I Totally Forgot

I came to campus to meet with my advisor and work in the computer lab today. Apparently the fact that I'm still neck deep in my project made me forget that everyone else at NYU is celebrating graduation this week. The bastards. There are balloon arches and chairs and stages set up all over Washington Square, which gives the area a sense of emptiness and impending chaos. My particular program's building is almost completely desolate as well, because the program-specific ceremony is being held this afternoon. There are boxes all over the main floor; everyone is moving out while they renovate over the summer. Fortunately the computer lab is still intact...

The unexpected emptiness around campus is a very tactile reminder of how distanced I have been from my fellow students during graduate school. Sure, I've made some good friends in my classes, but there was no sense of student life. No real community. Such a change from the four years I spent living behind the pinecone curtain. I don't necessarily regret this- I've found my community in other places- but I'm still feeling a little left out today.

I wish I was graduating.