Commence, Please

It's commencement weekend here at Carleton, and the air is positively charged with excitement. Lots of parents, grandparents, and siblings - all wearing big round buttons identifying themselves as such - are traipsing around in the light rain. The event team is bustling around the Bald Spot, putting up chairs and tents and canopies and such. And of course the seniors are bouncing around happily, hugging each other and looking generally buoyant. It's just such a happy scene - and so rife with good memories - that you can hardly do anything but wish them all the best of luck.

(Then again, watch for contusions: Playing frisbee on the Bald Spot, one student missed his catch and let the disc fly right into his spectating mother's face. Happy commencement, Ma! Thanks for all the tuition!)