some strange and amusing things seen, said and overheard lately
(these seemed a lot more amusing when I typed this up on Friday...)
"There can be only one!"
Who else could it be?
I said, "if there is anyone else out there who it could have been, I'd like to meet her."
He said, "so would I!"
"There's a warehouse full of mason jars that are full of peoples' smells"
Apparently, during the Cold War in East Germany, when people were spying on each other, they would take tiny samples of the fabric from their neighbours' clothes and furniture. These were then stored in jars, because they were imbued in the scent of the people using them. If any of these people tried to escape over the Berlin Wall, trained dogs would be able to identify them after sniffing the contents of the jar. I sort of suspect that telling people this is still some kind of propaganda to convince everyone else of German efficiency.
"Yakuza death by giant papercut!"
Matt Jones on vicious death-scenes he would like to see in trashy movies.
chunky chap in chaps eating chips
Try saying that a few times. Now try it the next time you're drunk. I spotted him standing in the doorway of Ciro Citterio on West Street when I was walking through Brighton. It was freezing, but he wasn't wearing much else than the chaps -- just some form of underwear or posing pouch and a waistcoat ("vest" to you weird Americans). I almost stopped to take a photo but it was too crowded, and everyone else was completely ignoring him.
"The End is Night!"
Nigh, actually
scary skinny white-faced woman who looked like Marilyn Manson
She was supposed to be Ghost Widow or something. Also, I suspect she may have been a man in drag. Pretty much the only person in some kind of costume, cos British fans at cons don't do the dress-up/cosplay thing. Other people got photos.
person with badger-head pretending to shoot people
I don't know what that was about. Advertising some comic or other. Did anyone get a photo?
too much yummy curry
From the all-you-can eat £5 buffet in Ship Street. I usually avoid those kinds of places, cos the food's always terrible, but this place was rather good, and three massive cheers and lots of beers go to the chap who bought us all dinner. You da man, Shane! (Doubt he's reading this, though.)
random social crossover in the pub
UKSP Nation and Barbelith join to celebrate Fraely's 30th at the behest of Gav Burrows. I found it a bit bizarre, two of my social networks meeting up like that, when there isn't usually any crossover betwixt them.
"Look, Wonder Woman is a gorilla too!"
My J.L.Apes t-shirt (which I have worn to at least one previous con, if not two) was a big hit with lots of people, who all felt the need to prod various characters on the t-shirt to prove their point and their delight. "Superman's a gorilla! The Flash is an Orangutan!"
Unfortunately, this meant that lots of people were also prodding my boobs, which was less fun. I complained once or twice, whilst admitting my own culpability in wearing a t-shirt that would give my boobs so much attention. "And you're so cute, too," one guy said, as a kind of afterthought. It amused me, momentarily, cos he was too drunk for me to be that offended.
not enough alcohol
I myself had a surprisingly temperate weekend compared to some of my previous convention consumption. But my tolerance has gone way down lately so it didn't take much for me to start rambling like a fool. But then, I do that sober, anyway.
"where's the water gone?"
This is painted on a fountain near St Peter's. I'm not sure why it amused me so much. Perhaps because it's not that far from the sea.
"I like your mother in bed"
It was written in schoolbook German (which Jeremy translated but I had got the general gist of it) across the condensation of a car window.
fighting over orange blankets
You can't compete with Jeremy when she's been drinking Jamesons and the blanket matches her fuzzy sweater.
little boy in green goggles
He was standing stock still, outside his front door, staring at us when we wandered past. Jeremy said he looked like he was dressed for church. It was a bit too much for our hangovers to take, so we hurried around the corner.
spooky dolls everywhere
some Brighton Dolls
portrayals of naked women everywhere
If it wasn't the Brighton Dolls, it was Andy's massive haul of vintage porn.
"don't look at the porn if you're easily offended!"
"Omigod, it's horrible!"
"I told you not to look if you're easily offended."
"Not the porn, that's too risibly dull to be offended by. But look at the awful clashing decor! Seventies red and turquoise sofa! Orange and purple wallpaper! In the same photo shoot! It hurts my eyes!"
"I still want my own personal jetpack!"
That was me, of course. In conversation with Ben Q, post-con. He suggested that it might be even better to have some expandable force-field bubbles that could be moulded and grouped into whatever you wanted, like a floating chair, say. Well, they'd be better for the environment, and they're adaptable, so now I want those, but I reckon the technology is even farther away than jetpacks.
Also, how weird is it that someone from Barbelith, who wasn't at the social crossover gathering the night before, knows Gav Burrows and Sick Tim despite not being a UK small-presser or on The V? Very weird, actually.
"Are you trying to commit hara-kiri by papercut?"
A question I put to Ben C as he wandered around the bar of Southampton Joiners with a postcard sticking out of his collar. He was trying to promote his friends' play, somewhat unsuccessfully.
Dude! I've got Melt Banana on my tail!
More on that here.
Oh, and I can't believe cleanskies posted a link to my photos of last weekend before I did! But here are the main lot in one place: brightoncomicsexpo2005
"There can be only one!"
