Okay, maybe not *that* incompetent

Had a very nice dinner tonight with a bunch of folks visiting from A Company That Sponsors Our Research. It was a good and fun enough time that I think it countered the negative feelings I had leaving yesterday's grad picnic.

First of all, there was the good food aspect. There is an excellent wine bar/restaurant that is about a 45 second walk from my front door. I had the Peppered Beef And Gorgonzola Salad--quite excellent. I was considering dessert, but decided on an after-dinner Drambuie instead. Good thing the place is within staggering distance.

Second was the company. The better part of my graduate group (advisor and students) and folks from the CTSOR went out for dinner. The head of their group is a fellow graduate of the Institute, so in my camaraderie, I typically refer to her as "the lovely and brilliant Dr. W."** She brought along three people from her group, and it was a fun time. There were good conversations; funny stories were told on all sides; multiple bottles of wine were dispatched.

Overall, an excellent evening. But I'll fill you in on the hangover report tomorrow... or maybe later...

** Yeah, if she was looking for a Toronto-area boy toy--well--I'd gladly go ahead and... um, probably do a lousy job of it.