Superconference Rendezvous s'il vous plait!

January 26, 2009 3:02 PM

Quick, Toronto, let's swap phone numbers before the server crashes again! Meetup this Saturday?

I'll be in Toronto [and possibly Mississauga] from Wednesday night until Sunday sometime. I'll be at the OLA Superconference on Thursday and then just hanging out. Want to get together for beer and/or food on Saturday not terribly late?

posted by jessamyn to MetaFilter gatherings at 3:02 PM (166 comments total)

Argh!! I'm in Vietnam. Not fair! :)

Have fun for me!
posted by carabiner at 3:08 PM on January 26

I have to admit I like the Tonronto tag, maybe I'll found a town and name it Tonronto. People will accuse me of just adding an extra 'n' to Toronto, but I'll tell them Jessamyn did it first and everything will be hunky-dory.
posted by schyler523 at 3:11 PM on January 26

I have no idea what you are talking about.
posted by jessamyn at 3:15 PM on January 26

I, of course, am in. :)
posted by Hildegarde at 3:15 PM on January 26

Saturday Night Live. Sweet.
posted by gman at 3:23 PM on January 26

Hmmm...tricksy.
posted by schyler523 at 3:30 PM on January 26

And what's this shit about "not terribly late"?
posted by gman at 3:32 PM on January 26

Sounds good to me. Jessamyn, a bunch of local librarians are getting together for drinks on Friday, wanna come along to that too?
posted by djfiander at 3:40 PM on January 26

Crap. I'm in Vancouver this weekend!
posted by typewriter at 3:56 PM on January 26

Friday librarian drinks? Yes!
posted by jessamyn at 3:57 PM on January 26

ooh...i can come! what time?
posted by janepanic at 4:00 PM on January 26

djfiander, I say we go to c'est what for the cask beer, what say you? It's just on the other side of union from the conference centre.

*hopeful*
posted by Hildegarde at 4:04 PM on January 26

Regardez le titre. Will the mod expect us to speak French? Because I can't speak French, and I'd hate to disappoint her. (note: timid person, never attended a meetup, probably won't speak at all, so I suppose you can all speak French if you want to. I'll just nod to pretend I understand.)
posted by TimTypeZed at 4:24 PM on January 26

Aw shit. I'm working all those nights until 11:30. I can come late, though?
posted by Schlimmbesserung at 4:39 PM on January 26

Damn...I'm already double-booked that night. Would have been good to trade library war stories.
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:46 PM on January 26

I am there, and I will be square.
posted by the dief at 4:49 PM on January 26

Hmm. Saturday. Dress like a pirate party out west or dress like a librarian meetup downtown? Pirate or librarian, pirate or librarian?

(Dread Librarian Roberts? Aha! Dread Librarian Robarts!)

I'll be there, wherever there is. Chuis mauditement tanné de mon job, moé, et j'ai besoin d'un 50. Ou deux.
posted by maudlin at 4:52 PM on January 26

I am so sorry to miss this. It would have been my first meet-up AND I could meet JESSAMYN at the SAME TIME. But I'll be in San Jose.
posted by kate blank at 4:58 PM on January 26

So wait, MeFi Meetup Saturday and librarian meetup Friday? If so, excellent, but where's a good place for food/drinks on Saturday?
posted by jessamyn at 5:04 PM on January 26

So we can get the ball rolling... Saturday 7ish? Anyone been to the Brazen Head? Good for drinks and reasonable food all in one. Location here.
posted by gman at 5:08 PM on January 26

Gonna try my darndest. Somewhere on the subway line might be wise, given how insanely fucking freezing it is lately.
posted by chococat at 5:13 PM on January 26

The Brazen Head is obviously on the streetcar line, but not the subway. If that's a problem, how about the Bedford Academy? Located here.
posted by gman at 5:23 PM on January 26

Maybe some place in the Annex would be easier? (Clintons, the Madison, the Green Room, Paupers, all those places around U of T north of Bloor, etc). Liberty Village is kind of in the middle of nowhere.

Satuday i'm not sure i'll be around. If random shit is happening during the week post here.
posted by chunking express at 5:23 PM on January 26

Oooh. I'm busy Saturday afternoon, but free Saturday evening. I'm totally game for a meetup.

Brazen Head seems a little out of the way for the transit reliant -- I'm not even entirely clear how you'd walk from the King Street car, or if there's another way to get there.