Who else could it be?
I said, "if there is anyone else out there who it could have been, I'd like to meet her."
He said, "so would I!"
"There's a warehouse full of mason jars that are full of peoples' smells"
Apparently, during the Cold War in East Germany, when people were spying on each other, they would take tiny samples of the fabric from their neighbours' clothes and furniture. These were then stored in jars, because they were imbued in the scent of the people using them. If any of these people tried to escape over the Berlin Wall, trained dogs would be able to identify them after sniffing the contents of the jar. I sort of suspect that telling people this is still some kind of propaganda to convince everyone else of German efficiency.
"Yakuza death by giant papercut!"
Matt Jones on vicious death-scenes he would like to see in trashy movies.
chunky chap in chaps eating chips
Try saying that a few times. Now try it the next time you're drunk. I spotted him standing in the doorway of Ciro Citterio on West Street when I was walking through Brighton. It was freezing, but he wasn't wearing much else than the chaps -- just some form of underwear or posing pouch and a waistcoat ("vest" to you weird Americans). I almost stopped to take a photo but it was too crowded, and everyone else was completely ignoring him.
"The End is Night!"
Nigh, actually
scary skinny white-faced woman who looked like Marilyn Manson
She was supposed to be Ghost Widow or something. Also, I suspect she may have been a man in drag. Pretty much the only person in some kind of costume, cos British fans at cons don't do the dress-up/cosplay thing. Other people got photos.
person with badger-head pretending to shoot people
I don't know what that was about. Advertising some comic or other. Did anyone get a photo?
too much yummy curry
From the all-you-can eat £5 buffet in Ship Street. I usually avoid those kinds of places, cos the food's always terrible, but this place was rather good, and three massive cheers and lots of beers go to the chap who bought us all dinner. You da man, Shane! (Doubt he's reading this, though.)
random social crossover in the pub
UKSP Nation and Barbelith join to celebrate Fraely's 30th at the behest of Gav Burrows. I found it a bit bizarre, two of my social networks meeting up like that, when there isn't usually any crossover betwixt them.
"Look, Wonder Woman is a gorilla too!"
My J.L.Apes t-shirt (which I have worn to at least one previous con, if not two) was a big hit with lots of people, who all felt the need to prod various characters on the t-shirt to prove their point and their delight. "Superman's a gorilla! The Flash is an Orangutan!"
Unfortunately, this meant that lots of people were also prodding my boobs, which was less fun. I complained once or twice, whilst admitting my own culpability in wearing a t-shirt that would give my boobs so much attention. "And you're so cute, too," one guy said, as a kind of afterthought. It amused me, momentarily, cos he was too drunk for me to be that offended.
not enough alcohol
I myself had a surprisingly temperate weekend compared to some of my previous convention consumption. But my tolerance has gone way down lately so it didn't take much for me to start rambling like a fool. But then, I do that sober, anyway.
"where's the water gone?"
This is painted on a fountain near St Peter's. I'm not sure why it amused me so much. Perhaps because it's not that far from the sea.
"I like your mother in bed"
It was written in schoolbook German (which Jeremy translated but I had got the general gist of it) across the condensation of a car window.
fighting over orange blankets
You can't compete with Jeremy when she's been drinking Jamesons and the blanket matches her fuzzy sweater.
little boy in green goggles
He was standing stock still, outside his front door, staring at us when we wandered past. Jeremy said he looked like he was dressed for church. It was a bit too much for our hangovers to take, so we hurried around the corner.
spooky dolls everywhere
some Brighton Dolls
portrayals of naked women everywhere
If it wasn't the Brighton Dolls, it was Andy's massive haul of vintage porn.
"don't look at the porn if you're easily offended!"
"Omigod, it's horrible!"
"I told you not to look if you're easily offended."
"Not the porn, that's too risibly dull to be offended by. But look at the awful clashing decor! Seventies red and turquoise sofa! Orange and purple wallpaper! In the same photo shoot! It hurts my eyes!"
"I still want my own personal jetpack!"
That was me, of course. In conversation with Ben Q, post-con. He suggested that it might be even better to have some expandable force-field bubbles that could be moulded and grouped into whatever you wanted, like a floating chair, say. Well, they'd be better for the environment, and they're adaptable, so now I want those, but I reckon the technology is even farther away than jetpacks.
Also, how weird is it that someone from Barbelith, who wasn't at the social crossover gathering the night before, knows Gav Burrows and Sick Tim despite not being a UK small-presser or on The V? Very weird, actually.
"Are you trying to commit hara-kiri by papercut?"
A question I put to Ben C as he wandered around the bar of Southampton Joiners with a postcard sticking out of his collar. He was trying to promote his friends' play, somewhat unsuccessfully.
Dude! I've got Melt Banana on my tail!
More on that here.
Oh, and I can't believe cleanskies posted a link to my photos of last weekend before I did! But here are the main lot in one place: brightoncomicsexpo2005