Lourdes Nilon joins the Cal State Bakersfield university advancement team, Amtrak offers some killer deals on trips and what we all learned from the drought

 * ... GRADS: Hats off to all the high school seniors who are about to graduate and set off into the world as young adults. From Liberty to Golden Valley to South to BHS, there are awards ceremonies,

hugs, plenty of tears and rooms full of hope and dreams. I salute them all and I know that wherever the road leads, they will take a piece of Bakersfield with them.

* ... NILON: Lourdes Nilon has joined Cal State Bakersfield as director of corporate and foundations relations, the latest appointment as the university tries to rebuild its fund raising arm. Nilon comes to CSUB from the Children's Miracle Network at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Foundation, where she also raised money for important projects. CSUB's University Advancement Division (fund raising) has been in turmoil the past several years following the departures of two vice presidents (first Beverly Byl and later David Melendez) whose tenures were underwhelming. The division is now under the direction of interim vice president Victor Martin, who likely will be promoted later this year into the full-time slot. Nilon is married to John Nilon, the county chief administrative officer, who recently was named to the CSU board of trustees as an Alumni Trustee.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The fact there’s a highway to hell and only a stairway to heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers."

 * ... OVERHEARD: Spotted this on Facebook: "Overheard behind me in the jetway mere seconds after we deplane: 'I'm more excited for the cigarette than New York.'"

* ... DROUGHT: The El Nino winter has given us some breathing room from the long drought, but officials warn the mandatory state reductions in consumption could return if we have a dry winter. That said, it is encouraging that most folks I know have braced conserving water, whether it be installing drought tolerant landscaping or taking shorter showers.

 * ... AMTRAK: The folks who run Amtrak are reaching out to the public offering some deep discounts in a bid to get more people riding the rails. Among the offerings is a "Friends and Family" promotion that will allow riders to save 50 percent off the full ticket fare on up to five companion fares after the purchase of one full fare ticket. There are other incentives too, and they are worth checking out at www.AmtrakSanJoaquins.com.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: Tim Hanlin says you make by a Bakersfield old timer if "you caught the bus at Boise Street and Christmas Tree Lane to go to Foothill High School."