The first Multipack of 2007 was in Stafford, and despite the railway’s best effort to ensure there would be no trains going there (bus service instead) they accidentally let two services slip through the net, but it meant we all turned up an hour earlier than normal.
Happily, like all train journeys in England, there was no lack of excitement. Being there were no seats, I ended up standing in the cattle-market outside the toilet and had the immense pleasure of being the ‘door guardian’. Unfortunately for all of us, one man forgot to lock the door and flew out into the aisle to the entertainment of the entire carriage. We also had the Laurel and Hardy of the 12 year old eastern European world, who clearly list vandalism and ‘being a bit rowdy’ in their Who’s Who entry. After being told to jack it in several times by various passengers, the tone got distinctly more aggressive and I was quite glad to get of the train at Stafford. Fun fun.
Most of the usual faces showed, plus a couple of ‘rookies’, and we headed over to The Swan for beer, food and some intense discussion on attribute/element semantics and the iPhone. Later we moved to The Bear (handily close) and then another establishment (I didn’t catch the name) where we played pool until we decided to get food at Wetherspoon’s and make out way back on the station.
Ambitions for the Multipack this year are push the geek envelope, and there were plenty of discussions about getting the website in order, doing some membership pruning and organising some more events.
The train home consisted of approximately 70% drunks, and 10% police, which is always nice, and the journey climaxed at New Street with an arrest. If only life could be so exciting all the time.
In other news, I spent Friday evening scouring the web for good prices on flights to Delhi and Nepal. It should be a straight forward thing to do, but it isn’t, and comparing intercontinental flights on the net takes frickin’ ages. I think I’m nearly there though. I’m booked in for six pints of inoculations on Tuesday, and by the end of next week I’m going to look like an overused pin cushion. But it’ll all be worth it in the end.