What about The Central near Bathurst Station? Close to the Subway, close by parking, food not entirely inedible, and they have a bunch of smallish rooms upstairs so we could potentially take over a room if they're not all reserved
posted by jacquilynne at 5:24 PM on January 26

There is also Victory Cafe on Markham which has a big upstairs. Madison is good also if you need a place with a bajillion rooms -- and co-eds. I'll try to come.
posted by chunking express at 5:25 PM on January 26

I am going to go to this.
posted by Sys Rq at 5:26 PM on January 26

Green Room, Red Room, Bedford Academy... I'm easy (not usually).
posted by gman at 5:27 PM on January 26

I'm not a librarian yet, but I would totally dig a Friday night meetup after my shift at the library!
posted by avocet at 5:28 PM on January 26

(And +1 for the Vic.)
posted by avocet at 5:29 PM on January 26

Although I will not be present (I will be in the Ice Hotel, north of Quebec City), it seems obvious that the place to meet would be the Imperial Pub and Library.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:22 PM on January 26

I would love to come but have plans for Saturday night. Boo.
posted by sevenyearlurk at 6:28 PM on January 26

I'm in - add a vote for the annex.
posted by Staggering Jack at 7:14 PM on January 26

Despite the fact I have no idea at all what i will be doing Saturday, I am tentatively voting Annex, too. And adding a half vote of attendance.

I'll see how the week pans out.
posted by Brockles at 7:22 PM on January 26

How bout a nice patio in Newmarket?

I'm cool with the Annex. I'll check back and see what's been decided. Make it happen, people. I have faith.
posted by gman at 7:30 PM on January 26

C'est What
posted by captaincrouton at 8:23 PM on January 26

Holy YES!

Getting to meet teh jessamynz = win.

Also, foodwise, one of the chefs at school has been buzzing about Black Hoof, which is Toronto's only charcuterie restaurant. A bit on the spendy side, but I'm dying for an excuse to go...
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:34 PM on January 26

if i can make it, this will be my first meetup!
i'm 75% sure i'll be in Toronto on Saturday, so throw in a vote for anywhere-on-the-subway-line for me.

be nice, okay?
posted by gursky at 9:55 PM on January 26

I'm in. Annex or somewhere subway-ish.
(Black Hoof is far, sounds like a disease)
posted by scruss at 4:55 AM on January 27

The Victory Cafe has a cask ale festival this Saturday, 12-7. Not sure if that makes it better (show up early, get cask ale) or worse (it'll be extra-busy).
posted by mendel at 7:40 AM on January 27

A bit on the spendy side

As much as I like tasty food, spendy/fancy restaurants make me break out in a rash. I'd much prefer a nice place with decent food and good beer and a place where we can all hang out without standing around hollering in each others ears (do you do that in Canada?) with elbows pressed to sides.

So, is the Annex on a subway line?
posted by jessamyn at 7:48 AM on January 27

Yup, the Annex neighbourhood is easily subway-able.
posted by sevenyearlurk at 7:53 AM on January 27

How about the Green Room in the Annex? It's a very casual student hangout/dive bar and it has an area with a few large tables and mismatched couches that can fit a good sized number of people. It has cheap food and relatively ok priced drinks (no cask or nitro taps, though, I think). It's close to the subway (about a five minute walk from either Spadina or Bathurst). I'm happy with anything.
posted by Staggering Jack at 8:12 AM on January 27

The Annex is on the subway line.

The Green Room is wicked cheap, but it's a bit tricky to find if you don't know where it is already. ("Get off the subway, walk down this laneway, etc") The food is alright considering it costs next to nothing.

I think pubs like Clintons, Paupers, or the Bedford Academy might be better choices? (Though I do love the Green Room.)
posted by chunking express at 8:31 AM on January 27

Paupers... is that the one on Bloor, right across from Varsity? Their nachos are fucking awesome.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:29 AM on January 27

(Oh and Black Hoof isn't apparently very fancy, it's just spendy because they do all of their own charcuterie, which takes time and investment).
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:30 AM on January 27

Do we get to call people by their real name at meet-ups? Cause I ain't yelling across a table, "Hey dirtynumbangelboy! Pass the salt."
posted by gman at 10:19 AM on January 27

The Green Room is the same owners as the Red Room, no? That makes me uneasy, because the food at the Red Room is just utter and total crap. I mean, it's sort of good value for the money, because they serve huge portions and they practically pay you to take them, but after you've eaten, you feel like they probably should have actually and not just practically paid you. I'm in favor of cheap but good, but not so much cheap and still not worth it.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:19 AM on January 27

The Annex is the name of one of the many neighbourhoods in Toronto.
posted by djfiander at 10:34 AM on January 27

I'm kinda with jacq there. I mean.. it's good drunk food (and we're not kidding anyone when we say we're not getting drunk), but it's not good food.

