Yes, I am Still a Student.

photo by: Bronndave

It's been cracking weather in Oxford of late. I enjoyed a massive day in the sunshine on Saturday, amongst a lot of flesh and lycra, at Summer VIII's - the biggest intercollegial regatta here and a good excuse for everyone else to get together, have a few Pimms and overpriced burgers and and run along the banks screaming for our College crews. Only lowpoint for me was hearing a bunch of short men talk about how the other Colleges did not have as much money as theirs (by the looks of their equipment etc) and point out women who they thought "should not be wearing Lycra". Unfortunately, it was so humourless that there was not much to do with it live. You can't really work with that material (so instead I will report on them here).

photo by: winkyintheuk

After a full day by the River, rowers and fans slowly made it to a nearby pub to toast various things. A few of us then grabbed some take-away and went to Uni Parks for wine and stories, then back to College for group hugging and dancing (and a strange bike riding competition between two gingers who had not hopped on bikes for 20 years). As usual, the DJ wanted to play trendy club anthems. I told him that I hoped he had not been misinformed, but that the remit of a College party is pretty much cheese. He told me, with his eyes fixated on his computer screen and refusing to take off his headphones, that he did not know what cheese meant. I listed a few songs and said that he might just have to let go of his vision in the name of getting some people on the floor (I was mildly less bratty in real life). He snarled and it was only a few tracks later (some spectacular doof doof) that he obliged us with some generic RnB and wedding classics. As a mate reminded me today, we could always threaten DJs with a Spotify playlist or even just use one and pocket the cash.

photo by: Laura Sauls

So, yes, it's true, my life's still very much the student deal. Although, that also means I am off to Italy this week with two lovely ladies. I won't be online. I plan to be be caught up in this.

I will have to wait til after I return to tell you about (former Australian Prime Minister) John Howard's visit to Oxford last Thursday and my awkward "sorry dad" interaction (for a quick glance at the man in action, click here) and possibly, if the themes can settle in my mind, yesterday's Synechode, New York cinema experience. (What a trip! What a fantastic mess! Meaning of life, death, love, sexuality, relationships, the value of art and the artistic life, the boundaries between reality and illusion, and the routine lenses of health anxiety disorder, narcissim, depression, and, at times, a certain type of maleness all cobbled into one extraordinary movie, and one you're never sure really works as a movie...Perhaps this is enough right here and I shall wait for Alice's tidy review.)

In any case, have a nice week!