It's time, Jim, but not as we know it

Cambridge is an odd place. Not just because of the weird university-bubble you exist in, or the strange archaic customs (if you get a first you can legally challenge someone to a duel on King's Bridge, apparently), or the fact that you eat your Sunday brunch in a massive Harry Potter-style hall with oil paintings glaring down at you. Oh no, the bizarreness of Cambridge goes much deeper than such trivialities. Cambridge actually has its own system of time.

Weeks go from Thursday to Wednesday. Do not ask me why; I'm sure there was a reason once. At first, this was just needlessly confusing - week two becomes week three on Thursday, rather than on Sunday or Monday as it would for any normal person. It made deciphering our lecture timetables from the Cambridge Reporter a nightmare which gave me brainache unmatched by any actual work we've had to do since (well, except maybe reading Marx). But this week, the up-side has emerged! See, we've just finished one course of Sociology lectures, which was on Friday afternoons, and are about to start another course, which are on Wednesday afternoons. We had our last lecture with Dr Baert (sob!) last Friday, but because this Wednesday was technically part of that same Cambridgey week, our next Sociology lecture isn't till next Wednesday. (Are you still with me?) In any normal person's calendar, this effectively means we get a week off Sociology lectures. Yay!

But wait, there's more! Cambridge hours go from five past the hour to five to the hour. Together with the closeness of King's to my lecture halls, this puts me in the fantastic position of being able to be still doing my laundry, or talking to Jess on MSN, or having my lunch, at 2 o'clock, and still make it on time for a 2 o'clock lecture. Ah, it's great.

So, I suppose the moral of the story is that stupid fossilised traditions that are only kept up to maintain a general aura of academic eccentricity do have their uses. Which is reassuring.