What about taking over Freshwood in Kensington?
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 11:01 AM on January 27

Cause I ain't yelling across a table, "Hey dirtynumbangelboy! Pass the salt."

Yes you will, once you've had enough to drink. And then Dan will act out his "how I got my username" story, using a host of voices and disguises, while we all hum the soundtrack.

Freshwood sounds cool (hey, we never went to the one on Roncesvalles, did we?), but it might be a little difficult for non-Torontoans to find. And if I'm to believe this map, it closes at 10 (!!).

(OK, I just called them: max capacity in Kensington is 20 people -- they think a crowd of 15 or so couldn't be fit in -- and yeah, they close at 10. Roncey is a little bigger, but also closes at 10.)
posted by maudlin at 11:27 AM on January 27

How late do meetups usually go? I work next to the Annex and could easily make it there post-shift, but I get the feeling that Jessamyn's "not terribly late" is earlier than my "not terribly late."
posted by Schlimmbesserung at 11:50 AM on January 27

Well.. the last meetup we had on Roncey concluded with me and Sasshat and a couple of other people shutting down the pub we were at and sloshing across the street to shut down another bar. The most recent one (on the Danforth) went to midnightish..
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 12:02 PM on January 27

Although I live in High Park, I'm still voting for the Annex.
posted by gman at 12:43 PM on January 27

Paupers is on bloor just east of bathurst, at Lippincott. Of the Annex places that have been mooted thus far, I think the Victory Cafe is the best -- but then I probably won't be there.
posted by sevenyearlurk at 12:45 PM on January 27

victory cafe looks good
posted by captaincrouton at 3:02 PM on January 27

I've been moving a library collection from one branch to a new site all week so I barely have the strength to type this ... but I will there, where ever. I'm going to go pass out now.
posted by saucysault at 3:06 PM on January 27

Any chance we can get tehloki out? I gotta meet this dude.
posted by gman at 3:07 PM on January 27 [1 favorite]

Still voting for c'est what. Great beer, decent food, on Front st., easy to find, and plenty of room.
posted by Hildegarde at 3:31 PM on January 27

Hildegarde: we should distinguish between the Saturday MeFi meetup and the Friday librarian meetup, since that's what it looks like is happening. C'Est What has the advantage that it's close and easy for the convention centre. The Annex is a bit further away, but that's not as much of a problem Saturday evening when the MeFites show up.
posted by djfiander at 3:54 PM on January 27

Yes I guess so. I'm coming in on the Go, I always want to be closer to Union. :)
posted by Hildegarde at 5:21 PM on January 27

The Bedford Academy is extremely roomy and the decor is even book-themed! It's also a short jaunt from Yonge/Bloor station which is accessible from all subway lines.

If anyone is confused about making their way around Toronto... I'm happy to help - just message me.
posted by cranberrymonger at 9:02 PM on January 27

I'm new(ish), sort of, not really, but I'm in. I vote yes to the Annex, but no to the Madison, which will be too crazy with drunken undergrads on a Saturday night.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 11:43 PM on January 27

Curses! I so wanted to supplement my newish, nervous involvement in this site with an actual meet-up the next time a Toronto thing took place, and I'm going to be away for this awesome get-together. Have lots of fun!
posted by Hellgirl at 6:42 AM on January 28

I'm in for Saturday! Can I vote for a non-crazy-with-drunken-undergrads place?
posted by grippycat at 6:50 AM on January 28

I'll try to come to the MeFi meetup Saturday night.
posted by orange swan at 6:54 AM on January 28

Criteria
1. Near subway.
2. Not too crowded.
3. Not too loud.
4. Big enough.
5. Non-shitty.
6. Non-spendy.

Suggestions so far
1. The Brazen Head (not so subwayish?)
2. The Central
3. Madison (crowded?)
4. Imperial Pub and Library
5. gman's patio
6. Clintons
7. Black Hoof (spendy?)
8. Red Room (shitty?)
9. Green Room (shitty?)
10. Freshwood (small? closes early?)
11. Paupers
12. Victory Cafe (seems to have the most votes; crowded?)
13. C'est What ('brarians-only Friday?)
14. Bedford Academy

Let's pick one. Personally, I'd prefer food plus alcohol (i.e. a restauranty type place) over the inverse (pub), but I'm not entirely nacho-averse, so whatever.

