Meeting in Gloucester on 18th October

Information on other get-togethers before the next big Event
Andrew McGeever
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Post by Andrew McGeever »

There are several points I want to make, not necessarily in order of importance:
1. I don't support Coventry City (that's Pete's personal problem). In fact, my own team, Glasgow Celtic, had just recorded a magnificent 5-0 victory; ergo I arrived in Gloucester in a good mood.
2. I did NOT "disappear" with Rachel when the bill arrived: we slouched off to the leper-corner for a cigarette, and a serious discussion about the meaning of life.
3. I was surprised that Lizzie had chosen the same (almost) Leonard Cohen poems to read as I had; yet again, maybe I shouldn't have been surprised at all.
4. Linda did a wonderful job in organising the event: I give her my genuine thanks for dragging me to Gloucester.
5. Yes, I wrote a poem for the occasion: "Getting to Gloucester". I'm not sure what to do with this oeuvre: post it on the message board, send it to Virgin Railway, or bin it.
6. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening: it's so good to be in the company of real, live Cohenistas . Message boards, emoticons, cleverly crafted statements in cyberspace cannot compare with meeting like-minded people. That's from the heart.
Andrew.
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lizzytysh
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Post by lizzytysh »

Soooo true, Andrew, no comparison :D ~ and your heart shows :) . Number 3 belongs on the Synchronicity thread 8) . Lovely points to make, and do let us see the poem :D .

~ Elizabeth
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Rachel
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Post by Rachel »

Hello Everyone,
It was lovely to meet you all in Gloucester, although I'm sure only Linda knew who I was! (I have used several alias's in the past, though not with any evil intent I assure you). A huge thankyou to Linda for organising the meeting. And by the way, I must re-iterate what Andrew said; there was no question of sloping off and anyway, I'm not a poor student anymore (more's the pity), just your average manual worker with an enormous overdraft and student loan to pay off!
It was really annoying to have had to leave so early and miss all the poetry readings and music but I hope there will be other meetings in the future.

Rachel (Raffzahn, Louise29100, partisan :wink: )
Did I get you going?
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lizzytysh
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Post by lizzytysh »

:lol: ~ Hi Rachel!

Wonderful to see you! I've pumped Linda for answers to my many questions as to how you are doing :D ~ I'm so glad to see you join in on the meeting! Wish I could've been there to meet you, too! Perhaps another year :) .

Love,
Elizabeth
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Rachel
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Post by Rachel »

Hi Lizzy,
I've just pm'd you to say hello. I'm fine thanks - have finally managed to be given an email account and internet access, thank goodness!
Andrew McGeever
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Post by Andrew McGeever »

Some further thoughts re Gloucester:
1. On returning home to Edinburgh, I found out that Glasgow Rangers (a.k.a. "The Dark Side") had dropped 2 points: what a perfect weekend!
2. It didn't rain in Gloucester: Byron never produced his waist-length waders. It was a beautiful autumnal afternoon; the stuff of poetry (yet methinks a certain J. Keats cornered the market for that topic 200 years ago!).
3. The bouzouki music C.D. will be sent to all participants next week, if I have all the addresses. I also want to send a copy to Lizzytish, who did her best to be there, without being there.
4. I was amazed by the amount of "Cohenmobilia" on display. Some people are fanatics! A special mention must go to Lizzy in this respect: she produced a signed roadies shirt from the "Future" tour in 1993. Her smile stretched beyond the confines of the Reading Room. Her poem, "Undressing Leonard", took far too long to read. Men touching 70 don't take that long to undress; indeed men in their 50's have been known to be undressed in the space of a haiku!
5. I met a lovely Liverpudlian couple: our conversations easily ranged from the condensation on the walls in the Cavern Club to Lonnie Donnigan, religion, children, football, class, Cohen, and not in that order.
They are beautiful people, and I want them to to know I've told them.
That's all for now,
Andrew.
P.S. Thanks Rachel for setting the record straight....but we never really started our conversation.
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Heretic
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Post by Heretic »

Rachel, you almost had me convinced you were 'partisan'.
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Pete
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Post by Pete »

Andrew and Rachel
My humble apologies for even thinking that you had sloped off with intent to abstain from all responsibilities :)
If I'd have known that you were discussing the meaning of life I would have gladly paid your share..but I didn't know..such is life :)
Let me know when you reach an answer..and I don't want 42 to be the result.

