The train to Leeds was delayed by lightning. En route, a staff member plaintively asked the train if anyone had a bottle opener they could borrow for the duration of the trip.

I shared a taxi with a Byzantinist, giving her my new business card, the first one I've given to anyone. (They arrived this week. They're highly generic, consisting only of information which should not ever expire.)

eulistes and I enjoyed the wonderfully smoke-free college bar, rather empty late on the first evening before papers began. The second night, and, for the second conference in a row, I've been catching up with friends from Toronto. Visiting Torontonians are scheduled to be a recurring feature for several weeks to come as well.

Today has been lovely, both outside in the blue with fluffy clouds, and inside at the medieval cooking workshop! (Details and photos later.) Thanks in part to the workshop, for the first time ever, I've made it through the first day of a conference without attending a normal paper session.