Let's also get a bit more specific about the time. For me, afternoon is more doable, and anything extending beyond the GO train's bedtime would be totally non-good. Afternoon/evening would probably help avoid the Saturday night crowds, too.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:28 AM on January 28

The librarians are going to C'Est What on Friday. If nothing else, then Jessamyn will be able to find it again on Saturday ;-)
posted by djfiander at 9:38 AM on January 28

I vote Bedford. Fallback if too crowded: Duke of Wellington across the street.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 10:06 AM on January 28

One last shameless plug for Bedford: central, quiet, good food, good beer. If we get an idea of the number of people we could even book tables.

(I swear, I don't work there.)
posted by cranberrymonger at 10:07 AM on January 28

Jessamyn is having weather related airport issues right now and may not actually be able to find the plane, let alone C'Est What.

#5 - I do NOT live in Newmarket. Not that there's anything wrong with Newmarket... I'd say Victory Cafe, but I don't know what that cask ale festival will do to the place. Bedford Academy and all it's various rooms gets my vote.
posted by gman at 10:11 AM on January 28

I'm still not 100% sure what's what, but I also think Bedford is a good place to go. BEDFORD!?!
posted by chunking express at 10:24 AM on January 28

Between Bedford and Victory which seem to be getting the most votes, I'd choose Bedford, just because of the non-zero chance that Victory will be crowded up the wazoo because of the cask ale thing, but I'd be fine with either.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:30 AM on January 28

Um, what I meant to say, of course, was:

5. gman's suggestion of a nice Newmarket patio, or failing that, any patio, deck, porch, lanai, or veranda north of Aurora

We regret the error and have fired the persons responsible.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:41 AM on January 28

Bedford sounds cool. This seems to be getting to be a pretty large meetup, so the more room, the better.
posted by maudlin at 10:51 AM on January 28

I'm adding a vote for the Bedford.
posted by Staggering Jack at 10:58 AM on January 28

Damn, I may not be able to make it now. Forgot about tentative plans for Sat night.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 12:15 PM on January 28

So Friday C'est What is a go? What time?
posted by avocet at 5:09 PM on January 28

Alright, Bedford it is!
posted by Hildegarde at 5:10 PM on January 28

Oh and hey, despite the snowstorm, I didn't get stuck in Vermont. Yay team! Thanks for the ride from the airport, gman.
posted by jessamyn at 6:25 PM on January 28

My pleasure. So now that we've got a spot picked by general consensus, what time? 7ish if you wanna eat? and later if not?
posted by gman at 6:53 PM on January 28

Saturday only:
And will it be staying in the same place? So late arrivals are ok? Given the weather, I'd assume this to be the case, but just clarifying.

And the Bedford for Saturday, right?
posted by Brockles at 7:39 PM on January 28

My number is 508-415-9074, feel free to call on Friday or Saturday to ask where people are up til around 11 pm or so.
posted by jessamyn at 7:42 PM on January 28

Aha! Plans have moved. I'm definitely in for Saturday, but need to write an exam Saturday morning so as much as I love C'est What, I can't be there.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 8:41 PM on January 28

So... Bedford, 7 pm on Saturday and we'll stay in one place for dinner and drinks and to accommodate late arrivals :)
posted by cranberrymonger at 9:37 PM on January 28

Well crikey. At 11pm I'll just be locking up the shop and getting out the mop. Pound back an extra one for me.
posted by Schlimmbesserung at 1:12 AM on January 29

me and Sasshat and a couple of other people

You'd think bright yellow overalls would be memorable?!?!

Let's see, the temperature on Saturday evening will be.. around -5C. Not cold enough to matter, so it might as well be nearby. Bedford at 7pm it is :P
posted by Chuckles at 12:30 PM on January 29

I haven't been to a meet up before. If you are all ugly like me I won't be impressed. I'll try and come. (If I can't make Bedford at 7:00 on the Saturday, what is happening on the Friday? Or is that something totally unrelated to MetaFilter.)
posted by chunking express at 12:39 PM on January 29

Friday is when the librarians take off their glasses and let their hair down. You in, chunking? As for Saturday, come any time after 7.

Why won't it stop snowing?
posted by gman at 1:11 PM on January 29

MeFites are welcome to come to the librarian get together, but don't make the gman rookie mistake of saying "you went to SCHOOL for that?!"

