2008 Ripper Conference, Knoxville, TN

[Monty]

**Warning****Warning**

This is an offcial Monty warning.....

Knoxville - Please DO NOT approach Mr Hutchinson and mention/carry any of the following :-

1) Shorts
2) Felicity mad woman (my words, not his)
3) that Rob Clack looks younger
4) that Rob Clack is younger
5) Hoodies
6) Tourists
7) Pope de Locksley
8) Karen Trenouth, Baziljet, Catweizel of whatever that bloody statute was.
9) A cake...he'll have the bugger away.

and

10) Monty is a really funny guy, no, seriously he is Philip, he honestly is. Dont listen to Bob, Monty is great, dont hit Monty when you see him next.

Oh, and only approach if you have a cup of tea in hand. It soothes him does tea. That and a nice slice of cake...or is that Worzel Gummage?

Seriously, you are very lucky to have the speakers you already have over there. Id give my left ear to listen to Robert McLaughlin and my right one for Phil...that way I wont have to hear him.

Kick back and enjoy the experience.

Monty

[Suzi]

Hey Frip!

That sounds great!!....Well apart from the journey and the 'unpleasantnesses' at Customs

Am seriously jealous and excited for you!! Give my love to everyone! Hope you've got THE CAT!!!- Don't forget the PICS!!!!!!!!!!

Stay in touch!!- so we can have a 'virtual conf' (Just kinder on the liver!!)

Hugs

Suzi 'n Dids x

(Is the 'nice' the same 'nice' that I think it is???)

[Mike Covell]

Sounds like your having a great time.

My friend got stuck in customs after he had bought some calculators, protrators and abacus, he was charged with "Having Weapons of Maths Instructions"

[halomanuk]

Good luck Phil and have fun - sock it to em.

If this is something nice about JTR then i can't wait !!!!

[George Hutchinson]

Hi all.

I'm sitting here on a free-for-all computer in the hotel lobby at the Four Points By Sheraton Hotel in Knoxville. The Conference starts in a few hours.

Dan and Kelly met me at Knoxville airport after an easy couple of flights but some of the worst service I've ever had. The cabin crew on US Airways are vile. So rude, impolite and unfriendly. I even heard one of them say to another as they walked past, at normal volume : "If you don't like the service, you're f***ed. Hire your own private plane". She was charming.

I knew I'd have issues with Customs, and sure enough, I did. My bags were checked several times, I was given the third degree in questioning (they couldn't see how a tour guide could be giving a lecture...) and they went right through my main suitcase. The airline also damaged it pretty badly. The flight to the US took 9 hours and then another hour from Charlotte to Knoxville.

It's warm here. Big wide spaces, quaint old clapboard houses and an awesome hotel. When I went to bed last night, my arms didn't reach the edges of the bed! I was jumping round like a kid when I saw my room.

I'm being picked up in twenty minutes to go and give a lecture to a company in the town. I was booked by a woman who came on one of my tours last year and stayed in touch - complete co-incidence she's in Knoxville. What the company is going to make of JTR is beyond me, though. I don't know what the set-up is at all.

Met up with Alan last night as well but am yet to meet the others properly. Tonight Dan is giving an introduction and Robert is giving his talk on the victim photographs (this time - unlike 2005 - with working Powerpoint!)

I'll update as and when I can. By tomorrow evening, US time, I will have something quite nice to tell you, I think.

PHILIP