Friday, May 14, 2004
Graduation ceremony at the Masonic Center. I was on my feet the whole day. This was the first time we'd done it on a Friday (instead of Saturday) and there seemed to be a lot fewer people. Joel got us pizza and salad and soda for lunch before the ceremony. The whole ceremony went pretty well from my perspective. Some improvements could be made, but that's true every year. Few people knew the proper way to put the hoods on. Before the doors opened, guests didn't have easy access to restrooms. The signs in the elevator should have been changed after the doors opened to direct people directly to Level 2. There was no clear location for graduates to return honor cords after the recessional. Afterwards, Claire let my office staff take home flowers, but I think Debrah and I were the only ones who did. I also got a bonus bouquet from the students selling flowers in the lobby who didn't sell out of their stock (but they still made a profit). I had too many flowers, so I gave the bouquet to my favorite bus driver James on the way home. This year was the first year I remember Claire making boutonnieres for us—beautiful orchids with some fern stems. Kudos and a shout out to JWG whose excellent planning was top notch. My favorite touch: the color printout at the podium which said PLEASE TALK LOUD AND CLEAR INTO THE MICROPHONE. Everyone seemed to like the tie I wore, which was Patrick's—he had gotten it as a gift from Jason Baum and hadn't gotten to using it yet. Thanks, Patrick! Dinner at home by myself: salad.