It's Graduation Day

But this isn't really about graduation

Today was my little university’s graduation ceremony. As a college professor with two kids, one of whom has a Master’s, I’ve been to A LOT of graduations. This is the first time I’ve ever thought a ceremony was too short. Apparently (according to our Interim Provost) there was no budget for a speaker, so there was a student speaker (who did great) and that was it. It was over in like 40 minutes, as one of my colleagues said, ‘A little anti-climactic.’

Our university does graduation before finals, which seems weird, but I kinda get it. What student is going to stick around after their last final 2 or 3 (or more) days for the ceremony? And that reminded me of my graduation back in the long ago time of December 1994. Yes, I’m old enough to turn my radio down when I get out of the car so it doesn’t blast me when I get in…

Anyway, back then UT Austin did their December graduation before finals. This kinda sucks because you have all the excitement of graduation and then have to go and study. Booooo!! I decided, since I was graduating that I would try to be edgy and cool when I took my last final. There are lots of ways to describe me, but edgy and cool are very much not ones that fit. To add some context, my super power in undergrad was having a final on the last day, at the last time, which meant I was taking my final at 7:00 PM Thursday after graduation.

Here’s the edgy and cool part, be ready to roll your eyes. I’d brought a beer with me to the final and as I turned in the blue book for the exam, I turned around, pulled out the beer, cracked it open and drank it on the way out of the room. I thought I was so cool, but I’m pretty sure nobody in the room even noticed. Then I walked outside and got really nervous that a campus cop would see me with the beer bottle and I’d get in trouble. So edgy and cool.

So, that’s the story. Not sure why I’m sharing this, but going to graduation reminded me of it and it made me laugh thinking about what a dork I was so I thought it might make others laugh as well.