On June 17th, my oldest daughter Elizabeth graduated from UC Santa Cruz. She received a BA in Politics, her minor is in Legal Studies. It goes without saying that I am very proud of her. Everyone that knows her is proud!
That saturday started out early. I got up at 5:30am, Emily and I were to go to my Mom's house so we could drive with Jeff to Jim and Judy's in San Jose. Parking would be at a premium at the college, so carpooling was the way to go. Once we got to Judy's house, we all got into Jim's brand new Prius. It is a beautiful light green color, and has every available gadget. The drive over highway 17 was nice and smooth in the pretty new car. The GPS was talking us through every move of the drive. Judy thinks the GPS lady is annoying, but I think it would be nice to have someone tell you where to go without the rustling of maps and the yelling that goes with it. We drove up to Elizabeth's house. Very cute with a red french door. We got Liz and two of her roommates (Lindsay and Sarah) to pose for pictures. We decided that we would go to a little bakery/sandwich shop down the road called Emily's, and get something to eat. Elizabeth had to head over to the college and get ready. Emily's (the sandwich place) was ultra Santa Cruz. A very organic/vegan/recycle type place. We ordered our sandwiches, and found a table outside on the deck. We ate next to a babbling brook surrounded by hippies, young and old. After that, we headed over to the college. Parking was supposed to be tricky, but we found a place easily. Now, the college is pretty darn near the ocean, and you would have thought that it might be nice and cool, sea breezes and all that. NO, it was freaking hot that day. We all had slathered on the super high number SPF sun screen, but you could just feel it melting off with all the sweat. Judy wisely brought two big straw hats, and I had a mini umbrella in my purse. It looked like we were going on a hike or something. Jim B. had a small cooler stuffed with cold water bottles. There were signs in town warning people that were going to graduations to bring sunscreen, hats, and plenty of water. They weren't kidding. The College is not located on flat ground. Lots of ups and downs before we finally got to the west lower field, where Liz was to graduate. We were told by Elizabeth that no one was allowed to save seats, so we had to get there early and then not stray, or we would lose our places. We get down to the grassy field and find a row of seats that are vacant. We go to sit down and a "young lady" comes up to us to tell us that all these seats are saved. WHAT? You can't do that my sister Judy says. Everyone is, the snotty girl replies. The "snot" starts placing graduation programs on all the seats. She had at least 25 seats all locked up with programs. Judy started to scold her for breaking the rules, but really, unless you are willing to have a knock down drag out fight, what good does it do. It was just too hot to fight! We muttered a few more things the snotty girls way, and then took some seats nearby. A few rows up, Stewart was sitting with Liz's roommates, Lindsay and Sarah. Emily turned traitor and sat with them. They had closer seats then we did. We got to our seats at about 12:15pm. The graduation didn't start till 1:30pm. It was so damn hot, it wasn't funny! There were a few trees, but the shade they provided was already staked out. I put up my umbrella and proceeded to wait and wait and wait! If you don't know this about me, I despise hot weather. I would rather be cold anytime then to be hot and sweaty with my clothes stuck to me. We are surely in hell, I was thinking. About 15 mins before the ceremony started, a young man with a name tag on came up to me and said, I know the shade from the umbrella is nice, but when the ceremony starts, you will have to put it away. I felt like saying DUH! I know I can be crabby, but come on! On the road above us, we see the graduates approaching the field. YEAH!!! Let's get this show on the road PLEASE, before we all melt!
