Tales From The Crypt - Thursday 1st December 2022

The first day of December!  I'm not quite sure where November went, but it seemed to pass quickly.  The countdown to you-know-what begins.

Today is a very special day: the day that Q gives her inaugural lecture. We're all going to get dressed up for the occasion, which begins with (non-alcoholic) drinks, followed by the lecture, and then a sit-down meal. We'll sit with the Vice-Chancellor and his wife for the meal, so I shall be on my best behaviour.

Apart from the momentous event occurring today, it's also a day tinged with sadness.  Today would have been a close friend's birthday, but sadly he died far too young. He is much missed.

There seems to be an 'end of term' feeling in the air today, even though I have at least two weeks of work left. In that spirit, Q and I went out for lunch as she took a break from work.

An afternoon of comings and goings led up to the time when son #1 and I, suited and booted, headed across the road to meet Q, her mum and daughter in her office. The campus is now fully illuminated for Christmas, as this afternoon also marked the official switching on of the lights. The combination of the lights and cold night air was magical.

Once we'd all met up in Q's office, we headed off to the senior common room for pre-lecture drinks, where we were introduced to Q's friends and colleagues.  

At the appointed hour we headed to the hall for the inaugural lecture. We had pride of place at the front nearest all the deans and vice-chancellor. The event was formal, with an introduction from the V-C and one of the deans, followed by Q and a response from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

Q's lecture on her journey to Hope was interesting and enjoyable, combining personal anecdotes, a brief history of pedagogy ('dead white males'), Q's values and vision for her department and role.  

After photographs, we headed to another building for the sit-down meal.  We enjoyed a three-course meal with coffee, prepared and served by the university's catering and hospitality service. The food was excellent as was the service.  

Son #1 and I were introduced to a couple of Q's friends (many had been unable to attend due to the last-minute change of date for the event), unfortunately, we didn't get time to really chat. I guess we'll save that for the next meeting.

We returned home after a wonderful evening, chatted and then headed for bed.

Metallica / 'Lux Æterna' / (Single ahead of an album due for release next year)

[[Great new single! Seemed appropriate for today]]