Kevin's Watch

I already have the flights to Albuquerquerquerquerque (via Chicago), but just grousing about the problems.

Ok, I think I can officially announce Bossk and I will be there. We spoke and while nothing is quite purchased yet, I am assured it will be. And I have asked the time off from work, so there.
My mom lives in Chicago, and while Chicago will probably seem like a new city to you Europeans, for the US it has a long and sordid history. I personally feel very comfortable there and nearly always enjoy myself whenever I visit.

Chicago is awesome. And -- yay! Cag and bossk are coming!

Updated list:

Confirmed:
Danlo
Lady Tam
Aliantha
dlb
Iolanthe
Lorin
Wayfriend
Creator
Lucimay
SD
Menolly
Dam-sel
Rdhopeca
Sarge
Mrs. Null
Ussusimiel
Duke
Damelon
Frostheart
Lurch
Jenn
Bungleman
Cag
Bossk

Tentative:
Lord Zombiac
Phyllie
Zappa

Hooray for our new Confirmeds!

And may there be a pox on your house if you bail!

("bail": bail out: jump from a plane: abandon an endeavor: quit: peruuta )

Okay, done and done!

I arrive in 'Querque on the afternoon of Wed, 18th June, so if anyone is around we could meet up that evening

I hope to make the trip to Santa Fe with lorin and co. and then I plan to tour around NM until Sat, 5th July. If anyone has any suggestions for what I shouldn't miss please let me know

u.

I don't know who has the best Independence Day festivities in that area of the country, but find yourself a good one for the 4th of July...

ussusimiel wrote:Okay, done and done!

I arrive in 'Querque on the afternoon of Wed, 18th June, so if anyone is around we could meet up that evening

I hope to make the trip to Santa Fe with lorin and co. and then I plan to tour around NM until Sat, 5th July. If anyone has any suggestions for what I shouldn't miss please let me know

u.

I'll be there on the 18th, ready for dinner.

Even though it is not NM, last time I was there I took a trip to Monument Valley and Grand Canyon. Both worth the drive. In fact, the drive was half the fun.

Als try to get up to Taos and Angel Fire - beautiful. Lots of craftsmen (craftspeople?) between Santa Fe and Taos.

I'm around on the 18th (groggy with jetlag). I have no definite plans yet, perhaps will spend the pre-fest time in museums and getting familiar with the city, so a dinner would be nice.

Any chances of being able to join that Santa Fe trip?

wayfriend wrote: ("bail": bail out: jump from a plane: abandon an endeavor: quit: peruuta )

When have you begun to learn Old Giantish?
Peruuta may not be the form you're looking for, however. It's a second-person singular imperative and means "Cancel!". Peruuttaa is the basic unconjugated form. You can have a glance at the wonderful world of Old Giantish verb conjugations here for the word "to see".

Mostly done.

I'll be coming in on Amtrak about 4:00pm on Thursday the 18th. I'll be returning the same way the next Thursday the 26th.

I'll be going in a different direction from the post E-fest Santa Fe trip. I'll be heading south about 75 miles from Albuquerque to Mountainair, which I'll make my base for a couple of days. There are some pueblos nearby that I want to check out and it looks like a picturesque area.

Cagliostro wrote:I'm actually still planning on going, although technically it is in a "maybe" state as I have booked nothing yet, and Bossk and I have not made arrangements. I see several I'd really like to meet for the first time, and some I'd like to hang out with again. I'll be calling Bossk on his birfday on the 30th, so I suspect we'll be making arrangements soon. If he doesn't go, it is likely I won't go, or may camp.

Yeah, we comin'. Details will be attacked with ruthless inefficiency any day now.

While we have been committed to attending for a long time, we are starting to get serious about details and bookings. Intent is that Menolly and I will arrive by Wednesday evening. Dam-sel can't get away until Friday, but should arrive that evening...and we are looking at having Dam-et come with her.

Post-fest, we should be around for at least a couple of days and may join some of the planned excursions. Later in the post-fest week, Menolly has something in mind that will take her back East for a few days, while Dam-sel, Dam-et and I visit some relatives in southern NM.

aliantha wrote:Chicago is awesome. And -- yay! Cag and bossk are coming!

phew! yay!!! was just half chatting with bossk on facebook and he said we'd have to chat in new mexico about something I'd posted on one of his posts so I'm pretty sure he's intending on being there. yay yay yay!

what about Carla and the kids?

bossk wrote:

Cagliostro wrote:I'm actually still planning on going, although technically it is in a "maybe" state as I have booked nothing yet, and Bossk and I have not made arrangements. I see several I'd really like to meet for the first time, and some I'd like to hang out with again. I'll be calling Bossk on his birfday on the 30th, so I suspect we'll be making arrangements soon. If he doesn't go, it is likely I won't go, or may camp.

