[UK] Birmingham

[RoadieRich]

It wasn't the train station I suggested, it was Caffe Nero...confused now, where are we meeting?

I'll be the small girl wearing a purple coat and black boots.

EDIT: If anyone tries to maim me I will maim you back. I have sharp teeth.

That almost sounds like a challenge... and in a slight change of plan, I will now be wearing my awesome black fedora, which may gain a feather if people ask nicely enough.

Let's agree to meet in Caffe Nero. If I remember Birmingham station correctly, it's far too big to reliably meet anyone in. Especially a group of relative strangers who have never seen anything of each other before except pixels.

Would someone who knows where Caffe Nero is care to post directions from the station, or is it pretty obvious where to go?

[SlyReaper]

Or even better, put a marker on it in google maps and post the link?

Also, which train station? My researches tell me there are 4 stations with the name "Birmingham" in them.

[crystal_owl]

Birmingham New Street Station. Entering the main foyer of the station from the platforms you'll see some escalators going up - these go up to the Pallasades Shopping Centre. Go up and turn right - there's a wide corridor lined with shops leading to the Bullring with a big Debenhams at the end. Caffe Nero is the last shop on the right hand side before Debenhams. The website has directions if you're coming from somehwhere other than the station.

[Plasma Man]

I should be able to find my way there, I've been that way a couple of times before. This is what I look like, I will be wearing a hat of some description and a T-shirt with my avatar on it.

[eigengirl]

I'll be in Birmingham this Saturday to visit the British International Comics Show - it looks like it'll be pretty awesome so if you guys are stuck for something to do you should come too (http://www.thecomicsshow.co.uk/)

(if you spot a girl with shoulder length ginger dreadlocks, come and say hi to me!)

[OBrien]

Well, it looks like I found this just in time. I had a lecture and a tutor meeting cancelled for tomorrow so I'm free 10:00-16:00. A meet up sounds fun, even if I'll have to leave early to go to lectures.

EDIT: I'll be looking like this:

Spoiler:

Only less scary I hope. Stupid webcam photos...

[SlyReaper]

So just to check, 1PM at this Cafe Nero? I'll probably get there about 12ish, and if nobody is there I'll go for a wander. I'll post a photo of myself when I get home, because I don't think you'd recognise me from my avatar...

[sixes_and_sevens]

Not actually having a tea-cosy, I'll be in a natty black fedora, plus a big black coat and an XKCD t-shirt of some description.

I don't think we're actually going to have that much difficulty recognising each other, to be honest, are we?

[SlyReaper]

We might. I'd hate to get there, find the place is crowded out, and be unable to find anyone responding affirmatively to the question "are you here for the xkcd meet?"

A couple of people have postified their facerities, so I'll do the same when I get home.

[OBrien]

That particular Cafe Nero has about 20 customers at the best of times, middayish on a Friday shouldn't be too buisy.

[sixes_and_sevens]

That particular Cafe Nero has about 20 customers at the best of times, middayish on a Friday shouldn't be too buisy.

Uh...isn't it Saturday?

[crystal_owl]

That particular Cafe Nero has about 20 customers at the best of times, middayish on a Friday shouldn't be too buisy.

You mean Saturday. I agree though, it isn't usually too full. I'll probably hover awkwardly by the entrance until I recognise someone, so here's hoping this works.

[OBrien]

... Aargh! So here I am thinking it was today because when I checked my watch to check what date it was last night I forgot that it was after midnight, and so yesterday was the 14^th, not 15^th. Stupid me.
In that case I can't come due to work. Sorry!

[RoadieRich]

We might. I'd hate to get there, find the place is crowded out, and be unable to find anyone responding affirmatively to the question "are you here for the xkcd meet?"

A couple of people have postified their facerities, so I'll do the same when I get home.

The correct way of asking is, "Are you from the internet?"

Anyone who answers yes is either there for the meet, or at least worth talking to until you spot someone you recognise.

[Plasma Man]

Just look for the people who are glueing captions to cats.

OK, my planned outfit for tomorrow is:

Brown hat (the same one as in the picture I linked to earlier in the thread)
White T-shirt with my avatar on it
Brown moleskin jacket
Black chinos
Brown hiking boots
Black manbag

See you all tomorrow!

P.S. I warn you now that I'm in an excessively good mood. If this carries on 'til tomorrow, you may all find yourselves getting hugged.

[SlyReaper]

Okay here I am. If you see this guy looking lost, please come up and say hi.

Spoiler:

[crystal_owl]

My hair is a lot lighter now, but here's what I look like;

Spoiler:

I'll be wearing a bright purple coat and looking confused!

[It Should Be Real]

Hi thread, this is what Whelan looks like:

Spoiler:

Owainface

I will be shuffling along next to him wearing a trilby.

[tai*1]

One o'clock, Cafe Nero - I'll be there for sure, wearing a colourful scarf and carrying a back pack.

