Seattle Meetup

December 26, 2004 12:15 AM

Seattle and beyond MeFi Meetup followup for scheduling.

y2k sez "nite after Xmas?" Alas, though, for we missed him playing slide guitar. Dan sez NYE and later. I'm open Monday and after. Others?
posted by mwhybark to MetaFilter gatherings at 12:15 AM (45 comments total)

y2k sez "nite after Xmas?"

mwhybark refers to the last paragraph of this comment in caitlinb's, ahem, thread there--to which I assume he meant to link rather than to her user page in what is not the most reader friendly meet up post I've ever seen.
posted by y2karl at 10:14 AM on December 26, 2004

WHOOPS.

It was late and I was tired. My bad, and thanks, karl.
posted by mwhybark at 12:16 PM on December 26, 2004

Um, so when izzit? I wanna see caitlinb and finally meet y2k as well as see Mars, Kindall and Mike (and all you other nice folks) so ah, keep me posted!
posted by black8 at 1:43 AM on December 27, 2004

How about after New Year's so danelope and kindall can come. Maybe the 3rd?
posted by caitlinb at 9:22 AM on December 27, 2004

We have a date on the table! The 3rd is fine here. Did we agree to keep it at the Elysian?
posted by mwhybark at 3:05 PM on December 27, 2004

Count this newbie in for the 3rd.
posted by agropyron at 9:18 PM on December 27, 2004

Funny, I can't find a Newbies buy the first round section in the Wiki. In any case, count this one in too.
posted by fatllama at 3:01 PM on December 28, 2004

OK, I'll make a reservation for 7p. I told the monkeys. Karl, we'd I'd love to meet ya. Same to all the rest of you.

Dan has sworn he'll attend, "barring unspeakable pain," so I'm sending him some Vicodin.
posted by mwhybark at 11:11 AM on December 31, 2004

Alrighty, reservations for ten, 7p, under (of course) "Miguel Cardoso." See you there!
posted by mwhybark at 5:51 PM on January 2, 2005

By "The Elysian", we mean the Elysian at 1221 E Pike St, right?
posted by agropyron at 10:00 PM on January 2, 2005

That's the one. I'll be there.
posted by kindall at 10:31 PM on January 2, 2005

Cirocco and I will be there as well. Should we post a reminder on the first page?
posted by astruc at 12:02 AM on January 3, 2005

Yes, please!
posted by mwhybark at 4:22 PM on January 3, 2005

I am sorry to say I probably will not make it. I hope you all have fun.
posted by y2karl at 4:26 PM on January 3, 2005

Dang! We missed ya, karl.
posted by mwhybark at 11:14 PM on January 3, 2005

Photos!
posted by kindall at 11:31 PM on January 3, 2005

Nice meet!
Sara...will you marry me?
posted by black8 at 3:24 AM on January 4, 2005

I have a few more pix and possibly the roster, and will post after work. Highly enjoyable, folks!

For the record, I'd like to state that as I told my wife the case would be, the hot wimminz were in attendance. Ladies!
posted by mwhybark at 7:19 AM on January 4, 2005

HAD A GOOD TIME!! EXCELLENT GROUP WOULD MEET AGAIN!!!11 A++++++++

Seriously, it was great fun meeting everyone. Particularly the ladies, all of whom were hot, and very few of whom were acting. <cough>

(Big props to Keyser Soze for making the trek up to Seattle despite his unfortunate departure from the site. We'll miss you, son.)
posted by Danelope at 8:17 AM on January 4, 2005

It was great meeting everyone; more pics & shoutouts here.

black8, you don't want to marry me. I have a gigantic penis growing from my forehead that I artfully cover with makeup. Tragic.
posted by astruc at 12:00 PM on January 4, 2005

There was some interest in a mailing list. MeFiSea is available. It's unmoderated but only accepts posts from subscribers. I set it up for approve/confirm because, well, you know. I'll approve anyone with a MeFi username.
posted by caitlinb at 12:03 PM on January 4, 2005

Darn! I didn't see this until today. Me loves the Elysian.
posted by matildaben at 12:33 PM on January 4, 2005

Black8, I'm 99.44% certain I've seen you at Sushirobo shows.

