Pizza, Pomp and Circumstance

The Crimson Mafia did indeed let me exit stage left with a diploma, sparing my life but not my bank account. Right now I'm still shaking the crimson dust off my feet having had a great experience but no desire to attend school as a student for a very long time. The festivities in the yard were very festivey and while I am not impressed with pomp and circumstance and graduation speeches that must, by some law of cliched graduation speeches, use the words "horizon," "triumph," and "in spite of the global recession," I have to say that the fanning out of masses to the tune of the bagpipes did impress me. My heart was stirred, and I felt proud to be there, but mostly I felt blessed...oh what? I'm sounding like a cliched grad speech too, now! Hey HEY!

Big Pops came in from the Mid-West to support me, but mostly to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to Baby Girl. And then after a few minutes she'd waddle over again to his lap and point to the word SUCKER on his forehead and make him read it again. Did you know that the very hungry caterpillar turns into a beautiful butterfly every.single.time?

We also ate ridiculous amounts of pizza, watched a ridiculous number of episodes of "Everybody Hates Chris" which is one of the best funny family shows evah, and talked a ridiculous deal of bulllloney during the days that Big Pops was here. It is nice to have your parents be proud of you, whether you're earning a degree in a field with no lucrative future, or teaching your own kid about caterpillars and chrysalis.

I suppose I should once again be distributing my resume for various adjunctries (Is that the plural of adjunct? It is now!) but sabbath begins in just over an hour and just about every fiber of my petite self is needing to rest on the seventh day. Maybe by doing so, by languishing a bit longer in this cocoon, I will be ready to emerge as the proverbial butterfly in the weeks to come.

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Notice my baton. I can haz baton because am best baton twirler Crimson Mafia ever did see.