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Weeeeeeeeellllll... over the last week or so I might have met a poster or two.


Or six.


You know what, let's just wait 'til this time tomorrow and call it an even - more like odd - seven.


Sorrid details to follow soon!

Heh.

Some of us a little more "odd" than others methinks.

And I thought you said what happens in The North stays in the North.

Ah... so that's why they built that wall!


So, yes... as Faraway Lad alludes - and I've been teasing in a couple different spots about the board - I've just spend the past week traveling across Great Britain continuing my Legion World meet-up spree on an international scale. This whole amazing journey will get fictionalized over in the toothpick thread when I get back to the states and parse through my photos (650+ and counting!) but for now... the real deal:



First up was Power Boy, who I first met in San Diego many moons ago and with whom (along with Sharky) I almost immediately became fast friends. Peebs had been studying and working in London for the past couple of years and I kept promising (more like threatening) to come across and visit. I was joking the other day in the shout box about what a horrible host he turned about to be, but nothing could be further from the truth. Peebs not only let me crash at his place in London for two nights, but bent over backward to ensure that any obstacle I'd encounter on my journey (bank cards, phone, train tickets, etc.) was settled before I left his place to travel on. I can't possibly thank you enough, brother... every one should have a friend like you. Especially if they are going to London, because Peebs was also a tour guide extraordinaire! He took me on an, admittedly, whirlwind architectural tour that included Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Hyde Park, Carnaby Street, King's Cross Station (along with Platform 9 3/4), Marylebone Station (at my request, as the ending of one of my favorite English films, "Billy Liar", was filmed there), Tower Bridge, the London Eye, the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, the London Library... and half a dozen other things that I'm sure I'm forgetting. Oh yeah... and we did it all on foot!

From London, I then hopped a train northward to outside Newcastle to visit with our old buddy, Faraway Lad and his lovely wife, Giggebot Girl. Similar to Peebs, the first thing that Darden did was... walk me around the city! I was talking with someone recently who was asking any overall trends in my year-plus journey meeting all these people. I said that one of my favorite things is when people talk about their hometowns to a relative stranger, and then realize how - in doing so - they are actually seeing the place through new eyes. But back to Faraway and Gigi. You want to talk hospitality? Ain't nobody topping this couple for "kindness to strangers". Not only did they take me into their home... not only did - the next day - the trio of us head out on a road trip together... not only did said trip include all these places that were very personal to them like the beaches of Blyth (used in WWI and WWII and now one of the sites that Darden's other passion apart from the Legion - military reenactments - takes place), the fishing town of Craster (where the pair had gone on one of their first dates), Berwick (where Gigi used to go with her son when he was still young)... not only all of that... but also... at the end of the road trip, we spent the night in the Tillmouth Park Country House, which - oh yeah, by the way - is freaking this :



Are you kidding me? I am, effective immediately, petitioning Faraway and Gigi to adopt me.

From there it was back to the rail to cross the border up into Scotland, to Glasgow to meet both one of Legion World's newest luminaries... and one of our greatest stalwarts. I have to say that, although I enjoy meeting everyone, I particularly enjoy when this project has been able to bring together other posters who have never met one another... Rhino and Sarky; Bringing BB up to Dev and Seymour; The G.R.I.T.S. crew - Lardy, Rick and LT; Kent and Chaim; Teeds and Dean; and now... Thothkins and Reboot! For this meet up, duties were fairly divided - 'Boot serving as defaut Glaswegian tour guide, and Thothkins serving as resident pub spotter. This motley trio made our way across the streets, parks, art museums, and top floors of cinemas (to get the best view of the city) pausing as appropriate whenever thirst overcame us (which oddly seemed to happen more frequently as the day went on ) I'm not sure if it's a Glaswegian trait - or I just got lucky - but Thothkins and Reboot are two hilarious MFers, although I have to admit it was sometimes a bit hard for me to know when they were joking or not. Reboot claims that Americans have no sense of irony, but I claim that Scots just have a highly refined sense of the absurd. Whatever it was, I learned pretty quickly that a certain devilish glint in Thothkins eyes was my signal to laugh... regardless of whether or not I could parse 'Boot's Scottish brogue at the time. All kidding aside, for three dudes that never met each other seven hours earlier, I boarded the train that night feeling like I had just spent it with two of my best mates.

And to wrap the whole amazing whirlwind up in style, from my Glasgow base, I boarded another quick train today for a day trip over to the other side of Scotland to visit with Edinburgh's own... Pariscub. Hmm... wait a minute, "Pariscub" doesn't sound particularly Scottish. And with good reason, it turns out. PC is actually a French expatriate translator living in Scotland. I didn't think of it until typing this right now, but today would have been a perfect opportunity to try out "Enchante, Motherfucker". Merde! I'm not certain if PC has ever posted any pics here on LW - for those who know him from FB and such, I think you'd agree - with his beard and his intense looking eyes... he's one intimidating looking-dude. That appearance, however, couldn't be further from his personality. As we sat down over a pint and some haggis we BS'ed about life, love, travel, profession, and of course... Legion comics. From there it was an envigorating hike together up Calton Hill for a breathtaking panoramic view of Edinburgh. From the peaks of the dormant volcano known as "Arthur's Seat" to the fantastic architechure of Hollyrood Palace and Edinburgh Castle, it was a amazing city to visit, and Pariscub was a great fellow to visit it with! Merci, mon frere!


