0 Days Til IRS

Okay, this post will require a bit of explanation, but it provides a little slice of life here at a Canadian engineering university. First, many Canadian engineers, around graduation, receive an Iron Ring: it is a ceremonial ring worn on the little finger of the working hand, to remind the wearer of his or her obligations as an engineer to society. The Wikipedia entry is also pretty comprehensive: "...popular legend has it that the rings are made from the steel of a beam from the Quebec Bridge," (which collapsed twice during construction, due to poor design);however, based on discussions I've had with other engineers, it is made from stainless steel pipe that Canadian vets cut up into pieces.

Anyway, the ceremony (Iron Ring Ceremony, or IRC) is a big event that is held this time of year. Before and after this ceremony is the Iron Ring Stag (IRS), a day-long party, involving drinking starting early in the morning, ridiculous costumes, and inflicting rowdy visits on professors and classes. The balloons above were how my hallway looked when I arrived in the morning (800 balloons, supposedly). Seems like a good way for fourth-year students to blow off for a day.

So the reason for the title is that posters typically go up, announcing X days to IRS (Iron Ring Stag), ending with 0 Days to IRS.

Incidentally, I intend to get an Iron Ring when I graduate; it will have to wait until the February after I finish (the ceremony is only done once a year). You can ask to have a specific person present the ring; I am planning on having my former boss/mentor bestow it on me. I will then probably have the Geekiest Right Hand ever--a Brass Rat plus an Iron Ring. Cool, eh? I could set up a galvanic couple between my two fingers, if I put them in lemon juice!