Monday, 12 June 2006 03:10 pm
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deckardcanineLast week was quite something for me. On Tuesday, my department had a lunch meeting with a rep from the Altarum Institute, which has just merged with HSR. (I take it to be good news.) That evening, I went to the first 2006 meeting of a "young adult" Bible study group, which is open to anyone ages 20 to 49. The next morning, the company had a breakfast meeting with an Altarum rep. That evening, I went to a dinner for church musicians, being invited as a choir member. On Thursday morning, I went with my parents to see my graduating sister at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, coming back late Saturday night.
Basically, I went to a lot of social gatherings in which I didn't know many people. To an introvert like me, those are seldom fun beyond the food. Well, the study group is fine, tho I'll miss tomorrow's meeting due to Spamalot.
Not that I regret paying back my sister's favor by attending her graduation ceremony. I'm proud of her magna cum laude. The ceremony, as it happened, was shorter than any other my parents had known, despite plenty of students. Only one speech was dull: the one asking for money. And a student's comedy show imitation of the idiosyncratic Carleton president turned out to be well done.
Now, I don't normally talk about weather here, but it did add some excitement to the event. Online forecasts that Northfield would have DC-like warmth almost sounded too good to be true. Darn "almost." Rains came pretty heavily the evening before the graduation. Fortunately, when an a cappella group started singing "I Can See Clearly Now," the rain promptly turned to a drizzle barely audible indoors. Must be something about the church in which they sang. :) Or perhaps it was to make up for the fact that students and parents got conflicting schedules on whether the a cappella groups would start at 7 or 7:30. :( They got a good crowd anyway.
The cloudy morning still had us worried that the ceremony would be moved indoors, as mine was for the first time at my college in 20 years. My mom was already saying we were jinxed and feared that the rain would start in the middle of the ceremony. Instead it was just cold and windy. Then another semi-miracle came: as soon as the ceremony ended and people got up, the sun came out.
My sister will be at our parents' house for less than a week before returning to what I sense is more of a home to her: the summer camp where she works as a counselor. Before then, I hope to gain her company in watching a cute DVD. Maybe Disney's Robin Hood. I'm a disgrace for not watching that yet.
Basically, I went to a lot of social gatherings in which I didn't know many people. To an introvert like me, those are seldom fun beyond the food. Well, the study group is fine, tho I'll miss tomorrow's meeting due to Spamalot.
Not that I regret paying back my sister's favor by attending her graduation ceremony. I'm proud of her magna cum laude. The ceremony, as it happened, was shorter than any other my parents had known, despite plenty of students. Only one speech was dull: the one asking for money. And a student's comedy show imitation of the idiosyncratic Carleton president turned out to be well done.
Now, I don't normally talk about weather here, but it did add some excitement to the event. Online forecasts that Northfield would have DC-like warmth almost sounded too good to be true. Darn "almost." Rains came pretty heavily the evening before the graduation. Fortunately, when an a cappella group started singing "I Can See Clearly Now," the rain promptly turned to a drizzle barely audible indoors. Must be something about the church in which they sang. :) Or perhaps it was to make up for the fact that students and parents got conflicting schedules on whether the a cappella groups would start at 7 or 7:30. :( They got a good crowd anyway.
The cloudy morning still had us worried that the ceremony would be moved indoors, as mine was for the first time at my college in 20 years. My mom was already saying we were jinxed and feared that the rain would start in the middle of the ceremony. Instead it was just cold and windy. Then another semi-miracle came: as soon as the ceremony ended and people got up, the sun came out.
My sister will be at our parents' house for less than a week before returning to what I sense is more of a home to her: the summer camp where she works as a counselor. Before then, I hope to gain her company in watching a cute DVD. Maybe Disney's Robin Hood. I'm a disgrace for not watching that yet.