And... yes... I did meet a seventh Legion Worlder, (in New York, actually, a few days before I left) but... eh... that story'll keep. I'm not going anywhere.



Eh? Eh? You see what I did there, 'Boot?

That there's irony.

Please. When you arrived you thought Irony was just a way to get creases in your clothes

Yeah, it's a shame I had to rely on the glint, and not the big Applause! sign I usually carry around. Although perhaps the glint was actually a reflection off the sunburn I got the day before Ex arrived. He certainly brought some good weather with him.

For example, here's the view from where I am tonight 30 miles away from the those city folks and their strange modern ways.



Just because I couldn't promise the Loch Ness Monster bearing a martini, Ex chose the city centre. Everyone knows that Thursday is Mythical Monster Martini night, not Sunday.

Whew, busy trip there!

I think Exnihil is our very own Shikari. Finding so many people and bringing them together.

When the G.R.I.T.S crew met with Ex last summer the forecast was for 90% chance of bad storms all day. Instead we got a perfectly pleasant day; not a drop of rain. We joked about Ex's weather super-powers, but maybe...it's no joke....

Always take the weather with you...

EX.

Any time your passing you know your welcome to stop over.

A return trip to "Stately Faraway Manor" with its secret underground lair is on the cards.

This is seriously a thing.

Huh, one from each city.

When I was booking a one-way ticket from Edinburgh to Glasgow, the ticket agent asked, "where to?" I said Glasgow. The agent replied, "Oh, nice place. You should give it a whole day."

Not to start any fights, Glasgow was more my cup of brew. Almost got in two fights. Cultural misunderstandings. Edinburgh had the best fudge place though, I crave it. And there's a guy plays the pubs for tourists there and various towns, great guy, gave me a hitch from Fort William to Drumnadrochit. Only one of two hitches (cute mail lady in the Hebrides) I got from Scots.

I love reading all your travel stories. Besides BB and Ex, CMK and Kent also had quite a few gems to share. I'm sure I've missed others unintentionally (sorry in advance if I did!). But it's very inspiring to hear about all your experiences

If anyone is the in the LA/Orange area of Cali, let me know, we will so do lunch. Also, quick note, flatter to all hell that IB is using my micro as an avatar. Thanks.

I don't do those anymore.

That's pretty much the trajectory of this message board, starting even before LW existed.

You're Live-Action Message Boarding, aren't you?

It has been remarked.


But, that name... "L.A.M.B.-ing"? No good can come of this.

It's an amazing micro, Temp. I'm flattered that it's so cool and handsome!

So... I just took a whirlwind pass through the American Midwest as my "toothpick" project continued with meetups with the posters Mechana, Jim Gallagher, and Blue Battler.


Mechana, as most folks here know, is actually professional comics colorist, and expat Canuck, Ronda Pattison, formerly on the Legion during the DnA run, Eisner nominated in 2008 for her work on Atomic Robo, and currently rocking the palette in the new Maxx series from IDW.

I met with Ronda and her good friend (and collaborator on the "Yva Starling" series) Brian S. Roe, in downtown Indianapolis for dinner, along with another couple of their friends (a graphic designer and his wife, an art history teacher). Hmm... a writer, a designer, a colorist, an art professor and... well... me. I have to admit, I was initially a bit intimidated about being conversationally outclassed, but - apart from occasionally being called on the veracity on my "bits of interesting trivia" - I feel like I held my own. Honestly, it was probably one of the best nights of conversation that I've had in ages, causing me at one point to sigh and say, "Man... I need to get more interesting friends in Philly". As we were at an Asian restaurant, my post-meal fortune cookie read, "A stranger will pay you a compliment on Friday". Pretty on the nose, so - without missing a beat, Brian said, "You know... I really like your haircut". I am officially voting him the smartest person I've ever met. Ronda asked me before I left to send her regards to Pov. That's now several times I've had that request in my travels... I guess there is just an irresistible charm about pantless men.

(Warning... it's fairly likely I've drawn the wrong conclusion... do not test out that thesis. )



The next day I set out on a road trip to Illinois to visit with both Blue Battler and Jim Gallagher. BB is a longtime Legion Worlder, but is probably better known for his decade long involvement in the (now-defunct) online City of Heroes game. That's where he first met our old teammate Vee, who coaxed BB to come over and join the fun that we had going on here. Jim Gallagher, to anyone remotely familiar with Legion fandom, probably needs no introduction. He's the fellow who, over several years, crafted one of the most impressive Legion related projects ever devised... THESE:


http://www.legionworld.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=795286#Post795286

[singsong]And Iiiiiiiiii got to seeeeeee them![/singsong]


Jim was kind enough to invite Battler and myself to meet at his place prior to heading out for lunch. And... in return... I was stupid enough not to realize that driving from Indiana to Illinois results in a time zone change. So... even stopping for breakfast on the way and driving around for a bit... I still would up showing up an hour early. Not to worry, though... that gave a little bit of extra time for Jim to give me the grand tour of Casa Gallagher, seeing not only the famed statues, but also his amazing paintings, and the framed artwork for the graphic novel he wrote. Sheesh, Jim... overachieve much? In all seriousness, though, it was truly wonderful to see up close the work I've long admired. Following my tour, Battler arrived (actually on time) and Jim gave the tour all over.

