Rob's Feigned Graduation

Wow, So it's been a long time, eh? Yeah. It's ironic how much extra time you are supposed to have in the summer, and yet how little time you end up having. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we really have no excuse for the lack of posts, other than the old adage 'Where did all the time go?'. The real benefit to this situation is the fact that we've had a lot happening over the summer, we've been more diligent in taking pictures, and my memory seems to still be functioning for the past couple months. I hope this is an equation which equals out to many posts to come that are interesting, not just what I'm feeling/pondering for a given day (although I'm sure those could be interesting too!).

So I graduated...well, sort of. The proof:

I think I've probably said that 100 times so far since May. It is my feeble attempt to describe the ever morphing situation that is my life. My schoolings has become an ongoing affair with a fleeting mistress.

Case in point.
#1: I have a letter from my department which I use to gain employment that states 'Robert has completed all the requirements necessary to be awarded a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering'. No degree awarded yet due to my involvement with the combined BS/MS program.

#2: I have pictures from a graduation ceremony in which I was walking with my fellow BS/MS students for the completion of said degrees. However, no ground up tree pulp as of yet garnishes my wall. Blasted parsley at the Cheesecake Factory mocking me on my plate... :-) Seems I have a knack for unfinished finished things. A status update, to date, I have finished all my BS requirements, all my MS coursework, billed the minimum required number of thesis hours, but am aforementioned thesis short of completing my MS. I will be done with this in the Fall and thus will be officially given my wall decor December of 2008.

#3: I have way too many classes...interesting predicament to have, eh? What does having around 215 hours at a university give you after you've completed your MS? Answer, you are one course away from a PhD in course load....oh and that pesky thing called a dissertation. If you take the cope out road....like I probably will, you are awarded the silver medal, i.e. an Mphil. A masters of philosophy in Mechanical Engineering. A PhD minus the dissertation component. So worst case, I'll have that May of 2009, but my profs would like me to take a hiatus for law school and work on the dissertation during my summer and Christmas breaks.... Comments? Don't know that I really want that, but it won't increase the number of years of school I have since I'll have it done in a couple summers.

One thought I've had about all this is that I think it's a father-son thing. I've learned that I'm genetically predispositioned toward education. My Dad places a high value on education. Not just at a university, but in everyday life. He is probably the oldest guy at all the conventions, the only guy I know that asks for textbooks for Father's Day, and that goes jeeping in Moab and takes his geology textbook to look at rocks.

I think that's why I'm in no hurry to start my life long career and terminate this lifestyle as a student. Lucky for me I've got the wife that agrees. She supports my hippie views on life and what it's really about. It also helps that she's smoking hot...lucky, I know.

Happy Anniversary Babe :-)

Just as a clarification, for those of you that think I sound disgruntled at all, you are sorely mistaken. I'm a cynical person, I've learned to accept that. I love my life, my wife, and my school....ife. I'm excited for the future, but not overly in a hurry to get there. Why bother, according to Regis and Kelly I'm going to live to be 140 years old....

Don't forget to celebrate!