St. John's Murder Mystery Dinner

One of the things I've learned so far in Oxford is how to take the time to enjoy the wealth of social and exploratory opportunities here. I've gotten a lot of invitations to formal dinners, cocktail parties, lectures, teatimes, social outings, pub nights, and so forth. Part of that is simply part of this strange new Oxford lifestyle, and the way it hails back to nineteenth-century gentrified society, and part of it is simply, well, because I've made more of an effort to make myself available for these occasions. During my time at Stanford, I was very much the kind of person who would go out every once in a while, but who mostly disliked that kind of thing -- noisy parties, especially those involving alcohol and drinking games, weren't my idea of fun at all, and still aren't. I think the Oxford definition of revelry is slightly different, however, because even though people here do drink a lot, and do partake in the pub-hopping culture very often, the social landscape has more of a relaxed, conversational vibe despite its frequent formality of dress. (By which I mean, no frat parties and beer pong, for the most part.) Dressing up and unwinding with friends over a few glasses of wine or some good cider is much more in keeping with my definition of a good time -- and, because I've chosen to prioritize those kinds of social functions more here than I did during undergrad, I've gotten plenty of opportunities to do just that.

Which brings us to the latest week of social outings, which started with a few formal hall dinners and pub nights in the beginning and middle of the week, as well as one very fun night of cooking with a friend (and fellow Rhodie) from Stanford. I had quite a bit of academic work to do this week, including some reading and a presentation -- yes, I am doing schoolwork here and should post about that at some point -- but decided to stray from my usual M.O., let the academic anxiety go, and make time for friends throughout the week nonetheless. It may have meant a few less hours of sleep some nights, but was thoroughly enjoyable, and the fast-paced "Oxford buzz" that I've been feeling kept me going through the end of the week, which led to a special St. John's guest dinner last night. These dinners take place once or twice per term, are black-tie events, and involve copious drinks and a four-course meal served in the hall of the college. The theme was murder mystery, which promised a good time (but which ultimately did not materialize in its planned form, despite some swanky decorations, due to the less-than-clear directions on what either the "murder" or the "mystery" entailed). I tossed on my red dress after a Friday afternoon of studying (thanks again for the dress shopping help, Mom), went with some good friends I've made here, and enjoyed the 2+ hours of conversation by candlelight in the hall. (They were bright candles, and people were seated close enough to me and were considerate enough to sign as much as they knew how, so I surprised myself by how much I was able to engage. Having good people around helps.)

Course after course passed, and finally the evening culminated with us hitting up the end of the Rhodes House "meet and mingle" event in our dresses (and, for the guys, tuxes) and then going out to a pub with a crowd of people after. Needless to say, I stopped drinking after the dinnertime wine, which was quite enough for me... and got back and sprawled out on my bed at nearly 1am (late by my standards) after at least six or seven straight hours of socializing. Different from my usual fare, but in a good way!

Now, for a weekend of studying and working on this dissertation proposal, admittedly not without a few other fun things thrown in. More on that later.