Journeys for Knowledge

My apologies for the delay between posts, I have been quite occupied each evening and have continued to put off writing this post until I had a good amount of time. Starting from last Wednesday life has been rather hectic, with research during the day and events in the evening. I shall start with the matriculation formal, which was a special formal just for the entering graduate students.

The formal started as the last one did, with a gong summoning us to the dining hall. This time however we had assigned seating, with my seat being in a corner next to another physics student and a physics fellow. The meal was about the same, however additional courses of cheese with biscuits and chocolate were added after dessert. After all of this it came time to toast the Queen and Sir Winston, but I had run out of orange juice. The fellow suggested I use elderflower cordial, which I did not realize was concentrated juice. I did not realize how much was needed before dilution with water, and so I toasted with an exceedingly sweet sparkling elderflower concoction. After the formal I ended up chatting with friends for the rest of evening, only to realize it was midnight I needed to sleep before lab the next day.

Normally during the day I eat lunch in the lab, so I can work while I eat. Thursday and Friday last week I was lucky enough to eat lunch back at the college with some friends, which provided a good respite from the stress of lab. Soon after lunch on Friday, my dad arrived from London for a brief visit. We watched a movie in town and had a very filling meal while catching up. Saturday was spent exploring various shops in Cambridge, before a long drive down to London to have dinner with my cousin, and another long drive up. It was really good to see my dad again, the only real taste of home I will get until the winter. Physical comforts do not mean much anymore; it is a company of good friends and family that truly makes a difference.