Wednesday 4 May 2011

Mat, Cam and a Dinner Jacket

There are few things more confusing than the dickie bow tie. Where does it go? How do you put it there? Why when I wear a dinner suit do I sit like a robot? Obviously, I have little experience, but I imagine those are the things that would go through my head if I was wearing one. Luckily, the master of the dickie bow tie was around to help:


Cameron: the smooth operator.
Dickie bow tie perfection!


For some reason, even though he moves in 'black tie' circles, the Guest-atron does not own a dinner jacket so he has to borrow one from the most hip-and-happening academic in Durham: Dr Stuart Foyle:


Now officially "excellent in teaching".
Clearly, those glasses played an important part in the panel's decision.


Rhianne, Cam and I met Mathew in the pub (a necessary appointment after a totally pap day at work) and before long Mathew whisked himself off to get changed before his fancy lecture+fancy dinner. We begged him to come back to el pubbo beforehand, we've never seen him in a dinner suit! So, uno pinto later, back he comes, dressed up to the nines and walking like a robot (it's the formality you see). So he says: "is this thing on right?", referring to the old dickster (the bow tie, of course!). Now Banana has no frickin' clue about bow ties, what could I do?! [Cue the master of the dinner suit: Cam the man].


The Physicist and the Sociologist: our tax-dollars at work.
Mathew, looking regal.
What is with Mat's arm?
Seriously, what's with your arm?!


Aw, doesn't he look smart? My boss always says that his mum (or was it Nanny Parker..?) always told him "it's better to be over-dressed than under-dressed". Well, in this case, maybe not. Mathew sat down and said, "I passed Simon James on the way here, he was just wearing a suit...maybe I read the invitation wrong". A few hours later I get a phone call, "yeah, it was smart casual." Bless! Well I'll bet everyone else felt silly, Mathew looked like a god among men!


In between the pub and the phone call, Wonder Woman, Angle Man and I headed for another pubster. We ate yummy food, talked about the usual: babies, cave-men, childhood nick-names ('fat man', 'jugs', 'sausage man', 'fairyanne' - but who was who?!), death, heart attacks, kids, technology, jobs; you know, normal stuff. Truly, it was the best night I've had in ages. Totally spontaneous and sporadic (that was the best thing about it!) and totally hilarious. My favourite quote of the night came from future Doctor of Philosophy and world leading astronomer, Cam: [as the sun is shining in his eyes through the window] "the sun is moving down". That's right, the sun is moving down. That is the technical term, people.


Night night, I'll see you when the sun moves up!

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