Yeah, we comin'. Details will be attacked with ruthless inefficiency any day now.

oh hah! it helps if I check the whole thread don't it! lol!!!

I plan on getting on the road as early as possible Friday morning. Target is mid afternoon in Albq, check in, then up the hill to danlos to set up. Its already coming at us faster than I thought it would.

If all goes to plan I arrive mid afternoon Wednesday. I'm getting so much help here from people who have "done it all before", many times some of them. There is even the possibilty that My dear friend Al will be going to Seattle at about the same time and will be able to "mentor" me at the airport. I'm not at all worried about the flight itself, it's the journey to London the day before, finding my overnight hotel, getting to the airport very early next morning and actually getting on the right plane that bothers me the most. I know that once I arrive in ABQ I will be amongst friends.

U, I so look forward to meeting you. I had the pleasure of listening to two "Oirish" speakers at the weekend conference I just went too, one from Nornireland, and the other with a lovely soft Dublin accent. Very glad you are coming to Santa Fe etc, and Frosty, I am very much looking forward to meeting you again. We had some fun in Lincoln, didn't we?

I arrive in Albq. around noon on Friday. I'm available Friday afternoon to help with any setup, etc.

Iolanthe wrote:If all goes to plan I arrive mid afternoon Wednesday. I'm getting so much help here from people who have "done it all before", many times some of them. There is even the possibilty that My dear friend Al will be going to Seattle at about the same time and will be able to "mentor" me at the airport. I'm not at all worried about the flight itself, it's the journey to London the day before, finding my overnight hotel, getting to the airport very early next morning and actually getting on the right plane that bothers me the most. I know that once I arrive in ABQ I will be amongst friends.

U, I so look forward to meeting you. I had the pleasure of listening to two "Oirish" speakers at the weekend conference I just went too, one from Nornireland, and the other with a lovely soft Dublin accent. Very glad you are coming to Santa Fe etc, and Frosty, I am very much looking forward to meeting you again. We had some fun in Lincoln, didn't we?

Yes looking forward to seeing you again!
Where are you staying in London? I found the center very easy to navigate with the metro, and they have flybuses departing from some of the main junctions (mine left from Victoria Coach Station, but I headed off to Gatwick back when we met...). If you're flying from Heathrow, which is a grand sprawling mess, arrive there at least 2-3 hours before the takeoff. The place is also notorious for announcing gate information at the very last second or belatedly (at least in my experience), so don't get too worried over that detail. The staff also inspects the boarding passes over 9000 times, which will guarantee you won't end up in the wrong plane.

I mainly hate the security checks and the rush to pile your mountain of possessions into the teeny tiny trays. Always something bleeps; a month ago it turned out my new hiking pants had some metallic parts within.

To me, the worries are the opposite right now...particularly the lack of European-style train/bus network and the heat...it would be really nice if I could draw some definite plans to meet people once I have my accommodation arranged at the beginning of May, exchange some phone numbers and such, and get further details about the fest programme, if one exists. And if I could find half a seat in someone's post/pre-fest excursion car. Like I said, I'm more than willing to participate in any gas/etc. costs or buy the driver some meals along the way.

Frosty, I'm staing at the Easy Hotel at Harlington for the night. My main worry is getting from Heathrow to the Hotel on the Tuesday, but my mate Al told me to let him know where I was staying and he will send help! I don't know which terminal yet as I haven't got the tickets. I'll know nearer the time. The Hotel will get me to the airport in the morning.

The way I would do it: train to King's Cross > metro to Paddington station > train from Paddington to Hayes-Harlington > a taxi (or a friend to drive you around...) to the hotel, it's only 1,5km away, but not comfortable enough to walk to if you have a wagonful of luggage. Also the exact same matter will affect the metro usage in London. A taxi from King's Cross may be a better solution (expensive, however), as the subterranean tunnels can get extremely crowded and stuffy on rush hours. I got jostled around a good measure and couldn't always find a seat.