Southampton Meet-Inna-Queue: Report

From: kimmi.stock@ntlworld.com (Kimmi)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
Subject: [F] Southampton mini-meet in a queue (long)
Message-ID: <3c08e2e0.76930271@news.ntlworld.com>
Date: Sat, 01 Dec 2001 14:57:07 GMT

Meet innna-queueue, Southampton, Friday 23 November.

Attendees

Andrew Irish
Kimmi Stock
An ex-afper, hwose name we never did find out
And some lurkers, who were there, honest...

Kimi's bit:

I arrived at Southampton train station on Friday, with plenty of time
to spare, and, miraculously, didn't get lost at all, for probably the
first time ever...  <g>  

I had a wander around the shopping mall, and found Waterstones fairly
easily, but, since it was really early, I decided to go shopping...  I
returned half an hour later, only to discover that a queueue
reminiscent of Ouroubouros had formed, and was wending its way rapidly
along the floor.  Good job I had TLF and TAMAHER to keep me company.
At about 3:15-ish, Andrew found me, by virtue of a rather distinctive
hairclip I was wearing...  And then we started talking.  And talking.
And...  well, you get the idea!    A man was discovered in the segment
of the queue serpent a loop ahead of us, who was an ex-afper, and we
talked with him, too...  Much general talking ensued, whilst waiting
for Pterry, who was stuck in traffic...

Pterry's chair was nicked by the bloke at the head of the queue, who
had a slice of chocolate cake, and a bottle of coke.  There was much
envy on my part, with regards to the chair, until I gave in and
decided to sit on the floor; well, other people were, I'd been
standing for about 2 hours at this point, and we'd just been told that
there would be at least another hour to wait.

We were envious of all the lucky afpers from the week before, who were
at least given some form of sustenance whilst waiting...  I was
particularly envious, as I hadn't had anything to eat since
06:30 - and didn't actually get anything to eat until about
21:30...  <g>

[1] Andrew's bit:

I left university at about 2:35 after a Databases lecture.  All I
could think of at the time was about getting out of there!  I made my
way down Bassett Avenue, which, reputedly, leads stright to the City
Centre.  It was mostly straightforward, with a bit of confusion at St.
Mary's with the subway (hole under road, not trains) system.  Arrived
in Waterstones at about 3:20.  Saw the queue at the other entrance.
Went to join them, but paused as I was doing so.  I don't know what
made me stop, but I looked at the person next to me, and saw the blue
lily hairclip.  Kimmi for sure, I thought.  

Me:  "You must be Kimmi..."

Kimmi:  "Andrew," without even looking round.

Well, we began a discussion there, and didn't even stop until Terry
arrived, about 3 hours later.  Kimmi showed me a piccie a friend of
hers had done of a hedgehog.  She was right, he'd obviously never seen
a hedgehog before...

We got chatting to a stranger who was giving us funny, smiling looks
from the other side of the snaking queue.  Turns out he was an
ex-afper, but we never got his name.  During this conversation, my
phone rang.  It was my dad, asking if I was there yet.

"I'm in the queue," noteable quote for the meet - which pretty much
sums it up!

Also was called by occasional apfer Lazarus101, who was coming too.
He wasn't really a part of the meet until after the signing.  I was
also called by another friend of mine who was coming.  A girl was
wandering around handing out leaflets aboput DisCon 2002.  I'll
probably be going - it looks like fun.  I asked if she was from afp,
but she said she didn't get much chance to go on newsgroups any more,
and afp has a lot of traffic.

When the queue moved for no apparent reason (it kept doing this, we
suspected people were getting sucked into L-Space) we lost contact
with the ex-afper.  People behind us in the queue decided upon being
told that Terry would be an hour later than last reported, that they
couldn't wait, and would pick up signed copies later...

After about 2 hours of waiting, Kimmi decided to sit on the floor, and
persuaded me to join her.

Suddenly, there seemed to be some movement. The queue was moving
forward.   People were standing up.  Terry had arrived!

The queue moved relatively quickly after that.  Finally we were just a
few people away.  I tried to get a good shot of Terry, but it didn't
work.  I gave up and put the camera away.

At last, it was my turn.  Kimmi was right beside me.  Terry asked who
to make the dedication to, I told him my name, and Kimmi piped up
"From afp!"

"Oh, no, not afpers!" said Terry.  "Get away!" forming a cross from
two pens.  He joked about making the dedication to "a bastard afper".
I hope he was joking, anyway!  He thought I was going to make strange
copmments about his books...

"I'm not that kind of afper,"  I said.  "I'm the kind who would ask
you what that building in TLH is.  The isolated one."  I wasn't going
to let him get away with "Yes.  But someone will work it out."(see
 4heTYIa78s47EAh6@unseen.demon.co.uk). It was then he decided to
give me the hint.  give me the hint.  Someone new to the Disc, a new
god, disliked by the other gods and who also dislikes the other gods.
The architecture should also give a clue, as all the architecture of
the gods' houses reflect the area they come from.  "Oh gods," said
Terry, "I might as well write it down for you".

"You could, if you like," said I.  Terry declined.  Kimmi immediately
thought of "the small one with the dodgy moustach,"-> Nuggan.  Terry
said it would be decided by democratic vote of afp.

Anyway, he signed my books and Kimmi and I went away to scour
her copy of TLH to look for the picture.  The house is little more
than a dot!  Can't really make out the architecture.  But Nuggan seems
to fit the bill pretty well.

Anyway, Lazerus and another old friend of mine, Justin, came
along and we eventually went our separate ways.  Justin was unhappy
that Terry hadn'tbeen very talkative.  He probably wore himself out
with me!

[1] to avoid possible future confusion

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