HW: a long weekend to remember

[Arin Komins]

One of these days, I'm going to have to realize that long weekends
in the UK are silly.

...but since I've not come to my senses yet, I did make it over
for hastings and the fest.

(...and now!  a quick and not very coherent trip diary.  Forgive me, I'm
in training this week, and am goofing off rather than paying attention.)

Flight across was OK, if a bit cramped.  Met Rich at Heathrow (yay!
yay! yay!), took the Heathrow Express into Paddington.

Oops.  tube strike.

bugger.

Off to wait in the 1 hr + cab line.

Was going to hit Forbidden Planet on the way out to Hastings to pick up
stuff, but that wasn't going to happen.  boo hiss.

Not a problem though.  Just get to Hastings early ;-)

Off to London Bridge, picked up the train to Hastings.

(I obviously don't take trains enough.  I was far far too amused by the
trolley people.)

Get to Hastings, find B & B.

Ditch stuff.  Chill a bit.  Be amused by what is considered "en suite" for
a bit.

Off to wander the pier.  It's a beautiful day in Hastings.....
Ocean is just breathtaking.

Take a look in venue.  Old ballroom, maybe?

Hope to hear soundcheck.  Stupid frickin sound guys fail to get their
act together.

Bump into Colin Allen.  Chat happily for a bit.  Think nasty thoughts
at sound guys.  Chat to Hardy from MQB for a bit.  Chat to misc band
folk.  Catch up a bit since I've not chatted since November.

Continue to think nasty thoughts about sound guys.

Doors open, and I flyer the masses, along with Rich.

See moongluum and linuxchaos from IRC.  Chat to his zeitgeistness.

Listen to MQB (who were quite good.)  Couldn't watch them as was still
flyering....

Get done flyering. Wait with baited breath for HW to play.

er.

um.

argh.

Let's just say that the sound guys should be taken out and
shot.  Terrible, terrible stuff.  Huw isn't playing as well as he should.
Listened to a murder of Spirit of the Age.

Hope to heck fest is better ;-)  as Hastings was very singularly terrible.

Colin offers Rich and I a lift from train station at Axminster to fest
the following day.

I bless him for that, as it would have been cabs otherwise.

Sleep.

Catch train at far far too early in the AM the next morning.
(what's this jet lag thing you mention?)

Hey....train stops at waterloo, so don't have to cab across london again!
wa hey!

Change trains, arrive in scenic Axminster.  Rich calls Colin, then off to
find fest location ;-)

(thank you, Colin.  We appreciated!!!!!)

Get lost for awhile.  Find the three horseshoes pub.  See Nick Lee waiting
for friends, and Jill getting into a cab.  Get confused for a
bit.  Eventually find location.

Tone amazes us all by instantly recognizing us.  Get armbanded (oooh,
shiny metal thing ;-) ), see big purple thing loomed.  yay big purple
thing.

Watch Rich set up camp.  I've never camped before, so I plead excessive
ignorance.  Eventually help out ;-)

Head off into main field.

Wow.

oh wow.

oh really really really wow.  Big big purple tent stage thing was
incredible.  chaos cafe off at other side.  View from the main field was
rather nice.  See Pete Pracownik setup.  and next to him is....

Merrick and Julie!  and they brought a mobile array of their stars and
stuff.  neat!!!!!  Pete and Leigh (sp?) are camping with them.  They are
doing recycling for the fest.  What a good idea, and they did a good job
of it....

Colin has to leave.  Bad bit of business.  I'm so sorry,
Colin.  Sympathy.....

Go chat for a bit.  see the amazing trikes they had.  Good toys, and
useful, too!

So this is the litmus I've heard word of....

Not bad.  MQB was lovely.  Bedouin decent.  Not the best that I've seen
them as, but good.

Do lots of chilling.

Go back to Mike and Lucy's camper.  Attempt to get warm around a "fire".
We'll that didn't quite work, but the thought counted.

