On Gods, Heroes, and Men

Later tonight, I’m going to do another megadump of pics from the weekend. Tomorrow, I’ll write about the Supreme Court ruling.

In this entry, however, I’ll talk about Newcastle and Mythos.

Now, the timing of the three shows presented me with, shall we say, challenges. The first one was that the first show started at 2:30pm. The earliest I could check in to the hotel was 2pm. This, as you can imagine, was tight. A couple of tweets, an email and I discovered that I could leave my bags at the hotel until such time as I could check in.

Got the train to Newcastle, went to the hotel, dropped my bag off and I headed out. I had to go to Waterstones to pick up a couple of books I had ordered. One is Unbelievable, the book that the excellent Netflix show is based on. The second is Renia’s Story. This is the diary of a young Polish Jew girl during WW2 (@gypsywind, I’m pretty sure I told you about this book a while back).

I then went for a wander round the Sunday market at the Quayside. I got myself some new backflow incense cones and a couple of t shirts. One says “That’s what I do, I drink and I know things” and the second, which has become a favourite, says “Introverts unite! We’re here, we’re uncomfortable and we want to go home”. I also got pics of the elephant figures that have been decorated that I found on the way.

Then it was over to the Sage for Mythos: Gods. It was, well, it was Stephen Fry talking about Greek Mythology. He was funny and informative. This show went from the start up to Prometheus being punished for defying Zeus to give fire to man. It was also interactive. When he talked about the Gods transforming man to different species, he gave the option of which story to tell. The spider was chosen, which made me happy, because it’s one of my favourite Greek myths. We played a couple of rounds of Mythical Pursuit. And during the intermission, we could email our questions to the Oracle and some would be answered after intermission. I didn’t ask a question. Fry also confirmed that not even the Oracle can predict Brexit, in response to more than a few questions.

Back to the hotel, check in, shower, back to the Sage, have something to eat (annoyingly, the coleslaw was placed directly on the board they used as a plate, which, frankly, is ridiculous) and it was time for Mythos: Heroes. This centred round Heracles, the circumstances of his birth, the 10 labours (later extended to 12) and him freeing Prometheus and the two of them fighting with the Gods against the Giants. Another two rounds of Mythical Pursuit and a choice of which of the labours we would be told about. I did ask a question of the Oracle this time, but mine wasn’t chosen. After the show, I had a couple of lints in the hotel bar and went to bed.

On Monday, I obviously had time to spare, so I decided to go to the Metrocentre. Honestly? Once you get past the size of the place, it’s an ordinary shopping centre. Not that impressive. I did, however, see a vending machine for false eyelashes. Seriously. I got myself a couple of bottles of Scottish craft lager, discovered what I’m getting dad for his birthday (craft beer brewed in whisky casks, perfect for a guy who likes both) and also got myself the War Doctors sonic screwdriver. Because, why not?

Quick map at the hotel, then it was time for Mythos: Man. This focused on the Torjan War and the journey of Odysseus. Last two rounds of Mythical Pursuit, choosing one part of the journey of Odysseus to hear about and more questions. Including mine. Fry also confirmed that he is writing the third book I knew was coming and it’ll likely be called Troy.

Then, back to the hotel bar. Where I sent a tweet. And, well, this happened:

Which is slightly surreal.

Today, I had breakfast at the hotel (not worth the cost), checked out, bought peanut butter M&M’s (at the recommendation of @heffay, though I haven’t tried them yet) and came home.

And now I’m going for a swim (though I got plenty of exercise, if I’m going to be serious about swimming at least once a week, I have to actually be serious about it) and catch up on my shows.

Will