July 18, 2005

• It's the closest meetup yet. I would go, but I'm poor and a hermit.
• 'twill be my bachelor party, in New Orleans. So, sorry, can't make it! But, damn, monkeys in the frosty white north. Somebody post some snow monkey photos!
• North? Don't make me laugh.
• Everything's relative, I suppose. I just imagine everything north of Memphis (that's Tennesee-US, not Egypt) as being a frosty waste with Yeti and spies on snowmobiles. Currently 92 F (not converting to C!), 100 with the humidity! Oh hell, it's 90 in Detroit....
• It *is* 90 in Detroit (and the town I live in an hour south), with about a million percent humidity. It feels like Houston here :) I wish I could go to the meetup -- it's the closest yet! But I'm graduating that weekend (I'll be Dr. meredithea!), and a whole bunch of my family are coming up from TX to see me. (If anyone wants to stop by Bowling Green for the crazy crazy graduation party feel free to email me!)
• Congratulations, soon-to-be Dr. meridithea! Have fun, Ontarian oenophiles & others!
• I'll be there, and expect crazy Canadian bowling to ensue
• It's 40C (104F) with the humidity here in Ottawa at 7pm, so, um, yeah. The long weekend is actually the week before, Nika, I realized - but since my thesis is due on the Tuesday, we were going to push our trip to the 5-7 weekend anyway. So this is great. :) I'm not sure what parts I'll get to - I haven't been down Toronto-way since Xmas, um, and have lots of family and people to see. I will be in Kitchener at some point visiting a good friend, so maybe I'll pop by the house party. More likely you'll just see me the Saturday downtown in Toronto. I'll try to confirm things a few days before, when I don't have anything hanging over my head anymore.
• ...and expect crazy Canadian bowling to ensue... This allows me to suggest a new sport that I dreamed up. Cross country curling. Canadian monkeys discuss. I want notes in the morning.
• Ooh! I did intermural curling last year. It was the fun.
• Can we try to keep this on topic for a little while?? You can get back to announcing your doctorhoods and commentating the international cross country curling competition late. Anyway, I will be attending in all my glory. Mostly because if I don't someone will be stuck at the airport.
• I would be there for sure, but, the (6th!) annual Alan Parsons FanFest awaits and my dearest friends will be mighty pissed if the rhythm guitarist and vocalist for the tribute band fails to arrive in East Anklescratch, MO. As a two-day resident of Ann Arbor, this would have been a day trip and I'm dying to explore my neighbo(u)rs' to the north stomping grounds, I'll have to take a rain cheque. Have fun for me.
• I will also more than likely be there, with lager. And the Trogenator.
• I hate you all and hope you have a horrible, horrible time. And that no one wins the five-pin bowling. [/jealous]
• Now that's the mother of all taglines: Monkeyfilter: I hate you all and hope you have a horrible, horrible time (Tracicle).
• I'll be sure to be there for some part of it. Not sure which part yet -- have to check my busy social calendar, (*cough*) but I have no doubt it's worth the drive to Acton. Kitchener. Toronto. Whatever. And I'm always up for some five-pin. (Aside to squidranch -- haven't done cross-country curling, but back in first year, some dorm mates and I dreamed up Downhill Bowling. Winter sport. Worked out very well, as we had this nice toboggan hill out back with a good sized ditch at the bottom. Throw the bowling ball, a massive Brunswick Black Beauty, down the hill as hard as you can, ball goes rolling on down, uses the ditch as a launch ramp, sails through the air magnificently, lands with deadening thud. Points for distance and/or cars hit. Bit tiring carrying the ball back up the hill, though. But I digress...)
• I won't be there, as I live on a different continent. It's also a few days before my mummy's birthday, so will be saving my pocket money to get her a prezzy.
• Aww... (...mama's boy...)
• I will ignore that comment, as you haven't seen the gorgon she changes into should one forget the big day. As I did once, and only once.
• Ah. Nevermind, then.
• See, this is why geography sucks. No one lives remotely close to Saskatchewan. *waves a stack of free bowling passes at nasty Ontarians*
• Will there be rampant buggery?
• Perhaps, Smo, but Saskatchewan has much better dirty limericks. As for rampant buggery, I'd think that depends on how the brewery tour goes. Need to get drunk enough to want to partake of buggery, but not too drunk as to not accomplish it. Wish us luck!