I love this snow!
posted by jessamyn at 1:41 PM on January 29

Of course you went to school to become a librarian. I was questioning the 2 years you put in for your Master's in Moderating degree.
posted by gman at 3:02 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

I love this snow!

Yeah, that feeling will pass, don't worry.
posted by chunking express at 3:21 PM on January 29

Heh, Toronto is south of where I am from. I love the snow here because there's not 18 inches of it like there is at home.
posted by jessamyn at 3:51 PM on January 29

If you are all ugly like me I won't be impressed.

Well.. We did break DaShiv's camera. That's got to count for something.
posted by Chuckles at 3:52 PM on January 29 [1 favorite]

It's looking very likely I can come. I will bring my camera, so bring your A game.
posted by chunking express at 4:03 PM on January 29

I'm making up a rough list of who's probably showing up Friday and Saturday so that we can try to hijack enough tables. Odds are good that I missed at least one person. Actual numbers may vary. People may just drop in and surprise us. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.

FRIDAY: C'est What, 67 Front St. E., librarians and fellow travellers, some time after the conference wraps up

jessamyn (call her at 508-415-9074 any time up to 11 to find out who's still there and if the party is moving)
gman?
Hildegrade
djfiander
avocet
captaincrouton?

SATURDAY: Bedford Academy, 36 Prince Arthur Ave.. Nearest subway stops: St. George (Bedford exit on east side), or Museum (exit on west side of Queen's Park, next to the ROM). 7 PM to 11 PM and beyond-ish

Pretty definite: about 20
jessamyn (call her at 508-415-9074 any time up to 11 to find out who's still there and if the party is moving)
Hildegarde
gman
djfiander
janepanic
TimTypeZed
chunking express, depending on our collective level of ugliness and the resilience of his camera lens
the dief
maudlin
jacquilynne
Sys Rq
Staggering Jack
captaincrouton
dirtynumbangelboy
scruss
saucysault
If only I had a penguin ...
grippycat
cranberrymonger
Chuckles

Maybes and percentages: about 7 before I even try to multiply by fractions
chococat (trying his darndest)
Schlimmbesserung (after 11:30 -- come on by even if it seems late, because we do have a lot of deadenders)
1/2 of Brockles
75% of gursky, depending on our collective level of niceness
orange swan, trying
mendel (added a helpful note, but do you intend to show up?)
avocet (or just Friday?)
posted by maudlin at 4:08 PM on January 29

maudlin - is this you, by chance?

Good job! I'm definitely in for Saturday, but can't make Friday.
posted by gman at 4:32 PM on January 29

Cool - I'm looking forward to Saturday. My wife might come with me - she's not really on Metafilter but she knows it vicariously - the site has soaked into her brain tissue the way second hand smoke soaks into the lungs of a non-smoking housemate.
posted by Staggering Jack at 5:14 PM on January 29

Superconference Rendezvous - I'll try to make it for Saturday. I've never been to Tonronto before and my French? C'est terrible.
posted by shoesfullofdust at 7:38 PM on January 29

Hey, Mrs. the dief will probably also show up on Saturday, if that affects reservations or whatnot.
posted by the dief at 8:29 PM on January 29

So what time is "after the conference" on Friday?
posted by avocet at 8:43 PM on January 29

From what people have said, we should just be able to invade Bedford and fit 20-30 people in on a Saturday night. But can someone volunteer to phone them tomorrow and find out if we should get a reservation?
posted by maudlin at 9:08 PM on January 29

Sasshat will be joining us on Saturday, just a little late.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:02 AM on January 30

mendel (added a helpful note, but do you intend to show up?)

I don't think I can make it, no. (And after an afternoon at the cask ale festival that might be for the best.) Have a good time, everyone!
posted by mendel at 6:30 AM on January 30

I will phone them today and update this thread in a bit.
posted by cranberrymonger at 6:57 AM on January 30

The Bedford's upper area (for parties) was booked but I got a reservation for 25 in the dining room for 7:00 pm on Saturday. I am happily surprised that this worked on such late notice. The only thing is that we're divided between two tables (henceforth known as "factions").

