The PhD Birthday Party

One of my friends defended his PhD thesis last week, last Monday. I was at the defense, and cheered with everyone else when the professors congratulated Dr. Newly Minted.

But the real party was the one that he and his girlfriend threw last Friday night. I was pleased to be invited, and since I don't know how to pick wine I brought a pan of brownies as a gift to the hosts. It was well received, as my desserts always are. :)

After a couple hours, I was getting ready to leave when the girlfriend called us all into the kitchen.

All of us guests gathered around the table, where she proudly displayed a beautiful handmade cake. With five candles.

We all oohed and ah-ed appropriately, but I was a bit confused. A birthday cake? Did he have a small child I didn't know about?

My friend went up and laughed and kissed his girlfriend, obviously having understood the joke.

He let us in on the secret - it took five years to get his PhD, and so his girlfriend decided it would be appropriate to celebrate the life of the thesis.

Laugh! I like it!

I noticed that while all the guests laughed, the attendees who were also in the third, fourth, fifth..... sixth...... years of their own PhDs found the joke a wee bit painful. :)

There was some thought given to singing "Good Riddance, dear thesis" for the birthday song, but in the end the less cynical guests won out and we sang "Happy Birthday, dear thesis." My friend brought out the hardbound copy of his thesis, and triumphantly waved the book over the cake at the end of the song.

So see, the thesis blew out the candles...