Meetups: London (January 10), Awkward Meet & Geek (January 15), Chicago (January 17)

Hello! Happy 2015! Perhaps you will enjoy reading how  multiple bloggers & writers discussing are giving up things we suck at this year.

Kate in London has planned this month’s London Awkward Gathering:

January London meetup as follows:

Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX near Waterloo station, 10th January, 11am onwards.

We are going to start the new year by being awesome, so if you would like to please bring something awesome (object or youtube link or anything else that you like), or talk about something awesome from 2014 or 2015.  No pressure, though, awesomeness is not compulsory.

This venue is working out really well.

They sell food in a cafe (standard sandwiches etc.), but they also don’t mind people bringing food in from outside. There are several other local places where you can buy stuff as well. The excellent food market outside has loads of different food options, which can fit most food requirements, or you can also bring a packed lunch.
Meet on the fourth floor, outside the Blue Bar (go up in the JCB lift, lift 7, which is bright yellow and quite musical).

Here is the internal map of the Royal Festival Hall: http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/sites/default/files/documents/RFH_map.pdf

I will have my Cthulhu with me, which looks like this: http://forbiddenplanet.com/3950-cthulhu-baby-plush/  One time I forgot it but I will do my best this time, however if I forget again I will put up a sign. I have long brown hair and glasses.

The venue is accessible via a lift, and has accessible toilets.

The London Awkward group has a Facebook page, which is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/549571375087294/.  There is also a thread in the new forums for saying hello.

My email is Kate DOT Towner AT Gmail DOT com

(February meetup will be on the 21st.)

Cheers,
Kate

We’re having another Awkward Meet & Geek Singles Event at Geek Bar Beta on January 15. We’ve updated the FAQ slightly, with the following info:

Can I come to this event if I’m not single?

We aren’t checking relationship statuses at the door, but you will probably feel more comfortable coming to one of the many other great Chicago Game Lovers events that are for anyone and everyone (of which there are about 50 every month all around the Chicagoland area!). Check out the calendar page (http://www.meetup.com/chicagogames/events/) to find a great event that will probably be more up your alley!

I know lots of people want to make new friends, but we going to keep identifying this particular event as a space for single people to meet each other. As an alternative, the Women In Gaming MeetUp January 10th is the identical setup at the identical bar, and there are other events practically every day that have the same culture of “show up, grab a game, meet some new people.”

Finally, piny is coming to town, and has planned the following event on January 17 (inspired by the excellent past work of Chicagoan Digital Tart):

January 17, 2015

Time: 4:00pm
Location: The Chicago Cultural Center Lobby (1st floor), 78 E Washington St, Chicago, IL 60602.
Transportation: By CTA buses and trains. By Metra/Electric District/South Shore Line, Millennium Station. Parking is expensive, if you’re driving.I’m going to bring Scrabble and maybe Bananagrams; if people want to bring other board/card games, they should feel free.  I’ll have an Awkward Army sign and nametags.  (And like DigitalTart said, suggestions for activities or anything else would be very welcome.)

I’m also doing a (strictly optional!) book trade, since I have some good lit fic paperbacks.  If people would like to bring books to trade, I think that would be awesome.

I can field questions in comments to the MeetUp post.