky little devil, aren't I?
13 comments:
Great post and hurray for daughter!
Congrats on #1. The ex president of my college use to give the same speech at EVERY graduation ceremony for years. Mine, my wife’s, my daughter, other family members, friends from work, everyone who graduated had to sit and listen to her drown on and on and on with the same speach. She became a joke.
Yes the optimism fades, sad but true. :\
Congrats on the graduation and I have to admit, even though I recognize optimism fades, I love see people who are overflowing with it.
congrats on your recent graduate! your first...wow. hope you have a wonderful mothers day!
Very cool that you have a college graduate in the family!!
I hope that you have a great Mother's day!
Congrats to the new graduate! I can barely remember when the world looked all sparkly and hopeful to me. *sigh*
Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!
I had one of those raving save the world kids...um yeah. luckily it ended by her junior year of college, my eyes were getting sore from rolling them behind her back all the time.
jk
Congratulations to your daughter. What a milestone for her. I wish her well.
The ceremony sounds much like that of my oldest daughter's college graduation. People who spoke and went on and on, while we sat in a blazing hot sun at the football stadium.
Hope you had a special mother's day.
Congratulations to your family!!!
Yeah for #1! And we (Sara, Zena and I) had a great time at lunch the other day discussing your lack of underwear. I mean, you sent me a text out of the blue that said "forgot socks and underwear". So we were wondering if you were wearing a skirt, was it windy, do you often go comando, etc.
Luv ya!
Ooooo la la... no underwear at the Graduation... very Mrs. Robinson!!!
Congrats, don't be so cynical you know the future is rosy for these kids... despite oil spills, floods, tornadoes and Obama.
Hugs darling. xxxxx
Congrats to #1. I didn't walk for my college graduation. If I had known how mad it was going to make all my family I would have went and suffered through it.
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