busy, busy ,busy

Sunday was Karen's turn to cross the stage at the Kohl Center and receive recognition for her many years of work, research and patience needed to fulfill UW's requirements for a Ph.D. There was a few moments stress Saturday afternoon when she found out cap & gown pick-up was over and she'd need to do it before the ceremony. It was unwarranted stress as the folks at pick-up had things well in hand and she was able to enjoy the event as she should.



Meanwhile, Sephie and I were in sync as we parked, and found some seats in the area where we could also enjoy the experience. It was nice to participate in the commencement as I think it put the needed punctuation on this step of the academic career. No longer a student, Karen's next challenges will be at a more professional level. (it'd be nice if someone paid her too)




After commencement was a nice brunch at the Orpheum Theater with her adviser and a fellow Ph.D. graduate from the department, Eve. Eve had also taken "a few years" to finish but with her husband and 3 daughters present I think she's fine with that.

From there we made a pit stop home and then it was on to a baby shower for Vicki and her partner Lisa. They adopted Emily this year from a family in Guatemala and she's fitting right in as a 10 month old child should. All the families were in attendance and it was an honor to be included. Emily is simply adorable and it'll be fun to watch Emily, Vicki & Lisa grow together.

After that a stop at Cloud 9 for a nibble before going to see "Golden Compass." While we aren't regulars at Cloud 9, it kind of makes me wonder how they're doing. The coffee shop in the same strip went under a few weeks ago and the evidence of slow business was apparent. When Karen ordered a Bombay Sapphire Martini the waiter told here they were out of Bombay Sapphire. Their normally wide selection of tap and bottled beers was limited to 1/3 of what I'd previously had to choose from and the lack of quality beers was blaring. I don't think it's food issues or pricing, it's more likely their location. There was a fire one county road/street to north earlier in the week. It showed the gap in service area between the fire departments was a problem. I'm no expert but I think there's a relationship there.

Anyhow, off to the cinema we went. "Golden Compass" had good flow and the plot was as expected. Sephie was entertained but I was more pleased when her comment upon leaving was "I want to read all those books before the next movie comes."

I didn't think of training yesterday and I'm fine with that.