Its official - 3 good things

My brother is officially engaged! He popped the question on Saturday night, and though technically she didn't say anything, the tears and extended hug were taken as an affirmative response. He did at the piano bar where they both work on the weekends - the pianist/singer stopped in the middle of his set and my brother called her up there with him and got down on one knee. Its funny, he started off saying all the romantic stuff you would expect at a proposal but a lot of people in the crowd were still surprised (loud gasps and what not) when he dropped down and brought out the ring (what were they expecting?). Everyone cheered and toasted them after it was over and there more than a few women who started crying. My brother was so nervous - all day Saturday he kept asking me "do you think she'll say yes?" The relief and joy on his face after she finally did, in fact, "say" yes was incredible. That alone made for a wonderful weekend, but I also got to see my folks who came in from Arizona for the event. Though it was a short visit, it was good to see them. We'll have an extended visit in a about a month and a half, so this was kind of a preview. Great weekend all around. Just one of those happy, togetherness times - something the wife and I really needed right now. No idea on the wedding date, but hopefully it won't be a very long engagement.

A couple who used to be in our small group took our dog for us for the weekend. We've watched each other's puppies a couple of times, but this time our dog was acting really weird when we got him back. He almost seemed like he was sick. He's normally very affectionate and very active, but he wouldn't come over to us on his own and would kind of go off and huddle by himself. But he would chase his ball and was eating fine, so I don't think he was sick; I think they were mean to him. They have a St. Bernard pup about the same age and he is, to put it lightly, a big tub of goo. Zero personality and certainly not very active. I'm betting our normal little active puppy was more than they could handle. Needless to say, that is the last time they will watch our lil' buddy. Thankfully, he was pretty much back to his old self by yesterday afternoon.

I got my graduation packet in the mail yesterday. Magna cum laude for a BA in Religious Studies. I really thought I was going to get summa, but then my wife pointed out that I did get a 'c' in one class we took together a year and a half ago. It was a class on Islam and the teacher was a French-Turk who did not take well to my refusal to swallow her apologetic presentation of the material. Apparently pointing out that a woman getting 1/4 the inheritance of her brothers is still patriarchal and discriminatory against women when the professor is trying to present it as englightened and egalitarian is a sure-fire way to piss her off. Correcting her mistaken interpretations of the Bible only adds fuel to the fire. Oh well. I can expect my diploma approximately 12 weeks after graduation, which I will not be attending, so I can have it framed and hung on my wall by mid-fall. That seems like an awful long time, but hey, graduated is graduated and I'm glad to finally be done!