That's right, I'm graduating! Well, probably. I have to finish my thesis first. It's not going well...
Anyway, I'm a bit in denial that graduation is actually happening. What I mean to say is, I know that graduation is happening for SOME people, I just don't know that it's happening for me. On account of the thesis.
On the off chance that the paper decides to write itself, though, I feel I should be prepared, which is why I went shopping this weekend.
I don't know when I first knew that Banana Republic was the greatest clothing store ever. It may have been when I was nine and found out it was very expensive. Or when I was 15 and read All American Girl where the heroine gets three suits from BR. It might have been two years ago when I got my first BR dress. Or a year and a half later when I got my first suit. Or a month ago when I got my first LBD. What I'm trying to say is, Banana Republic has been there for all of my major life moments.
It only seemed fitting that I buy my college graduation dress there as well.
I walked into the store on Saturday and tried on many dresses, but couldn't find any I loved. I figured the best way to deal with the disappointed would be to head to the Barnes and Noble across the street. When that didn't work, I went to the library.
This is a true statement. There is a book out there to combat any type of evil you could ever imagine.
I walked out with four books that I'm calling my road map to success.
1. The Southwest Airlines Way by Jody Hoffer Gittell. My thesis is about planes and Southwest Airlines. This book is about planes and Southwest Airlines. It's just basic math.
2. What They Don't Teach You in College: A Graduate's Guide to Life On Your Own by James M. Kramon. When I picked this book up, I read: How Not to Freak Out About Graduation. Then I read the first page and found out it's actually about contracts and insurance and taxes. I'm not sure I'll actually get around to reading this one, but seeing it on my shelf makes me feel better about life.
3. Miss Manners' Guide for the Turn-Of-The-Millennium by Judith Martin. You can't imagine my excitement to discover yet another Miss Manners book. Where else can you find gems such as, "'Isn't etiquette always a matter of making other people feel comfortable?' This would make politeness an activity exclusively for suckers and wimps. And, of course, sluts." Nowhere, that's where.
4. Jane Austen's Guide to Dating by Lauren Henderson. This one would take too long to explain, and even then I'm not sure it would make sense. But while I'm reading this, my sister is reading What Southern Women Know About Flirting: The Fine Art of Social, Courtship, and Seductive Flirting to Get the Best Things in Life. Be prepared for updates on what we are learning. So far, she has learned that a nose job is a good investment. I've learned that straight men only give compliments when they want to sleep with you. These are important life lessons.
