Dear God. I'm graduating!
May. 11th, 2002 10:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hkellickDid YOU know that you could set up Livejournal to give you your messages in esperanto? I didn't, until today...
I dunno why. I find great amusment that.
What follows is, most likely, going to be a rather long Livejournal Post. I'm graduating today and I both want to keep everything that's happened recorded somewhere, but I'm feeling very reflective.
So, I'll discuss first what has happened as so far.
Yesterday was the fancy shmancy dinner at Daffodil's hosted by the Environmental Engineering faculty. All six graduates: Jean Balent, Erika Bleyle, Valarie Ellis, Samuela Franceschini, myself and Natalie Sauer (yes, five girls and one boy) were there with our various families (I brought Josh, mom and grandma) and the majority of the faculty.
Specifically, Dr. A Scott Weber, Dr. Alan Rabideau, Dr. John VanBesnchoten, Dr. Christine Tsai, Dr. James Jensen and Dr. Dale Meredith,
Dr. Joseph Atkinson (my thesis advisor) never showed up, nor did Dr. Igor Jankovic (Pity!)
(I'm mostly naming names for my own memory. There'll probably come a time when I DON'T remember...)
We (the students) were responsible for the *ahem* entertainment. So for most of the spring semester, we brainstormed and tried to get some ideas for ways to *ahem* get back at our professors somewhat. What ended up occuring was a two phase entertainment session.
Phase I was executed the moment people arrived. We had written to the wives/husbands of the faculty, begging for pictures of our professors when THEY were in college. What we got was an odd assortment of VERY interesting pictures. Some more interesting than others!
Of all the interesting pictures, the most interesting were Dr. Atkinson's (who had long Hendrix-style hair and looked like a beach bum in all of them and looked more than a litle high in at least one) and Dr. Jensen (who's three pictures included him being surrounded by women, him with a pipe on a motocycle and with his saxophone). The only let-downs were Dr. Jankovic, whose wife didn't get us the pictures in time and Dr. Tsai who is too young and still looks like her pictures!
Phase I was met pretty well ( a few chuckles and at least one eye bugout )
So, while the teachers arrived and scanned the pictures, the bar was open (I finally had a decent mudslide, which is OK, but not supergreat. I can still taste the alchohol...) and the teachers wandered around, saying hello to the various families and trying to meet them all (Unfortunately, mine seemed pretty shy and didn't go and say hello to ANYONE on their own)
At 6:45 or so, we students slipped out the front door and decided who would ask whichever questions for Phase II (A quiz. I'll explain more later.) We did our last minute arrangements and each strolled in with a nasty smile on our face (that was the best part! Making our PROFESSORS quake in worry of what we were going to do! Bwahahahahahaha!)
Dinner started approximately 7:00. We ended up sitting with Dr. Weber and his wife (it was, for the most part, one teacher per table.) and he was very interested to talk to my family (too interested, I think ;) Nah. Not really. He's that type of guy.) and was very entertaining.
I want to mention that the food was excellent. They served us salad, the main course (fish with almonds, stuffed chicken, ny strip steak (which I had) or Pasta Primavera.) and some sort of apple shortcake with ice cream.
Dr. Rabideau then said a few words (I expect he did have a longer speech, but he never gave it. He said a few words about how proud they all were of us and a toast to us and then he let us have the floor.) So we smiled our evil little smiles and went to Phase II: The Quiz Show.
First, we brought out a bunch of textbooks, the "engineering bibles" and swore them to an amusing oath that all grades were in and that, in no way, could they get us back in a way that endangers our academic careers (which doesn't stop them from getting us back on a personal level, but.. hey...). They were greatly amused by this. Then we went onto the game.
For lack of a better game, we called it Jeopardy. It was more like You Don't Know Jack, though.
It gets better. Since we didn't have buzzers or anything, we gave them each a "key phrase" that they taught to at least some of our students. For example, for Dr. Weber who teaches Biological Principals, we gave the phrase "Monod Kinetics" (the kinetics used to model microbes in wastewater) or to Dr. VanBenschoten who taught everyone Chemical Principles, we gave the phrase "Henry's Law". So they had to yell these phrases out to get their turn (not that they reliably did, but that was OK. :) )
The first part were questions about us, personally. We asked them two questions per student, ranging from where people worked to where they had been pierced once to where they first went to school.
My two questions were: When I first came to UB, what was my major.
This one was funny because, of course, because my own family doesn't know. Josh and mom both know I STARTED as Comp Sci, but they could never keep up with my progression of majors (which was Comp Sci to Aerospace Engineering to Civil Engineering to Environmental Engineering). So, Dr. Weber is looking at my family for clues. And Josh is laughing so hard he was turning red, based on some cue he thought he saw in Josh, Dr. Weber stands up and says "Computer Science!" WRONG!