They graduates start filing in. I spot Elizabeth and her friend/roommate, Case. There is something about moments like this that just take your breath away. All the years that I have been going to school plays, concerts, and graduations are done for her. This is it technically. She has reached the end, and it makes me just want to cry. I am happy for her. She worked extremely hard all through every bit of school and always got A's and B's. There she is, that little blond haired baby, all grown up and leaving school. SNIFF! The graduates take their seats, and the Provost starts talking. It was bad enough that it was probably about 90 degrees in the full sun, let alone the fact that this woman was extremely laid back and boring. She introduces the student speakers, five of them I think! Judy and I are trying to guess how long each one will talk. No more then 3 mins each will be acceptable, as far as we are concerned. It is too hot! One of the students had a beard down to the middle of his stomach, much like the guys in Z Z Top! He called himself, Jack Passion. He admitted that it wasn't his real name, but he was a philosophy major, and he was passionate about life, or something. It was too hot for me to remember. He was interesting though. He had been growing his beard for 3 years and had even been in a beard growing contest in Germany, where he had finished in 3rd place. Ok...whatever, next please. Awards and stuff, blah blah...ok, can they please graduate? Then the keynote speaker is introduced, big sigh (from me I'm afraid). A professor, I don't remember his name. He started out by saying he would keep it short, because he knew we were about to get sunstroke. Yeah!!! Then of course come the announcement about how you should please hold your applause till the end so everyone can hear their child's name read. Yeah right! That never happens. Also we were told to stay seated, so your graduate can find you instead of you looking for them. Who are they kidding? While this is all going on, Jim B., Judy's husband, has found a perfect spot to take pictures of Elizabeth and Case getting their diplomas. Judy and Jeff get some shots from where we are. Elizabeth makes her way to the stage and hands the person her piece of paper that has her name and her major on it. "Elizabeth Mary Ann Tagg, Politics". Screams and clapping from us, who cares about waiting, no one did. Case came after Elizabeth, Environmental Studies. That was it, they went back to their seats on the bleachers, and roasted in their black cap and gowns till the ceremony was over. Good thing Elizabeth chose not to wear her pretty new dress to the ceremony. She saved it for the party. When it was all done, the Dean came out and pronounced that the graduation was official and they could move their tassels to the other side of their caps. At that point, the masses all decided to find their graduate. No one listened to the previous announcement about sitting still, just as I thought. Judy and Jim said they would walk up the hill to the exit, while Jeff and I tried to see Elizabeth. I wove my way through all the people till I got to Elizabeth. She was with Stewart and Emily. I got to hug her and tell her how proud I was. Then I told her, we were leaving, see you at Grandma's house. I got Emily, and we started the long process of getting the heck out of there. Winding our way through hundreds of equally sweaty people was not fun. We got to the car and got going back to Judy's house so we could get in Jeff's car and go back to my Mom's house. At my Mom's house, Linda and my Mom were getting things ready for Elizabeth's party. The party was scheduled to start around 6pm. Jack and Linda had prepared the food, mostly Linda. The menu was: 1. Veggies and Dips. 2. Chips, guacamole and salsa. 3. BBQ chicken & pork tenderloin. 4. Beaner dinner (like chili, but better). 5. Martha Stewart Mac & Cheese (YUM). 6. Potato salad. 7. Cole Slaw. 8. Layered Jello (Pretty). 9. Garlic bread (always good). The food was fantastic. Linda is so good at that! My Mom and Jeff had the backyard all set up with tables and chairs. It was perfect and exactly what Elizabeth wanted. From my family, Jim, Kathleen, Christine, Robert couldn't come because he was in his friends wedding. Judy, Jim B, Jeff, Emily, Linda and my Mom were there. Jack was playing in his band and couldn't come. My sister Nancy was of course in Florida, where she lives. Elizabeth's friends, Colin, Nick, George, David R., Zeke, Adina and Steph were there. Friends of mine, Brenda, Merri-Lyn, Ron and John were there. Neighbor Shirley and her family Wendy, Chase and Jessica. Emily had her friend Brittany there. Oh, and Stewart...yes Stewart who comes to my family events, but won't acknowledge me. Yeah, we are divorced, but come on! He won't look or talk directly to me. I don't know, he is forever strange. The party went great. Everyone loved the food and had 2nds and 3rds. There was no booze at this party. Lots of water and sodas were consumed. Linda made a very pretty punch that had frozen fruit floating in it.
Next to the punch bowl was a bottle of southern comfort that could be added to your individual drink if you chose to. Not many people chose to because the bottle didn't seem to change in amount of liquid. The party ended around 9:30pm. I went home and immediately took a shower. What a relief!
Brittany came home with Emily and I, because on Sunday morning I was going to drive them to Berkeley. Emily had been invited to go to Clear Lake with Brittany's family. Brittany's family had already gone up there two days earlier, so I had to deliver Emily and Britt to Britt's Aunt's house to hitch a ride to the lake.
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I NEED A GPS!
This is where the weekend turned UGLY!
