Hi,

And so we bid a fond farewell to sunny-ish London!

We'll be back in the states tonight at 10pm CST. That's right, CST. We're flying back to Nebraska for a reception with my side of the family this Labor Day weekend.

Will I survive the coach flight home?
Will I be allowed to read a book on the flight?
Will my stacks of European porn get confiscated by customs?
Will there be any luggage for customs to confiscate?
Will my relations comment on my tattoos?
Will Annie's folks discuss their hilarous superstitious beliefs in "evolution" or "communism"?

Y'know what? None of that matters! Why? Because I've got a 5-pound note in my pocket. When I get back, I'll convert it to US greenbacks. At the current conversion rate, that means I'll get back about 20-million dollars.

Anyway, I'll post more when I'm back in the hinterlands and I'll see more of you next week!

later
Tom

I like the fact that on the back of their 10-pound notes is a picture of Charles Darwin.

Eat that, Kansas!
Tom

Hi,

So, the lakes district was lovely.

Here's what you should do if *you* go:

* Stay in an actual town serviced by an actual bus line.
* The main rail stop is in Oxholme so if you want to leave the lake district, make sure you can get there in a reasonable time to catch the train.
* Try to go when the dollar is worth something vs. the pound.

Otherwise -- you will go on the most expensive taxi cab ride of your entire life.

Also? The Lancaster Gate tube stop is closed until November. Too bad we're staying at the hotel across the street from it right now.

But, the train rides have been great. We didn't lose any luggage (they were practically first off the carosel). We weren't late. The hotel restaurant is really pretty darn good. I drove a boat on the lake from Swallows and Amazons. I read Swallows and Amazons. I got a lot of walking in. I saved an English woman and her children from marauding cows.

Hi,

Today was my last full day in Edinburgh and I'm extremely annoyed that our luggage took several days to fully arrive because it meant a few less days actually getting into the festival. It also means I didn't get to climb Arthur's seat and attempt the climbing challenge that is the Nexus Steps. And although there's lots of great scenery, we didn't get our camera until late so we don't really have any pictures of the place. :(

Anyway, my thoughts on Edinburgh:

Lots of tall women.
Lots of punky girls.
Lots of smokers. :(
Lots of cowboy boots.

The shopping is great. I especially recommend the Wyrd Shop for your occult needs and Hillary's Bazzar for Belly Dancing gear.
The food is ok.
The fried Mars Bars are what heaven is like.

Here's what I saw at the theater:

Chanbara -- by Yamato. This was a show all about Japanese drumming and swordplay. The sword work was done by the guys who did the fight sequences for Kill Bill so we were hoping for something good. And the drumming was excellent. They did this one set with a bunch of small drums tuned so tightly, it sounded like they were hitting wood blocks. But the swordplay? Well, it's stage fighting and the swords were flashy and not useful. They didn't really smash them into one another because they'd probably break. So, disappointing, but the drumming more than made up for it.

American Vaudeville -- by High Priests of Hijinks. Two guys tell a story about Vaudvillians and the story of Vaudville all while doing a bunch of vaudville acts. It was a lot of fun. The story was a little weak, but the antics were top-notch. I rather liked it.

Rhythm Projct 06 -- by Rhythm Inc. This was a dance piece. I didn't sit all the way through it because it was a small room with a lot off speakers and a sound guy who liked to turn it up to 11. So I left halfway through. asciikitty rather liked it. From what I saw, the dancing was all top notch, but the women were all too tarted up for my tastes. Normally I'm a fan of that but the guys certainly weren't as skimp-o-riffic and that offended my sense of fair play.

Aeneas Faversham -- by Penny Dreadfuls. Victorian sketch comedy. VICTORIAN SKETCH COMEDY!!! It was absolutely brilliant. If Dickens and Doyle wrote for SNL. But, y'know, better than SNL. It was a lot of fun.

So that's what I saw. I wish I could've seen more. Perhaps if the pound falls against the dollar I might come out some other August.

Also, for my friends who do fire spnning -- there's a real opportunity here if a bunch of you got together and put on a show. I didn't really see anyone doing firespinning and that would make for a great street show.

Anyway, tomorrow I'm off to the Lake District for a few days. Next time I write, it'll probably be from London. Apparently, on our way down to our B&B, we're stopping in to the best service station in all of England. Should be loads of fun.

cheers
Tom

Hi,

We've got luggage.

Most of it.

We left with 3 bags and now we have 2. Sadly, it's asciikitty's luggage we're missing. I'm hoping that it shows up sometime today. :/

In other news, I ate a deep-fried Mars bar, the height of Scottish culinary technology.

IT WAS SO GOOD!

How good was it? It was so good I spontaneously grew a kilt.

I've got pictures even...
Tom

Hello!

Greetings from sunny Scotland! No really, it's quite sunny and "hot" (which means it's totally comfortable outside).

So, just a travel tip from me to you -- don't fly right after a major terrorist scare. You might get your luggage routed to Abu Dabi. It's our third day here and we still have no luggage. Luckily, a trip to WalMart has fixed us up for a day or two and I have successfully changed underwear. Hopefully we can actually enjoy the festival tonight.

A pickup line I have to try someday -- Hey baby, can I stick my Willy Wonka in your Oompa-Loompah?

GenCon -- was a great time. I now want to start wargamming small boat actions during WWII. In the RPG department, Agon (a competitive Greek Epic RPG) and Covenent (the secret society without an agenda RPG) are probably the two big winners. Also, Burning Empires is totally kick-ass and I can't wait to run it when I get back.

Um, I miss all of you and hope to have more interesting stories than, "on the sixth day, we still didn't have our luggage".

later
Tom