super hero?

I bought my cap, gown and sash yesterday from the bookstore. It's packaged in a little shrink-wrap bag. The flimsy flame-retardant fabric, just about the texture of a trash bag, looks like it will be just about the hottest thing that I could wear on a mid-May afternoon in South Louisiana.

Still, I have to admit, it will feel nice (at least psychologically) to wear that little cap, gown and sash on that day.

Looking at the shrink-wrapped package and eyeing the flimsy fabric, the $45 get-up reminded me of some really expensive halloween costume. I could clearly imagine it being one. I wondered, bemusedly, if there would be a little picture of me on the chest, furiously writing a paper or perhaps raising my hand expectantly in class, just like children's costumes often have illustrations of the hero. Would my image be screen-printed in five colors, my many exploits summed up in a few artful lines? Would the other graduates be jealous of my artistic talents? Or would they have their pictures on their gowns as well?

Well, all these questions will be answered May 18th, when I will make that walk -- perhaps the final walk -- of my academic career. And Dean Paskoff, my trusted mentor and advisor, will be there to hand me that prized piece of paper.