• Keep me posted on the itenerary...I'll try to make a few of the events. Brewery tour & bowling sound particularly worthy of my presence.
• haha I live in Windsor but I'd doubt that my parents would allow me to go. Underaged monkey here.
• Smo... A few of us are closer than you think. I'll be in Estevan (I know that's way south of you) at that weekend. If you want to come down, get screaming drunk and make fun of the locals you know where I'll be.
• Ok, so due to financial issues flying to Buffalo or even Ontario is out of the question for me. But what's a 12 hour drive anyway? Here's all I need to know: -Once I get to the border, am I gonna need any particular IDs or certificates to prove I'm not a terrorist or disloyal liberal umehrikan tryin to jump ship? -Is the route Google Maps takes me from Louisville, KY to Kitchener correct? -Any monkeys near Kentucky wanna come along for the ride?
• Looks right to me, genial (and 11 hours, not 12!). Makes more sense to go through Detroit, not Buffalo, for sure. Crossing the border? Take your passport if you have it. If not, driver's license and birth cert. is fine. Long trip - when are you aiming to arrive?
• tempest, thanks, it's nice to know there are a few monkeys around these parts but, yeah, that's a little too far for me, sadly.
• I'd probably make for an early departure on Friday morning and drive straight through. I'm used to long trips like that. Crank up the music and stop for gas and coffee as needed. I lost my passport at some point in the past couple years. Would a copy of a birth cert work combined with my driver's license? If not I could get the 'rents to FedEx me the original I guess.
• You probably need a "copy" with a raised seal
• leave the seals out of it you barbarians! um but have a good time bowling tho
• If you're gracing downtown Toronto I'll probably stop by and say hi, at least.
• /ponders tending granny-escort services to removablefriend. *counts pills* It's just possibly doable but, bowling NOT
• You don't have to bowl. We'll give you a stack of loonies and leave you in charge of the jukebox. ;)
• The Toronto Saturday night might work for me. What are the odds that will happen?
• Yep, dxlifer, I agree. Bowling smacks of all those elite types: Fred Flinstone, Ralph Kramden, Archie Bunker, etc. In fact, an ex from many years ago used to refer disdainfully to "people who bowl" in a horrified tone. But what *really* gets to me, in a marginal-autism kinda way, is that you toss the ball away, and the darn thing keeps coming back! Klingon, or what! Then there's the shoe business; gack! And the noise, noise, noise, noise! Actually I'm sick with envy, would fly to Trawna if the 'copter weren't in for an oil change, and would like it especially if it were black light bowling!!! Wheee! Wonder if the MoFi shirts are blacklightable?
• It was black light bowling the time before last that I went. We also had the whole place to ourselves. Toronto is looking likelyish. Ultimately depends on how much driving the out-of-towners want to do.
• (From someone who works in a bowling center, just phone ahead and ask if they'll do glow bowling for a group. Exaggerate the numbers a bit; they'll expect that. If it's as dead there as it is here in the summer, they'll do it for you, unless they have a league or a larger group that doesn't want it.)
• MonkeyFilter: a stack of loonies
• I don't know if you'd really want me in charge of the juke box. Rap, not. C & W, not. Modern rock, not. OH. Canned Heat. Seger. Rocks a disc on. *gasp* How'd they shrink those lp's like that? Black lights? LSD? Shrooms? Groovy. /goes looking for her old and very original hippie shirt and wooden beads.
• Who doesn't like classic rock? That's my default radio station.
• OK, it's settled...dxlifer is in charge of the juke box and the drugs.
• Yo'. And who'se covering my trafficking costs?
• If you come to Toronto Saturday night, I'm 99% I'll join you guys. I'm still on the fence about coming Kitchener right now, though. I'll let you know by Wednesday, I guess. And it's not bowling if it's not candlepin bowling!
• Remember: you have to drink whenever anyone says "eh".
• wow, I'm now officially jealous. feeling a need to rally the Austin monkeys...
• Someone better tell dxlifer that the drug trafficking just got a little trickier.
• That was just for sneaking Smarties across, is all.
• *whispers* trac, be quiet. /leaves to scheme new diversionary plot. n(monkeys) x d(hours) x D(censored out) = big need to plan.
