I'm taking a half-day off this afternoon so we can drive out to UCSC for the reception that Barbara's major department is hosting this afternoon from 3:00-5:00. Steve's going to pick me up from my office at 1:00, and the three of us will drive over the Santa Cruz Mountains (about an hour or so away from the office.)

I've packed a bag (including sheets, towels and pillows) and left them in Steve's car, so that I can stay overnight with her. (One of her apartment mates is checking out today, and will leave her door unlocked for me, so I can use a bed). All non-graduating students have to be out by noon today, which is only the day after finals are over! All graduating Seniors have to be out by noon on Sunday!)

Barbara has rented a storage space for a month on a special first-month-for-$1 plus $22 startup fee plus about $10 insurance. It's space that normally rents for $77 a month, and would pro-rate the following month if she can't move into her grad school apartment in time. She's already made a few trips there. If she has enough stuff packed up, we'll all help her move more stuff after the reception. Then Steve and Mark will go home, and I'll help Barbara with more packing-up and possibly moving.

She had hoped to move into campus housing or stay where she is. They won't let her stay where she is since she's not continuing in the regular summer quarter as an undergrad. And they won't let her move into grad school housing until close to her start-up date of 7/24. She could move into specific other temporary housing for $22/day -- which didn't seem worth it. So, using storage for her many belongings (she almost has a household, since she sort of lives in an apartment now) seems cheaper than making many trips back and forth over the mountain range. She could spend $22 in gas alone on one round trip!

The graduation ceremony is outdoors tomorrow at 1:30. And it's going to be HOT, since the winds have been off-shore for the past couple of days. (If the winds were following the normal on-shore pattern, they'd be blowing in cold fog from the Pacific.) So I've packed a sun visor, sunglass clip-ons and sunscreen, too. And some water and juice.

We have a reservation for a very nice restaurant in the Santa Cruz area for dinner tomorrow to celebrate. Barbara picked the place, and Steve made the reservation a month ago, and confirmed the reservation on Monday. The whole Santa Cruz area gets busy in the summer (there's a beach, even if it's often foggy and cold; and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk amusement park) -- but it's even busier on graduation weekend.