Topic: Off to Iowa for niece's HS graduation

[Cobra951]

It's graduation-mania time again.  This year I have another niece graduating, and my daughter graduates too, in a few weeks.  I'll be in Iowa through the long weekend.  I'm leaving in a few minutes.  Driving overnight.  Have a great Memorial Day weekend all.

[Quemaqua]

Have fun!  Hopefully it'll be a little mini-vacation, and you can enjoy some time with family.

[Ghandi]

Drive safe, have fun.

Graduation's themselves can be fairly painful to sit through sometimes, but the celebration is usually pretty fun. You're a good uncle to sit through one

[MysterD]

Have a good trip, Cobra!

[Cobra951]

Thanks guys.  I'm back!

What a great weekend.  Yeah, the graduation itself is a pain that seems to go on forever, though it was only 90 minutes or so.  The celebrating afterward was terrific.  That same night, it was just family, and a good time at that.  But the next day was the real party, which packed the house and the backyard.  It helps when the kids and the parents are all popular and well-known in the community.  Had a blast, as well as way too much liquor.  I even ended up trying something from my nephews.  It looked like an innocent apple with several holes.  You hold your finger over one hole, a lighter to another, then suck on the 3rd.  Woo!  Whatever it was, it's a new experience for me.  Haha!

That was Saturday.  Yesterday, we got a tour of the part of town when my one nephew's girlfriend lives.  Got to see the house, and finally the high school where they all graduated from.  (The commencement has always been at a nearby university sports arena.)  Then more partying followed.  Great time.  I want more!  Someone else please graduate from somewhere, or get married, or something.

[idolminds]

Oh those wacky young people will make a weed pipe out of anything.

Sounds like you had a fun time. What road did you take through Illinois? Probably went right past my place but we had a bunch of family in town.

[Ghandi]

Ah, yes. The age-old apple pipe trick. We've all been there at one point or another.

I'm graduating from college soon, you're more than welcome to join in on the festivities.

[scottws]

Ah, yes. The age-old apple pipe trick. We've all been there at one point or another.

I never have, though I did make a water bong out of a huggie, ballpoint pen, racket socket, faucet aerator, and some hot glue once.

[Cobra951]

Mostly I-74, I think (76?).  The last stretch was I-80.  My brother drove.  I offered several times to do some driving, but he wouldn't let me.  He loves going on road trips, even by himself.

I mentioned I had a friend somewhere in rural Illinois as we went through the state.  Man, there are orange barrels there almost the whole way. Does the former governor have a relative in the orange-barrel business?

Edit:  Very creative construction.   

Edit 2:  Yes!  Love college parties.

[W7RE]

For my HS graduation my dad wouldn't take off work. Only my mom, brother, and best friend came. For dinner I think we got burgers on the way home. I probably spent the rest of the night on my Playstation.

Yea, I live life on the wild side.

[Quemaqua]

I graduated a couple years early, and it was a small group anyway that year.  I played a song on my guitar, though I didn't sing because of the potential for... uh, audience lyrical misinterpretation.  I honestly don't remember anything after that.  I don't think we did anything particularly special.

[idolminds]

I74 is a bit south. I'm off I90.

The state spends the toll money they get on orange barrels to make it look like they are working on the roads instead of using that money to actually work on the roads. So far it seems to be working.

EDIT

My graduation was entirely unspectacular. My graduation gift was a trip to Mammoth Cave to take the big huge 6 hour tour where you climb around and stuff. I have yet to actually go on that trip.

[Cobra951]

I checked a map.  We took I-74 all the was to Davenport, where we crossed over to I-80.  I think we followed the 280 loop there between those highways.  I followed the path all the way.  I didn't realize how far North we went.  I thought the trip was closer to straight West.  There's one stretch of 74 that is straight North-South, just East of Davenport.

I don't remember any huge deal for my HS graduation.  I think my 8th grade's was fancier.

[gpw11]

My graduation culminated in about $40,000 damage to HardRock: Vancouver.  In never opened again. It was totally worth it because I didn't own the restaurant.

[wizall]

My graduation culminated in about $40,000 damage to HardRock: Vancouver.  In never opened again. It was totally worth it because I didn't own the restaurant.

How the hell does a graduating class do that much damage? Were you all on angel dust?

[gpw11]

No, just me and when I get fucking rowdy I get FUCKING ROWDY!!!

Actually, it didn't really take all that much.  I believe they had to repaint everything, replace the floor (which I imagine is most of the cost), replace some set pieces, and fix some booths and bathroom stalls.  There was also definitely a broken picture window involved.  I never saw that bill, but that was the number that the grad committee gave us hoping we'd all chip in.  We didn't and the three years following us missed out on some fun shit because of it.

[Ghandi]

After 4 older siblings graduating, mine was understandably a celebration of epic proportions. I was showered with praise. And I deserved it, given the difficulty of high school and the effort that I put forth.