[RoadieRich]

Can someone please explain the difference between a trilby and a fedora? I've seen identical looking hats labelled as both, and I'd kinda like to know what mine is supposed to be.

In other news, I've just booked my tickets, arriving just before 12.

I'll be wearing my leather trilby/fedora/whatever it's supposed to be, my big blue waterproof if it's cold/raining/otherwise miserable, and a Killer Whale t-shirt. I'll probably have black chinos and brown walking boots as well - wouldn't want to be arrested for indecent exposure now, would we? I'm unsure as to what sort of underwear I'll be wearing, ask me on the day if you must know. I'll also be mostly beardless, I trimmed it short this afternoon, it'll hopefully look stylishly stubbled by the time I arrive tomorrow. If so, it'll be the most stylish thing on me

[sixes_and_sevens]

A trilby has a narrower brim, and is usually snapped up at the back. If it looks like it belongs on Indiana Jones, it's a fedora. If it looks like it belongs on the Blues Brothers, it's a trilby.

[RoadieRich]

Ah, Ok. By that definition, it's a trilby.

[RoadieRich]

Ok, we're in Hennesey's in Brum. It's a rather expensive looking bar/restaurant. We did discover that we have enough hats to rival Keo...

That's three fedoras, and two trilbies. The trilbies are obviously the most awesome of the lot, one of them being mine.

Crystal_Owl had to leave a few minutes earlier, around the time it started raining. I know correlation doesn't imply causation, but I think in this case...

More photos to follow later - I hope. As long as we don't murder or main each other.

[SlyReaper]

Well I call that a success. I acquired a snazzy new hat and got to meet a bunch of hoopy froods who know where their towels are. What more could one ask for?

[Plasma Man]

Very little. I had a great time, it was nice meeting you all. I'm going to drop my film off to be developed today, so it shouldn't be too long before I have some pictures to scan in & show you.

[Plasma Man]

That's right, I'm double posting to bump the thread. I have photos!

[SlyReaper]

Awesome. What's that on S&S's forehead in the second to last pic?

[Jesse]

I love when Plasma is at meet-ups, because I can look at the photos and pretend I was there.

[Sungura]

I came here looking for photos to see if I could recognize people (aww i missed meeting owl? are you coming to Thoughtbubble? pleasesayyespleasesayyes) and then saw no photos are labeled. But now I do know who Plasma is thanks to the shirt

[RoadieRich]

The Girl With the Hats is It Should Be Real. Everyone else has photos in previous posts, I think.

[Whelan]

The photo of me is actually in a post by ISBR, just to confuse.

[Plasma Man]

Awesome. What's that on S&S's forehead in the second to last pic?

That's something that was stuck to either the camera lens or the front of the scanner. If you look carefully, you can see the same thing on the window in the last picture, just to the right of my ear.

I love when Plasma is at meet-ups, because I can look at the photos and pretend I was there.

Only in the same way that Superman can pretend to be Bizarro.

I came here looking for photos to see if I could recognize people (aww i missed meeting owl? are you coming to Thoughtbubble? pleasesayyespleasesayyes) and then saw no photos are labeled. But now I do know who Plasma is thanks to the shirt

Crystal_owl ran away before photos could be taken. I could label the rest of them, but I was the last to arrive at the meetup, missed the introductions, and will probably get people's names wrong because I'm hopeless at names and faces. Tell Snug who you are, everyone!
I am the filling in the bromance sandwich in the last picture.

[SlyReaper]

I'm the guy in the green shirt, on plasma man's right. The guy in the "no raptors" shirt is sixes_and_sevens. The girl with the hats is, as previously mentioned, It Should Be Real. Guy sitting next to her is Whelan, and the guy with the laptop is RoadieRich. I think I have that right.

[crystal_owl]

I didn't actually run! Sungura, I am sad we missed meeting each other! We could have done Women Thread high fives! Next time I will make sure someone takes pictures before I have to leave, although I am actually quite enjoying the enigmatic air this is giving me. In years to come children will whisper about me in playgrounds - 'Have you heard of the crystal owl? I hear she doesn't resolve on film...'

[OBrien]

Anybody fancy another meetup in, say, two weeks time? I'll have to check my timetable to see what days I have off from work, but it won't be on a weekend I'm afraid: I'll definitely be working then.

[RoadieRich]

I'd be up for that, I guess. Uni starts on the 10th, before that, I'm free any time, really.

[Plasma Man]

I'm definitely working on weekdays, so I think I'll have to pass this time.

[SlyReaper]

I also can't do weekdays.

[RoadieRich]

#xkcd is having a meetup in Nottingham on the 8th April. I say we crash it.

http://wiki.xkcd.com/irc/April_2011_Nottingham

[SlyReaper]

I think we should have another meetup. Anyone up for geeking out with fellow xkcdians? I promise I'll wear a hat this time.

Unless anyone has any suggestions/objections, I'll put forward a tentative meeting time and place of the 28th May at Cafe Nero. Anyone up for that?