this past weekend disappeared in a blur. my parents and Brothers flew in on Saturday for the graduation ceremony on Sunday, then flew out on Monday morning. to be frank, i went into graduation a bit hardened, treating it as just another chore to be crossed off my To-Do list. in many ways, that's what it was: get to location on time, line up according to numbers, sit still during speeches, don't fall down the steps, shake right, accept left.

amongst all the order and formality, though, there were moments that threatened to crack the cynic in me. there was the pride at watching people i knew walk down those steps, degree in hand, beaming, even if they wanted to play it cool. there was the sharing of a head nod of "good luck" and "thanks" with a fellow student seated three rows away, someone who i will will probably end up losing touch with, but who totally had my back earlier this year when the chips were stacked against me. and, most importantly, there was the weight and heft of the degree itself to remind me that while i was accepting it on behalf of everyone who'd helped me to get to that moment, the expectation and potential to do great things was now, literally, in my hands.

what next? blank sheets of paper, lots of work to be done, but, thanks to my time here at Chicago, i've got the tools and team i need to get started.

buffy: looks like a job for Wiccan girl. what do you say, Will? big time danger.
willow: hey, i eat danger for breakfast.
xander: but oddly enough, she panics in the face of breakfast foods.
buffy: let's get to work.