The three of us then headed downtown for lunch accompanied by martinis, beers, and cokes (I'll let you figure out who had which... hint: the martini was drank by the individual with the best hair ). We talked about a wide variety of subjects over lunch including comics (natch), film, travel, professions, relationships, and meetups in general. In planning this one I was a bit excited because I had assumed that this would have been Battler's first LW meeting. Nope... turns out he actually met the founders of this board over a decade ago! A great day with this pair was then topped off by a visit to Jim's LCS. All in all, just a fab day.


And... as I mentioned over in the "Today I..." thread, on my flight home, I volunteered to take a flight delay which resulted in the airline cutting me a voucher for nearly the cost of the flight! "Free" is always the best price for any trip.

deleted

As Ex was viewing the statues, a bolt of lightning hit the display*. The electricity, mixing with the Martinis, transformed Ex into the Composite LMBer: One half with Award Winning Hair and the other without Award Winning Pants!

*neighbours would later tell the authorities that it was odd to see Jim hook up all that equipment before a storm.

Let that be a lesson, kids... never mix alcohol and electricity. Drink in the dark, the better to hide your shame.


So, I was making some more travel plans today (now planned out to 47 people!) and decided to see what my grand tour looked like so far, inclusive of a few upcoming stops.

Possible spoilers ahead for the next few weeks for those in the know, but...



Pretty nifty, eh? Meeting Legion Worlders and seeing the world, one toothpick at a time.

It was nice to meet you and Jim, Ex.

Recently, at a lesbian bar in Memphis, Tenn...

^ It's Rocket Raccoon and Drax!!!

What's better than a three day weekend, a full tank of gas, and an open road? Well... a LW meetup on the other end, of course!

Roadtrip!


The longest drive I had undertaken thus far during my "toothpick" project had been the approximately 10 hour trek down to Columbia, SC to see Rick, Tracker and Lardy. This past weekend, however, shattered that record with a 13 hour (!) stretch up to the eastern part of New Brunswick to meet with the poster, Dave Hackett.

In plotting out the route, I realized that my journey would literally take me about five minutes from the home of someone else with whom I had previously visited, so - a quick Facebook message later and - just like that, I was firming up the details of a Friday lunch midway through my trip with our old pal... Pov!

It was great to see Pov again, as we grabbed lunch at the one of his favorite restaurants, the Red Rock cafe, and caught up on the past year since last we had hung out. As a lot of folks might know, last November I started flight school to become a helicopter pilot. Well, Pov has wasted no time in ensuring that - once I'm licensed - he gets a ride, having already scouted out the details of his local helipads. Right on, brother... two Legionnaires in flight together? It's a deal! My mid-way lunch stop was made all the sweeter as, after lunch, we stopped back at Pov's place and were surprised by a visit from... his mom! What a friendly and fun lady... I totally see where Pov gets it. The highlight of my journey was definitely getting a hug from Momma Pov who - I didn't want to say anything, Pov, but - totally grabbed my butt... kidding! I'm kidding! Put down that baseball bat, Pov!

From there, I set back out on the road northward as the evening passed into night and one of the most beautiful full moons I've ever seen rose over the forests of Maine. Man... this year and a half journey has been just filled with so many sublime moments... it's really just an amazing world out there, and I'm so glad to have such wonderfully accommodating friends that have allowed me to see so much of it.

I crossed the Canadian border a little after midnight (to a barrage of questions... "You're from where? And you're going where? And why, again? A martini? With a comic book friend? Uh-huh. Sir... we're going to have to ask you to step out of the vehicle)... and, with a few more hours still ahead of me, crashed for the night.

The next day I hit the road again eastward, traveling through some absolutely gorgeous country-side - complete with moose-crossing warnings and the occasional Tim Horton's (mmmmm... maple doughnuts) - arriving at Dave Hackett's in the early afternoon. It's always great to talk with Dave (we first met at the San Diego Comic Con back in 2010), as we really have quite a bit in common - both from a career perspective, and in our tastes in both film and literature. I met Dave at his house (along with his super-exuberant dog, Cooper, who promptly covered me in dog-hair) and we set out together to downtown Moncton. After a nice lunch we toured around the riverfront area (that Dave, a very active person in local politics, is working with a group toward reclamation after decades of damage caused by a causeway blocking the river's flow). We were going to try out this cool sounding thing called "Tree-go", a sort of zip-lining obstacle course but, unfortunately, after our downtown tour, a bit of a rain shower started moving in. C'est la vie, that gives us something for next time.

All in all - another great trip, fabulous visits with wonderful people... and the 43rd LW martini down the hatch. Free your mind, doubting Canadian border guard... if this ain't art, I don't know what is.