Graduations passed...

[susandennis]

It's cap and gown and graduation time...

I honestly do not remember my high school graduation. I know it was a BFD and perfectly done as I went to a very prissy perfect high school. And I know I was there. And I have the diploma to prove it somewhere and it is is fancy and prissy and perfect. And does not even mention that I was pretty much at the bottom of my class of 52.

Happily, bottom of that class was still high up enough to get into some kind of college and despite all my best efforts, I managed to graduate from there, too.

That one I remember. I remember it was hot - yeah, not a stretch. But mostly I remember the gynormous feeling of relief.

I hated school - really just hated it. All of it, except the school supplies. Loved new notebooks and pencils and rulers - but I digress... I think I started counting the days til the end sometime during first grade.

When I actually got there - to the end - it was amazing and wonderful and such a relief. I was done. I could now start my life. I could read what I wanted. I could fuck up and get fucked - it was my life and all mine and it was laid out before me like a giant present all gift wrapped with a bow.

I remember the feeling today - hot and sweaty and so full of joy and wonder and delight and relief. The future was all mine. I've always kind of felt a little bit of a responsibility to live up to the feeling of that day and with a lot of luck and some hard work, I pretty much have.

That's a very nice thing to realize.

Comments

[johncomic.livejournal.com]

Aaa, you woulda hated me -- I loved school!

Well, except for the bullying and social awkwardness. But the actual classes and learning: loved it. I'm sure a large part of it was the validation. It's one of the only things I was good at. I was small and weak and clumsy and not handsome and not charming, but I was top of my class. So I clung to that as my one modest arena of success.

In fact, after university I stayed on into grad school halfway thru a Ph.D., mostly because in grad school they will give you a job as a teaching assistant, so essentially I made my living by being a student. I did not wanna let school go.

[susandennis]

So I should call you Half Doctor? Semi Doctor? Or maybe just Ph?

[johncomic.livejournal.com]

I understand the quasi-official terminology is ABD: All But Dissertation. But, since you proposed it, I'm now kinda partial to “Ph”. As long as we can pronounce it “fuh”.

[susandennis]

Works for me. We have a lot of pho places here and it's pronounced the same way.

My favorite is http://www.whatthepho.net/

[johncomic.livejournal.com]

And all this time I thought it was “foe”! So much to learn!

[susandennis]

i always thot so too until i found this restaurant, now i use it to remind me that they pronounce it funny.

[johncomic.livejournal.com]

Now I know to take offense if someone tells me to “pho cough”.

[fj.livejournal.com]

Exam dreams for a decade or more after my last one at uni, that I barely passed at the last moment.

[annietopia.livejournal.com]

There is a coolness about new school supplies. I even get a thrill when I buy them for Gavin and get to label them with his name. LOL

I used to love taking notes. Not sure why. Especially in college. Of course computers were fairly common when I was in college, but they were common in the computer lab and not in a dorm room or classroom. I think I liked the note taking in a notebook so note taking on a laptop would not be the same thing. It is weird to think that I'll be sending my boys off to college with their own laptops instead of buying them tons of notebooks, pens, and pencils.