I've also seen Sara's forehead cock. You don't want any of that action, believe you me.

Thanks to Thane, kindall, danel-oppy, caitlinb and her underaged brother, mwhybark, etc. for being so entertaining. Next time we'll have to do musical chairs so I can talk to the kids at the opposite end of the table.
posted by cirocco at 12:46 PM on January 4, 2005

Important lessons learned: Diapers are a much easier sell on Amazon compared to ebay. Danelope feels extremely secure in the masculinity inherent in his name's pronunciation. The revolution won't be televised but it will end up on a memory card in one of Kindall's cool ass toys. Caitlinb earns perma-respect for instantly knowing the etymology of cirocco. Cirocco earns perma-respect for posing with a $5 bill.

And when they say the platter of fries comes with meat drowning in cheese, they really really mean it (oh, didn't anyone snap a picture?). Great time, folks.
posted by fatllama at 1:05 PM on January 4, 2005

I had a lot of fun. By the way, I'm not underaged. I guess that's funny when every other joke in the world has gotten old.
posted by alexgb at 1:55 PM on January 4, 2005

Caitlinb earns perma-respect for instantly knowing the etymology of cirocco.

Well, I immediately¹ thought of Cirocco Jones, which probably isn't what she had in mind and brands me an insta-geek.

1) Actually, the first thing that comes to mind is "sirocco". But I assume that's not what cirocco or fatlama meant.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 2:55 PM on January 4, 2005

Ah, well. Can't blame a brotha for tryin'. Seriously, you should get a doctor to look at that...
Cirocco, you have seen me at SushiRobo shows. I met Arthur and his wife through mutual friends several years ago. If think Gael FC is down with them as well. You should also check out said friends band Transpacific and my group as well.
posted by black8 at 2:55 PM on January 4, 2005

black8, you don't want to marry me. I have a gigantic penis growing from my forehead that I artfully cover with makeup.

Oh, don't worry, he's an anime fan. That's par for the course.
posted by Danelope at 3:26 PM on January 4, 2005

Ok, black8, you're officially awesome.
posted by fatllama at 3:32 PM on January 4, 2005

Dude, I've been trying to convince people of that for years!
posted by black8 at 3:40 PM on January 4, 2005

alexgb, I sincerely and profusely apologize. I really have no excuse for my repeated cracks about your apparent youth, and you think I'd know better, because: when I was 22 I had a job tending bar, and about 40% of the time when I carded someone I'd get the "witty" response "SOMEONE SHOULD CHECK *YOUR* I.D., MISSY, HURR HURR HURR." So, sorry I'm being a jackass.

EB, you'll feel better about your alleged geekiness if you look at my profile.

black8: I'm actually housesitting for GaelFC (friend met) right now while she's in LA. If having a key to someone's car makes you "down with" her, as the kids say, then I am indeed down with the GFC. I will wave her over if we run into you at, say, the showcase on the 14th. (Don't bother proposing marriage to the GFC, as she was torn off the market long ago.)
posted by cirocco at 3:57 PM on January 4, 2005

Aha. Shoulda done that. Those were really fun books. I've had trouble getting other people to read them, though. I re-read the first one last year or maybe the year before. It didn't hold up quite as well as it did when I first read it, though (which must have been well more than fifteen years earlier). I like it better when Gaia really goes around the bend.

The best thing about the trilogy is that Jones is a no-nonsense, truly competent and self-sufficient heroine in sci-fi written before such were commonplace. (Well, Heinlein had a few of those, but then they also were sex-kittens, too, which sort of ruined the effect. Um, okay, that enhanced the effect when I was thirteen, but that's a different context. One apparently Bob never outgrew.) By the way, speaking of those old farts, I grew up in the very small town where Jack Williamson lives and met him on numerous occasions, the first time when I was in fourth grade and tried to convince him that I'd read a book of his that he actually hadn't written. I was quite sure of myself. Good thing I got over that sort of thing.)
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 4:19 PM on January 4, 2005

You met Jack Williamson?!
*kowtows before EB*

I mean, I've met Isaac and Harlan and guys like that, but Jack Williamson... man, that's like knowing Buddy Bolden. (Funny story! Ah, the joys of being in fourth grade...)
posted by languagehat at 4:39 PM on January 4, 2005

Geez, Cirocco you propose to a hot girl one time...

