Our weeks holiday was most enjoyable, with a heady mixture of Amecon, Harrogate, York, Oxford and Wokingham. Tessa has covered 650 miles with 13 hours of driving (not counting the hour we spend in Leicster black hole of a one way system!) We now both have colds and coughs too

Amecon

Better than last time, and it fuelled mine and K-chan's enthusiasm to do proper cosplay next year (Yomiko was fun, better wig next time); any ideas on pairs most welcome. We took part in the RC car racing, dancing and karaoke and had a fun time. Espcially in the dealers room where K-chan and I made the colossal step every couple must make: buying dvds together, we bought Nerime Daikon Brothers, School Rumble, Princess Tutu, Cowboy Bebop and Genshiken boxsets.
Also, dancing in a kimono is entirely possible as long as you are wearing shorts underneath and don't put heavy things in the sleeves. K-chan also learnt the significance of caramelldansen, so much so that we did it in traffic. Also included Madstraveganza - a trip through the weird vids of Japan which included the following kitten vid (warning needed):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWUV5vECeMI
If you aren't murmuring "Koro KoroKoroKoroKoro" then you are entirely unfeeling.

Harrogate

Nice hotel, although we did get told off for not wearing shoes to breakfast (because apparently all meals require shoes ... news to me) but it had a teeny tiny leisure club with turkish bath, jacuzzi, mimming pool. Plus the mimimming pool was not out of K-chan depth so he had a chance to practice Not Drowning and he duly did not drown. We also enjoyed our steaks and had lovely munchies despite getting wet and rainy. However we did get attached to my the resident nutter who wanted to buy us drinks and play pool with us in the bar which became creepy, so we made up a story and left. But ordering from the Hotel Bar and saying "charge it to room 306" was total win.

York

York fun. We bought a real mahongany coffee table for £15 and promptly christened it loltable as well as having the chance to mooch about York (although someone changed the chef at Plunketts taking the rating from a 10 to 9 which is unforgiveable, we are now looking for a new favourite restaurant in York or Cam, any ideas send our way). Meetings friends for drinks was fun too, we stayed in Spoons until they told us to leave, which is always win. Also met Wouses new ladyfriend, very nice and recognises filthy double entrendres, approval all the way.

Oxford

The VOLES performances were good. Comedy and cake fabulous as usual, although getting a little weird at times. The Back the Future Panto I felt was not as good as The Matrix panto from last year but this could have been through the prop problems and a head full of cold but the end of it *snufflesnuffle*. I hope they get it straightened out before Edinburgh!

Wicked

In other news am enjoying the Wicked novel, it's definately quite highbrow and rather than being focused on a character, it takes the slightly different approach in that you only get a few hints about what the main character is truly thinking or planning to do. I'm not sure about this reticence but I am finding myself gripped.

K-chan and I have decided that The Stig probably likes kittens, and talking of kittens we have been forced to decline one from my Head of Sixth Form. It has been heart-wrenching to do this.

In other news, all my sixth formers passed their AS's ... thank lord, although many could have done better I felt, but still they rock for passing and bollock to those wh think they are getting easier, I find those who complain the loudest have probably never done them - or failed them - or passed them all at A grade/100% without batting an eyelid.