Rachel
Sorry for thinking that you are still a student but I suppose with a student loan around your neck then it is difficult to shake off the label. But then again, are we not all students at heart?...and you looked so young!!! flatter flatter :?

I'm full of apologies tonight :D Now, who else can I apologise to.....?

Pete
John the Shorts
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Post by John the Shorts »

Andrew

My humble apologies for thinking you were Pete

Celtic are my third favourite team in the UK behind Cardiff & Liverpool (Even though you pinched our song)

It was great to see Rangers draw on the weekend, even though I'll be cheering them on on Wednesday night when they play the Mancs (For me it's a no win situation)

JTS

Pete

I'm sorry for confusing you with Andrew but I'm too drunk to edit my post

JTS

Rachel

I'm sorry to have missed yoy (even though you have an ill omened name)

I'm a bit worried that Heretic thinks you are Partisan - maybe a touch of schizophrenia provided your name is James :lol: :D :wink:

JTS
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lizzytysh
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Post by lizzytysh »

Thanks for including me on the music, Andrew :D ~ too bad no one had a portable recorder for the gathering.....I could've gotten a bit of it all!

Did Lizzie happen to mention whether she intends to transport her collection across the water to New York? I'm wondering, too, if Altinkum is coming, and what her plans are in that regard. It seems such a risky choice, in a way, airports being as they are nowdays. It would be great to see all that these two women have accumulated 8) .

~ Elizabeth
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Rachel
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Post by Rachel »

Andrew -
did we even start talking about the meaning of life? I thought it was mainly the interesting paradox of mathematicians and engineers making 180 degree turns and turning out to be very sensitive and creative people...and of course, that infinitely debatable question of which is in fact the best cigarette.
But here is one of my favourite 'meaning of life' quotes for you, from H.L. Mencken:
"To sum up: (1) The cosmos is a gigantic flywheel making 10,000 revolutions a minute. (2) Man is a sick fly taking a dizzy ride on it. (3) Religion is the theory that the wheel was designed and set spinning to give him the ride."

Heretic -
My goodness, how could you possibly think that? It would just have been too neat and tidy though, if I were. But I refuse to be scapegoated!

Pete -
Thankyou for all the apologies, I enjoyed them very much, especially after I had to apologise about 100 times for making tea that was too milky today at work. Some people just refuse to let their tea mash properly.
Yes, I believe we are all students at heart, or should be anyway. In my opinion, if you aren't trying to improve yourself you will never become accomplished and, as Miss Austen so rightly implied, will end up a bitter old spinster, or poor and unclean. (for clarification, all Jane Austen heroines who end up with dashing young men can at least play the piano quite well).

JTS -
Why ill-omened? (And which name?) I like to think of myself as something of a partisan, though only in its common-or-garden OED form.

Gosh - what a long mail!
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Rachel
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Post by Rachel »

Oops, you've all been discussing the meaning of life since Fri Dec 20, 2002 1:01 pm, haven't you, eh? I didn't realise that. But was a consensus reached at any point? (I'm not going to read 8 pages - I have several busses to catch.)
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Byron
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Post by Byron »

Rachel, with regard to your 'bitter old spinster'.
Is she the old spinster who used to be a postmistress?
You know the one don't you?
When she died the local people had a collection to buy her a tombstone and there was so much money collected that they had it engraved as well.
We can share the old spinster's epitaph with our readers here on the forum.
Here Lies Ethel McMuffin, Spinster Of This Parish And Long Serving Postmistress.......Returned To Sender......Unopened
8)
"Bipolar is a roller-coaster ride without a seat belt. One day you're flying with the fireworks; for the next month you're being scraped off the trolley" I said that.
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Byron
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Post by Byron »

Andrew...... :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops:
You're far too kind. But thanks anyway :D
"Bipolar is a roller-coaster ride without a seat belt. One day you're flying with the fireworks; for the next month you're being scraped off the trolley" I said that.
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Pete
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Post by Pete »

Rachel
Mashing tea is a fine art which I am sure you have perfected.
Many out there do not know how to mash tea.
Make no aplogies to those who cannot mash tea properly.

My mother used to bring the teapot into the room and point to the pictures in the room with the arm holding the pot. Having pointed to all the pictures in the room and commented on each one then she knew that the tea was mashed.

Damn these tea bags.

Pete
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