Picked up the regalia yesterday. It's really strange to see it hanging in my closet; a black gown with bell sleeves, each with its triple strip of black velvet, like three huge tiger moth caterpillars scuttling in formation across each arm. I tried it on when I got it home -- hood, cap, tassel, and all; I thought that something transcendent was going to happen, like that moment in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" when Harry picks up the wand that's meant for him and suddenly his hair stands on end and the whole room glows. Instead, I just started giggling in front of the bathroom mirror.

It's going to be hard to return it after this is all over. Normally, I don't handle rituals well, but this one has been so long in the making that it will be very, very difficult to let go of the pomp and circumstance after the closing ceremonies.