London Alert. London Alert. This will be the first time I've been to London for, ooh, probably about five or six months and will almost certainly be the only time I'm in London until next March or April at the earliest. This strikes me as an excellent time to catch up with other nice London folk.
A definite little bonus there, but it comes at a time when I'm in a relatively perky mood - for it looks like I'm going to be in Edinburgh for the New Year. Edinburgh is generally thought of as holding some of the wildest street parties in the country; in Scotland, the New Year celebrations are called "Hogmanay". I'm not normally a "wild street parties" sort of person, but not averse to trying new experiences and it's always looked like a lot of fun.
A different board gaming friend is throwing her house there open to board gamers for several days over the turn of the year on the condition that she doesn't have to put us up overnight, in an event to be known as HogmanayCon. (Apparently some Scottish dancing may be involved somewhere along the line too, which is a bonus.) Another friend who will be there has volunteered some overnight crash space to sort out the "trying to find a room in Edinburgh over Hogmanay at a vaguely reasonable price" problem. Once again, hurrah! Pleasant opportunities truly do fall unexpectedly into your lap from time to time.
Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it; it has turned out to be one for me!