I gave my name (Heather) and cell number (416 917 2222) and now I feel semi-responsible for everyone turning up and being on time... so please try your best :) And post here if you need to cancel because I want to tell them if there's a significant change in numbers. Look forward to meeting everyone!
posted by cranberrymonger at 10:09 AM on January 30

(Or, you could text/call me to cancel.)
posted by cranberrymonger at 10:10 AM on January 30

Sorry gman, I'm not in Toronto this weekend. I'm stuck in Guelph with a bunch of projects to work on.
posted by tehloki at 10:22 AM on January 30

Chuckles: Dashiv also broke my camera. heh.
posted by tehloki at 10:24 AM on January 30

Hey, thanks for volunteering, cranberrymonger! Don't worry, I'm going to be there. (And SassHat -- yay! But no tehloki -- boo!)
posted by maudlin at 12:01 PM on January 30

I'll come if somebody can give me a ride from Guelph to Toronto and back on saturday. If I'm worth that much gas money to anyone, haha.
posted by tehloki at 12:30 PM on January 30

On Saturday, eh? Yeah sure, I'll drive you after I get totally obliterated at the bar. Sounds safe.
posted by gman at 1:12 PM on January 30

The librarians here say "Tell that guy to take the GO Bus" I'm on my way to meetup #1.
posted by jessamyn at 2:28 PM on January 30

Damnit, and now it looks like I'm not going to make it due to a stupid scheduling error. I'll try to drop by for a bit before everyone leaves, but it's not looking promising.
posted by jacquilynne at 3:23 PM on January 30

The bus is expensive, time-consuming, and unreliable.

Man, I totally wish I could afford car insurance so I wasn't trapped at the mercy of bus schedules, buses' tendencies to disobey them, and available cash.
posted by tehloki at 4:43 PM on January 30

Hooray! That was fun, and I hope to be as cool as all you fun librarians someday.
posted by avocet at 7:32 PM on January 30

avocet: don't worry. you're already cooler than me.
posted by djfiander at 8:37 PM on January 30

henceforth known as "factions"

Dewey vs. ...?

yes I know I have an exam tomorrow shut up
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 10:59 PM on January 30

tehloki - I'll come get you/drop you off, I'm halfway between Guelph and Toronto so it is no biggie. mefi mail me to give me your address and time to pick you up.
posted by saucysault at 5:12 AM on January 31

i am taking the GO bus from hamilton around 7. anyone want to join me? i'm good company!
posted by janepanic at 5:29 AM on January 31

Looks like Cheeto and I will also be there. Any reason to get out of Buffalo!
posted by kuujjuarapik at 9:15 AM on January 31

Dewey vs. ...?

The Un-librarian Metafilluminati. If there are any others, I will rally them.
posted by cranberrymonger at 9:17 AM on January 31

(I may not be a librarian, but does it help that I've been to nearly every library in Toronto east of the DVP?)
posted by scruss at 2:37 PM on January 31

+1
posted by joeclark at 2:55 PM on January 31

I will be there on time. I think so anyways. If you see someone skinnier than anyone you know, wave.
posted by chunking express at 3:38 PM on January 31

Well, I haven't heard from tehloki but I've given him my cell number so he can intercept me if necessary. Otherwise, see you all there!
posted by saucysault at 3:44 PM on January 31

Hey all, decided to stay in and be a good boy. Sorry to be missing you, jessamyn :/
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 4:54 PM on January 31

That was great (and still going on, I imagine). If anyone found a brown scarf and red hat, could you be in touch. I would really like to find at least the scarf.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:02 PM on January 31

Fantastic to meet so many of you! Thanks for coming out!
posted by the dief at 9:44 PM on January 31

@If only: I left my scarf too! It's grey and wool! It was a scarf-losing kind of event.

It was GREAT to meet everyone, I love you guys. I feel very lucky to be in the vicinity of so many really awesome people.

@Jessamyn: keep pronouncing "Mississauga" your way. It sounds better.
posted by Hildegarde at 9:53 PM on January 31

Bwahaha, that was utterly righteous. Thanks, everyone! I wish I'd been there earlier.
posted by Schlimmbesserung at 10:42 PM on January 31

Found a scarf (maybe two?) and left it with the bartender! Thanks so much for everyone for coming out, it was really fun to meet everyone.

searches for best answer button to give you all best answers.....
posted by jessamyn at 11:31 PM on January 31

Heh. You're all so fun, and it was great to put faces to names! Hooray!!

