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May232003
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High School Graduation Ceremony |
A day I won’t soon forget, graduation day. We had my two grandmothers over to the house before going to Tulane, where the ceremony was held. It was nice seeing the senior class together in some sort of dignity. Everybody looked quite nice in their cap and gown. It didn’t occur to me that I would probably never see a lot of these people ever again. The ceremony itself went rather smoothly, even if it was a rowdy affair, with a lot of noise pollution coming from the general audience. The event started with some awards presentations and speeches. The Salutatorian, with whom I am well acquainted, gave a satisfactory speech but talked far too fast. I feel partly responsible because she read the speech to me over the phone like that beforehand and I approved. To say the least, the Valedictorian’s speech was well delivered, but considerably lacked depth. It was the sort of self-congratulatory filler you’d expect at a pep rally. The awarding of the diplomas went smoothly and rather uneventful, aside from the constant cheering and hollering from the crowd. After some closing remarks, we made our exit. It was slow going in spite of the fact that the graduate’s exits were given priority. When I made my way out the door, I was expecting some relief but there was an enormous crowd outside the auditorium. I made it to the car without incident. I and family went to Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro for something to eat. I had a cheesecake topped with Banana’s Foster. It was quite good, and probably had enough calories to sustain me for a week. After having my fill of cake and coke, we went back home. I had planned on meeting some friends and IHOP before a 12:30 movie and did, leaving the house shortly after returning home. I arrived finding that my friends had already been there for some time. After a few good jokes, some onion rings, and a lot of witless banter passed, we proceeded to the theater and decided to see “Bruce Almighty” after some typical female indecision. It was a reasonably funny movie, as one would expect from a Jim Carrey flick, but it didn’t reflect the trailer much at all. Afterward, we stood outside the empty theater for a while chatting and figuring out the ride situation. My father gave two ladies a ride, and I went home. I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep as I had someone on my mind. Graduation is supposed to be a pivotal moment in one’s life. I can’t say I found it to be very monumental, it was just a very enjoyable evening that I’m sure I won’t forget anytime soonand I did enjoy myself, a lot more than the description above may let on.