Freedom!

Only if you've heard the country music soundtrack to the movie "The Prince of Egypt" will you know the proper way to say that word. ;)

It's official: I donned the poofy blue dress and square hat and chilled in Eastern's Convocation Center forever, then I walked up to the stage and was handed what I've worked so long and hard for: a diploma holder. LOL! I'm so proud.

I honestly am proud that I graduated suma cum laude and got to wear a gold tassel. I maintained a 4.0 g.p.a. to the bitter end - and I did it without doing homework on Sundays. :D

It should be noted that when suma cum laude graduates stood up, that Sister Dunnigan was standing with me. Yay!

Happy Earth Day to Me!

Happy Earth Day to me! Happy Earth Day, dear me-ee! Happy Earth Day to me!

Last night I finished typing up my last choreographic notation, and then emailed it to my professor. Also, Monday evening I completed my take home exam that's due tomorrow. So all my school assignments are DONE!!! Forever! Muhahahaha!

(Okay, so the distinct possibility exists that time will fade the relative misery of this last year of college, and that I will return in later years, but that's beside the point.)

So, this morning I went to school and picked up my portfolio from my teacher. (And I must say, it took a surprising amount of self control to refrain from skipping down the sidewalk and the hallway.) Then Tyson took me to see the Disney movie "Earth" on its opening day. I found the cinematography breathtaking. I kept whispering, "Wow!" throughout the film.

Then after the movie, we went out to eat at Olga's Kitchen and I had a three-cheese Olga - with just cheese, just the way I've ordered it since I was five. And I had a spinach pie and an orange cream cooler, and Tyson and I split an unexpectedly large order of snackers. I've never had an opportunity to have more snackers than I could eat. It was marvelous!

After being at home for a bit, I was feeling sleepy, and so I took a nap. What a wonderful treat! And after I woke up I went to the church to take Tye's yoga class to top off my day. It was just what my body and mind both needed. Who could ask for a better birthday? :D

You Just Never Know

I rented the costumes that I used in my senior project piece from U of M, and (I'll just call her) the costume mistress and I had set the return date as April 20th. Now, I don't know why I thought this, except for the fact that sometimes I clearly like to do dumb things, but I thought that after my final that afternoon, I was just supposed to just drop by and deliver the costumes. So, after my final the costumes were clean and dry and in my car, and I gave her a call to make sure it was a good time to stop by. ( I left a voicemail.) Then I swung by our apartment to review directions there from an old email. And lo and behold! She had emailed me! And she was NOT happy.

Part of her email read thus: "It's very unprofessional of you for me to have to contact you again about meeting your obligations. I will not be so willing to rent costumes to EMU students in the future."

:(

Clearly, I was supposed to have contacted her to set up a time to drop off the costumes. Which makes perfect sense, I still don't know why I would have thought otherwise. But does that really mean I'm an incomprehensible screw-up who has ruined her contact with all future Eastern students?

I felt absolutely rotten, and after a few sterile emails to set up a time the next day, I began to cry.

I was really afraid of the scowls and sharp remarks I might get when I dropped off the costumes in person. But I showed up at the appointed time and reservedly handed over the costumes. Much to my surprise, she was very pleasant and didn't seem even remotely irked with me. Just before I left, she commented cheerfully that the email she sent out to me was one of many such emails she'd had to send out yesterday, including some to her own students who were using costumes. "So," she said smiling, "if I sounded like a mom, I am!" I smiled and chuckled and left.

Sounded like a mom?! You sounded like to wanted to eat me for lunch!

I got into my car and shook my head. With a chuckle I asked no one in particular, "Really?" and drove home.