funny anecdote

Before our institute moved buildings, there used to be a sandwich place not far from the office that lots of people would go to on a regular basis. After we moved, the people running the shop decided to follow us, and about a year later got a branch set up in one of the nearby (but non-university) buildings. We were thrilled; most of the time, the people that make up the sandwich-shop-going group are the people who will do whatever they can to avoid eating in the university mensa. So whoever is around heads over around 13:00 every afternoon, and we have been for about a year. The lady who runs the shop knows all of us by name and knows all our favorites, and the shop has two dining-room style tables with benches and chairs which we sit around when it's not nice enough to eat outside. Yesterday, about 7 of us were there, eating our sandwiches, and though we'd talked some at the beginning, towards the end we'd fallen into silence. Finally Britton, the shop owner, realized and laughed and said "you guys are just like a family", sitting around the table eating in silence. :) And it did feel like that. I like my colleagues. I'll miss them once I start spending most of my time in Tilburg. But I'm sure there are nice people in Tilburg too.

And in the meantime, there are nice people in Vienna. I've already got plans -- racaire1 is having a barbecue on Friday. Should be fun, especially if this gorgeous weather (25 and sunny it was in the height of the afternoon; it's 20 now and the rainshowers they forecasted for this afternoon haven't materialized yet) keeps up.