Yesterday was interesting and also amazingly busy. I spent much of the day at alternating between laser physics and the chemistry department. I finally finished at about 6:30 pm and went to the bar for "Queer Beers" a get together of the ANU sexuality department social group. There was quite a big turn-out and I was sitting down the far end. I was talking to a girl from Melbourne who was doing her Ph.D. on the bitter clashes in the early 90's between the second and third generation of feminists, a topic I find very interesting (for the record I'm a firm third-generation adherent). And after that I was chatting with a few of the gay boys when I got a call "Steph, come hang out with the lesbians!". This was from Jackie (a cute, petite girl I know mainly from Jelly-babies) as tends to happen, the girls had formed their own little closed circle which was why I hadn't sat there in the first place. I squeezed in and had a nice time chatting away until we were thrown out of the bar which was getting ready to host a band.
Rather unexpectedly I went with Graham and Llewellyn to the Gypsy Bar where many of the others had also gone. I hadn't been there before, but it was nice and we were huddled up in the back. Groups of women still make me feel slightly on edge, but it wasn't too bad. I had occasional flashes of "Oh my God, might they know!" but it wasn't too bad except for the fact that with the exception of Jenni, the 6 other girls who were there were no taller than about 5'6 which enhanced my ever present "loom factor". It's long been my lament that I will never find a girlfriend my own height, but I guess I'll just have to deal with that. Among the unexpected other people I saw at the Gypsy Bar was Jola, Chrissy, Shrek, Dave from the RSC and a few others. I got home about 12:30 am and crashed out.
It's been odd, many of my late nights have been completely unplanned social occasions which have just sprawled on from one place to another. Not that I'm complaining mind you.
On the chemistry/research front, I've got two days left to run my samples, which means most of the weekend will be spent in the laboratory. I've got coffee, the tourney and then the feast tonight.