My lost scarf is blue - Canadian winters eat scarves, hats and mittens...
posted by grippycat at 1:48 AM on February 1

Fun, indeed - but (ow!) I'm regretting that Hoegaarden still.
posted by scruss at 5:59 AM on February 1

So tired. Sorry if I drank too much and talked a lot of smack. That's what I do. It was a fun night. I'll post photos some time soonish.
posted by chunking express at 6:31 AM on February 1

God damn I took a shit load of photos.
posted by chunking express at 6:36 AM on February 1

Gay Jesus Offends Christians.
posted by chunking express at 6:56 AM on February 1 [2 favorites]

It was a good night - cool people and beer, what more do you need out of life? As people said above, it was great to meet so many interesting folks and to be able to put some faces behind the pixels here. Thanks to everyone who organized it and thanks Maudlin for finding Jen's hat.
posted by Staggering Jack at 7:01 AM on February 1

God damn I took a shit load of photos.

Yes. Yes, you did.

It was nice to meet all the new people and see all the old people.

I'm bitter that Sasshat made me RSVP for her and then left before I got there, though. How can we have a Chowhound/Yelp showdown if you run away before I arrive?

I'm also bitter that DNAB didn't show up at all.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:23 AM on February 1

God damn I took a shit load of photos.

Maybe next time we need a sign on the table that says "If you are unduly offended by flash photography, you probably won't enjoy your uptight arse sitting at the table next to ours. Captain No-fun. In addition, don't be surprised if we don't make too much of an effort to respect your coming over complaining about it when your girlfriend was taking shots with a flash at your table before you even got back to your seat..."

I had fun. And I don't think I actually offended anyone, either, despite inadvertently sounding off on one or two subjects so either I wasn't trying very hard or you lot are extraordinarily tolerant.
posted by Brockles at 8:40 AM on February 1

God damn I took a shit load of photos - yes, you totally did (^_^).

I'm hoping that I didn't offend (the pony-free and sightless) or scare (those who have never wondered about the mechanics of breaking a beer bottle in a way to make a good bar-fight weapon).
posted by grippycat at 8:54 AM on February 1

I can't imagine anyone being offended by anything that happened, I just wanted to hug all of you.
posted by Hildegarde at 9:00 AM on February 1

I'm hoping that I didn't offend (the pony-free and sightless)

The depth and complexity of the Vermont mini-pony (wearing sneakers) farm for blind kids concept and its ensuing discussion was both one of the most disturbing and yet fucking awesome conversations I have had in a long time.

The instant leap from mentioning "beer bottle" to two people confessing they have spent significant time and effort trying to learn how to produce weapons from them reliably (and both those people being otherwise seemingly classy and demure ladies) was just disturbing. I thought only backstreet yobs and gang members "used up a whole six pack of empties one night trying to smash it in a way that I could use it to stab someone reliably".
posted by Brockles at 9:40 AM on February 1

When the inevitable apocalypse comes, won't you be happy to know two seemingly classy and demure women who are familiar with alcohol AND improvised weaponry?
posted by grippycat at 10:01 AM on February 1

I know who I'm going to be standing next to when the revolution comes.

*points at grippycat*
posted by Hildegarde at 10:09 AM on February 1

Yay for meetups! It was surprisingly un-awkward, even arriving at exactly seven o'clock as several of us did. I think I only actually met about a quarter of the attendees, though.

I must say, it was pretty clear from the start that scarves would be lost. You've really got to ball them up and stuff them in the sleeve of your coat or they'll slink off into the wild. But I guess it's easy enough to commit the occasional bottle-stabby scarf robbery whenever necessary.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:11 AM on February 1 [1 favorite]

Gay Jesus Offends Christians.

Would've been a nice addition to a now closed MetaTalk thread from earlier today... *which I totally wish I'd been around for.

@If only: I left my scarf too! It's grey and wool! It was a scarf-losing kind of event.

I've got it, and you're welcome to buy it.

Pleasure meeting you all. If in the future I forget your nickname and inadvertently single you out or offend you, drop me an email. Cheers!
posted by gman at 10:20 AM on February 1

The depth and complexity of the Vermont mini-pony (wearing sneakers) farm for blind kids concept and its ensuing discussion was both one of the most disturbing and yet fucking awesome conversations I have had in a long time.

Did anyone save my helpful diagram?

I think I missed all the weaponry discussion but I did spend some time being like "Oh you've been detained at the border for hours before because you've spent too much time in Iran and Syria? You should talk to this other guy, same thing!" I uploaded like three pix which I think are visible on my userpage, I'll link them here when I get home and upload the rest of them.
posted by jessamyn at 10:44 AM on February 1

Nice use of the cananda tag.
posted by gman at 10:49 AM on February 1

Did anyone save my helpful diagram?
posted by grippycat at 11:05 AM on February 1 [1 favorite]

Wow, that was fun! Thanks again to cranberrymonger for getting the space booked. Was that our biggest meetup ever? Am I awake yet? Have I got my voice back? How the hell did I get this hat?

