Graduation

This weekend was graduation and it was the first time I participated in graduation ceremonies since my own three years ago. I have to say that it is still a thrill to put on the Ph.D. cap and gown. I wonder if it ever gets tiresome? It was also great to share in the joy of the students and their parents. It's easy to overlook what a great accomplishment a college degree is when you are caught up in the daily grind. Graduation makes you think about the educational process and celebrate the successes. It was really an enjoyable experience.

Graduation also formally marks the end of the semester for me. Yeah!!! I turned in my grades to the registrar this morning and shifted gears to my summer research plan. Most of the day was spent backing up my hard drive, which thankfully did not fry in the disaster reported in the last post. I don't think the problem was actually resolved, so I'm not completely convinced that my computer is now "safe." I also did a lot of organizing -- creating a lot of "to do" lists, filing, recycling, etc. The goal today was to clear away all of the little things so that I can focus on my big research and writing projects. I'm actually looking forward to these next projects and I hope the momentum lasts a while!