My little FringeFrivolous Blogging UnConference came and went this past Friday, and by all accounts a good time was had by all. Several minor miracles transpired:
- it did not rain on the roof terrace
- everyone had a place to sit
- not one of the fifty-odd (or should that be fifty odd?) delegates plummeted precipitously to the Farringdon sidewalks below
and, most importantly,
- we did not run out of booze
The two winning UnTopics also had the best titles: LOLcats and Labrats and Science PR: do we need a Trinny and Susannah for scientists?. The group conversation was energetic and enthusiastic – there are some great photos from Victor here, and Richard is just putting the finishing touches on a super video montage now published on LabLit. As for me, I came away with a lot of good blogging ideas for the future.
This post, unfortunately, is not one of them. My spirits have been completely sapped by a fairly unrelenting work schedule of late, and when I found myself weeping over my test tubes for no reason and almost getting into a fistfight over a misunderstood latté order at Starbucks, I realized that it was time for a vacation. So from tomorrow I’m off to swim in the sea in Kent, do a bit of rambling and then spend about a week at home finishing my third novel (only fifty or so pages to go!).
Play nice, all.
Have a fantastic holiday Jenny. You deserve it.
We had a grand time, and Eva and myself are still giggling over the draft of the video. I just have to secure permission from the interviewed and then it can go to Lablit \o/
Great – I look forward to seeing it!
The video is so funny. It really captures the evening as well.
And it was so great to finally meet you! (And thanks for signing my copy of Experimental Heart – it’s now worth double on eBay! ;)
Y’see, Eva was giggling uncontrollably as she was typing that and I was dying to find out what was so funny.
Hope you have a great break Jenny, but are you sure about swimming off the Kent coast? Make sure to pack lots of goose-fat…
Thanks for organising the Fringefrivolous event – it was a great night!
Thanks, Stephen. Our entire lab is going swimming tomorrow halfway between Faversham and Whitstable — we’ve plotted our train times and hike on the tide table. I can swim in pretty much any temperature, though if I stay in too long I have been known to go entire numb.
It was great to meet you too, Eva, and to confirm that you do, indeed, show up on film — sort of.
“entirely numb”, that should read!
I’m not entirely sure what kind of holidays you enjoy, Stephen, but remind me to politely decline any invites.
Including Christmas dinner from the sound of it.
Oi. I’ll have you know our last post-Xmas lunch family channel swim was a great success! Hardly any casualties.
You have a family channel?
Looks like my trip is canceled because the shoddy workmanship in my flat – door lock broke, have to spend the day waiting for a locksmith.
Great start.
It was great to meet you! Thanks again for the Unconference organization, I had such a nice time…
Have a WONDERFUL and well-deserved holiday!
;-)
Richard, you should call your video ‘Live Roof Surfing’. It’s an appropriate anagram of ‘Fringe Frivolous’.
No, I don’t have too much time on my hands.
Oh, brilliant Matt!
Preternaturally apt.
Anyone know a good anagram-generating programme/website?
http://wordsmith.org/anagram/
do a bit of rambling
resists.
obvious.
joke.
Jenny, congrats on what looks to have been an absolute blast. Still wish I could have come (and gotten my copy autographed too… damn, should have sent it with Eva!). Looking forward to novels 2 and 3. “Only 50 pages to go” – sounds like a piece of cake. ;)
I can report that rumors of too-cold sea have been greatly exaggerated.
Jenny, many Brits are wussies around cold water. I used to be too, but Canada has toughened me up. On a trip back for a friend’s wedding, the entire group stopped for lunch on a beach next to a loch in the Scottish Highlands. Two people went swimming – me (in a bikini), and a fat bloke in a wetsuit. The water wasn’t that cold at all, but no-one else would go in past their knees. (I asked the fat bloke in the wet suit if I was embarrassing him, and he agreed that I was).
Mind you, swimming in the Canadian Pacific at midnight in May is definitely foolhardy. The phosphorsence was amazing, but I recommend building a nice big bonfire on the beach to go back to when the pain drives you out of the water (~5 minutes)
What makes me laugh is when swimming in the sea, and it starts raining, and all these people suddenly get out of the water
Are they afraid of getting wet?
Seriously??!!
That’s hilarious. I’ve never witnessed it myself, but I’ll look out for it from now on!
