PDX Yuletide meetup

December 11, 2009 10:14 PM

Portland "bah-humbug" meetup, Dec. 25 at Powell's Books downtown. Coffee, conversation, and board & card games.

(Idea spawned from this AskMe thread).

Who's in?

posted by velvet winter to MetaFilter Gatherings at 10:14 PM (52 comments total)

Saucetrough and I will be in PDX over Xmas. We'll swing by if we can!
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 10:17 PM on December 11, 2009

I have
➀ A burning eternal love for mefites
➁ Boggle
but I couldn't show up in the AM, because I'm going to first celebrate surviving December in the retail sector by sleeping an extra 10 goddamn hours.
posted by churl at 10:31 PM on December 11, 2009

We should definitely double check their holiday hours, but I am in, whatever time works for the rest.
posted by idiopath at 10:46 PM on December 11, 2009

OK, downtown Powell's is open 10 AM to 6 PM, I can meet any time in that range no problem.
posted by idiopath at 10:48 PM on December 11, 2009

I'd love to, but I have a full schedule of god-bless-us-every-oneing to do that day unfortunately. Have fun humming the bugs, though.
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:00 PM on December 11, 2009

Yay! I mean, seriously: Yay! I have nerds to hang out with on Christmas. At Powell's. With Boggle.

And here I was bummed all day because I only got four answers to my Askme. Like I wasn't cool enough to be a mefite anymore because nobody liked me, everybody hated me, and I should just go eat some worms.

Now I've gone and spawned a meet up. You guys just seriously made my weekend.
posted by dchrssyr at 12:11 AM on December 12, 2009

Awesome, dchrssyr! I agree that hanging out with fellow nerds on Christmas - especially at Powell's, complete with board games an' all - sounds like one of the best holiday celebrations I can imagine. Looking forward to it!

Shall we say...2:00-ish? Later?
posted by velvet winter at 12:26 AM on December 12, 2009

Aw man, I totally love meetups, coffee, Powell's, and boardgames, but I also love being on speaking terms with my mom, and I'm pretty sure ditching her on Christmas to hang out with my internet friends might endanger that. So no meetup for me, probably. Have fun, you meetup-having jerks.
posted by maqsarian at 12:30 AM on December 12, 2009

I was considering suggesting this, but I didn't want to be That Guy Who Always Does The Meetups. I may be there, not sure if I'll be back from the City by then. Mark me as tentative, otherwise I'll see you at 10.4 sometime in January. Marshmallows optional.
posted by geckoinpdx at 2:40 AM on December 12, 2009

This is the sweetest damn thing. Next time I have to explain why I love MetaFilter so much I think I'll just say that with MetaFilter you'll never be alone on Christmas. I'll be in Iceland, otherwise I'd swing by like nobody's business (in Iceland Christmas Eve is the big day so Dec. 25th is either a day to relax or hang out with one's family). Have a ton of fun!
posted by Kattullus at 6:56 AM on December 12, 2009

2:00 sounds good.
posted by dchrssyr at 8:19 AM on December 12, 2009

Oh man that's almost worth flying to PDX for xmas. Have fun, y'all.
posted by gingerbeer at 9:09 AM on December 12, 2009

This is happening in the wrong Portland, from my geographical perspective. For about 2 seconds I thought I'd found a very different sort of thing to celebrate on xmas. Have fun, Left-Coasters!
(or is that just CA?)
posted by Hobgoblin at 10:30 AM on December 12, 2009

Will be out of town. Have fun, though.
posted by spherical_perceptions at 12:24 PM on December 12, 2009

Oh, this is Oregon. Bah humbug.

Your Portland was named after my Portland.
posted by dunkadunc at 1:53 PM on December 12, 2009 [1 favorite]

I suspect I will be busy all day hanging out with family, but I might find time to drop by, depending on when you're doing it. If not, have fun.

(We need to have a non-holiday meetup sometime soon, though.)
posted by Caduceus at 2:42 PM on December 12, 2009

JaiMahodara and I are totally in!! This is great! We were wondering what we were going to do on Christmas!
posted by Lutoslawski at 4:47 PM on December 12, 2009

Wow! I figured most PDX MeFites would be out of town or otherwise unavailable. I had no idea there would be this much interest. This is great! I suppose I'd better get there early to claim a large table.

