uscentric nonsense

September 16, 2009 3:43 PM

Meeting metafilter - cortex sees AMERICA ?

In the interests of balance - i think matt should pay cortex's airfare to europe so we can meet him and steal his lunch money : )

there's lots of good european mefites you know, I can't think of any offhand right now - i think there were a few at some point, pretty generic was a helpful member, he was from london - surely he deserves a visit ?

posted by sgt.serenity to feature requests at 3:43 PM (72 comments total)

This is a good idea. If Matt pays my way, I'll also go to a meetup in Europe.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:51 PM on September 16 [6 favorites]

what the fuck's a "europe"?
posted by gman at 3:52 PM on September 16 [14 favorites]

Me! Ouzo and Gyro! See? Greek words are all small and easy. Opa! also send Jessamyn, plz, kthx!
posted by taz at 3:52 PM on September 16

20 bux, same as in town.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:53 PM on September 16 [1 favorite]

No thanks, I have my own rope.
posted by dirigibleman at 3:53 PM on September 16

As soon as Jetblue offers a Europe special, I'm sure cortex will get right on this.
posted by Afroblanco at 3:55 PM on September 16 [1 favorite]

Also, as soon as they offer any flights to Europe at all.
posted by dersins at 3:57 PM on September 16 [1 favorite]

Has anyone complained about the lowercase 'f' in 'Metafilter' yet?
posted by Combustible Edison Lighthouse at 3:57 PM on September 16 [4 favorites]

It's my turn for a junket next. If I can go to 14 meetups in Europe for $600, sign me up.
posted by jessamyn at 4:01 PM on September 16 [1 favorite]

pretty generic was a helpful member, he was from london - surely he deserves a visit ?

He was banned for life and ruined my Thanksgiving. Please don't do that here.
posted by jessamyn at 4:02 PM on September 16

It should be noted that this was only possible because of JetBlue's $599 all-you-can-fly offer.

Can you get from SEA or PDX to Europe for $599 RT anymore? I know BA used to offer $300 RT from Seattle to LHR in the dead of winter, but it's been a long time since I remember seeing those prices.
posted by dw at 4:03 PM on September 16

Any travel agents in the group? A MeFi Meetups trip to Greece, Portugal London and Korea would be mad fun.
posted by theora55 at 4:04 PM on September 16

Sounds like it's jessamyn fundraising time. I have £5 I'll put in the send jessamyn to Europe fund.

Of course this means my cat will have to go without food this month.
posted by cjorgensen at 4:05 PM on September 16

I'd donate $100 to that.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:15 PM on September 16

"i think matt should pay cortex's airfare to europe so we can meet him and steal his lunch money"

Fuck that shit. No, Matt should pay my airfare to Europe to see all of you. Frankly, I think that this is a much better idea.
posted by Effigy2000 at 4:18 PM on September 16

I think cortex should visit Canada and Mexico.
posted by box at 4:21 PM on September 16 [1 favorite]

Thar's socialists ovar thar.
posted by The Deej at 4:34 PM on September 16

i have four bedrooms. any mefites (that are ok with cats) are welcome here. for serious! drop me a line yo
posted by By The Grace of God at 4:35 PM on September 16

I don't like Europe. Too many tourists.
posted by eyeballkid at 4:37 PM on September 16

I don't like Europe. Too many foreigners.
posted by Floydd at 4:44 PM on September 16 [1 favorite]

I like Europe. 'The Final Countdown,' that's my jam.
posted by box at 4:45 PM on September 16 [13 favorites]

> I think cortex should visit Canada and Mexico.
exactly, everyone knows America is a continent, not a country

I kid, I kid
posted by dhruva at 4:49 PM on September 16

I like Norway. That's where I'm a Viking.
posted by desjardins at 4:58 PM on September 16 [8 favorites]

I'd support a jessamyn <> Europe fundraiser.

In fact, maybe we should name it the 29 Bucks, Same As In Europe fund.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 5:00 PM on September 16 [2 favorites]

Or 18 quid, if you are so inclined.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 5:00 PM on September 16

'The Final Countdown,' that's my jam.

