h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Heya Henry,

when did you leave John's? I knew a few maths ppl there, one who left last summer for Portsmouth. Just wondered if we had the whole six degrees thing going on

Lys

Hi Lyssia, I left Summer 2001 (thinks, 2001.5+1.5 = 2003, yes that's right). Someone who left last summer would have been in the year below, so, Emily or Matt or John?...arg I can picture them I just can't remember their names...How did you know them? Where are you studying now?

I know Emily (don't suppose I'm allowed to mention surnames here), if it's the same Emily, and I don't think that there was more than one in her year Erm...I also knew someone called Alex, rather vaguely. He was a Scot. Also Martin, who did Physics...

A few years older and I knew someone called...er how dyou spell his name now...Jervase or something...and a few years younger and there's Sally. All mathmos

I met Emily et al when I interviewed for John's, all the way back in the winter of 1997 (!). Sally and Jervase went to the same school as me in Devon. I'm at London, in my fourth year.

Lys

Why on earth wouldn't you want to mention surnames?

The Emily I'm thinking of is Leeper (didn't mention it before because I couldn't remember )

I knew a Gervase in Engineering or something, I know a bunch of the now 3rd year mathmos (3rd years now?! eek they were 1st years in my 4th year) Olly, Ozzie, Madeleine, Becky, Jenny,... oh wait would Sally be the one who was going out with Matt, also in that year?

Well, ok, if we're talking surnames...

Emily Leeper
Alex...er...hm. Drawing a blank on that one. He was Emily's year, but possibly was on the three year course.
Jervase Franceschini? Something like that...
Martin Shotter
Sally Franklin

Aaaaah I remember Olly - or was it Ozzie? Olly, I think. He and Em went out for a bit, in the winter term of...er...*thinks* 1999 (their second yr, my first). In fact, I remember going to the MURC dinner that year, followed by mulled wine in Museum (?) Road...*sigh* happy days!

Right, we've definitely got Emily then, I'm pretty sure I don't know Alex, G/Jervase did have a huge long last name, he was in my year, blond IIRC, we've probably got him. And Sally I think, played a lot of football, one arm. Olly is blond, Ozzie dark hair. Olly and Em went out? Em is a year below me, Olly is 3 years below. If you mean Olly's 2nd year, that would have been last year which was 2001-2002. Hmm, maybe you mean a different Olly? The one I know wasn't there in 99.

Ah, Museum and Blackhall roads...shame about Keble being just there...I think Olly et al were in Blackhall last year, Emily may have been on Museum. I went back to visit last summer, meant to catch up with Emily but didn't manage it (say hi from me sometime )

*giggle* Will do. At some point I'm going to be heading down to Portsmouth to visit her...Olly was in her year, as I recall, but it was a while back now.

Rather cool how small the world is

I'm guessing we're talking about different Ollys...my one is Olly Wilkinson. I can't think who your's might be. Ah well. Hmm, I just remembered Emily had one of those glass Klein bottles. I meant to buy one of those once I was over here but I never got round to it.

The world of mathematicians at least is pretty small, and very well connected. I think people were even studying the network (Erdos numbers) - I've got another year or so until I should be getting myself an Erdos number

Heh yes I remember the Klein bottle. We wasted some wine filling it up, once.

I remember visiting Em in her first year (98-99; I was on my gapyear), when she lived in Tommy White, and a group of drunken Keble students walking past at some random hour of the morning yelling abuse at John's and all that dwelt therein....

Did you ever manage to get the bottle clean again? I guess not so bad with wine, but you cant exactly do much other than rinse it...

Can't really remember. There was much wine, and I had to disappear into Benet's early the next morning before getting a train back to College.