Friday, October 14, 2005
Today was the White Coat Ceremony for the Class of 2009, so nearly all of my day today was taken up by it. The ceremony takes our first-year students, who have been in school for about a month, through a recitation of the oath of a pharmacist. Parents and friends are invited, and it's a touching and meaningful production which cements the students' commitment to their studies and their future careers. In a way it's the no-turning-back point for them. My co-worker Joel has this so well organized now that it's perhaps the easiest event our office has to work. The hardest part is having to smile all the time, which you kinda have to do because people are taking pictures everywhere so if you're working the event you need to look nice. People take pictures of everything in Cole Hall where the event takes place. They shoot the ceiling. They shoot the 3-piece orchestra. We hope they don't shoot the upper-left corner of the front wall above the chalkboards since the wood there has been rotting away for years due to a leak and improper facilities care. (When I asked Cindy today if we'll ever live to see that repaired, she tells me that Cole Hall is planned for renovation in 2006!) They shoot the flowers. They shoot the coaters conversing on the "stage" before the ceremony begins. Claire did a great job with our flowers, as usual. This was the first year she used potted orchids instead of cut ones. To hide the pots, she placed them in the back of the largish rectangular containers then fronted them with green flower foam blocks stuffed with yellow and orange gerbera daisies, yellow tulips, fern, and other leafy greenery I couldn't identify. She works wonders with plants and flowers. The event went off without any problems I could see. Fourth-year student BMcG gave a speech comparing pharmacy to pork ("the other white coat") which I missed but I heard that everyone loved. Afterwards I got to take home some of the tulips and daisies. Some mysterious someone sent me birthday presents—so early! I don't know who it is yet coz I didn't read the labels on the gifts yet. I'll wait till my birthday. Some computer equipment arrived for me today. Patrick brought home chicken pot pie from somewhere for dinner. It's yummy—rich but not too rich. Also a Caesar salad. While trying to figure out on the web what kind of orchids Claire used today, I stumbled across some great tips for taking pictures of orchids on orchidworks.com.