Pedantry Digest

First things first, a cloudy evening over the North Sea.







Now that all that senseless beauty is out of the way...senseless drinking! The Whey Pat Tavern (as pictured on 4th October 2006) had its annual Ale Festival this weekend, featuring 10 ales beyond the usual offerings. And because drinking needs a goal: You grab a card with the name of each ale and get the corresponding box "stamped" (with a dog-shaped hole-puncher)--when you can show that you've tried all 10 ales, you can get free t-shirt. Well, free after £30 or so of beer.

Speaking of which: beer. (Photo by Robbie.)




The evening's entertainment. (Photo by Jassel.)




Me and Alastair playing thumb war. I was 100% sober and Alastair was...not. He still beat me. It's shameful, I know.







This is Robbie. Those are Alastair's hands...




...Alastair goes in for the kiss! Or the kill! (Depends on your perspective.) Either way, awww, flatmate love. Pay no attention to Robbie's face--he actually really likes this.




Me, Alastair, and some other guy (I don't need alcohol--I have a crap memory already).




From left to right: Alastair, Tom C., and Tom L.--the latter Tom of whom gets bonus points for the marvellous facial expression.




A self-portrait. (Photo by Robbie...which should be fairly obvious.)




Robbie's sixth pint and corresponding Ale Festival card. (Photo by Robbie.)




Alastair, the grand pooh-bah of ales, who ended the night with a record 22 pints (I think he was at about 20 here). Everyone else gets a t-shirt, but Alastair has earned himself a jacket.




A self-portrait. (Similarly evident, photo by Alastair.)




An action shot: Alastair tries to sit on Tom. Robbie, pictured by naught but a nose, a left cheek, and a pane of corrective lenses, laughs.




Me and Robbie. Only partially evident in this series is just how long it took us to both look at the camera and smile at the same time. (Photos by Alastair.)













Flatmates Alastair, Tom L., and Tom C.--along with Robbie (the fourth flatmate), these guys graciously put up with me for well over a week as I took up space in their kitchen, sprawled out in their lounge, and made the whole flat smell like girly shampoo. Good sports.




Left to right, top to bottom: Robert, Connie, and Jassel. (Photo by Jassel.)




That's definitely Robert at the top and Jassel at the bottom, but the name of the curly-haired man escapes me entirely (such is the power of my remarkable memory.)




Me, Robbie, and Alastair, all charming as ever.




I'm incredibly ticklish and Robbie knows it. That's basically asking for trouble. (I love this shot--due credit to Alastair, the photographer.)




Group photo (left to right): aforementioned curly-haired man whose name I forget, Jassel, Alastair, me, Robbie, and Tom.