May 25, 2013 Graduations and Limoncello

Going the a party celebrating the daughter of a friend high school graduation kicked  a memory of my graduations in the past.
there was none from 6th grade to junior high school. I left junior high school to go to high school.  High school graduation from Brooklyn Tech was less then personal.  our school had 2000 graduates.  Even though the auditorium was the second largest in the city (second only to radio city music hall).  we still had to graduate in stages.  A-L names graduated in the AM, M-Z in the after PM.
 there was no grand march of my cohort of 1000.  we merely sat with or families Our designated position was in the right side of the balcony.  Our name were called and we stood in our places.  no marching across the stage.  Can you imagine how long it took to read off 1000 names.  Thankfully mine was at the end but my friend Nat Abramson had to stand for a very long time.
We went back to  our home room classroom to actually get the diploma. The most memorable part of high school graduation was that the ladies in the brothels that surrounded the school stood on their stoops and applauded us when we exited the school in our caps and gowns.
College graduation was in a open field between  the LIU Campus on Flatbush avenue and the Fort Greene Park on DeKalb Ave.  That was not a pleasant neighbor at the time so we we had assigned  mounted (on horseback) police officers surrounding the ceremony.  To put this in perspective watch the movie Serpico.  LIU was in his precinct.

Now on to the Limoncello. The father of the graduate has some on ice so we shared a glass(es).
The first time I tasted limoncello was in Rome. Paula and I were there celebrating an anniversary.  Our waiter was a blond man from Naples (that initself was surprise).  After a superb dinner they brought us digestivos.  To paula they presented a chilled  limoncello.  to me they presented a chilled grappa.
having tasted the limoncello i asked if i could have some.  I was instructed  that in Italy limoncello was "soltante per la femina." " per l'oumo sempre grappa".  Who would think  liquours had gender.

To all the graduates out there a bit of advice.  "allow yourself to make a mistake and learn from it.  Its good for the soul!"