June 6, 1999
It's done. Over. Finished. My high school career was officially closed today when, at around 3pm, we received the signal to flip our tassles from the right side of our cap to the left side at my graduation commencement today. Four years of high school and thirteen years of grade school have finally been completed. Minutes later, after turning in my cap and gown, I received my diploma and other junk, giving me the proof I needed to show that I have actually graduated.
In truth, the ceremony went by as smoothly as anyone could've hoped. No one did anything stupid, the audience didn't do anything stupid, and there were no problems at all during the ceremony. Everyone seemed to be genuinely happy and in good spirits, and despite the heat outside, most of us were comfortable. I do know that after a while, it did get a little warm in those gowns, but that was okay. To here my name announced as a graduate was worth everything in the world to me.
When I first got there, it wasn't long before Tricia Ross, a very good friend, found me and caught me off guard with a picture. Then a conversation ensued in which she ended it by saying I was too funny. I had her going good a couple of times and we talked for a good ten to fifteen minutes about various things before she went to talk with her family a bit. I immediately found a few other people and talked a bit more, but I spent a good part of the period before the ceremony just looking out over the auditorium, thinking about things.
It took us some time to get in line behind a curtain where we were to come out and take our seats. Everyone kept leaving their place to talk with someone before one of the teachers finally told us to stay in our line for a little bit of time. The show finally began a little after 1:30pm, so we were almost right on time. I didn't particularly like all the standing though. I could have done without that part, but so goes life. Anyway, we all finally took our seats after the pledge of allegiance was said. I'm amazed that I still remembered that.
Then we took in some speeches from various members of the faculty and nearly fell asleep before the three top students of the class spoke. Was that ever weird. The first one had an hourglass that she turned over every minute of her speech, recounting a very large number. Comments around where I was sitting included "I hope she's not going to count down every minute." I then added "We might be here a while if she does," raising a few small laughs. The next speaker had a fairly normal speech until she started talking about some sort of Star Wars junk and Yoda. That was weird.
The final speaker was the valedictorian of the class of 1999, and she had the best speech of all, even if it was a bit sappy at times. She presented it a bit shaky at first, but grew stronger as her speech went on. Then there was another speaker before we finally the choir came out and sang a couple of songs that I certainly didn't understand at all. Possibly because I couldn't hear them, but that's not for sure. They finished, and it was almost time for the faculty to begin calling out the names of those who graduated. That took a long time, but then again, it would if there were more than 500 seniors to be named. When my name was called, there was a bit more noise made than I thought there would be. Yes, my dad and sister were noisy, but there was also some cheering coming from the seniors sitting down. I think I have an idea of who it was, but I'm not sure yet.
We all sat as the rest of the class of 1999 received the booklet that would contain our diploma. You see, you didn't get your diploma until you turned in your cap and gown, which wasn't until after the ceremony was over. Still, it was a rush to receive that booklet, the rose we got, and the handshake as well. The final part of the ceremony was when we all got a final speech and the signal to flip the tassle from the right to left side of our caps, which resulted in a very loud roar from both us and the audience. We were all very loud before and after the ceremony, something that was frowned on, but I think that everyone noticed Mrs. Tomashefski smiling at us nevertheless.
What did you want, we were all happy to graduate?
When I look back at my graduation, I'll remember it simply as being something that I'll always remember with fondness. Not so much because I had a lot of fun, but because for one day, everyone got along with everyone else at the same time. For at least one day, differences were put aside as we all said goodbye to each other, some for the last time in our lives. We were all nice to each other, we all treated one another with respect, and there wasn't a bad word said to another person as much as I can remember.
For one, bright moment, we all came together and showed the kind of companionship that isn't always there, that doesn't always show, even when it should. Some of the most notorious people in our class behaved and didn't do anything disruptive. That in itself was amazing. A class known for being a bit rowdy behaves for nearly two hours in cramped conditions without complaining even once about anything or even doing anything bad. We were noisy at times, yes, but it was in support of our classmates. We even showed signs of humor. This was a momentous thing for our class.
When it counted, we were at our best. Now we must go out into the real world and make our best efforts to keep going at this pace.
I'm sorry if this seems focused on just one thing, but that's really all I need to talk about. It's the biggest day of my life to date, but I'll talk about something else for a bit. How about the other thing I did today (well, I did two other things, but who's counting?), when I went out to eat with my family and grandparents, who were very proud of me. I showed them my diploma, the voucher for $500 that I got for passing all the 12th grade proficiencies, and the other junk that I got. They then presented me with a very nice card, a card that also contained a check for $200. That's a bit of a bonus if you ask me. It's the most money I've ever received from a relative ever. It almost trumps what I got at christmas two years ago by itself, falling short about $40.
Now I have to go and send graduation announcements out to all my other relatives. It kind of feels like I'm doing something sleazy though by doing that. It feels like I'm just doing it for the single purpose of getting more money out of this, which isn't necessarily true in my case. Money's nice, but I hate asking for it or even receiving absurd amounts of money. Then again, if I put it towards something like my college education, I won't feel so bad. If I blow, I hate myself in the morning for it. Believe, I will too.
Anyway, I had a nice meal, went home, then wore my dad out by making him throw a baseball around for a while. I really don't know what to do about him though. He needs to make up his mind whether he's going to be good to us or continue to change his moods frequently, making it impossible to live with him for very long. I just don't know what to do about him and doubt I ever will.
I'm still hoping to at least see Jennifer once, preferrably more, before she leaves for Texas on Thursday. She's just so busy, I don't know if she'll be able to find a window of opportunity to see me. It kind of depresses me when I think about, but I'm still holding out that there's a small possibility that we could get together before she leaves for the summer. It's a slim chance, but it's a chance nevertheless. I just hope that she finds some time for me, otherwise I'm going to find myself saying "what if" again. I don't want to do that, and I know she doesn't want to leave without seeing me either. I guess whatever happens, happens.
So goes my life. Again.
| Dave's World | Come Again? | Commentary | The Escape Pod | Me, Myself, and I | Music Charts & Reviews | My Life | Updates | Web Rings |