Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

What’s on your mind?

Saw an old Labour Party friend for a chat, a coffee (and a few beers) yesterday in a glorious 16-17th century pub in the centre of the city, where we were (eventually) joined by a few (friends/former colleagues) from both the History Department and the English Department at the local university, some of whom simply cheerily tumbled in, supposedly en route home from their own seasonal Yuletide office parties.

A wonderful evening of a type I haven't enjoyed for far too long, but which used to be a staple of my life when I was a university teacher and toiled in the groves of academe.

Also, had a lovely chat by phone with Decent Brother.

I hate winter, but yesterday and today could have been a lot worse.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Certificate of Excellence and WriteNow
Scepticalscribe said:
Saw an old Labour Party friend for a chat, a coffee (and a few beers) yesterday in a glorious 16-17th century pub in the centre of the city, where we were (eventually) joined by a few (friends/former colleagues) from both the History Department and the English Department at the local university, some of whom simply cheerily tumbled in, supposedly en route home from their own seasonal Yuletide office parties.

A wonderful evening of a type I haven't enjoyed for far too long, but which used to be a staple of my life when I was a university teacher and toiled in the groves of academe.

Also, had a lovely chat by phone with Decent Brother.

I hate winter, but yesterday and today could have been a lot worse.
Click to expand...
I think there is a lot less drinking at the office party these days. Back in my youth I can recall a lot of drinking at those get together. These days I hear everyone is on their best behaviour as HR are there!
 
  • Like
Reactions: C0ncreteBl0nde and Scepticalscribe
Apple fanboy said:
I think there is a lot less drinking at the office party these days.
Click to expand...
Oh, yes, very much agreed.
Apple fanboy said:
Back in my youth I can recall a lot of drinking at those get together. These days I hear everyone is on their best behaviour as HR are there!
Click to expand...
Very true.

And some simply avoid it.

Actually, Decent Brother told me with a suppressed giggle (that, when answering the poll as to which day he preferred for his own office party, that he had deliberately selected a day when he knew he would be in court the following day, and thus, would have to, ever so sorrowfully, decline to attend the office party).

The academics I met in the 16th-17th century pub (which also serves a small, but excellent menu, and boasts an excellent wine list, as well as a good selection of beers) - were the sort who knew one another well, and who also enjoyed one another's company, and were interesting and congenial company; a couple of writers (of the published variety) were also present, - they knew the English department people - and the recently qualified doctor spouse (who also holds a Ph.D) of a former member of parliament, known by some of the historians, also joined us. An excellent (and entirely unexpected) evening.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WriteNow
Ugh, I just tore up my apartment looking for something, getting increasingly frustrated and desperate in the process, and it ended up being in the first place I looked--the correct place that I correctly remembered as being where it was. I just didn't look hard enough the first time, so I didn't see it. After looking everywhere else and turning up nothing, I came back to that first place, and found it.

Now I have to tidy everything up again.

This is so classic me :rolleyes: :(
 
VisceralRealist said:
Ugh, I just tore up my apartment looking for something, getting increasingly frustrated and desperate in the process, and it ended up being in the first place I looked--the correct place that I correctly remembered as being where it was. I just didn't look hard enough the first time, so I didn't see it. After looking everywhere else and turning up nothing, I came back to that first place, and found it.

Now I have to tidy everything up again.

This is so classic me :rolleyes: :(
Click to expand...

at least you found whatever it was you were looking for.....that's better than buying a replacement and then discovering the missing item
 
  • Like
Reactions: VisceralRealist, Scepticalscribe and chown33
Scepticalscribe said:
Oh, yes, very much agreed.

Very true.

And some simply avoid it.

Actually, Decent Brother told me with a suppressed giggle (that, when answering the poll as to which day he preferred for his own office party, that he had deliberately selected a day when he knew he would be in court the following day, and thus, would have to, ever so sorrowfully, decline to attend the office party).

The academics I met in the 16th-17th century pub (which also serves a small, but excellent menu, and boasts an excellent wine list, as well as a good selection of beers) - were the sort who knew one another well, and who also enjoyed one another's company, and were interesting and congenial company; a couple of writers (of the published variety) were also present, - they knew the English department people - and the recently qualified doctor spouse (who also holds a Ph.D) of a former member of parliament, known by some of the historians, also joined us. An excellent (and entirely unexpected) evening.
Click to expand...
Quite a lot skip it to be honest. I haven’t been to any in the last 10 years.
I think about 15 out of 30 are going tonight.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scepticalscribe
Scepticalscribe said:
when answering the poll as to which day he preferred for his own office party, that he had deliberately selected a day when he knew he would be in court the following day, and thus, would have to, ever so sorrowfully, decline to attend the office party).
Click to expand...
Clever ploy!

My father told me that his high school class did some poll/vote for to select the first reunion. He went with suggesting something like 40 or 50 years. He told me that he wondered if he should feel obligated to attend that reunion, since he'd suggested it, but thought he might be off the hook, since they'd had many reunions by then.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scepticalscribe
WriteNow said:
Clever ploy!

My father told me that his high school class did some poll/vote for to select the first reunion. He went with suggesting something like 40 or 50 years. He told me that he wondered if he should feel obligated to attend that reunion, since he'd suggested it, but thought he might be off the hook, since they'd had many reunions by then.
Click to expand...
Yes, it is.

His work requires that he appears regularly in court (he works as a solicitor in the section of the AGO that provides solicitor services to the AGO), sometimes at very short notice, hence, pleading such work commitments would meet with receptive, sympathetic and understanding ears on the part of his colleagues.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WriteNow
Scepticalscribe said:
Yes, it is.

His work requires that he appears regularly in court (he works as a solicitor in the section of the AGO that provides solicitor services to the AGO), sometimes at very short notice, hence, pleading such work commitments would meet with receptive, sympathetic and understanding ears on the part of his colleagues.
Click to expand...
I just decline. Personally I don’t think there is any issue with people not wanting to attend work socials these days.
The days of enforced socialisation are thankfully behind us.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scepticalscribe
Apparently, someone changed our currency without telling me.

I have just been sent this invoice --

Screenshot 2025-12-13 at 6.44.45 pm.jpg



I am so excited to have been charged $499.99.99 AUD by Pay-PaI.

And the scammers were getting so good at this...
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: Scepticalscribe, chown33 and DCIFRTHS
Had a dream last night about that Ari Hoenig show (that I actually performed in November). I can't remember what happened in the dream but it definitely had to do with that concert. Woke up with the album in my head, and I'm listening to it now. What a fun show that was, learning and performing that music. And my now-graduated friends who came to see it--we hung out together till dawn the next morning.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back