I'll bring Apples to Apples and Fluxx, and a standard deck of cards. I could even bring poker chips, if there's interest.

And yeah, Caduceus, I agree that it's high time for a non-holiday meetup as well!
posted by velvet winter at 5:48 PM on December 12, 2009

I love Apples to Apples. Hey, anyone interested in a game of Spades?
posted by dchrssyr at 7:26 PM on December 12, 2009

Oh my, I'm tentatively in. And my first meetup. How exciting!
posted by thankyouforyourconsideration at 11:00 PM on December 12, 2009

Hooray! Apples to Apples I personally think is a great game. Personally, I think a Portland Mefite Risk extravaganza might be awesome as well.
posted by Lutoslawski at 11:41 PM on December 12, 2009

I'm tentatively in..maybe I'll take the train down from seattle and stay overnight (so I can visit the Technical Book Shop the next day).
posted by jacalata at 1:09 AM on December 14, 2009

oh yea, i meant to add: put it on the meetup calendar?
posted by jacalata at 1:09 AM on December 14, 2009

oh yea, i meant to add: put it on the meetup calendar?

Yes please! But it's going to have to be someone from the inner circle.
posted by Lutoslawski at 9:31 AM on December 14, 2009

If Saucetrough and I make it, we're going to bring Balderdash.

Somehow, I get the feeling that y'all will prove brilliant at Balderdash.

And all my other damn friends already know all my damn tells, so now I only win when everyone's really drunk. Please, please, play with me.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 11:36 AM on December 14, 2009

ok, I loved balderdash as a kid - but do you mean the game I had as a kid, where it's just strange words, or the bastardised pop culture version featuring 'celebrity names' and so on?
posted by jacalata at 7:01 PM on December 14, 2009

Okay, so...2:00 PM, December 25, Powell's downtown, in the World Cup coffee shop. I'll try to get a big table.

"Bah humbug" indeed. This meetup is gonna rock!
posted by velvet winter at 1:03 AM on December 15, 2009

Woot!
posted by Lutoslawski at 11:52 AM on December 15, 2009

Mr. Rabbit and I will be there, yay my first meetup! Sure to be more fun that last Christmas, which was spent with family...
posted by rabbitrabbit at 6:41 PM on December 15, 2009

Oh... since this is my first meetup I don't know the rules, is it allowed to bring SOs if they do not have a MeFi account?
posted by rabbitrabbit at 7:46 PM on December 15, 2009

Yeah, that's totally fine, rabbitrabbit.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:57 PM on December 15, 2009

Oh... since this is my first meetup I don't know the rules, is it allowed to bring SOs if they do not have a MeFi account?

Yes, but they are subject to the lurker initiation process. So you might want to prepare him.
posted by Lutoslawski at 10:24 AM on December 16, 2009

Rabbitrabbit: it only hurts the first time.
posted by geckoinpdx at 1:20 AM on December 19, 2009

I won't commit, because I never commit, but I might stop by.
posted by frykitty at 2:45 AM on December 22, 2009

Thanks guys. That was fun. I'm so glad I posted that Askme. But I'm never playing Apples to Apples against velvet winter again.
posted by dchrssyr at 6:23 PM on December 25, 2009 [1 favorite]

So how was MetaFilter's first ever Xmas Day meetup?
posted by Kattullus at 6:42 PM on December 25, 2009

That was great fun, my fellow gamer nerds! I'm glad you posted that AskMe too, dchrssyr. Thanks for the Powell's suggestion, idiopath. Good idea.

Best Xmas ever. Loved it. More gaming meetups, please!

I was having so much fun that I didn't even get around to taking any photos. Probably a good thing, since I'm a lousy photographer. I think Lutoslawski got a few, though.

I'm never playing Apples to Apples against velvet winter again.

Would you believe that's the first time I've ever won that game? Honest! I kid you not!

