Imaginary Gardens

It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.*


So my graduation has come and gone. I got there half an hour early and waited outside while Important People fiddled with papers. As one of these people walked passed me and into the room, she asked if I was alone. Yeah, it's just me. I could hear them a bit later, saying how I was helemaal alleen** and I felt just awful about it, not having a single soul present with me. Any friend I might have had at the graduation was out of the country - including Willy - as were my parents and brother, and my supervisors were also out of the country and my program supervisor had gotten fired last year during the department's Epic Shrinkage.

There were three people seated at a long table and I sat across from them in a chair, a bit like this (but in a nicer room, with less space away from the table and with no drugs anywhere). The guy in the middle read out a little speech about the program I'd done and my average grade and how he was "delighted" (yes, with air quotes*** and all) to give me the diploma.

But first, Maarten (the prof' who'd helped me with the ArcGIS program) had a few words prepared, which he read out, mainly detailing what I'd done, just listing it out and the like. There were brief references to anecdotes or somesuch and a few comments on myself as a student and as a person. Then he read out a bit that my supervisor had sent, which was totally unexpected and really sweet of him. Then I got my papers, signed the giant Guest Graduate Book.

Then Maarten accompanied me to the Sweating Room (where students used to wait before their exams) to add my signature onto the wall amongst the thousands of others (including, protected behind clear plastic, those of the Queen, a few Princes, Mandela and Churchill). The walls were packed. Maarten took a couple pics, which was very sweet of him - I'll post 'em when I get 'em.

He then invited me for a coffee, seeing as I had absolutely no one. Pity coffee, I can has. But it was, again, very sweet of him and I actually had a good time talking with him for an hour and a half. He even gave me a graduation gift! A frame photograph of Amboseli with Kilimanjaro in the background, taken from the Observation Hill and overlooking the swamp and incoming elephants. (Yes, I know exactly where it was taken.) I am just blown over by his kindness. I have no idea what I would've done instead - wandered around like a sad wet wraith, I guess.

( Photographs! )


Video of the Day: David Usher, "Kill the Lights" - Words! Everywhere, pretty words! ( Embedded )


Quote of the Day: The Zoo Gang (1985) - Part 1 here

If this is legal, the law sucks!

Links of the Day:

Supernatural: ( Read more... )
John Simm: ( Read more... )
Watchmen: ( Read more... )
Random Fandom: ( Read more... )
Random: ( Read more... )


* Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
** Completely alone.
*** Not actual word air-quoted, but one similar. My memory fails me.

Yee-ha! I have a BSc! And I'll try not to think about how useless a thing that is. Here's the summary of the event:

Drove to MTL with parents Thursday morn', saw two white husky-type dogs sitting in driver's and shotgun seats in a truck on the way, and got there late afternoon. We walked about in the Old Port and went for an early diner at a French resto on Rachel. Have confirmed love of creme brule (sorry, totally not going to figure out how to put accents right now). Called K's parents' hotel room to try and set up a time we could all meet up but that didn't happen. Parents and I then went to House of Jazz and agreed that I wasn't insane to rave about the place so much. Didn't have brownie as was stuffed, but had Sex on the Beach (thanks, Jo). Friday morning was a bit nervous, despite walkabout with parents downtown and long chat with K and her beau A in hotel lobby. Scared K recounting the murder, poss. shooting, right on St. Cath. street, albeit in front of the Super Sexe. Saw actual crime scene when walking with parents, and cops who were CSI'ing and closed the whole block off from trafic.

Grad itself was exhausting. Really. Waited in line before procession to the tent for 1 and 1/2 hours (heels not helping comfort) but chatted with my old Org Chem lab partner and some people I recognized from classes. (Including the guy who had an uncanny similarity to DD from high school. Have confirmed that it's just a similarity.) Then procession, speech from chancellor (interesting), prizes to professors, honorary thingies, and another speech by an award receiver (boring). Then the long list of graduates. I was number 340 and that was one of the first ones, so imagine. By the end, could no longer clap or sit up or poss. think. Was melting in seat. Afterwards, took zillion fotos with parents, diploma, hat, etc. with statue, museum or tree as backdrop.

Then jumped into car and drove all the way back to TO, arriving at 12:30 am. Next day wrote ZD exam (10-1pm) despite exhaustion. Think went ok. Wednesday have the spoken part of exam.

In two weeks my TESL course starts, and mom leaves to Spain.

This afternoon hopefully watching SW: Ep 3. Even if it sucks as much as they say, it'll be funny. And I can cure any bad aftertaste with ENoel's BBE.

Am so far behind in the internet it's not even funny. Have so many of my fave sites totally abandoned. Sigh.