Non-Con!

Ted and I went into Dublin today to see Paul Cornell, who was in to Dublin for the day to do a signing at Sub City Comics. Getting off the train, we discovered we were walking alongside Brian S. from P-Con, to whom I said, “Brian. Brian! Briiiiaaaan!” He ignored me entirely until Ted nudged him (later he said, “I did hear you, but I couldn’t imagine anybody would be talking to me! I mean, who would I know in the train station getting off the train from Sligo?”), and then we exited the tracks to find not only Kate, whom we expected, but Tarsh, at which point we felt we were well on our way to having a Non-Con (which is to say, a convention without the panels and only the sitting around talking and drinking) in Dublin today. The five of us meandered through the city until we located Brian N., who tagged Brian S. out (he had to go to a meeting), and then the slightly altered although identically named five of us went to the Saturday Food Market in Temple Bar, where we had a wide variety of delicious food for not very much money. I love the Saturday Food Market. :)

Paul arrived at the comic shop with Rob (the comic shop owner), and we hung around for quite some time chatting and trying not to scare people off. We got the last of Paul’s Captain Britain run (which is really very good), and he and I talked about revision difficulties some, and Kate talked about a conference idea, and Rob mentioned the other shop had Chance #5, so Ted went tearing off to get a copy, as we hadn’t seen it yet. :) Then many of us retreated to the extremely pleasant sitting area near the comic shop, where we were joined by Gareth, talked about a wide variety of things, and were pelted with leaves by the trees above. Paul joined us for a while when he was finished signing–and the signing went well, they sold out of all the graphic novels and things they had!–and when he departed it kind of signaled the end of the day, particularly since Ted and I had to head home so I could finish making Dad’s birthday cake.

(Ah yes. It’s the chocolate chocolate pudding chocolate ganache cake. I got up early enough to make two and a half pounds of pudding this morning, and it turned out *brilliantly*. Nicest pudding I’ve ever made. Ted was agog with admiration at its smoofness. I’m very pleased. Also, Ted read WALKING DEAD on the train. It’s a little odd to have someone sitting right next to you reading a book you wrote, just for the record. Every time he laughed I wanted to know what bit that was. :))

An entirely, entirely lovely day. And I think we will not be in to Dublin again for Some Time. I’ve been in like six times in the past two months!

miles to Minas Tirith: 509.5