So for starters, on the 31st of May I walked in CSULB's commencement ceremonies as a Master of Arts candidate. Normally, one would look at this and say "congratulations, you graduated!" as many of my co-workers have (they decorated my cubicle with streamers and confetti while I was in Long Beach). But no. I still have to finish up my Latin course (last class is tonight, final on Tuesday) and pass the comps in the fall. So though I have photos and a cap and hood and everything, I'm still not a Master of Arts. Still, the ceremony was fun. I brought out balloon animals, a talent I'd not exercised since junior high, and made balloon animals for all the grad students while the undergrads walked.
Coronation was very emotional.
kris_edric and jillaw are two of the greatest monarchs I've ever seen on the Caidan thrones, and it was sad to watch them step down. annecathryn and I were able to gift them with pressies we'd been collecting since early March, which was loads of fun. I love the church they used; it has a replica of the labyrinth at Chartres, and it's fun to walk it.QC was a blast. We had the house up again, with new modifications including a tan and white tablecloth, a new finial, and one of the gothic arch chairs AC and I have put over 120 hours into. There were 10 fields and only 9 heralds' flags, so I volunteered to herald the field in front of the pavilion, using my own banner (well-known herald + 9' pole + 6' banner with personal badge = "So-and-So and Whats-Yer-Name, arm and to MY field!"). AC and I were able to offer hospitality to the marshals, fighters and consorts of my field, and give them shade and rest in the pavilion. I'm definitely going to do this again. (Look for separate post on the issue)
Now that that's all done and over with, I've been reflecting on life after the Masters degree. My plan before graduation was to wait 10 years and save enough money to go directly to Oxford. However, I'm reconsidering the possibility of getting my first doctorate at UCLA, and may apply as early as 2009; we shall see.
