Film Studies come out to playeeee

So we have the annual 'welcoming of the new MA and PhD's evening' this Monday 4.30-6.00 wow, what a party, how many parties do you know of that last one and a half hours between 4.30-6.00? If it was 4.30 to 6.00 am you'd have a point. Mind you the hardcore amongst us normally grab the free wine and last till about 12 or 1am. The main mission is always to neck as much wine before they start to pack it away by about 5.45 for next year or something. I'm bringing my bottle opener, not this year not again don't pack our wine away. I always imagine it in the style either The Warriors or Bring it On (no you bring it) either way, lots of factions like 'The Contempories' (which in a nod to 'HH' should perhaps be called 'The Cruisers') The Feminists and of course there's pullover and shirt clad 'Heritage Mob' and the 'Reception Crew'. What gangs does Jimmny belong to? The Contemporaries and The Feminists. Bring it, bring it on...

The main aspect of these getogethers is not the crude factions I illustrate above (becuase we all get on-our department is the kindest bestest department in the whole wide wooorld) but that it's like a family wedding, with the senior lecturers as old relatives dancing to Dire Straits' 'Walk of Life' cos it's so cooool. We have this one lecturer when he sees you talking to someone you know (as is the custom when you meet...some.one.you.fucking.know) comes over and shouts 'stop taking to them!, you known them, you must mingle! here's such and such! and he marches you over to shake the hand of someone who is having a perfectly fine conversation with another new student and mutual awkwardness ensues. One year he was really vocally pleased that the department was 'so multicultural' there was Irish (me) English, Finnish, Scottish, American and em I don't recall, (but that was about it) but aren't they like the most white countries in the world, hardly 'multicultural'.

I'm wearing my tartart t-shirt this year after a professor slagged my Punisher t-shirt last year saying 'hmm two films and they still didn't get it right! hmmh!' (I resisted the urge to say "and what the fuck are you wearin'?, does your plaid shirt have no buttons or something?!")

But it all dissapates when we get drinking more, and at least I can retreat to my wee batcave safe in the knowledge that I at least know who the current PhDs are, safe in the memory that my department is the kindest bested department in the whole wide woorld...feck what drugs do they put in that wine...