Graduation

Because It's Never Too Late: Part 1 


I realized last weekend that not very many of my school friends knew that I had graduated. 
I don't quite know why I didn't spread the news (here I'm kind of lying -- I did not broadcast this because: 


A. I was afraid that USD would call and say "um, you did not fulfill your Diversity credit" or 


B. I would have a freak out and continue attending classes [even thought I was not registered] out of self-preserving habit or 


C. I could not emotionally handle one more person squealing "What!?! Why would you do such a thing! College is the best time of your life!!" {something that I personally don't believe to be true -- yes, college was wonderful, but I still have 80 good years left and I find it very hard to believe that the time I spent stressing out over too many papers and too many activities would be better than the picnic I will have with my grandchildren on the animal sanctuary I will own} or "WOW!! Congratulations!! So what are you doing now? {to which I have a variety of responses varying from "job hunting!" to "applying to graduate school!" to "oh...  you know... what grown ups do!" [here I like leaving things open ended so they can fill in the blanks for me] all accompanied by my now perfected nauseated*  face}) 


...but regardless, due to my lack of memorandum, many of my friends were surprised to hear that I am no longer a student. 

Well, real world, here I am! Like a heard of turtles I am coming at you! Stand guard as I fend you off with my Starbucks straws (that I seem to be collecting under my passenger seat?).
Bye bye yoga discount. Bye bye 50 cent cheaper movie tickets. Bye bye Student Advantage card I never figured out how to use ... hello ACTUAL LIFE. 
I have just graduated from the University of San Diego and I am no closer to knowing what I want to do with my life than figuring out how to aparate...  but I have started watching Glee!! (IT'S AMAZING) and spring cleaning my room is going well!! And I bought myself a planner (okay my mom bought me a planner)!! And I wrote in it today!! And I managed to color coordinate my closet and finish the laundry that had built up since before my birthday (December 1st). Yes it was three loads large and yes each load took two cycles to dry... but I finally don't have to switch my underwear inside out!! Or wash them in the sink like I was doing while I was helping Sam move in. 


The Cons:
I am unemployed
... well technically I am employed by Sam as I am now working for him at the farmers market (we are learning that employer/employee relationships are not nearly as romantic as romcoms make them out to be... especially when the employer/employee each believes that he/she makes the best flower arrangements)
I am living with my parents (this is also a pro! see below)
I am not leading the life I planned for myself [Martha Stewart, if you are reading this, please email me ASAP with the subject line Your Dreams Have Come True]


The Pros:
I have time to ORGANIZE
I have time to WATCH GLEE
I have time to SLEEP IN
I have time to WRITE
I have time to MAKE DINNER
I have time to GO ON HIKES
I have time to DO ALL THE THINGS I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO DO FOR THE LAST HOWEVERMANYYEARS I'VE BEEN IN SCHOOL!!
I live with my parents - meaning that we ALWAYS have veggie chips (Usually tortilla chips but my dad forgot to calculate my added consumption and totally dropped the ball leaving us tortilla chipless this evening -- something we haven't been for a long time) meaning that I can walk around barefoot, meaning that laundry does not require quarters, meaning that there is always something green and not moldy in the fridge, meaning that there is no shortage of love around :):) [while there is a lot of love, we all agree that we do not make good roommates and that this situation needs to be as short-lived as possible to preserve the relationship we spent four years developing]


* nauseated as this reminds be that the last job I applied to THREE HUNDRED AND 50 OTHER PEOPLE APPLIED TOO (actually three hundred and 49 because I sent in my resume twice under two different email addresses) ... or nauseated because I ate a whole box of donuts (which I am allergic to) to paliate the pain of having no idea what I'm doing with my life


...and now, it begins.