Seamus' Guide to Mudmeets

I have decided that after a recent episode and after attending the mudmeet earlier this year in April, I have decided to bring you Seamus' guide of 'How not to organise yourself for a mudmeet!'

So the date has been set by the organiser (for topics sake we shall say Jincks because she organised the last one) and you have decided that it's about time to put names to those faces you really wanted to know about and get drunk at the same time. You need to think about 3 things:

1. How much money can I get or do I have to enable me to get to chosen venue?
2. Where will I stay during the meet (if applicable) and;
3. What is my alcohol tolerance level?

What you shouldn't do is leave your decision to go to meet until the last minute. This is because you leave yourself at the mercy of robbing, thick-skinned, bureaucratic rail tycoons who think about charging you almost 3 times the original fare if you booked a week earlier.

Lets go through each topic:

Money

The biggest factor that will make or break your trip to the meet. Of course you are at the biggest advantage of living near the chosen venue, as this will mean spending the least money to get there and having more money available to spend on booze. Or, you could decide to live in Central Scotland, require 1 train to get to the city then ANOTHER train to actually get you to the location (or near) and then a taxi if you're really lazy and about as good with directions as a monkey is used to getting used to a flee collar. NOTE: Do not live in Central Scotland (or north Wales apparently)!! :-)
Of course, my way of getting round this problem is making sure the meet date is at the end of the month so my end of month pay has just been put into my bank account <g>.

Of course, this has to be the dumbest way of obtaining money because if you now better (obviously I don't but I'm making it up), you would prepare a little in advance for these things so you have a little nest egg available to jump into the next time Jincks says "MUDMEET 2000 mach 2 ... etc etc".

Accomodation

When the meet is organised, it is usually located within easy reach of places to stay (or stay out all night) so at least if you can't find you way to your sleepover, you could always stagger!

I'll go back to Birmingham, April 2000. After searching through the internet for a while looking for places to stay, I decided that after seeing a couple of reasonably priced locations to head down to the meet alongside my compatriots Serenety and her friend Aileen. What you need to remember here is that what I had written down really should have been taken away with me because what was the first thing that was asked when I arrived? So Seamus, where are we staying then? <ql himself> Oh dear!!! I left it on my computer terminal. So needless to say, I wondered into the meet looking a bit short off a pillock. Fortunately, Karya saved my blushes when she had an overhead print of the surrounding area of the pub with locations of hotels/B&Bs, which meant I could quickly drop all my stuff off, and head back to the pub for drink.

NOTE: Remember all notes you require about locations you will be staying in to avoid looking like a Chinaman trying to drain a paddy field with a bucket that has a hole at the bottom.

Alcohol

OK, so I don't have a high tolerance level but if you don't drink something then you normally end up as the butt of several jokes (I'm sorry but there's nothing wrong with SPRITE!!! <huffs>). Although after meeting a few people and having a laugh while you drink away talking about the last time they saw Dclxvi jump off a cliff without his parachute or the last time they saw Cccc fod a high mage near wiz, you tend to drink a bit more until you reach what I call "The Mankoid level". This is called arriving 2 hours early for the meet, drinking beer like there was a shortage of fuel happily wearing an "I am 3" badge and then almost falling into your pint at 6pm. A solid 6-hour drink binge from Mankoid . To be perfectly honest I was jealous that he reached that state before me but like everyone else there I'm sure Mankoid had just as much fun deciding a wedding date with Serenety and writing his latest Pity the Fool column.

NOTE: To go along with the money section, have enough money to buy Eric a pint when he comes to the next meet <eyes Eric> and to buy your own drink, food etc and of course - to raid the hotel's mini-bar!!! <gg>

Finally, last but not least, bring a camera have a laugh and of course get dolled up cause Richard and Foddy will likely have their camera's with them for their clicking amusement. See you in Manchester :)

Seamus