There are supposedly cultures where the numbering system consists entirely of words for "one", "two", and "lots". Because, really, once you get past two, what value is there for keeping track? Sociology can be a lot like that. Me, however, one of my secret superhero identities is that of The Enumerator. Oh, yeah, baby: if something can be counted, I'll count. Even so, I dithered for several minutes about whether I'd be a jerk to tell the organizers of the graduation reception that, although I didn't want to sound nitpicky, it is actually the fourth annual graduation reception, unless we skipped a year. For the skeptical, I was able to demonstrate this using a method called Proof by Devah: Devah being at the first ceremony, then spending a year in France, then spending a year at Northwestern, and then spending a year at Princeton. Ergo: fourth annual.
12 comments:
Jeremy,
You should find Trav's appearance in the episode of NPR's 'This American Life' about counting things that should not be counted and link to it.
This is a Wisconsin graduation, all right:
There will be beer and wine, cheese and crackers, beer and soda, and beer and cheese.
But will there be beer?
I thought there was supposed to be beer and crackers, but apparently I was wrong.
Anon: Here is the link to Trav's TAL appearance. He's in Act One.
Wow! Beer! I do believe our departmental reception consists of the grads in their gowns listening to our Dean speak, and some other stuff, like a tour of the building for the parents (oo, remind me to clean up the labs!). Beer is not mentioned. Oh, and it takes place at 9:00 am, and at 1:30 is the big university-wide ceremony, which I actually have to go to this year.
Again, beer is not mentioned. Bummer for us...
-jnsys
jnsys: There is lots of alcohol on the UW campus. There is lots of alcohol in the social science building, for that matter. If you have to move a piece of furniture down into one of the storage rooms somewhere, you are almost certain to run across some number of twelve-packs that were stored there after some past sociology event.
but will they be serving beer and crackers? or soda and cheese? better yet, will there be soda and wine? sangria?
I wish we had sangria at one of these things. A couple years ago, I was willing to spring for renting a Sno-Cone machine just so we could have sangria Sno-Cones at one departmental function, but then my co-conspirator chickened out.
gimme a fricking break! you know you are always the one who chickens out.
whatever
I don't think I could get through a day in this department without drinking myself into a stupor.
There's egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam...
... and I heard something about beer. Beer, eggs, sausage, spam, beer, and spam.
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