the den

I've always loved the fact that our graduate end of year dinner and awards ceremony migrated from Sophie's Bistro to the gay club next door - this year we went one better and had the whole occasion in the club itself. But a disco with no disco ball? Only Chinese lanterns, what looked like an electric ring of Christmassy mistletoe, and - yes - Scarlet Knights and Rutgers banners and pennants. Very strange. But it didn't stop us being celebratory, and toasting not just students and relevant faculty members (only I would have done better in the respect in my own speechifying if I'd woken up to the fact that I had to give a speech at the precise moment that it was due a little earlier, and wasn't busy trying to purchase a gin and tonic at the time) - and above all, amazing, wonderful, incomparable Cheryl and Courtney in the grad studies office.