congratulations on graduation. i've realized in the past three years that nobody ever truly gets over graduating and leaving ND, you just learn to live with it. there are many great moments ahead in your life, but they'll never be the same as the ones you shared with so many of your closest friends under the golden dome.
fbs | Email | Homepage | 05.21.06 - 11:36 am | #

You'll be surprised, 15 from now, how much your closest friends from ND mean to you. This might be common with most away to college experiences, but it definitely surprised me. I still look forward to the alumni magazine and the retrospective articles it occasional runs.

In the years to come, don't be afraid to take some personal and career risks. You will always have a solid base to stand on now.

Good luck with graduation. That's a nice accomplishment to get notched off.

Congrats.
atepesm | Email | Homepage | 05.21.06 - 11:55 am | #

Congrats on your graduation. For me it's been almost 7 years, and it still seems like yesterday. So far I've managed to avoid the plaid pants. I wonder if that comes at 10 year? Congrats again...
Sully | Email | Homepage | 05.21.06 - 12:41 pm | #

I've been gone 18 years (wait---weeping--wiping tears off keyboard--continuing) and, if anything, the magic of the place has only intensified for me. I thought I was a rabid football fan when I was an undergrad, but, in the intervening years, my commitment to the team has become an obsession bordering on mania. Pray the same happens to you--I'll take that illness any day. Good luck.
Andrew | Email | Homepage | 05.21.06 - 1:00 pm | #

Congrats Pete. Welcome to the club.
BD | Email | Homepage | 05.21.06 - 1:03 pm | #

Pete,

Judging by your well-written prose, an English degree from ND is a worthy investment. Best of luck in your career choice and keep writing here, please.
Mike | Email | Homepage | 05.21.06 - 1:21 pm | #

Congratulations! Very well written column.

Resist any temptations to go to law school.
Charley | Email | Homepage | 05.21.06 - 1:49 pm | #

Congrats! Absence makes the heart grow fonder and this is definitely the case with Our Lady. As time passes we focus less of the negatives(if any) and continue to build up the positives. I graduated 10 years ago and was a few years older than my classmates but only those who have been there truly know what everyone is talking about when they mention being part of "the something special" at Notre Dame. It is a truly blessed place and I thank God for the opportunties that I received there and as a result of my time spent there as well. Only now will you truly begin to appreciate the profound statement, "We ARE ND!"
Domer Dan | Email | Homepage | 05.21.06 - 5:49 pm | #

Best wishes. I always wanted to go to ND, but have to live thru students such as yourself. Thanks for helping us live the memories and experiences with you. Go Irish.
Andy Sorensen | Email | Homepage | 05.21.06 - 6:04 pm | #

Keep blogging. It's a very good thing.

You will now understand that being a Domer is a lifetime gig. It will take you more than a few years to forget about taking three months off in the summer.
dbldomer7375 | Email | Homepage | 05.21.06 - 8:23 pm | #

Well said, and congrats! That lump in your throat will never go away, it's filled with love and pride.
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 05.21.06 - 9:22 pm | #

What's this got to do with football?
Yago | Email | Homepage | 05.21.06 - 10:11 pm | #

Graduation from ND was without a doubt the single best and worst day of my life. I imagine the feeling is similar to what I'll feel when my wife dies or something like that. Proud of what was done, but then you forever hold that sadness for what you lost, and what you may not have realized you had until it ended. Congratulations on a hell of an accomplishment! And seriously, if you thought you loved ND during the last 4 years, I can guarantee you are about to learn what ND really means.
Jonathan | Email | Homepage | 05.21.06 - 10:33 pm | #

I graduated in 02, and I remember thinking, on my nightly trips to the Huddle, while I looked up at the dome as I walked past, "I appreciate being here right now. I will never be able to say, 'I never appreciated being at ND while I was there.' And you know what? I've never said that to myself, even after having to go to work everyday, or sitting in traffic, or worrying about bills, etc.

IG
IrishGuard | Email | Homepage | 05.21.06 - 10:45 pm | #

Congrats, Pete--wherever your post-ND career takes you (for me it's been Kentucky, Korea, Kentucky, Arizona, Korea, and Japan) you'll always find someone else who shares your love for the Dome, and with whom you can swap stories of dining hall hijinks and the time your roommate made out with the statue of St. Paul (?) outside of O'Shag coming home from an OC party.

The ND connection is strong enough to bring together people in Baghdad (a classmate of mine, Suzanne Inzerillo, started the ND Club of Iraq a few years back when there with the Embassy). Again, congrats--and when the time comes, you'll pull out those plaid pants.
Nate | Email | Homepage | 05.21.06 - 10:47 pm | #

Pete, it's been a great 4 years and your blog was an exceptional testiment to that. I could not have said it better myself.

Here's to what lies ahead and I'm sorry for hooking up with that girl in your bed while you were out of town last semester. You know who I am...