We left the house at 7am. The girls had to be at the Aunt's house by 9am. We stopped to get gas at Costco, and then we headed over to 237 east. Then to 880 east, so far so good. Em and Britt are in the back seat with instructions to the Aunt's house they got from Yahoo maps. It should only take maybe an hour to get there. Things seem fine. As we approach Oakland (YUCK) I start to feel a bit nervous. Lots of ramps shooting in different directions, but the voices in the back seat say to take 90 something towards Walnut Creek then get on 580. OK....Driving and driving, I start to notice the names of towns we already passed on the way up. Are you sure we are going the right way, I ask. They say yes. The more I drive, the more I am sure we are headed the wrong way. Brittany calls her Aunt. The Aunt misunderstands Britt and thinks we are coming from the other direction. Finally I decide this is crap, we are headed for Livermore! Absolutely the wrong direction. We get off at Eden Canyon Road and get back on 580 in the right direction. I am getting a bit angry, but we still have time. I only drove about 30 miles out of my way!!!!! As we are driving, we go around a bit of a bend and in the road ahead is a seat from a car. Just sitting there in my lane! So I have to get around that without crashing into other people. Then as we go along, I notice black stuff flying up into the front of my car from the road. What the hell? Someone two lanes over to my left had a flat tire, and it was shredding. They manage to pull over in front of everyone safely, and with my grip getting tighter and tighter on the wheel, we carry on. Next obstacle, a bird flew so close to my windshield, I could see it's face! That's it, I want to go home!
Over the past year, I have developed a sort of anxiety about driving. I am trying to overcome it, but today is certainly not helping! Now the girls in the back seat are telling me I need to get on 80, 80!, that is the Bay Bridge if you go west and the USA if you go east! I hate the east side of the Bay Area. I never drive there if I can help it and I was in the thick of the east bay! Freaking Oakland, Emeryville and Berkeley. Of course, I got off at the wrong exit in Oakland and wound up at the port of Oakland with all those huge shipping cranes and scary stuff everywhere. At this point, I have become more then angry and I am threatening to just go home (if I can find my way). Emily is heavily into the Mommmmmmmmmmmmm calm downs by then, and that is just making me more angry. People on Brittany's cell phone are not helping me, they don't understand exactly where we are, and I really don't care anymore.
I get my cell phone and tell Emily to call Tim. He is from that area of the world and should be able to guide us out. I had no clue where we were, but I saw a sign for Alameda and I know that is not the right direction. We get Tim on the line and he starts telling me where to drive. I tell him the girls keep telling me to go on 80 , but if I end up on the Bay Bridge, I will probably serously injure one, if not both of them. The Bay Bridge is being re-built and is a total nightmare from what I understand from the news reports. I do not want to get on it. I hate driving over bridges. When I was young, I don't recall this feeling of dread, but I do now, and if I ended up in S.F., that would be only double worse. I don't drive there.
Tim is on the phone with Emily. They both think this is so funny because I am super upset. A ray of hope suddenly appears! A very ugly pink gingerbread style house that I recognize. We are near to where we take the cars to get fixed, thank the lord, I kind of know where I am! Tim directs us to San Pablo Road, kind of like El Camino Real, on the good side of the bay, where I live! Just stay on San Pablo till you come to Solano Rd. Turn left there and then you will be there. Great, wonderful! It was a long way down SPR, and driving through Oakland can be an interesting experience. Emily pipes up on the phone with Tim and says, "oh, I know where we are, this is hookerville!" Once, long ago, Tim drove us through this very same area just to show us how awful it was. Emily pointed out a hooker leaning on a stop light. Very cliche I know, but she definitely was a working girl. Brittany did not believe Emily. "HA", Emily spouts, see that guy down the street, that's her pimp! LOVELY, lets get out of this area please! As soon as we hit Emeryville, the scenery began to improve.
Finally, we reached the Aunt's house. We were only 5 mins late, pretty good considering the hell we had been through. We transfer the bags from my car to the Aunt's, I say goodbye to Emily and then I get Tim on the phone to guide me the hell out of there and back to the good side of the world.
I drove 150 miles round trip that day. It should have been about 100. I was gone for 3 1/2 hours. You would think driving that many miles I would have ended up somewhere special, like Tahoe! |
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