These guys rock it at the flea market.
posted by Devils Rancher at 5:01 PM on September 16

I think sending Jessamyn to Europe with a railpass would be the way to go.
posted by cortex at 5:14 PM on September 16 [1 favorite]

Ooooh, that's a good idea.
posted by jessamyn at 5:15 PM on September 16

After we send Jessamyn to Europe with a railpass, can we sponsor a "Mathowie bikes the flyover states" trip? Because the midwest needs some mod-love too, yo.
posted by donnagirl at 5:18 PM on September 16 [4 favorites]

I am going to Iowa next month. Des Moines meetup!
posted by jessamyn at 5:20 PM on September 16

We totally flew to Dublin last spring for $199 each way (DC to Dublin) - I think you could get there under your $600 "take *that* Cortex!!" budget.
posted by ersatzkat at 5:41 PM on September 16

Come to Asia - swim with the tide of history (one of the cheapest ways to travel.)
posted by Abiezer at 5:44 PM on September 16

A month long Eurail pass is like $1199. Sadly, it doesn't cover the UK, so you would have to buy separate tickets, which cost another bazillion quid. But it does cover Greece! Though sadly not Albania, Macedonia or Bulgaria, so you might have a problem getting there in the first place.

If you cloned your identity and set up a fake Jessamyn living in Tampere, you could purchase an InterRail pass which is way cheaper and better. It's also cheaper if you're under 26. Do you think you could pass for a 25 year old Finn?

You won't be able to stay at my house though. I don't like Finnish people.
posted by Sova at 5:52 PM on September 16 [4 favorites]

Week-long Mefi Narrowboat Meetup!
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:56 PM on September 16

Who do we send to tour Antarctica?
posted by qvantamon at 6:04 PM on September 16

pretty_generic lives in america now
posted by tehloki at 6:07 PM on September 16

Wait, what on earth do you have to do to get banned for life? On Thanksgiving, no less?
posted by disillusioned at 6:21 PM on September 16

Start using a bunch of old dormant accounts that your friend used a brute-force dictionary attack to gain access to and then fuck around on the site from multiple accounts on and off during the day. Deny all knowledge of what was going on except to your friends on the IRC channel.

That said, he's settled in the US and married and seems okay now so he's got an account we just keep a really close eye on it.
posted by jessamyn at 6:24 PM on September 16

Uh, I'm sure you could get a significantly cheaper rail pass if you know where you're going (i.e. not go from Portugal to Finland on a whim).
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:38 PM on September 16

Thank god that crazy hellion of a maniac has settled down!
posted by rob paxon at 6:44 PM on September 16 [2 favorites]

Uh, I'm sure you could get a significantly cheaper rail pass if you know where you're going (i.e. not go from Portugal to Finland on a whim).

Bullshit. Traveling by whim is considerably more expensive than by train.
posted by qvantamon at 6:45 PM on September 16 [1 favorite]

European Thanksgiving 2009 vacation?
posted by buzzman at 6:58 PM on September 16

When is European Thanksgiving, anyway?
posted by ocherdraco at 7:08 PM on September 16 [1 favorite]

Ancient summary of the P_G exploits and how they panned out. Damn, I think I'm almost an old-timer now; the original algal bloom of five dollar n00bz.
posted by nanojath at 7:09 PM on September 16

Thanksgiving in Europe is totally on a different date than either the USA or Canada.
posted by Nick Verstayne at 7:10 PM on September 16

After we send Jessamyn to Europe with a railpass, can we sponsor a "Mathowie bikes the flyover states" trip?

Next up will be Howie Hitchhikes to Honduras. This one'll be much simpler, all we need to do is mail him a few bags of peanuts every few days after he logs in to tell us where he washed up.
posted by mannequito at 7:12 PM on September 16

ocherdraco - snap!.
posted by Nick Verstayne at 7:12 PM on September 16

If jessamyn flies Icelandair she can do a free 3 day stopover in Iceland AND they're a cheapass airline (confidential to dw: you could certainly find a flight to Europe through Icelandair for between $500-600).
posted by Kattullus at 7:21 PM on September 16

That said, he's settled in the US and married and seems okay now so he's got an account we just keep a really close eye on it.

I don't know why, but for some reason when I read this I imagined a cliched movie plot where his old buddies get together and rouse him from his domestic bliss to hack and troll the site for one last time.

On Thanksgiving.
posted by Afroblanco at 7:51 PM on September 16 [4 favorites]

Heh. George Clooney on... "PG's 13"

Catchy.
posted by qvantamon at 8:19 PM on September 16 [1 favorite]

desjardins in djibouti!

wait.
posted by desjardins at 8:46 PM on September 16

If jessamyn flies Icelandair she can do a free 3 day stopover in Iceland

Recommended, yes, do this. Iceland is a place you should go if you can.
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:14 PM on September 16

I'm going to Europe, you can meet me. I mean, I'm not a celebrity, but I'm pretty entertaining.
posted by little e at 9:23 PM on September 16

ocherdraco: "When is European Thanksgiving, anyway?"