Then Dr. Rabideau (the one who SHOULD KNOW since he was the one that "rescued me" from Aerospace Engineering), comes up with the right answer.
The other one was easier. It was when Howard has spare time (if he has spare time), where does he tend to go. Answer: online.
So that was Round I
Round II, Double Jeopardy. We rounded up some key phrases that we've heard the professors use more than a few times before and tried to get them to match the phrase to the professor. This was hilariously funny in a way I can't quite explain. Partly because, by the time, Dr. Jensen isn't even ANSWERING, just pointing. Partly because one of the phrases was "Hmm.. let me think about this a moment" with a finger brushing the chin somewhat and all the teachers are like "is this teacher here? Does he have long hair in that photo?" etc. Or maybe because I gave a passing imitation of Igor going "This is really cool" and was complimented as such.
Then finally... Final Jeopardy.
This was my idea from the beginning. Originally, I thought they were going to get WRITTEN quizzes. So I wrote this supercomplex problem trying to draw from ALL the classes we've had to deal with in the environmental engineering program and then asked two simple completely unanswerable questions. So, we got them going first "You better get a pen" said I "this is going to be a bit tricky. Perhaps an envelope to write in the back of." So I start reading out the problem and I can't help it, I start cracking up at the end. Finally I ask "Part I: What is the pH of the leachate?" and Dr. Jensen screams "7! It's always 7!" and Dr. Rabideau is like "Almost got it. It must be 5.3!". Finally, I give Part II "And what's the name of the lake?" and they all look to each other like they should all KNOW that one. So finally Jean can't hold it in, she starts laughing and says "it's all a joke guys!"
Then we gave them each... appropriate awards. For example, to Dr. Meredith who ALWAYS wears suspenders, we gave the suspenders award and for Dr. VanBenschoten who uses Excel's solver alot, we gave the Excel-lens award.
And pick on professor time is over. Really, I must congratulate us on doing a good job of poking fun at them without being too nasty. They enjoyed it. We enjoyed it. A good time was had by all.
And we went home and that was that.
Today... I'm a little bit nervous. I graduate. After 9 bloody years, I finally go onto that stage (or whatever) and graduate. No more an undergraduate. Wow...
The one thing I can't help but feel is a little bit of sorrow. I wish Bobby (my grandfather on my mom's side) were around to see me graduate. I can practically see him, next to my grandmother, beaming with such pride! I know he'd be proud. I just wish I could hear him say it.
I can't help but reflect somewhat on who I was 9 years ago, when I started this long trip from high school graduate to college graduate. I'm a totally different person. Well, not TOTALLY different, but very different.
9 years ago, I was still into TMBG and BnL and Weird Al and Moxy Fruvous, but I'd never heard of Bad Religion or Cake and, heck, never did any of my own music. I'd never been a DJ. I didn't even feel as close to music then as I do now.
9 years ago, I was still fighting with my father, but not Marc. I was talking to mom the other day and this sort of came up and we both reflected on how not only getting out of the house and living in a dorm for three years was probably good for me, but maybe, in some ways, dealing with how Marc was being. I dunno. Maybe.
9 years ago, I didn't even LIKE my mother most of the time. She annoyed me continuously. She had these nasty habits that drove me batty. But getting away from it all really helped me realize that she was an imperfect person and I had the courage to TELL her so in a, usually, non-terrible teasing sort of way. Now we have a great relationship.
9 years ago... I was friends with NONE of you. Not even![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kareila (Christ, Jen, has it been 8 years we've been friends?!?!). I'd never heard of MU**ing and the Internet wasn't so special.
9 years ago I was a Jew who just wasn't sure if God existed or cared. Now, I'm SOME sort of Neo-Pagan, even if I'm not sure what, specifically, I am past that.
9 years ago, I NEVER jogged, never spent time in a gym. The best I did was swim.
9 years ago is a looooong time. ALOT of things happened.
I wonder if that's some of the reason I've been feeling totally... different. The feeling that everything is different I wrote about in my last post. If it's because this is a big milestone I'm crossing as I go up on that stage.
I leave you with this quiz, that has absolutely nothing to do with the above...
I dunno why. I find great amusment that.
What follows is, most likely, going to be a rather long Livejournal Post. I'm graduating today and I both want to keep everything that's happened recorded somewhere, but I'm feeling very reflective.
So, I'll discuss first what has happened as so far.
Yesterday was the fancy shmancy dinner at Daffodil's hosted by the Environmental Engineering faculty. All six graduates: Jean Balent, Erika Bleyle, Valarie Ellis, Samuela Franceschini, myself and Natalie Sauer (yes, five girls and one boy) were there with our various families (I brought Josh, mom and grandma) and the majority of the faculty.
