A Hastily-planned, Cut-rate, but Highly-entertaining Canadian Nodermeet
I endorse this product or event ;)
--allseeingeye
Where: London, Ontario.
When: Saturday July 10, 2004.
What: Sunfest, a free international music festival that draws tens of thousands of people to London, Ontario's Victoria Park each day of its run. Sunfest's official website
http://www.sunfest.on.ca/
features a list of this year's performers with pictures and sound clips.
No: it's not exactly Stockholm Syndrome European International White Nights Nodermeet, but it'll be cool. No, really.
Okay, when exactly do we meet?
We're meeting for the first time at 1:00 pm on July 10 in front of the Boer War Monument, which is the tall green statue on the west side of the park, just south of the main bandstand. I'll be the guy in the Yin yang bandana. This should make it easy to identify me, unless the Association of Daoist Crips wanders by.
What are we doing?
Listening to a beguiling assortment of music, eating nodeworthy food, browsing hip merchandise, scoping beautiful people, dancing on the grass, and sleeping under trees. Also, the Hussars don't mind if you climb the tank that is their World War II monument, but usually just the little kids do that. As a bonus, it's probable we'll run into Roy McDonald. He's usually there.
Then what?
At 4:30 pm, we reconvene and welcome latecomers, once again at the base of the Boer War monument. From there we'll decide either to eat at the festival, or move along to one of downtown London's fine licensed establishments.
Cool. So how do I find Victoria Park?
If you're coming to London off the 401, exit on Wellington Road and follow it until you hit the park. Find parking. Free spots exist just northeast of the park, though they fill quickly.
If you're coming from Highway 4, that route becomes Richmond Street once you hit London. A few minutes after you cross Oxford you will see Victoria Park on your left. If you cross Queens Ave, you've gone too far.
I'm bussing/arriving by train. What should I do?
If you're arriving early enough (well before the meeting time), message me a day or more in advance and I'll arrange to pick you up at the station. Otherwise, turn right and walk east along York, a couple blocks from the bus depot or a few meters from the train station, until you come to Clarence. Cross York and walk about 15 minutes down Clarence, and you'll end up walking alongside the park. You will be able to spot our meeting site from the sidewalk.
I'm taking a dogsled/ arriving by helicopter/ taking a route you haven't mentioned. What do I do?
Fine. Make my life difficult. If you /message me, we can work it out. I'll even post a map somewhere online, if you request it.
I've heard that there's free parking in your quiet residential neighbourhood, and you're walking to the park that morning. Real or malarky?
It's about a 20 minute walk from my place. /message me if this approach interests you.
What should I bring?
Uh... Headgear and sunscreen. Money. Maybe a camera. Funky noder stories.
What about accomodations?
/message me and I'll recommend someplace in your price range. We may have one guest spot available at our place; it's currently in reserve.
So who will be there?
Thus far:
Coming:
Cletus the Foetus
legbagede
Timeshredder
Zxaos
Contemplating coming:
allseeingeye
anthropod
cbustapeck
Disco Jesus
graceness
Tlogmer
Non-noders joining us for awhile:
Nancy (my wife)
Singularity Girl (my youthful sidekick)
Non-noders possibly joining us for awhile:
Ewan (an old friend)
I'm sold! What's next?
/message the Timeshredder!
Would you like to end by inserting some irrelevant conversation stolen from the chatbox while you were typing this?
What an odd request. But, okay. It's pretty funny.
wertperch: anyone would think you'd never seen a breast before.
interrobang: wert, you do know this is the catbox, right? The only way to get more activity on your server would be to mention that the boobies are attached to a lesbian.
IWhoSawTheFace: grundy, it seems we need a few more easter bunnies on wertie's site. You volunteering?
grundoon: SERVER KILLERS. Werty, it's a buncha NOIDS. Many of them HAVEN"T seen a breast before.
interrobang suggests someone start a "touch the bunny" meme
wertperch: Just do me a favour, people. Hold off my gallery for five minutes while I sort out another problem?
LeoDV attaches the boobies to a lesbian monkey
Afterword: July 10
The meet had momentum, leading up to the event. People expressed interest. People wanted to come. The weather forecast, after a week of pissiness, sounded promising. allseeingeye had endorsed this event or product.
Thursday, Disco Jesus had to cancel. Seems the friend who was to sponsor his bus ride lost his job.
Friday, legbagede realized he couldn't make it. Cletus the Foetus, meanwhile, explained that he wouldn't be able to arrive until four. Seems he doesn't much like the sun.
Then allseeingeye called to say he was washing his hair.
Saturday morning, I spoke on the phone with an apologetic Singularity Girl, who was called into work.
I arrived at the park, bought myself brunch and listened to Tandava. Zxaos approached me at 1:00. "Daoist Crip?" he asked.
Our nodermeet of two went well enough. We talked, browsed, listened to Horace X and the Chango Family, met Roy McDonald, and had a beer. I purchased a book and had one of the contributors sign it. Zxaos purchased a lizard.
Cletus finally rolled in around 4:30. We met my wife at trendy TJ's, discussed noder stuff, and watched from the patio as London's entire fire department responded to an alarm next door and closed off the street.
Then we returned to the festival.
Afterwards, I arrived home courtesy of the womb-like humidity of the Cletusmobile.
Still, good people. Good nodermeet.
Wish you were here.