Meeting the big guy

My sister's boyfriend graduated yesterday with his MA in Industrial Design (congrats Greg)! He managed to get us all tickets to the big event, not that I was dying to see a bunch of ASU kids in bad polyester capes, but because the big guy, Obama himself was there. We coped with 102 degrees and 71,000 people, to hear him encourage and inspire. His speech really struck a chord with me. He talked about the outward markers of success that so many people fall victim too, which is something that has been on my mind a lot lately.

"Many of you have been taught to chase after the usual brass rings: being on this "who's who" list or that top 100 list; how much money you make and how big your corner office is; whether you have a fancy enough title or a nice enough car.

You can take that road - and it may work for some of you. But at this difficult time, let me suggest that such an approach won't get you where you want to go; that in fact, the elevation of appearance over substance, celebrity over character, short-term gain over lasting achievement is precisely what your generation needs to help end."

The problem with that way of life is "it distracts you from what is truly important, and may lead you to compromise your values, principles and commitments."

In other news, I'm off to a cocktail party tonight to meet the ladies on the board of the Costume Institute I volunteer for. I thought I should go a little classier than my usual 'cocktail' attire (think tight and short). The label has fallen out of the skirt and I can't remember who the designer is, but it's demure enough for the ladies and flirty enough for me :)