I had such a crush on Caitlinb 14 years ago! We used to call her The Heartthrob (or Throb for short).

Fear not, I shall be somewhat better behaved in the future.
And I think Gael FC and I have met already. We were introduced at the Sunset Tavern a year or two ago.

Is Jack Williamson as good as Avram Davidson? I guess he lived in Seattle for awhile...but I didn't know him (or nothin').
posted by black8 at 4:51 PM on January 4, 2005

Portales is a small town. And Jack seems unwilling to die. I've met him quite a few times, although I've not had the opportunity to sit down with him for an extended talk.

But I do have a (pretty) neat Jack Williamson story.

My best friend from high school, with whom I'm still in touch (actually he lives in Abq. where I now live so we've gotten reaquainted recently)¹, told me this story about Williamson recently. It's sort of cool. Marvin, my friend, after spending many years in industry doing quite well for himself, decided to go back to school to get a degree because he was stymied for advancement. Brave decision. He and his wife and children all moved back to Portales to do so, for a variety of reasons. (Williamson has also long taught what was the first college SF class at Eastern.) Anyway, he switched from engineering to physics and eventually got a MS in physics. His wife, meanwhile, was doing free-lance computer work. Williamson needed some stuff done...this was, um, about seven years ago. Marvin went with his wife and Williamson, after learning that Marvin was a physicist, started quizzing him for more technical background on topics involved in his new book. (I can't believe he's still writing at this advanced age.) Marvin said Williamson was extremely curious, smart, and well-informed for a non-physicist and just soaked up everything he was told.

For the audience out there, Williamson is now in his 90's, I believe.

And he's a really nice man, I can tell you from personal experience. I used to see him riding his bicycle all over town, back in the 70s and 80s, when he was already pretty old.

Accident of where I lived. I've not met Asimov or Ellison and I'd love to. (Although I recall that quote of Asimov's about Harlan as a young convention goer: "We should have killed him then.") I'm envious of the folks you've met. And I'd have loved to meet Heinlein. As implied, I grew up reading Heinlein. Started with his juveniles at a very early age, like six maybe, then quickly on to his adult novels. I loved him. Ah, the golden age.)

1) This sort of anecdote is what people hate, right? Oh, well.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 4:58 PM on January 4, 2005

I'm embarassed to admit that I didn't know who Buddy Bolden was until just now.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 4:59 PM on January 4, 2005

Geez, Cirocco you propose to a hot girl one time...

black8, i kiss you. Mwah!
posted by astruc at 5:40 PM on January 4, 2005

Wait, you and Caitlin went to high school together, Stacey?
posted by mwhybark at 5:43 PM on January 4, 2005

Roll call + a few more pix + a dark video clip here.
posted by mwhybark at 6:24 PM on January 4, 2005

mwhybark's videoclip reminded me to pull the video off of my camera. It's an avi but it played fine on my Mac. Click here for astruc, cirocco, and caitlinb moving.

Now, the important question: Who took this movie? Was it you, fatllama?
posted by astruc at 9:17 PM on January 4, 2005

I think it was agropyron.

And, dang, I appear to have never noticed that Gallery supports videos! I've been bitching for years!
posted by mwhybark at 9:36 PM on January 4, 2005

Heh, I wasn't sure if the avi would work in Gallery or not, it just seemed like it ought to, and lo, it did.
posted by astruc at 9:37 PM on January 4, 2005

It wasn't me; I firmly deny my involvement in any hawt-related program activities.

Since nobody else has mentioned it, I've gotta get it on record that all us newbs present effectively got our $5 refunded because everyone chipped in way too much when the bill came. I knew Seattle was a liberal town, but three cheers for high user number based tax relief.
posted by fatllama at 11:13 PM on January 4, 2005

Caitlin and I useta work together, late 80's, early 90's...

astruc, you shure smile purty. And talk about separated at birth! This is my friend Leslie.
posted by black8 at 11:19 PM on January 4, 2005

Did kindall doublecheck his wallet? Full beer on table, ungodly amounts of money left behind...
posted by mwhybark at 5:36 PM on January 5, 2005