Life beyond PPE

[raven]

Claire had her Handshaking today, and she told me one of the questions the Master asked her was this: "And what do you do when you're not doing Classical Archaeology and Ancient History?"

"More Classical Archaeology and Ancient History," she told him. Apparently, she told me afterwards, he wanted to hear about the societies she'd joined and stuff like that.

Okay, I thought. I can do that. My life is not only PPE. I joined societies at the Freshers' Fair. I really did and everything. The only thing is, there is only one of the societies whose meetings I attend with any regularity.

"And so," I said to narahttbbs at the DocSoc tonight, "he's going to ask me what I do when I'm not doing PPE! And I'm going to say, 'I watch Doctor Who!'"

She was very reassuring. "Tell him you write short stories," she said. "Just don't give the details. Don't, for example, tell him you write R-rated lesbian porn."

I nodded, solemnly. And then David Tennant came on the screen and the fangirl couch exploded with squee.

Backtracking a bit, I wasn't planning to go out tonight - and I'm going to have to stay up late now - but parrot_knight taped Children In Need, and he got the TARDIS boxset in the post today, so the society as a whole were benefitting. I came in just in time to see Parting of the Ways with commentary, and as I hadn't seen it since it originally aired, it was a nice forty-five minutes of relaxation. And then comes David Tennant on Children In Need, and ohmy, squee. We had a brief pause whilst popcorn and chocolate were acquired, and then much crunching of junk food and quiet noises of glee.

I loved it. David Tennant is so charismatic and so much fun, and the hopping and the sheer exuberance and the moments where he's serious, and then he reverts back and lo, it is joy. Rose is a little exasperating throughout the scene, but I guess she'll get better. I will not spoil the Confidential scenes from the Christmas Invasion, save to say they look really, really good. And David Tennant - eeee.

There were three of us fangirls squished onto the couch together, while the male members of the society looked on and looked manly. I had such a good time; I haven't felt so thoroughly fannish in absolute ages. And next week, Laserquest! While I've done it before, never with friends, and I'm looking forward to it in a stupid sort of way.

Talking of which, there's a lot of things to look forward to in eighth week, including the Balliol Christmas dinner, which I signed up for this evening. I've just got to survive this week, and then it will be December, and Oxford in eighth week, and then home, and The Christmas Invasion and all manner of nice things.

Comments

[me-and.livejournal.com]

Handshaking? Wassat? We have collections, but they're kinda like a parents evening thing, but without the parents, and lasting (exactly) 2 minutes and 30 seconds...

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Sounds like the same thing to me. For us collections are more like exams when we come back after Christmas. The terms don't seem quite consistent from college to college.

[me-and.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean. We have the exam collections as well; the report thingies are technically called "Provost's collections" (the Provost is the head of the college).

[emily-shore.livejournal.com]

I nodded, solemnly.
You didn't nod solemnly! You started laughing hysterically! :p

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

You're absolutely right. However, my friends list don't need to know I'm a crazy person.

[tau_sigma]

I would humbly suggest your friends list already know you're a crazy person. *pats Iona* *g*

[hathy-col.livejournal.com]

What exactly is this handshaking lark? Seriously?

(We just dress up as sheep and rattle broken bicycles and armchairs through town. Every uni has a tradition that makes sense until you explain it...)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

For your handshaking, you go and see the Master in his lodgings and he has a chat with you for five minutes about how you've done this term. There may or may not be actual handshaking involved.

(That is sadly true. I am reminded of our tradition of walking backwards round the quad drinking port on the night the clocks go back.)

[hathy-col.livejournal.com]

We have some more weird ones - if you walk on the initials of PH outside of St Salvator's Quad (Peter Hamilton, Scottish Reformation martyr) then you will not pass your coruse as you will be cursed. The way to negate this is to leap into the sea (that's the NORTH SEA in SCOTLAND) completely stark bollock naked on MayDay at dawn.

I'm not entirely sure if yours is more strange.

[me-and.livejournal.com]

And people actually do this?

Apparently, if one loses a game of pool without potting a ball in our college, one has to run naked around our main quad (Do Not Step On The Grass). This has not happened since I've been here, so I remain unsure as to whether this is true or not, but I no longer play pool against the good pool players...

[hathy-col.livejournal.com]

They do it quite a lot.

Given that I am thirty seconds from East Sands I plan on being at the party, at least. I have yet to step on the initials, and when drunk I have been known to make a very wide path to avoid them.

[rosariotijeras.livejournal.com]

So I'm a bit worried about college because this is the time to worry about college. And I have to ask-what kind of jobs do people get with PPE? A political science degree "over there" is pretty appealing (thought not at Oxford! Goodness, they'd thrown my application into the "that'a amusing" pile.) and while that's only a third of your degree, they're similar!

[tau_sigma]

David Tennant! I've just got back from Harry Potter, and oh my! There is much squeeing and why did I not watch Casanova?! I can't wait for the Christmas Invasion.

I've just got to survive this week, and then it will be December, and Oxford in eighth week, and then home, and The Christmas Invasion and all manner of nice things. - Oh, yes. Home. Oh. *sighs*