I now have my list of first year tutees for this coming year. Four out of the five of them are called Ben (well, one Ben, two Benjamins and one Benedict, but I suspect they’ll all prefer to be called plain Ben).
This will make introductions easy, and keeping track of them very difficult, though I feel most sorry for the non-Ben:
Bruce: Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce a man from Pommyland who is joinin’ us this year in the Philosophy Department at the University of Wooloomooloo.
EveryBruce: G’day!
Michael Baldwin: Hello.
Bruce: Michael Baldwin, Bruce. Michael Baldwin, Bruce. Michael Baldwin, Bruce.
Bruce: Is your name not Bruce?
Michael: No, it’s Michael.
Bruce: That’s going to cause a little confusion.
Bruce: Mind if we call you “Bruce” to keep it clear?