May 08
21
Dad's a Grad
We finally did it! Three years can sometimes seem short. Wow, has it really been three years since we moved to California? Did I really take all those courses over the last three years? Then, at other times it can seem unbearably long. I still have what to do… but… that could take all night. Well, if I have learned one thing over the last three years (and that is certainly open for debate) it is to roll with the punches, enjoy life to its fullest when it is good, and close your eyes and bear down to make it though the bad. I am happy to say that this past weekend has been very very good. It began when my sister flew in from Houston, and we went to the beach. Unusually hot weather in the Bay Area made the San Francisco beaches quite packed, but we went to our little “secret” cove in Marin, which was beautiful and relatively unoccupied. Then my parents flew in from Arizona. We went out for a fun sushi dinner at Yoshi's in Oakland and followed it up with a show from the Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band. Early the next morning everyone headed over to he Greek Theater at UC Berkeley for the graduation ceremony. Our keynote address speaker was the Honorable Mary Schroeder of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Of course the whole ceremony was punctuated by John Yoo protesters, who even went so far as to fly a sign plane over the theater. High drama, I tells ya. After the ceremony, Jackie and I hosted a party at our place with a ton of BBQ ribs, brisket and chicken from T-Rex, and more Veuve Clicquot than we could actually handle. Fun was had by all, especially by the throngs of babies and children in attendance. Who knew my fans were all so young? There were literally babies everywhere you turned. The celebration went on late into the night (8pm). Then, the next morning, we continued a more subdued celebration with a mimosa brunch with the family. Very, very nice weekend. It was oddly reminiscent of our wedding weekend–but luckily with a much reduced price tag, and no cheesy DJ. Enjoy some of the highlights.