Some pictures for Matriculation - which, since Visiting Students don’t matriculate (we won’t be receiving degrees from Oxford, but we’re warmly invited to participate in the college photograph!), becomes this great photo-taking bonanza.

It was great fun, strangely, to be full sub-fusc (formal college attire, worn for Matriculation and Public Examinations and Graduation, I believe), in our white shirts/blouses, with our white bow-ties (boys) or black ribbon ties (girls). Anna, one of our fellow Tufts-in-Oxford students, hit the nail on the head when she described it as “wizardly”!

The weather was rather chilly though, and we were very quickly ready to be changed thereafter. For the rest of the day though, most of the just-Matriculated students remained in their sub-fusc throughout! Even as they gallivanted around the city; you would cross paths with little clusters of them every few steps you took - all excited, all clad in black and white.

I should mention that that last photograph is of our “band”, Tom Waters and the Tokens. One fateful Friday night, a few individuals in the pictured group decided to form a “band”. We decided it would be British (because British bands are always cooler), so Tom (being the only present Brit) was elected Front Man, with the rest of the members being Token Americans, hence the band name. No one with legitimate musical talent could really be in it (which is how Ellen became manager), Robin came up with the signature dance move (which must be done with academic gowns worn, so that the flaps at the sides flip up when the back-up singer-dancers place themselves in front of the necessary industrial fan), and the concept for the first single, “Brian’s Cough”, was born. I signed up as Number One Fan. So watch out - you’ll be hearing from us, very, very soon. We’re going to be famous.

(Note the crazy-obsessed fan use of “we”. I am a natural.)