Edinburgh hosts a nodermeet of
epic
big budget
small budget
indie cinema
cable TV
straight to video
infomercial
proportions.
The Backstory
I was tearing down a copy of an obscure Victorian book on Edinburgh history yesterday, prepatory to rebinding it. Like most books of its period, it had a spine lining of recycled paper. It was not, mercifully, newspaper (which disintegrates rapidly, destroying the book along with it), but rather a piece of writing paper. Unfolding it, I found an inscription in a copperplate hand. The paper crumbled as I handled it, and not all of the passage was legible, but I have reproduced the text below. The prose style makes me think it is a copy or translation of an earlier passage.
be. On certain days, a spirit of Banquo walketh abroad.
Summon'd by the brethren of Omnia Secunda, it joineth se-
lected parties as they sup. On not all days may it be
found, for once it is exhausted it must needs rest before
appearing again. It needeth a full moon's cycle after the
Feast of Love, and sleepeth the first three days of every
week. Afore the Feast of Fools it takeeth a week to hus-
band its might, and in the height of Summer doth it dev-
I'm game for an adventure.
I propose, fellow Scotnoders, that we summon this spirit of Banquo. The only dates we can be sure of are coming right up. If it needs a full month after the Feast of Love, then there's no point trying before March 15. We need to meet on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday, since the spirit sleeps for the first three days of the week. And our window of opportunity closes a week before April Fool's.
By stunning coincidence, this precisely covers the dates of SEF's planned visit to Edinburgh. (Who would have thought it?) It even happens to match up to my working week. (Gosh!) So the plan is this:
SEF, the EasterBunny and I will find a table in The Elephant House on George IV Bridge at or about 3 in the afternoon. As a party of three noders, we will declare a quorum and start the meet. If no one else comes, we'll just sit and chat. If anyone else comes, we'll, erm, sit and chat. Then, at some later time (probably determined by the toddler), the three of us will send everyone else to the pub.
The Date
The votes are in. The date is Friday, March 21. The runner-up's concession speech was not broadcast.
The Place
Current front-runner is The Elephant House on George IV Bridge. Still open to negotiation. It has to have the following characteristics:
- It's got to allow children, at least during the day.
- It must have a capuccino machine, because I'm a latte addict.
- It should be relatively cheap.
- It should be fairly central
The People
Believers
Seekers
- call, who has seen things he can't explain
- TallRoo has always wondered
- fuzzie will try anything once
- Oolong will try anything twice, because you can't trust first impressions
- 409 may bring a ouija board
Scoffers
- Gorgonzola, who says it's all bunkum
- ascorbic has to clean out a sock drawer
- Nenneth, who may try televiewing from out of the country
- Catchpole had a message from the Other Side not to come
- SpudTater has already met Banquo
- will is forced to work with a skeptic who debunks all his theories.
- wertperch's aura scares spirits away.
- Imprecation thinks anything is possible, and therefore that anything is impossible, and gets lost in thought
The Inevitable Bedroom Scene
Unfortunately, the evilrooster coop is not available for noders to stay over. Between the toddler and SEF, it is full up.
Any Edinburgh noders able to help out? /msg me if you can.
Update 6/5/2003: Nodermeet pictures are available at http://www.sunpig.com/abi/spirit.htm | 
