TAM London Blog: No. 4 – And so it begins…

(8.10 AM, 16^th October, TAM venue, Edgeware Road, London )

I got up very early. 6.15am. This was so I could make it to the TAM venue by 7.30, as advised by the guy I spoke to yesterday who told me that this was advisable in order to beat the massive queues. So I was annoyed by the fact that, due to the tube system, I got there at 8.10 am. Wasn’t an issue though , seeing as the supposedly-insane queues turned out to be merely slightly-baffled queues. I just headed straight to the press desk and was given my pass. Actually, I was very nearly given Tim Minchin’s pass by mistake. I very nearly grabbed it and ran, to see if I could pass myself off as him, claiming that I look smaller/blonder/more musical/funnier/less bald/more Australian on camera. But it was not to be.

I turned around and, out of the thousand+ attendees to the event, was confronted by Rhys Morgan. And of course his parents, Mr and Mrs Rhys Morgan. Was good to see him there, but was slightly concerned that he would be disappointed when he discovered that, unlike in the Welsh Skeptic community, nobody there would really know what he had been up to, or even recognise him. It’s a hard lesson to discover that the community you aspire to be part of has no regard for you at all, but one we all have to learn.

While ascending to the 3^rd floor (‘where the coffee is’) I was confronted by Tahnee (@Ramblor on twitter) with the words ‘aren’t you the Welsh bloke?’ I said I was A Welsh Bloke, pretty sure it’s not just me who fits that description, but that was enough. We were friends now, so had someone to sit with in amongst this massive crowd of unknowns.

It’s a strangely British habit that dictated our actions next. On the way to the 3^rd floor, we noticed a big queue on the 1^st floor, so promptly joined it. We didn’t know what it was for, and it clearly wasn’t even moving, but we just unconsciously joined it. Why?

Turns out it was actually the queue to get into the main room, which wasn’t open yet. So we went and got coffee rather than spend the best part of an hour in a motionless queue of people who are basically just staring at a door.

But eventually we were allowed into the vast conference room, and the talks kicked off. Which means they started, there was no actual kicking (that I noticed).

Email: humourology(at)live.co.uk

Twitter: @garwboy