Yup. Just me and the surfies in their wetsuits are left, looking puzzled.
@Richard Are they afraid of getting wet?
No, they’re just going back to rescue their towels…
… which are in beach tents.
To be fair, I was not the only person swimming. True, no one in my lab, yesterday, could be persuaded – the Italian contingent looked positively ill at the prospect. But most of the Brits today looked determined to enjoy the beach, grey skies and brisk wind notwithstanding.
Jenny – I can be Susannah to your Trinny anytime.
That’s fine, because Susannah’s the one with the big assets, right?
We’ll have them accessorizing their pipettemans in no time.
Accessorized
Jenny> I think that sounds like a lovely solution! I want to go to Kent too (to visit some friends I haven’t seen in ages) and the beach is never wrong.
I’m looking forward to that novel :) Good luck and hope you feel rested and more in balance after the vacation!!!
swimming in the Canadian Pacific at midnight in May is definitely foolhardy
How about swimming in a lake in the Laurentians at midinight in May? That, I can admit to. And yes, it was C-O-L-D cold.
I have swam between islands in the archipelago of Chiloe (South of Chile), with could
icywater, but once that you go swimming the body begins to generate heat and be produced an adaptation at the water. Nothing of despair.I have swam between islands in the archipelago of Chiloe
I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time.
like tears in rain
OK, who accidentally pressed the “surreal” button?
Good show, well done etc etc etc.
Enjoy your well earned break! You’ve
insipidinspired me to do the same. I’m taking a looong Labor Day weekend. First time evaar!Lock up your daughters, good folk of Memphis.
I’m only glad mine’s in Lincoln.
“…time to die” *
Labor day weekend… that’s next weekend right?! hmm…..
*[finishing the qoute]
A special Mind The Gap juicy kiss to whomever can work out what Asa’s on about.
I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time.
…..the distance between islands was only 200 meters, Richard.
Jenny> It is the ending of that qoute Richard threw out there
I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.
Guess you might have to be some kind of Blade Runner crazy to know it?! Or a Rutger fan ;)
Anyway, where was I…. oh, planning vacation.
A special Mind The Gap juicy kiss to whomever can work out what Asa’s on about.
It’s Roy (the superb Rutger Hauer) from BladeRunner, one of my favourite, bestest, most watched films. Evah! Though Ridley Scott did mess it about a bit too much in last year’s release of the final, final director’s cut…
I love you Åsa, You are really ingenious.
see… Stephen knew it.
Stephen> I hear you. Haven’t seen the last year’s release. I stuck with the “first” director’s cut and was quite happy to see a longer more intricate version with more origami ;)
to bad she won’t live… but then again, who does?
Alejandro> thanks. I was tired and read all comments in one take… ;)
Åsa – is all right.
You were lucky to have an archipelago! There were a hundred and fifty of us living in t’shoebox in t’middle o’ road.
@Åsa – best to stick with the first director’s cut. Though I did enjoy seeing it in the cinema again last yr, despite the new imperfections.
Cath – in seriously! (in Canada).
One of the postdocs in the lab was talking about the islands off the coast of Scotland and she referred to it as an “arpeggio”.
tries to make a joke about scaling
fails
Richard was obviously worrying about hitting an off note…
Alejandro, no, I wasn’t being serious. It’s just that oneupmanship involving bodies of water always reminds me of this Monty Python sketch:
The land of The Wendigo
The video is funny, Cath.
Why do all conversations tend to bottom out in Monty Python sketches? It is a question that modern science has failed to explain. And, more pressingly, what will the next generation use in its place?
I can report that the next generation are already au fait with Monty Python (thanks to DVDs and YouTube) and busy learning their lines.
I am teh impressed that Alejandro knows of the Wendigo. I was terrified as a young child after reading a book of native legends, prominently featuring it. Eekz.
I think I am the next generation, Python-wise. I saw it all on video/reruns, and my mom wondered why I was watching “that stupid old show” (she doesn’t like it!)
Is a very good tale, Richard, by Algernon Blackwood. The description of the Canadian forest (the 50 Island etc.) and the nature is notable and splendid.
Ah, thanks, Alejandro – I didn’t know about it.
Project Gutenberg version here.
So it is. But you’re a damnable spammer.
Richard W. – Is good link! Project Gutenberg