Today is the kind of day that the weather in Tennessee strives to be all the time. I've heard more than one person describe a good weather day as "A September Day"....this is what they're talking about.

It's also good because I woke up this morning as a graduate of ITMM, no longer a student. Something I've never done.

I spent a good portion of the morning running around making sure all of the applications, pictures, paragraphs, and signatures were in place for me to take apply to take the National Exam. That will be my next big stressor, but I'm not going to worry about that for a few days.

It hasn't sunk in yet. I know that. It probably won't sink in until Monday at 4:30 when I'm not rushing around trying to get things ready for class and get my tail out the door.

Last night at graduation, everyone was sitting with the people that came to cheer them on, and as the graduates found one another, we greeted and hugged one another, talking about how surreal it was. When I was giving Alex a hug, Jeff came up to me. Jeff and I have gotten along from day one. He is one of the people in the class that I trust and admire the most. I gave him a hug, and joked about being the same height as him (I was wearing some SERIOUS platform heels). He held a small book out to me and goes "Would you take this?". The way in which he asked made it sound like I was going to hold it for him while he put on a jacket or something. I looked at it and it was a tiny (probably 2" by 2") book called "Believe in the power of Dreams". He hugged me again and while we were hugging, he whispered "You made this class fun."

Yep, any plan I had of not crying went right out the window at that point.

I couldn't look at him any more that evening because it suddenly became reality for me that I wouldn't be seeing him four night a week. We would no longer be making mad dashes to Starbucks during breaks. We wouldn't be pairing up anymore to trade out massages. He wouldn't be there to pick me up when something goes wrong (although, I can always call him....I know that). We won't be running around the school quoting The Princess Bride (among MANY other movies) anymore. I won't be sitting next to him in the student lounge laughing so hard I'm nearly crying because he and Nichole are having a contest to see who can make the loudest elephant noise.

It's really odd because, in a way, I get my life back. I get to catch up with the friends that I've been neglecting for the past nine months while I've been in school. I can now travel out to California or Wyoming or Florida to catch up with friends. I can sit down and watch CSI on Thursday nights or go to a movie whenever I wish rather than waiting until midnight on Friday or Saturday.

In another way, I'm losing the routine I've developed over the past three quarters of the year.

Yeah, we all knew September 17th was THE day. We had a count down by weeks, and finally days going. But now it's come and gone. Surreal is still the best way to describe it.

I never again have to sit in a class room day after day, week after week!

In other news, I have a job interview on Monday afternoon. It's for a spot at a spa that's going to open up in the Cool Springs area. They do a 50/50 split with their therapists, which means that if they charge $70 for a massage, I get $35 (minus taxes) of it. I figure if I can give four massages a day, six days a week, I'll be doing pretty well.

A lot is depending on my getting this job. If I get this job, I'll stay where I am for a while, but spend a lot more money on my friends. My sister is trying to film her thesis for film school and needs funds for it. I would love to be able to send her a good sum of money for that, but with my current job/living situation, it's not a possibility. If I get this job, it will be. If I get this job, I'll be able to travel in December, rather than having to stay here and wait tables.

If I don't get this job, I'm very seriously considering finding someone to take over my lease and moving out of the state sooner rather than later. "Hate" is not a strong enough word to describe how I feel about this place.