On the fourth of July.
posted by Kadin2048 at 10:08 PM on September 16

I am willing to sell our cat for medical experiments to help fund this. (Just don't tell my wife.)
posted by maxwelton at 10:27 PM on September 16

I am willing to sell myself for medical experiments to help fund this. (Just don't tell my mom.)

It's worked before, at Pharmaco, in Austin, Texas. Cash money for testing meds on people and taking lotsa blood samples.

Didn't know it at the time, but now-movie director Robert Rodriguez was doing it, too. I want the meds he got.
posted by ambient2 at 10:36 PM on September 16

I had a lovely European Thanksgiving with Specklet(who cooked a fantastic Indian meal!) and TheDonF last year.
posted by brujita at 11:37 PM on September 16

If jessamyn flies Icelandair she can do a free 3 day stopover in Iceland

Though food and hotel bills in Iceland for the three days will probably double the cost of your trip -- it's still totally worth it.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:36 AM on September 17

tehloki: pretty_generic lives in america now

huh? i thought he got banned
posted by koeselitz at 1:13 AM on September 17 [2 favorites]

Maybe the Banhammer glanced off his skull, and the mods let him live out of pity.
posted by Dr Dracator at 2:23 AM on September 17

"When is European Thanksgiving, anyway?"

First Sunday in October. (For the Catholic Europeans that is.) We usually eat goose or duck, not turkey (depends on local customs though). Oh wait, you didn't really want to know, did you?
posted by ZeroAmbition at 3:46 AM on September 17

I wanted to know though and looked it up. That first Sunday in October (or Sunday next to St. Michaels Day) rule, seems to be actually just a German thing. The "Thanksgiving" date seems to be all over the place from 1. August to whenever somewhere before Christmas in the other EU countries. Weird. Thought it was more consistent.
posted by ZeroAmbition at 4:01 AM on September 17

cortex is still alive in New Orleans, but barely.
posted by ColdChef at 5:32 AM on September 17

In England harvest festival is usually the very end of September, or thereabouts. I don't know why USians celebrate it so late in November, as the harvest is well and truly over by then. Sadly, the harvest festival scene has been cornered by churches over here, so if you're not religious you're less likely to celebrate it. Maybe a secular harvest celebration would go down well.

However, you can find Thanksgivings in many places in Europe held by people from the US. I went to one in Manchester a few years back which doubled as a queer dinner party. Somebody asked what we were thankful for on Thanksgiving, and I said I was thankful that Native Americans didn't have a word for irony. Sweet potato pie is nice though, so that's at least something.
posted by Sova at 5:41 AM on September 17

Me! Ouzo and Gyro! See? Greek words are all small and easy. Opa! also send Jessamyn, plz, kthx!
posted by taz at 6:52 PM on September 16

Don't listen to him. Only the words you say when you're drunk or fighting are short.

Unlike Ζαχαροπλαστείο. That's greek for "magical store of delight where Gods and Muses spin sweet dreams in crystal and cocoa".
posted by Pastabagel at 6:48 AM on September 17

Sadly, the harvest festival scene has been cornered by churches over here...
Though from a social history point of view you could argue it was the other way round - the secular and alcoholic tendencies of our peasantry captured these festivals and forced the church into being an uneasy sponsor of sometimes Bacchanalian village feasts and general piss-uppery. We are the cider drinkers...
posted by Abiezer at 7:24 AM on September 17

Well he tried to make it Sunday, but he got so damn depressed.
posted by waraw at 8:37 AM on September 17

*meets waraw in the middle*
posted by cortex at 8:51 AM on September 17

I totally thought this was going to be about the lack of destinations in places like Buenos Aires on the cortex junket.
posted by cmgonzalez at 12:12 PM on September 17

Jessamyn in Europe. I'll chip in for that.
posted by jouke at 12:26 PM on September 17

I'm starting to think a top-gear-esque show with cortex, jess and matt would be pretty awesome.

"Here it is..."
* shot of a laptop in a pile of leaves; a Grieg aria playing
"The new Macbook Zonda 4"
* a montage of 2second cuts
"But how well will it perform..."
* shot of the mods seaside
"... underwater?
* shot of mathowie fumbling the macbook off a cliff, bouncing into the caspian sea
*cutaway to an Apple Store, jess and cortex trying to smooth-talk a genius into warranty replacement
posted by boo_radley at 12:48 PM on September 17 [5 favorites]

Iceland is a place you should go if you can.
Maybe we could take up a collection. Why didn't someone think of that before now?

So, who is rostered to visit the antipodes? You could do one of those tickets that lets you fly as much as you want, as long as you don't backtrack and fit in Asia on the way through (maybe Antarctica too).
posted by dg at 4:18 AM on September 18