The Bedford was a good choice, expect for the room getting pretty crowded as the night went on and really LOUD, making full circulation and conversations a bit of a challenge. (I still think Nirvana was a great meetup location: central, relaxed, cheap and well laid-out. We should really go back there again.) But I got to meet a lot of regulars and some cool new people, and if there was anyone I missed, you're doomed to meet me at the next one.
posted by maudlin at 11:11 AM on February 1

I think I missed all the weaponry discussion

I believe most of the people who arrived anything approaching on time were party to it...
posted by Brockles at 11:28 AM on February 1

I'm also bitter that DNAB didn't show up at all.

Sorry. Friday night turned from 'go to classmate's for a drink' into 'shit it's 1am, we've polished off a bottle of vodka and two bottles of wine and we have an exam tomorrow', so I was a bit wiped and decided to take the better part of valour. Email me sometime this week.. come down to the college for lunch.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 11:39 AM on February 1

It was nice meeting everybody. Glad I came. The waitress put up a red hat and scarf on the hook by the far wall, so maybe give them a call.
posted by captaincrouton at 12:04 PM on February 1

How does Jessamyn pronounce Mississauga?
posted by avocet at 12:39 PM on February 1

I too had a wonderful time last night - particularly when I was being tutored in the ways of bottle-breaking vigilante justice.

I agree with maudlin about the space: it got a little cramped as the place filled up. I also agree (if anyone said this) that we should do a meet-up again soon in Toronto... maybe in the spring!? Nirvana seems like a cool place to go for beers...

....and I wouldn't say no to some competitive card games either ;) But we'll keep the beer bottles far away from grippycat.

Looking forward to seeing the pictures!
posted by cranberrymonger at 12:39 PM on February 1

Can I just add that pre-meetup Toronto was a snowy frozen wasteland and, then, post meet-up it was a land of sunshine and warmth. And they had a camel at Nathan Phillips Square. Coincidence?
posted by Staggering Jack at 1:50 PM on February 1

Holy shit I took a lot of photos. I'm impressed I only got asked twice to please stop using my god damn flash. I also enjoyed how person number one asked me to stop, and then left right away. I don't remember how long I stopped for person number 2. I was pretty loaded by that point. I think anyway. Flash photography is fucking annoying, and i'm sure if I wasn't so damn drunk I would have been more considerate. Next time i'll buy a bunch of 3200 ISO film and bring my rangefinder.

I have 300 photos from last night. About 100 of them are of gman. I posted (or am posting now) 60 of them on Flickr. I tried to include every deer in headlights shot I have of jessamyn, because there seemed to be way too many. I don't even know if I got a photo of everyone who was there. (Which is kind of sad if you think about it.)

BOOYAKA!
posted by chunking express at 3:46 PM on February 1

About the whole flash, thing. Other than a load of 'balancing cameras on glasses' tricks, is there less intrusive flash alternative? Like a half intensity-meet you in the middle film setting?

They came out really well, but it was incredibly dark in there, so the flash was a massive step input, which is why there were complaints, I suspect. Is there such a thing as variable intensity flashes?
posted by Brockles at 4:13 PM on February 1

chungking express's photos are great, they don't make everybody look creepy and wasted like my photos from the meetup at nirvana.
posted by tehloki at 4:34 PM on February 1

No pictures of me, but that's probably for the best.
posted by the dief at 6:34 PM on February 1

My bad.
posted by chunking express at 7:18 PM on February 1

I have one photo I will be posting.

Gabe is overrepresented because, as he well knows, he's the cutest.
posted by joeclark at 7:19 PM on February 1

Is Nirvana the place on Queen owned by the lady that owns the Green Room and the Red Room?
posted by chunking express at 12:14 PM on February 2

"God damn / Holy shit I took a shit load of great photos."

Nice pics chunking express. Wish I could have made it. Looks like a great time was had.
posted by shoesfullofdust at 7:49 PM on February 2

I love that photo too. The weird coordinated hugging in the background is a cool. I actually also have a shit load of photos of captaincrouton, who was sitting in front of me for much of the night. Poor lady.
posted by chunking express at 10:33 AM on February 3

I miss all the good Toronto meetups.
posted by GuyZero at 6:34 PM on February 19