Well, I just got back and I'm soaked. It was a true Oregonian's graduation, thunder rumbling in the background, huge rain drops slamming down on everyone except those few hundred lucky to be under the stadium roof. But, let's start with Thursday.

It was my last day of school. It really felt like any other, I went to accounting, worked on the simulation and turned it in. In English we watched a groups final presentation on their book. In Physics we had a slidehow and awards to recap our two years in there. When I left the school to begin that final trek down the hill, I was happy, but I wasn't freaking out. It was more of a "yaymeh."

Friday we had the Senior Breakfast at 8:15am. There they present the senior awards (most likely to... that bullshit) and you get a free breakfast. Then they trap us and make us go through a rehersal of the graduation. We went ALL the way through, all the names, and it took probably 90 minutes. After that we were free for the day. I went to work and then a big graduation party that was for like five people.

I woke up this morning, ate some food, then headed off to my graduation. I had to be there at noon, but it didn't start until one. We, as a class, decided we were going to do it outside no matter what. Well, about 10 minutes before it starts we are told it is raining hard and that our chairs are soaked. Great. We get outside and it's only a light drizzle but our chairs are pretty wet. We shake them off and then sit down.

This year 412 people graduated, by far a record. Looking at how many damn freshmen there are, I'm sure that will probably be broken, if not next year, the year or so after. The principal spoke, the NINE valevictorians spoke, the chior sang, a person played the piano, yada yada yada. Some people smuggled beach balls in their robes and were trying to blow them up without calling attention to themselves. So we were hitting the balls around before security came and took them away.

Then they started reading names. On and on they went. Finally they got to the G's and my row stood up and approached the podium. Luckily it was under a tent, and the very moment I crossed into the dryness it started to pour like I've never seen it. We had a five minute delay were people were ducking for cover and the sound of the rain was defeaning. All the graduates, except me and about ten other people, soaked that all up. I was already soaked from head to toe though, so I don't think it would matter. Finally they read my name, I got my diploma, I didn't trip going down the stairs and went back to my seat.

Anywho, after a while everyone received their diploma and we stood up and went through the "gauntlet of teachers." After that we roamed around the field until we found our families, mingled a little, then left.

Some pictures for your enjoyment:



I'm somewhere in there.


No more high school. Wohoo!