Woody Cavenaugh

Sara graduated with her Master's degree on Friday and she let me go to the departmental graduation. (I had to promise to be good.) It was really pretty fun and interesting.

The first thing I was surprised about was the sheer number of beautiful and/or interesting looking people in attendance. I have personally never seen so much cleavage in one place that didn't a.) have a cover charge, or b.) wasn't on cable. It actually took me something like 20 minutes to figure out what they were all doing there, and then it hit me. This is a "Film and Video Production" graduation ceremony. Duh? Of course the beautiful and interesting are going to be in attendance.

I didn't actually make a head count but I believe there were something like 10 graduate students and maybe 18 or 20 undergraduates. That said, they were able to have a rich and interesting ceremony without having to schedule in pee breaks. Got to see Lee Kinard, haven't seen him since they dedicated Spring Garden street to him a few years ago.

I know it was a little weird for Sara but I enjoyed the looks the other grads and undergrads gave her the whole time. It must have freaked them out that this person they had never seen before was greeted by the instructors warmly and graduating with them. The others both grad and undergrad were students who may or may not have had jobs. Sara is a full time state employee working towards a career, who just happened to finish her masters one class at a time over a few years. The practical upshot of this is that she was the most experienced one in the group.

After was a reception where students could hobknob and trade addresses. Since Sara knew no one but the instructors, she simply went around thanking each of them and holding brief conversations while the others looked on in mild confusion (if they noticed at all).

For myself I got just enough pictures to prove that I don't know how to use a camera. I also saw Rusty Sheridan. I had no idea he was so tall. It also never occured to me that getting that morter board hat to stay on his head would be so much fun to watch. I would show you pictures, but as I said, I learned this weekend I am not much of a photographer. (Plus I didn't bring any waivers.)

After we had dinner with friends, and then Sara donated her hair to charity.

All in all it was a good start to the rest of her life.