Graduation

Saturday - Arrivals & Graduation Party
   On Saturday Kristy rode up with my parents. My good friend and former roommate Ben (entries, pictures) also was able to come up for the evening and attend my graduation in the morning. Ben was one of the first people I met when I first arrived here as a freshman, so it was nice that he could be here for the end as well. He graduated exactly a year ago.
   My Auntie Bev on J Street hosted the five of us for a delicious dinner of borscht, and then Kristy, Ben and I scampered off to the Foyerhouse (entries, pictures) to party.
   The number of people who showed up I thought was ideal. I'd once again like to thank the lovely Foyerhouse staff for hosting us. Since its only the second party I've thrown here (see Krispalooza 2003), I decided to take the opportunity to showcase some of the drinks Kristy & I prefer / invented, such as Brass Monkey & Sass in a Glass (in this case Sass in a Pitcher). Someday I want to have a dedicated "showcase drinks you've invented!" party because I know a few other people that have unique signature concoctions. Anyway, as an unfortunately consequence of this, Kristy & Ben were feeling rather under the weather during graduation on Saturday morning

Sunday - Graduation
   My friends Amy Zimmerman, Amie Gutierrez and Roxie Loew also graduated in the same ceremony as me. I got to wear a big ribbon just because I was the first International Relations major to show up, which I thought was kind of funny. I could have worn some kind of purple and gold cords for Phi Alpha Delta I think but I think thats a little ostentatious for a fraternity, professional or not. I thought it would have been nice if there was some kind of decoration for ASUCD officers.

   Kristy left by aeroplane on Sunday, since she had work on Monday. Olivia and I then attended Allan Rae's (entries, pictures)graduation party. Unfortunately though I'd developed a sore throat during finals week, which I still have, and reduces me to sounding like the godfather when I try to speak. As such I wasn't feeling too sociable at the party.

Monday - Errands
   On Monday my parents helped me pack up my room, and we moved out my bed and desk. We also did a number of errands, one of which definitely deserves its own subheading:

Davis Police Case 06-5515
   As you may recall, in mid-October a drunk guy crashed into my parked car. I inquired at the police station a week or two later and they told me they couldn't tell me anything until the DA decided what he was going to do with it. I think I inquired again the next week. Anyway, on Monday we went down to the DPD station to inquire again, they said they were still waiting to hear anything from the DA. So we hopped on up to Woodland and inquired there but they said they hadn't received any such case. We reconfirmed with DPD that they had sent the case, and reconfirmed with the DA that they hadn't received the case (and that they should have it in their records by now based on the sending date, if it had been received). Finally when we visited the DPD station a second time the DPD talked directly to the DA and agreed to resend it. Oddly, they said an arrest had been made (but they weren't charged with anything, if the case was never sent?), and unfortunately they said it may take a year or something before it goes anywhere. )=

Monday & After
   Anyway, while in woodland we had the opportunity to eat lunch at the Fat Cat Cafe, and ran into my friend Deputy DA Tim Wallace. As my mother later described it to someone else "we met the proprietor of the Fat Cat Cafe, who treated Kris like a family member, and a Deputy DA who treated him like a peer!"
   Also I thought it was funny that on hearing my name the DA front desk staffer said "'Kris Fricke,' why does that name sound so familiar?" to another staffer (and we hadn't called yet at that point or given any other obvious reason for my name to be familiar).

   Monday evening we returned to Bev's house because the power was still out at my apartment, and while candles are fun, without heating the place was getting dang cold. Tuesday we finished up errands and ate at Pluto's (which mother characterized as "kind of amazing"). Then I got a new cell phone at the nearby cingular place because my old one, which I think is just over a year old, doesn't display anything on the screen 50% of the time, another 30% of the time it displays everything in mirror image (seriously!!), 10% the display looks like its in hebrew, and 10% its actually legible. Compare this to my previous cell phone that lasted about five years before the battery no longer worked. I'm still trying to understand how to work this new cell phone, and I'm very skeptical. I rather suspect cell phone quality is actually going down as they discover more corners to cut in making them.

   Current plan I think is to stay here until Thursday, at which point Kristy returns to Pleasanton. Then head down there for a day or so and from there continue on back to Orange County.