Specifically, Dr. A Scott Weber, Dr. Alan Rabideau, Dr. John VanBesnchoten, Dr. Christine Tsai, Dr. James Jensen and Dr. Dale Meredith,
Dr. Joseph Atkinson (my thesis advisor) never showed up, nor did Dr. Igor Jankovic (Pity!)
(I'm mostly naming names for my own memory. There'll probably come a time when I DON'T remember...)
We (the students) were responsible for the *ahem* entertainment. So for most of the spring semester, we brainstormed and tried to get some ideas for ways to *ahem* get back at our professors somewhat. What ended up occuring was a two phase entertainment session.
Phase I was executed the moment people arrived. We had written to the wives/husbands of the faculty, begging for pictures of our professors when THEY were in college. What we got was an odd assortment of VERY interesting pictures. Some more interesting than others!
Of all the interesting pictures, the most interesting were Dr. Atkinson's (who had long Hendrix-style hair and looked like a beach bum in all of them and looked more than a litle high in at least one) and Dr. Jensen (who's three pictures included him being surrounded by women, him with a pipe on a motocycle and with his saxophone). The only let-downs were Dr. Jankovic, whose wife didn't get us the pictures in time and Dr. Tsai who is too young and still looks like her pictures!
Phase I was met pretty well ( a few chuckles and at least one eye bugout )
So, while the teachers arrived and scanned the pictures, the bar was open (I finally had a decent mudslide, which is OK, but not supergreat. I can still taste the alchohol...) and the teachers wandered around, saying hello to the various families and trying to meet them all (Unfortunately, mine seemed pretty shy and didn't go and say hello to ANYONE on their own)
At 6:45 or so, we students slipped out the front door and decided who would ask whichever questions for Phase II (A quiz. I'll explain more later.) We did our last minute arrangements and each strolled in with a nasty smile on our face (that was the best part! Making our PROFESSORS quake in worry of what we were going to do! Bwahahahahahaha!)
Dinner started approximately 7:00. We ended up sitting with Dr. Weber and his wife (it was, for the most part, one teacher per table.) and he was very interested to talk to my family (too interested, I think ;) Nah. Not really. He's that type of guy.) and was very entertaining.
I want to mention that the food was excellent. They served us salad, the main course (fish with almonds, stuffed chicken, ny strip steak (which I had) or Pasta Primavera.) and some sort of apple shortcake with ice cream.
Dr. Rabideau then said a few words (I expect he did have a longer speech, but he never gave it. He said a few words about how proud they all were of us and a toast to us and then he let us have the floor.) So we smiled our evil little smiles and went to Phase II: The Quiz Show.
First, we brought out a bunch of textbooks, the "engineering bibles" and swore them to an amusing oath that all grades were in and that, in no way, could they get us back in a way that endangers our academic careers (which doesn't stop them from getting us back on a personal level, but.. hey...). They were greatly amused by this. Then we went onto the game.
For lack of a better game, we called it Jeopardy. It was more like You Don't Know Jack, though.
It gets better. Since we didn't have buzzers or anything, we gave them each a "key phrase" that they taught to at least some of our students. For example, for Dr. Weber who teaches Biological Principals, we gave the phrase "Monod Kinetics" (the kinetics used to model microbes in wastewater) or to Dr. VanBenschoten who taught everyone Chemical Principles, we gave the phrase "Henry's Law". So they had to yell these phrases out to get their turn (not that they reliably did, but that was OK. :) )
The first part were questions about us, personally. We asked them two questions per student, ranging from where people worked to where they had been pierced once to where they first went to school.
My two questions were: When I first came to UB, what was my major.
This one was funny because, of course, because my own family doesn't know. Josh and mom both know I STARTED as Comp Sci, but they could never keep up with my progression of majors (which was Comp Sci to Aerospace Engineering to Civil Engineering to Environmental Engineering). So, Dr. Weber is looking at my family for clues. And Josh is laughing so hard he was turning red, based on some cue he thought he saw in Josh, Dr. Weber stands up and says "Computer Science!" WRONG!
Then Dr. Rabideau (the one who SHOULD KNOW since he was the one that "rescued me" from Aerospace Engineering), comes up with the right answer.
The other one was easier. It was when Howard has spare time (if he has spare time), where does he tend to go. Answer: online.
