Please call me DOCTOR Takagi

TRUST ME, I'M A DOCTOR...

As of May 16th, 2008 at approximately 5 pm I am a doctor. It hasn't really sunk in yet. I haven't had to see any patients. I don't have my new long white coat with my name embroidered on it(med students where short white coats that extend to the upper thigh, but once you have the MD you where a long white coat that extends to the calf). I haven't been in any situations where someone asks with panic in their voice, "Is there a doctor in the house?" I haven't really introduced myself to anyone new necessitating the use of my new title. I let you know when I feel more doctor like.

Just the same, graduation was very nice. It was a relatively short ceremony -- lasting only 90 minutes or so. The talks were relevant and short. There were only 91 in my graduating class, so we walked across the stage pretty swiftly.

My parents and Kenta's mom got into town the night before. Kenta went to work like normal in the morning, and I went to work with my parents in returning my much loved vegetable garden back into sod - truly a tragedy. The afternoon came quickly. We showered and had some Thai food for lunch. Then we jumped on the shuttle bus and hit the road. Before I knew it, graduation was over, I was a doctor, I turned in my enormous graduation robes (I could have weighed an extra 200 lbs and not looked any different in my robes except for some extra chub around my face), puffy hat, and forest green hood, and took the shuttle bus home. It's strange to me that when it's your own life moment things move relatively quickly, but when you're attending someone else's life moment (graduation, baptism, wedding, performance, etc.) it drags on forever. Such is life.

Here's my name being called. The dean calling our names obviously didn't do much practicing of mine because instead of ta-ka-gi it came out ka-tan-ji. Very disappointing.

Receiving my diploma

Hooding

I felt like my puffy hat was falling off all day, so I bent my knees a bit in hope of avoiding the hood knocking the hat off. The ceiling at Eastman Theater -- gorgeous

Byron and Marilyn Dangerfield (my parents) with K&V

Dr. Alan Sears and family with Dr. Virginia Takagi and family (just Kenta)

Mr and Dr Takagi

As a side note, it has been my dream since I was 12 years old not only to be a doctor but to be the "Dr" of Mr and Dr , as opposed to seeing my parents get things in the mail addressed to Dr and Mrs. I always wanted to be the doctor of the couple. I suppose I could deal with Dr and Dr, but Mr and Mrs was not and is not for me. I have never liked the title of Mrs, and I have avoided it whenever possible. Now, I can comfortably avoid it for the rest of my life. Just that makes the $175,000 of student loans worth it -- almost. :)