How it's goin'

Those of you who have been following me since the beginning may remember how I used to post regular updates of wacky costume parties, black-tie events, and lectures that involved cocktail breaks. I know I don't post much about that kind of stuff anymore (mostly because it's not so novel), but it doesn't mean I haven't been doing stuff. Also, if you follow me on Flickr, you may think that the only thing I've done this term is meet celebrities. Although there is not always photographic evidence to prove it, here's some of what I've been doing this term:

• Chung's leaving do. Chung matriculated with me, and we lived in the same staircase during our second year here. I came back early specifically to say goodbye to him, as he finished his DPhil and got a spiffy new job in Hong Kong. Chung took pictures that night but hasn't posted them yet, but I know he's busy with the new job and I'll probably get a huge email of photos at some point, as he usually does.
• The standard fresher events. Matriculation lunch, Domus dinner (a dinner for new graduates), Master's drinks. I don't have pictures of those because they're not really "my" events - I go as a "delegate" of the college, more or less. It would look kind of weird if I took photos at them. It was kind of cool, though, at the Matriculation lunch: I got to be head of my own table. Usually at these events there are a bunch of fellows and stuff, and they are all kind of spread out all over the place to mingle with the students. There were no fellows at my table, so I was technically the senior person. It meant that the freshers asked me a lot of questions about college life, which was cool and made me feel important.
• Trinity guest dinner. Corwin invited me to guest dinner at Trinity last week. It was one of the nicer dinners I've had at Trinity, and it was great to see Elizabeth and the Trinity contingent. I've been there enough times that I feel like a regular - the porters buzz me in and I go where I need to go. Elizabeth took pictures that evening, and I hope she will post them somewhere soon.
• Meeting celebrities. If you haven't heard me talk about this, you've been living under a rock.
• Visiting Enrique in London. My lovely Enrique has submitted his thesis, found a cushy job and packed up and moved to London. Justin and I went to see him (and Maria, who was also visiting) yesterday, and we had a lovely lunch and a walk around Finsbury Park. I had my camera in my bag, but for some reason I couldn't find it while I was there. So no photos. :(
• Doing work. Yes, I do work too. On Tuesday I handed in a 15,000-word chapter draft, and am now working on another chapter. This year I have to do a Confirmation of Status exam at the end of the year, in which I hand in a 15,000-word paper and do another viva. 15,000 words is roughly a chapter's worth of content, so I am doing lots of 15,000-word papers this year and I'll fix up the best one for the exam. Obviously, not a picture-worthy event.
  

I think there's been a trend of bloggers moving on to Facebook, so perhaps that explains the lack of updates - many of you who read me here also keep up with me there. I've also been a lot more laid back in my social activities since becoming Junior Dean, so now I hang out with friends and watch movies and order takeout and go out to dinner. It's not like the black-tie dinners of days of yore, but it works for me. :)

Tonight is Girly Night, hosted by Eleanor and Elizabeth, where a bunch of the language girls will get together and watch girly flicks and drink pink champagne. We don't get together nearly as often as we should, so this is a good chance to kick back and relax and not be hermits. ;) Tomorrow, I have been invited to dine with Andy and Elizabeth at Andy's new house. And I'm not on duty until Friday, so it should be a good week.

Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend - xxx