More Dickens Universe: great lecture by John Bowen; skipped the afternoon lecture so that JoAnna, Marissa, and I could go out to dinner with Miriam, JoAnna’s friend Linda and Margaret, another participant and friend of mine (also Miriam’s flatmate). We had a lovely meal at Cafe Mare, and a lot of fun with Miriam, who loves being crass and tenderhearted in rapid succession. We went back for the evening lecture on Dickens and poetry, which was was so-so. The day ended with the so-called Grand Party, thrown by the friends of the Dickens Project, and as always a great success: home-made cakes and excellent cheeses: what could be better? I actually ate less than I normally do at the Grand Party, and had a lovely conversation with Margaret about TAM and skepticism. Meanwhile, Mark played another 7 or so hours of poker, but tried out something new called “Mixed Game” with the rules changing every 10 rounds or so.