Anonymous
That Guy | Email | Homepage | 05.22.06 - 9:23 am | #

It's never quite the same going back. You'll point out that the students are different (you and your friends were better), the campus has changed (was much better when you were there), the pep rallys just aren't as loud, and how it just isn't quite as magical as when you left. Parking during football weekends becomes a pain, lodging becomes expensive during those same weekends. But you can still call Notre Dame home, no matter how many things change. Congrats and enjoy.
JTAD31 | Email | Homepage | 05.22.06 - 10:01 am | #

Pete:

The best for you is yet to come...if you are this 'on top of things' while still in school, the world is your oyster.


All of you just need to keep this site going...don't hand it off to some dorky freshmen in some kind of graduation transition.
John B. | Email | Homepage | 05.22.06 - 10:08 am | #

A friend once told me to "make Notre Dame part of your everyday life." It is good advice, and will serve you well.
John | Email | Homepage | 05.22.06 - 10:17 am | #

congrats.

make sure to take a look in your rearview at the Dome as you drive the uhaul down nd ave past the bookstore, Mckenna and the kroc. that's a moment i still won't forget. and it makes it all the more memorable the first time you go back to see the lady on the dome as an alum.

in nd,
c
chris - 03 | Email | Homepage | 05.22.06 - 10:34 am | #

Pete:

From one Domer to another, congratulations on your graduation. I'm sure it was one of the best days of your life. I hope you continue your blog as it is interesting and insightful. God be with you.

Garr, '66
Garr Isacco | Email | Homepage | 05.22.06 - 12:07 pm | #

Uh, is your sister hot?
Matt | Email | Homepage | 05.22.06 - 12:29 pm | #

congrats...i hope this doesn't mean your blogging days are over...this is one of my favorite sites
Dan | Email | Homepage | 05.22.06 - 2:37 pm | #

Congats on your graduation! It has been 37 years since mine but I can remember it as vividly as yesterday.

I really enjoy this site and I hope to read from it for many years to come. Thanks for sharing!
Tom Creevy | Email | Homepage | 05.22.06 - 4:27 pm | #

I know this is WAY OFF TOPIC, but has anybody seen these gems yet?
http://dsandp.sitecrafting.com/
Notre riffic | Email | Homepage | 05.22.06 - 4:59 pm | #

I am a '52 law grad. Congrats and keep up your excellent work. Vic
Vic Matous | Email | Homepage | 05.22.06 - 5:07 pm | #

Best of luck to you, Pete. Your best memories of ND are still ahead as they only tend to grow warmer with age.
After 18 years, I still can remember those glorious fall and spring days that only softened the cold and snowy days for me.
I've enjoyed your blog and look forward to reading more from you, somewhere, in the future.
Peace...
Bill | Email | Homepage | 05.22.06 - 5:14 pm | #

Boy those UW ads -- I got to admit --they are well done. Sadly for Washignton fans, they're also very accurate...

Hey Pete -- congrats on your graduation and sorry for the earlier snide comment. As a fellow A&L grad you might be interested in my post-grad A&L blog: http://joyouslyunemployed.blogspot.com.

When I graduated only interviews I got were CIA and two companies no longer on the face of the Earth. I took to CIA interview to see if they knew I voted for Mondale. Good luck.
Yago | Email | Homepage | 05.22.06 - 5:17 pm | #

Congrats on the degree! Your site has inspred hours of time that should have been spent working. That being said I hope that you keep up the good work.

Go Irish!
Steve-O | Email | Homepage | 05.22.06 - 11:12 pm | #

Worse than alums visiting their old rooms is alums getting letters from the administration from their old rooms.

I graduated with an English degree and now I am a nuclear engineer, so there is always hope
Grace 94 | Email | Homepage | 05.23.06 - 2:23 pm | #

Congrats and thanks for this site.

Until the Tenn game last year, I had not been back to campus since graduating in 84. The visual shock of the old familiar places drove home just how much ND is in me. I only resided there 4 years, but I guess I'll always live there . . . and there will live in me.
jakester | Email | Homepage | 05.23.06 - 3:24 pm | #

Congrats on the degree!

Now you can sweat out the alumni ticket lottery every spring like the rest of us ;-)
The Contrarian | Email | Homepage | 05.23.06 - 4:19 pm | #

I came in with the class of '05 and my '05 friends all came out for my graduation this year. They are the people I hold closest to my heart and will always be a part of my life. I feel the same for my fellow '06 friends.

Also thanks for the mention of the fencing championships. I know there were many jokes about the team while I was a part of it, but it is nice to hear our acomplishments were noticed.

Congrats to you and all my other fellow graduates.
Matt | Email | Homepage | 05.23.06 - 8:16 pm | #

Pete,
Congrats! It's now 11 years for me this week. As a well-spoken English major, can you please stem the tide of pure crap out there in journalism, especially sports journalism. Good luck.
Domer95 | Email | Homepage | 05.24.06 - 2:48 pm | #

Don't worry, give it a few years and you'll be tracking the media coverage of 17 year old high school all-americans on a daily basis along with all us other alums.
fightingsonofnotredame | Email | Homepage | 05.26.06 - 8:54 am | #