Bewitched, Be-lei’d and Bewildered
I had my master’s commencement and convocation today (for the degree I received last August), and my parents came up from California to attend. When I met my mom in the parking lot where the graduates were lining up, she immediately said, “Oh, wait, there’s something—” and tried to flick the piercing off my lip, before she realized what it was. (Maybe I should have told her about it in advance?) Once that was cleared up, she bestowed two shell-and-nut leis on me, along with an awesome bone fishhook necklace.
The commencement speech was given by U of U Distinguished Professor of Human Genetics and Biology and 2007 Nobel laureate Mario Capecchi (read his early life story—it’s a trip and a half), who spent about half his time urging the graduating class to get off their asses and stop global warming, which was a surprising but not unwelcome topic.
The college convocation was in the afternoon, and Governer Jon Huntsman, Jr. gave the keynote address. Like Dr. Capecchi, he spent a great deal of his time on global warming, this time within the general framework of exhorting us to change the world. And yet he was not booed for unoriginality. I guess being governor has its perks.
My sister came up from BYU—braving damnation by setting foot on the unhallowed ground of the Devil’s University—and took several photos of the convocation, including the hooding ceremony. Then we walked home, and my mom took pictures of the master’s hood in its correct position (i.e. hanging down in back) as well as up over my head as if it were an actual, functioning hood, instead of the bizarre, vestigial appendix it is. Maybe you would like to look at these pictures? If so, click below.
