Cue Pomp and Circumstance. On second thought, don't you dare.

So... I graduated this weekend! Here's the rundown:

- Honors Convocation, Friday night, 7 pm: Eleanor and I are both recognized as Summa Cum Laude graduates and get cool medallions.

- University Commencement, Saturday morning, 8 am: I hear the coroner from CSI tell me never to become an actor, turn my tassel and officially gradumucate meself. My parents and brother attend; Eleanor does not.

- College of the Arts Commencement, Saturday morning, 10:30 am: I rock the house with my speech, get my name called and get a certificate. Eleanor and her friend Courtney join my parents and brother in attendance.

- University Commencement, Sunday morning, 8 am: Eleanor hears the earthquake lady diss New Orleans, turns her tassel and officially gradumucates 'erself. Her parents attend; I do not.

- College of Humanities and Social Sciences Modern Languages and Literatures Commencement, Sunday morning, 11 am: Eleanor rocks the house with her Eiffel-Towers-and-wine-bottles tassel, gets her name called and gets a certificate. I join her parents, Aunt Jo and Uncle Chuck, Courtney, and Rae in attendance by breaking in.

Then there was lunch on Saturday with my parents, my brother, her parents and Courtney; the other Courtney's party (Patino, that is) on Saturday at 4:30; Jared's party on Saturday at, um, I don't even remember what time; and Eleanor's party which went from 2:30 on Sunday afternoon to 1:00 at night if you count her and her mom and I staying up late and talking after everyone left.

And then there was work. Last week, this was the decoration given to a fellow associate at Assurant (someone I don't know):





(Sorry, for some reason I can't rotate the picture. In real life it was right side up.) I assume that this person probably graduated with an MBA or something else which would be generally beneficial to his or her career at Assurant. Or at least one would hope so. I graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Composition, which is not beneficial in any way to what I do (generally or otherwise); but someone felt bad for me and put this in my cubicle:





Pathetic. I think they just stole the balloon from the other person's cube....

But I got in to work this afternoon, after the weekend, and I think Stephanie (my boss) must have either 1) felt sorry for me or 2) felt really proud of me, because this time my cube was all decked out:











The balloon was back, but now there were two big signs that said "Congrats GRAD" and sparkly little "2007" things all over my desk. It was kinda cool.

When work was over, I left the sparkly 2007 things on my desk and the balloon on the shelf but brought the two signs home. They now proudly mark Mike's and my respective doors in our apartment (this is mine):





Now every time I see it, I'll smile and say thank you!

P.S. Thanks to Courtney (Patino, that is) finally getting her pictures from prom, I've added 16 new photos to my Picasa web album I wrote about two weeks ago, including a few new pictures of Eleanor and I dancing. Check it out:

Campus Crusade Prom 5.4.07