Saw the beginnings of "Beerhenge".  Hey Mike....did you ever finish it?

Juggled a bit.  Glow in the dark juggling balls at night with no light
pollution are nice....

Saturday.  portaloos still looming.  Let's just say that they were
supposed to have a much better setup, but as everyone else has mentioned,
the portaloos were frightening.  It's warm out, and I get terribly
sunburnt.  (fun, though!)

proteus starts.  techno-y, but the battle of the planets remix was fun.
(maybe I'm just in the right age range....)

spacehead.  very cool.  with team keith (keith b and captain
bl at ck) guesting!

one eyed bishops just isn't my thing, I'm afraid.

Astralasia.  So does Pete Pracownik normally play with them?

A bit too ....fastpaced for me.  I really really like Astralasia, but
they upped the tempo on their stuff when they were playing it, i think.

HW.  so much better than Hastings.  Thank you thank you thank you thank
you thank you!  Even the murder of Spirit of the Age was done better ;-)

imho, Tim Blake is not my favorite singer.  (and now I'll shut up about
it, Stuart ;-) )

Capt. Bl at ck, Rizz, and Jez Huggett guesting.

Actual setlist slipped out of my head for some reason.  Same as hastings?
although I thought Earth Calling sounded different.

Still can't wait to hear new stuff ;-)  (yay the new album.  coming soon,
I hope!)

Completely failed to catch Jez doing his thing in the Jazz tent,
unfortunately.  Although I was hanging out at Merrick and Julie's campsite
with other boc-l folk at the fire and juggling so I plead a partial
excuse. ;-)

Sunday.  sad day.  have to leave today as flight goes out on Monday...

Hop into Sidmouth? courtesy of Rob, and make much needed use of a loo.
Chill by the ocean, although I really should've brough my bathing suit.

and ouch!  rocks!  I understand now why I like sand beaches.

Get lift back.  Say goodbyes ('til next tour!)
Manage to strategically miss all of Sunday's music (sigh.  Next time, I'll
know better.)

All in all the fest was a fabulous experience.  Small and intimate, while
probably not ideal in terms of money, was absolutely fabulous for meeting
and hanging out with folk.

Very very mellow.  enormously enjoyable.  Please, oh please, do again?

(then off......)

Rob gives us lift to train station (thanks Rob!).  Back off to London.
Off to ye olde hotel.  Suffer, as they don't have air conditioning, and
I'm not that keen on sleeping in the heat.

Wake up not early enough.  Something wrong with my eye (eek).  Off to
Paddington to ditch my stuff.  Make foolhardy journey to Forbidden Planet.
Buy far too many Dr. Who audio cds ;-)

Say goodbye to Rich :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-(

Back to Paddington, off to Heathrow Express.  Plane delayed a bit,
get home.  freak out about being back in the real world.

sigh.

misc thanks and stuff:

merrick and julie for the freebie tea.  and mike and lucy for
misc.)

Kris, Tone, and all the others who suffered through the organization.
Please, please, please, I hope you do it all again!

Neil & Marie & Steve for light show.  Even though the enormous purple tent
hindered the lights a little, it was still appreciated.

The bocl gang!
Merrick and Julie, Mike and Lucy, Jill, Rik & Val, Ali, Alan, Wilfried,
Nick Lee, the irc gang (gwion, moongluum, linuxchaos, stevenbarrytate,
dreamworker), Kevin, Stephe, John Majka, neil & marie, keithb, colm,
mick, and the other misc folks from list who I met and hung out with
through the course of the weekend.

Rich.  What can I say?  except that I'm going to marry this man ;-)

Arin
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Arin Komins                                   akomins at uchicago.edu
Manager of Web Systems Architecture
University of Chicago/NSIT                      tel: (773)834-4087
1155 E. 60th St. #302B Chicago, IL 60637        fax: (773)702-0559
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