And let it be known that I still think "feminists" should have won for "hot," and I would have voted for that one regardless of whether or not I had been the one to play the card. Heh.
posted by velvet winter at 6:43 PM on December 25, 2009

I'm liking this gaming at meetups thing. Maybe a pen and paper RPG next time? Something where we could get into character and be silly and overthink stuff. Or maybe that is too much of a nerd thing even for us.
posted by idiopath at 8:08 PM on December 25, 2009

And let it be known that I still think "feminists" should have won for "hot," and I would have voted for that one regardless of whether or not I had been the one to play the card. Heh.

yeah yeah, but then JaiMahodara wouldn't have gotten any points and that might have made her sad.
posted by dchrssyr at 8:33 PM on December 25, 2009

I'd be into the pen-and-paper RPG thing, idiopath. (I haven't played RPGs in at least fifteen years, though, so I'd probably need a bit of hand-holding to get started). Actually, I'd be into just about any kind of gaming meetup.

For what it's worth, I can think of very, very few things I'd consider "too much" when it comes to nerdly pursuits. Nerds rock. Especially MetaFilter nerds!
posted by velvet winter at 8:37 PM on December 25, 2009

dchrssyr: Yeah...in my ideal world, JaiMahodara would have game points and feminists would win for "hot"!
posted by velvet winter at 8:46 PM on December 25, 2009

Probably a good thing, since I'm a lousy photographer. I think Lutoslawski got a few, though.

I did...but they're just digi cam snapshots...I am a lousy photographer as well (i.e. not an actual photographer, just a dude who takes some pictures for sentimental value), and the photos can't compete with the meet-up standard; that said, I would post them, but I have no flikr account or anything...do I have to get one to post them?

I'm all about gaming meet-ups. Really meet-ups in general...so whatever the theme I'll probably show.

And heck yeah that was great! Christmas with MetaFilter!!

P.S. - Geckoinpedx, I still have your lens cap. I hoped maybe you would make an appearance, but alas...do you want me to mail it to you? Or deliver it to you? I feel bad I've had it so long.

p.s.s. I admit it - I really liked Avatar.
posted by Lutoslawski at 10:32 PM on December 25, 2009

Lutosawski: if you email them to me I can post them to my flickr account, as a penance for not making it to 10.4.
posted by geckoinpdx at 10:55 PM on December 25, 2009

And let it be known that I still think "feminists" should have won for "hot," and I would have voted for that one regardless of whether or not I had been the one to play the card. Heh.

Don't take ballroom dancing from me. Just don't, please (cuz "the adjectives you win make up your personality.."

.

...

well, crap.).
posted by JaiMahodara at 11:09 PM on December 25, 2009

I got Settlers of Catan for Christmas, but that doesn't allow for more than four people. But it's something to consider, especially if I end up getting the 5-6 player expansion.
posted by Caduceus at 12:58 AM on December 26, 2009

I also have Arkham Horror, but that's pretty horrendously complicated, and takes too long to play in any sort of public place.
posted by Caduceus at 12:59 AM on December 26, 2009

Gerhard Stäbler was the lemon sucking acquaintance I was talking about at the meetup, by the way, but I am finding no online references to his story.
posted by idiopath at 7:36 AM on December 26, 2009 [1 favorite]

That just makes me treasure the story even more. I also meant to mention, idiopath, that I hadn't seen you wear a beard before, and it looks good on you. Beards unite!

Basically everyone who spent christmas with their dumb families or whatever totally missed out.

PS Is jacalata the attendee whose username I forgot? I managed to retain the username of (and/or had previously met) everyone at the table except one and I feel like a jerk about it.
posted by churl at 6:49 PM on December 26, 2009

Basically everyone who spent christmas with their dumb families or whatever totally missed out.

Stupid family, making me miss out. It sounds like you guys had a really good time. Mark my words, internet: I will not miss the next Portland meetup.

I want to see idiopath's beard.
posted by maqsarian at 8:42 PM on December 26, 2009

probably me, yea. how churlish!

I spent all of today in Powell's again. Now my arms hurt from carrying all those books home, even though I put half of them back at the checkout. And I only got through two rooms. Still, I'm glad I managed to not stop on the way to the coffee shop yesterday, it was fun :)
posted by jacalata at 10:36 PM on December 26, 2009 [1 favorite]

Dang, how did I miss hearing about this one? Phooey. Ah well, next time....
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:46 AM on December 29, 2009

I'm sorry I flaked! Next meetup I will totally not flake!

Mr. Rabbit was all "I don't want to spend Christmas with a bunch of Internet nerds I don't know" and I... well, I couldn't argue with him or leave him alone to go hang out with you guys. Though I thought about it... very briefly.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 10:14 PM on December 29, 2009