On Graduation and December

I have now finished my last semester, walked across the stage, and received my little 8.5x11 piece of paper that says "hey, you graduated with honors, so we had to reorder your diploma."

All in all, graduation was about how I expected, though Jon Hager's performance really did make at least part of it more enjoyable. He really is almost sickening. For those of you that don't know him, Jon is tall, blonde, and athletic, a virtuosic violinist, a trick fiddler, a rodeo clown, graduated with a 4.0 GPA with a degree in Violin Performance Pre-med, has a full ride to medical school, and can ride a unicycle. (he can do trick fiddling WHILE RIDING the unicycle). He's also just incredibly nice. At graduation, he played a scherzo that was VERY impressive and really got to the "joke" aspect of a scherzo.

Moving out of the batcave was interesting - mostly because i had three boxes to do it with... but I managed, and everything is now moved into Houston permanently, even if I don't get to really live anywhere until after the beginning of February.

Somehow, though, all of this has transpired, it's less than a week until Christmas, and I've never felt less "holiday-ish" in my life. Sure, I'm playing the soundtrack to Charlie Brown Christmas (<3 Vince Guaraldi), but the warm weather and the busyness and everything seem to be conspiring against any sort of "happy expectation" that usually comes with Christmas and this time of year. I've not even been in enough stores to want to murder people at the first sight of a blow-up Santa. If anything, I'm missing the almost nostalgic feelings that come from smelling fresh pine garlands and pinecones and wassail. From enjoying the long evenings. I barely noticed the change of seasons from fall to "winter" other than the addition of a coat - too much time in front of a computer writing term papers.

Maybe also my utter lack of "home" right now. I've packed up and shuffled myself back and forth nearly every weekend since August - going to Ft Worth, going to Waco, going to Houston, going to Mercedes. My computer actually got put back IN my desk, and all plugged in with real speakers since it's not getting moved again. I don't have "home." Not that I like to go all gaga for Christmas, I think that's kind of hokey, but Christmas has an element, much like Thanksgiving, of family and home and peace and warm fires on cold nights with hot chocolate. Perhaps I'm just sentimental. But then I guess that means I"m waxing sentimental about not feeling as sentimental as I usually do.

Perhaps it will be better in New Jersey next week, with my grandparents and the possibility of a live-ball Christmas tree that we will then attempt to plant in their frozen back yard. Heck, I even get to see my cousins and meet Emizael and Arlon in person. Perhaps I will even make a pie. But as yet, not even wrapping presents - the ones that I have, that I've planned to get, that I know people will really love - with pretty paper and raffia and ribbons... not even that seems like Christmas this year.

Oh well - regardless, I've got to drive to Ft Worth tomorrow, and get on a plane on Saturday, so back to packing I go.