One way to tell that your colleagues are awesome.

At least, if you're a member of a philosophy department:

Spending the day with them is enough to get your mind working on interesting problems and productive ways to approach solving them -- and this is true even if while you're together you aren't really discussing philosophy per se. Just being with them puts you in the zone.

Yeah, I really like my department.

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That's fucking great! I feel that way about many of my departmental colleagues, but there are a few who make me want to gouge my eyes and ears out with a fork. And of course, it is these latter who tend to do the loudest and longest bloviating at departmental events such as seminars, faculty meetings, and retreats.