momentous occasions as you imagine them are never really as momentous as you’d imagine. yesterday i attended my last class ever. yes, that’s right, my last formal, sit-down-and-listen class session of what has been my nearly life-long education. what a pivotal moment! it’s all life from here: no more talking about it, time to do it! what does ‘taking notes’ mean anyway?

but the experience was fully lackluster. maybe because i do have finals left after all and having tests left to take keep me from realizing what just happened to me. all i know is that having a few beers here and there, watching half of a lakers game and eating a burger and some donuts wasn’t really getting me worked up the way i pictured i would be having finished my ultimate tutorial. sort of a letdown, overall.

i pictured more of a scene where i burst through double doors and do a few cartwheels, righting myself just in time to catch a smiling beauty queen who is falling into my arms, who i swoop up and toss into my convertible so we can drive to the beach for the big year-end bonfire party where everyone i know is engaging in revelrous debauchery. i really could have used that, too; i’ve been kind of stressed out lately.

since my life is not a musical, however, things did not work out this way. luckily in the next 72 hours there’s plenty to look forward to for consolation, like seeing the x-men sequel tonight, my dear friend’s birthday tomorrow, and a postal service concert on monday night to which a certain lady should be accompanying me, things going as planned.

i can live with that. especially after what i thought was a darling little exchange that went something like this:

[walking to class, after being interrupted just before i was about to say something along the lines of, “so what are you doing next week?” with a preemptive, “so i probably won’t see you around anymore, so you have my number, right?”]

[smiling] “yeah, i was just going to ask when you’d be free between finals next week. we should go out for coffee or something.”

[smiling back] “do you drink coffee?”

“well, no, hot chocolate actually . . . i just wanted to sound cool.” [both laugh, brushing against eachother while walking]

“yeah, i don’t usually drink coffee either…”

“well that’s what i like about you, you saw right through me. we could just get milkshakes instead i guess.”

“ooo, that’s a good idea, milkshakes are good…”

[farewells and i’ll-call-you’s exchanged with more smiling before i skate away to my class]

that was a rough transcription from memory but it sure was cute at the time. i’m excited.

[now hearing this: braid, but only in my head. competing with honest-to-goodness office chatter.]