That Went Well

I was so looking forward to watching Bo’s graduation from USC on the Internet. I arranged with Mike-E to take a two-hour dinner break at 2030 instead of 1900, had Christine bring me food from LSA and reserved the computer in the USO office (the fastest computer in our building). I even brought my laptop to work, just in case. We got pretty busy, so at 2027 our time (10:27 a.m. PDT) I went into the office to catch the festivities. It took a really long time for me to log on (13 minutes) and the website to watch the ceremony would not load up. I plugged my computer into Jose’s desk, but that didn’t seem to work either, so I packed up and charged over to use the Internet Café at Starbucks. The place was mobbed; that is, there was no place to sit, not even on the floor. Of course, it’s now 2100, I’m sweating like a pig and fit to be tied. Since I regularly use a cord I had turned off my wireless connection and in my haste could not figure out how to turn it back on. I convinced my buddy Chester to say goodbye to his girlfriend so I could take his chair and use his computer, (a sleek, white model -- the computer, not his girlfriend) but that didn’t work. Woods gave up his seat and with his assistance I finally was able to log on using his laptop (the Cadillac of computers, with a shiny black keyboard, chrome accents and numerous bells and whistles). Unfortunately the hook up was very slow, and Woods wanted to go back to his tent. Since it seemed like the Internet was working, I took my computer (which Chester had packed up) back to the office where I was finally able to log on to the USO computer. I arrived in at the middle of Joe Mantegna’s speech (ironic, since he was the Celebrity Host at the USO Golf Tournament where I volunteered last October), but the feed kept stalling. Sometimes the picture would stop, but the sound would continue. If I did refresh, everything went off for a few seconds before the picture and sound started together again.

The students’ names were called in alphabetical order so they could receive their diplomas. The announcer also read a short message pre-written by the graduate. I waited/waded through the first 2/3 of the alphabet, sometimes refreshing the computer, sometimes waiting for it to catch up. I watched and prayed all the way through the Ps; there was even one Q – and just when they got to the Rs the MF computer stalled! I heard Bo’s introduction, but I did not get to see one glimpse of my son getting his diploma. I was poundFing on the F table, I FF F was kicking FFFF and screamUUing at the U top of U my U lungs, I UU was UUU yelling CCC at CC C the C C screen, I C was C KKKK cursing K K at K the gods K K K! I was disappointed.

I couldn’t call Bo after his graduation because by then all of the phones and Internet at Camp Virginia had gone to trash.* I hope I will get to see My Dude on the DVD which the school is providing to all of the graduates. I’m enormously proud of Bo, even though I didn’t get to see him in real time. ^&#>}%* Internet! (I did mean to say that out loud.) I'm sure this was the answer to all of my prayers.

Oh. And I have a cold.

*At the USO we had a 5-hour wait for 20 minute phone calls before everything crashed. I was not the only unhappy person.

Update: Toby sent some pictures!!