The party.

The party was a wild, wild success. Wild. Highlights follow:

We had some problems getting the stapler-in-Jello out of the mold. Some of the Jello stayed in the mold. Oh well.

You got to choose what side you were on. I was on Team Pam. So was everybody else.

This was just a great-looking pretzel.

This is while the drama of the episode was unfolding. Look at that drama. Look at it.

The menu.

The first course was an assortment of sandwiches. They included (1) ham and cheese, which Jim used to eat for lunch every day, (2) tuna, which earned him the Big Tuna nickname, and (3) grilled cheese, which Jim and Pam made on their date on the roof of the building.

Jell-o didn't count as a whole course in itself, but we couldn't just leave it out.

The second course was big pretzels—with an assortment of toppings. I, like Michael, recommend the "Everything" pretzel.

The last course: Angela's brownies, and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Mintchocolatechip. Mintchocolatechip.

You should take him into custardy.

Getting ready for The Office season finale tonight. The menu also includes big pretzels, tuna sandwiches, and mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Yeah, it's going to be the coolest party ever.

San Francisco: a hill of a city.

I'm in San Francisco now.

I thought about making a big, non-sequitur list of things I love about the city, like Libby or Becca would do.

Then I thought about taking pictures of myself in triumphant poses by famous city landmarks, like Zack.

I even thought about not posting anything, like Patrick, or about wearing tight pants, like Stanton.

But instead I just decided to post and say that I like San Francisco, and that I want to live here for the rest of my life.

An open letter to Dr. Ed Adams, BYU Communications Department Head (I also sent it to him).

Dr. Adams,

I've just graduated from the Advertising program, and I wanted to send you my thanks and thoughts about the program. I hope I'm not violating protocol by writing you directly.

I'm in San Francisco now doing freelance work, and in a month I'm headed off to the most prestigious internship in the country, for a copywriter. I worked in the Ad Lab for my whole last year at BYU, and while interviewing for work here in one of advertising's main hubs I'm finding that my Ad Lab experience has made me more prepared than many other job candidates, including some with more industry experience under their belts.

I visited a prominent ad agency today to have lunch with another Ad Lab alumnus. To his colleagues, he didn't introduce me as a "school buddy" or even "former co-worker", although those are true; he introduced me as having worked in the Ad Lab, because of the clout it holds there. Someone referred to it in response as "the Harvard of advertising schools." It's only now that I'm away from BYU that I'm able to see how remarkable the advertising program is, and especially the Ad Lab. It's one of a kind, Dr. Adams, and it's likely preparing students for jobs better than any other undergraduate advertising program in the country.

The advertising faculty is outstanding all around, but both you and I know that the Ad Lab has reached its level of national acclaim because of Jeff Sheets. He's done a tremendous amount for my future, as well as (I'm sure) a great number of other students. He's done so much, and he can use all the help you can send his way.

I don't know how much of this actually gets back to you, so I wanted to let you know how well-respected the advertising program, and especially the Ad Lab, is in the industry.

RP
Former Creative Director, BYU Ad Lab

The last few weeks, in factoids.

It's been a busy few weeks.

• For one, I graduated from college. It's an accomplishment, even though it doesn't necessarily feel like a big one. It at least feels somewhat more imortant than high school graduation. I always wondered about those people who make a huge deal out of their high school graduation (limos, etc.)... at the time I really hoped it wouldn't be the hugest accomplishment of my life.
• Dick Cheney spoke at commencement, and the negative hype didn't amount to much. Cheney's speech was relevant and appropriate and, really, pretty good. I thought it was enjoyable, regardless of how I feel about his political views and actions.
• I said goodbye to a lot of my friends. I'm not actually gone from Provo yet, but I will be in a couple of days, and I've already seen many of them for the last time (for now, anyway). I didn't get emotional at the Convocation, though some did, and it didn't really strike me that I wouldn't see some of these people again until I said goodbye to Jeff and left the Ad Lab for the last time in my college career.
• I packed up all my stuff. I sure have a lot of stuff. You don't realize how much stuff you have until you consider putting it all into a Toyota Corolla. I'm glad I didn't actually have to.
  
• 489 presentations came and went. It was a lot of work, and overall quite a good experience. I've given sufficient props to my group, but that's not going to stop me from doing it again here. Props.
• My parents came out for graduation. They're rad. It reminded me that when I've been married for 29 years I want to be exactly like them.
• My brother got engaged, and I can't express how cool that is.
• I went on a whirlwind trip to New York, to present two campaigns to the Ad Council's Creative Review Committee. It was pretty cool... the committee itself was made of up of important people int the New York advertising world... CEO's and all that. The bummer was that we took a redeye flight to get there, and then a redeye flight to get back the next night. And when the flight left late from JFK and we missed the connecting flight in Vegas and had to wait until the next morning, I was glad I was spending the time with cool people. We had a great time.
• I've become a believer, if I wasn't before, that the Lord is keenly aware of the tiny things that are going on in our lives. He knows our hopes and dreams and He wants us to achieve them, too. He does things on His own timetable for His own reasons. And if we trust in that, He'll make things better for us than we ever could have possibly arranged ourselves.