It's over and I have one correction: I gave the "congratulatory address" at the Pi Gamma Mu "Initiation Ceremony." It was an honor. Really. Parents were there and all the inductees were dressed up and looked earnest. I wore a tie.
I gave my talk, sans #2. I got a bit of a laugh from my opening sentence ("Hey") and my #1 so I decided to can the underwear joke. I did improvise one ... I pulled out my notes and remarked that I'm from Kentucky, that we're looking for a basketball coach and I've been lately carrying around this picture of Billy Donovan for inspiration. It got a laugh after an uncomfortable pause.
One way to tell if your talk doesn't go over so well is if the audience avoids you afterwards. That was the case here* but I'm telling myself that it is rather because they are in slight awe of me. In a few minutes I'll go home, have a crisis of confidence and curl up in a fetal ball.
Seriously, the climate change stuff had them on the edge of their seats.
*Update: Actually a former student did talk to me afterwards. He mentioned that my jokes were better in class.
