a typical friday night

After two full terms at Regent's, I've fallen into the easy familiarity of a Friday-night pattern. First we have pre-formal drinks: we gather in the MCR (the Middle Common Room--blog post on its many joys forthcoming?) and drink wine provided by our sommelier, Chris. We mingle with the other postgraduate and visiting students until it's time to head up for dinner, and then we wander up to Helwys Hall to sit. 

Dinner is a three-course meal, and it's almost always amazing. We're all quite formal in our black-tie garments and our Oxford gowns. Each week, two MCR members sit on High Table--which is where the principal, the tutors, and all of the senior people sit; this is an honour that I've held twice this term--and the free wine flows, well, freely. 

After three courses' worth of food and talk, we all head up in droves to the JCR for cheap beer and some brief relaxation. There, we take lots of photos (though not enough!, as I always lament the next day) and hang around until we get tired, where tired is code for "annoyed with drunk undergraduates."

Often enough--actually, nearly every week--something specific is going on in the JCR. Above-pictured is our hospital-themed bop: some people dressed up, and there were shots of tasty things in test tubes and syringes littering the tables of the JCR.

 Many of us--hideously uninteresting and getting old--leave quite early, but it's still a fun night. And the best thing is, it'll happen again next week! The only downside is that I am quickly running out of pretty dresses, because they've seen me in all of these at least twice...