So that was Round I
Round II, Double Jeopardy. We rounded up some key phrases that we've heard the professors use more than a few times before and tried to get them to match the phrase to the professor. This was hilariously funny in a way I can't quite explain. Partly because, by the time, Dr. Jensen isn't even ANSWERING, just pointing. Partly because one of the phrases was "Hmm.. let me think about this a moment" with a finger brushing the chin somewhat and all the teachers are like "is this teacher here? Does he have long hair in that photo?" etc. Or maybe because I gave a passing imitation of Igor going "This is really cool" and was complimented as such.
Then finally... Final Jeopardy.
This was my idea from the beginning. Originally, I thought they were going to get WRITTEN quizzes. So I wrote this supercomplex problem trying to draw from ALL the classes we've had to deal with in the environmental engineering program and then asked two simple completely unanswerable questions. So, we got them going first "You better get a pen" said I "this is going to be a bit tricky. Perhaps an envelope to write in the back of." So I start reading out the problem and I can't help it, I start cracking up at the end. Finally I ask "Part I: What is the pH of the leachate?" and Dr. Jensen screams "7! It's always 7!" and Dr. Rabideau is like "Almost got it. It must be 5.3!". Finally, I give Part II "And what's the name of the lake?" and they all look to each other like they should all KNOW that one. So finally Jean can't hold it in, she starts laughing and says "it's all a joke guys!"
Then we gave them each... appropriate awards. For example, to Dr. Meredith who ALWAYS wears suspenders, we gave the suspenders award and for Dr. VanBenschoten who uses Excel's solver alot, we gave the Excel-lens award.
And pick on professor time is over. Really, I must congratulate us on doing a good job of poking fun at them without being too nasty. They enjoyed it. We enjoyed it. A good time was had by all.
And we went home and that was that.
Today... I'm a little bit nervous. I graduate. After 9 bloody years, I finally go onto that stage (or whatever) and graduate. No more an undergraduate. Wow...
The one thing I can't help but feel is a little bit of sorrow. I wish Bobby (my grandfather on my mom's side) were around to see me graduate. I can practically see him, next to my grandmother, beaming with such pride! I know he'd be proud. I just wish I could hear him say it.
I can't help but reflect somewhat on who I was 9 years ago, when I started this long trip from high school graduate to college graduate. I'm a totally different person. Well, not TOTALLY different, but very different.
9 years ago, I was still into TMBG and BnL and Weird Al and Moxy Fruvous, but I'd never heard of Bad Religion or Cake and, heck, never did any of my own music. I'd never been a DJ. I didn't even feel as close to music then as I do now.
9 years ago, I was still fighting with my father, but not Marc. I was talking to mom the other day and this sort of came up and we both reflected on how not only getting out of the house and living in a dorm for three years was probably good for me, but maybe, in some ways, dealing with how Marc was being. I dunno. Maybe.
9 years ago, I didn't even LIKE my mother most of the time. She annoyed me continuously. She had these nasty habits that drove me batty. But getting away from it all really helped me realize that she was an imperfect person and I had the courage to TELL her so in a, usually, non-terrible teasing sort of way. Now we have a great relationship.
9 years ago... I was friends with NONE of you. Not even
kareila (Christ, Jen, has it been 8 years we've been friends?!?!). I'd never heard of MU**ing and the Internet wasn't so special.9 years ago I was a Jew who just wasn't sure if God existed or cared. Now, I'm SOME sort of Neo-Pagan, even if I'm not sure what, specifically, I am past that.
9 years ago, I NEVER jogged, never spent time in a gym. The best I did was swim.
9 years ago is a looooong time. ALOT of things happened.
I wonder if that's some of the reason I've been feeling totally... different. The feeling that everything is different I wrote about in my last post. If it's because this is a big milestone I'm crossing as I go up on that stage.
I leave you with this quiz, that has absolutely nothing to do with the above...
 |  |
I take mindpower to a new level. There are |
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-11 08:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-11 10:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-11 10:00 am (UTC)The phrase "What a long strange trip it's been" comes to mind, however. ;)
(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-11 10:23 pm (UTC)Indeed. A long and strange trip. I'd not have changed a thing.
Well... maybe a COUPLE things, but otherwise...
(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-11 10:26 am (UTC)Post pictures! ;)
Re: I Agree!!!
Date: 2002-05-11 10:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-11 10:24 pm (UTC)I love you too. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-11 01:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-11 07:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-11 09:15 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-11 10:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-11 10:27 pm (UTC)I... didn't?
(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-11 10:27 pm (UTC)Seriously, Thanks :)
(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-12 08:02 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-12 10:35 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-11 08:31 pm (UTC)I'm old.
We're all old.
Congrats.
:)
(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-11 10:29 pm (UTC)Thanks :)
(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-12 10:51 am (UTC)Congradulations LITE. Proud of ya.
(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-12 01:23 pm (UTC)And thanks :)