the time of your life

_{the author's high school graduation at the Hollywood Bowl}

Today I experienced an 8th grade graduation. Or promotion ceremony as they now call it. I was a bit surprised at the lackluster response of the audience, but since we heard very little of what was coming off the PA system, it should have come as no surprise. And then again, it is taxing to listen to 362 names being called, waiting for that precise moment when you are supposed to demonstrate unbridled enthusiasm for the graduate. Coupled with the knowledge that failing to do so would ruin the rest of the graduate's life, the promotion ceremony becomes a pressured event on all sides.

A note about graduations. I find them incredibly sad. Both as a graduate (because it meant potentially never again seeing that person I was crushed out on for the last 4 years) and now as an adult (because I will never again be graduating from anything --unless from walker to wheelchair counts). There were, however, two notable moments at today's graduation. One was a spirited yet existential speech made by a young woman improbably dressed like Annie Hall, that went something like this: When I see birds, do they see me? I like to think so...When we leave Willard Middle School, will Willard remember us as we remember it? And if so what will be the taste in Willard's mouth?

The other moment, which brought me to my knees, was an all-girl rendition-- members outfitted in cap and gown--of Green Day's Good Riddance. Alright, now how many times has this song been played or sung at a graduation? Nevertheless, a girl sat at a piano, another stared down at her guitar, and two more sung at the podium with surprising restraint:

Another turning point
A fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist
Directs you where to go
So make the best of this test
And don't ask why
It's not a question
But a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable
But in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life

It was a decidedly unpunk moment. And I lost it entirely.