• Enjoy yourselves, monkeys!
• we want pics! And bowling scores!
• Well shucks, it looks like I spoke too soon on being able to come. Funds, and a lack of transportation vehicle are going to limit me it seems. Ah well, have a great time grumble grumble At the very least can I get a shoutout if y'all happen upon a camera and aren't too busy reveling in debauchery? ;)
• I was wondering about the combined costs of transportation, etc., in our fair and wide land, as well genial. Is anyone besides me looking at using the 401 west-bound for this venture? /car-sharing?
• BUMP
• Um... Saturday is looking good, but Kitchener, sadly, is not. Bowl me a gutterball and a strike.
• I don't think we're going to hit Toronto. Let me know if you'll come out here for the day or weekend, whatever.
• Looks like we might get a couple more weekenders. w00t!
• I'm in! Gonna saddle me up a greyhound and head on down to the lanes. { Yee haw. }
• Yo! I'm IN! Just for a while on Friday, though. I'm taking the train in and it arrives at 12:21 at the Kitchener station (this means I leave Ottawa at 6am, the things I do for you monkeys). Anywho, if someone could pick me up there that would be splendid. I am only going to be able to stick around until about 6ish at which point I have a good friend in Kitchener to go visit. Though if you guys are planning the bowling or something for that evening, perhaps I can just invite my friend and her husband along - let me know when you figure out the itinerary, and I'll plan accordingly. Yay for meetups!!
• Yep, that's no problem, I can come and get you. At that point, the meetup is - uh - me and the babies. If you don't mind. =) I don't expect other people in until dinnertime-ish, but if you want to go out with us later, you can definitely bring your friends along. I think NTN is going to be one of our best options for Friday night....
• Ah, so typical of me, not getting it quite right...well, so long as you don't mind me hanging about, then I will. :) Going out for dinner sounds good - I will talk to my friends and see if they're up for it. Um, still, yay for meetups!! (Yes, I'm giddy about the fact I'm going on a trip).
• Why in the world would I mind? I thought *you* would mind that it'd be only me! Haha. We'll get to catch up and stuff. I didn't realize you were coming all the way from Ottawa, I thought you'd be in TO already....
• We got Monkey(s). They are napping in prep for the going-outedness tonight.... We are in possession of a "Firklover" candy bar from Norway (shoutout to the #mofirc) and Suo has brought up two bottles of Golden Monkey ale. w00t.
• there's no more golden monkey.... and everyone is sleeping.
• pictures?
• We lost a Monkey. =(
• ?
• They're always in the last place you look.
• Someone said they were coming, then we never heard from them again.... we missed a couple phone calls that might've been them, though, so we don't know what happened. I'm a bit worried! =/ It's been a GREAT time so far. Lots of fun! Last night we went out dancing - it was '80s night - we stayed until closing, came back here, watched some Reno911!... I fell asleep at 3:30 AM but they were still going until almost 6 AM. We just hung around the place today, napped, snacked, played some card games (and yes we even played Babble together, haha =P).... They are all out playing NTN right now though, I had to stay home with a cranky baby. =( But he is finally asleepin' now, so I will get to go out bowling with them later after they get back. No pics yet, I didn't want to take the camera to the club with me. Maybe I will bring it when we go out bowling. Suo was wearing his MoFi t-shirt last night though. =)
• A true momkey pary, fun plus chaos!
• Trying again: A true monkey party, fun plus chaos.
• ))) for the energy u know ;)
• This sounds very exciting - I wish I hadn't had to return to the U.S. to work. (Damn that work thing). Hope you all are having a lovely time, and that it's less humid than Connecticut (they say Amazon rainforests are less humid than here).
• Well, I had an awesome time. Great company. A mellow yet party-ful weekend. Mostly I'm thrilled that I got to go dancing - and had a blast. Wait, I'm also happy I got to break out the group games with the kind of crowd that likes to game (Apples to Apples, Upwords, Loaded Questions, Falling, Scattergories....) I'll post the handful of pics I have soon. Can't wait to do it again sometime! You're all invited! ;P
• I don't know if I'll be able to eat a bowl of cereal without a little kid stealing it one piece at a time. ;)
• Thanks for hosting the meetup, Melinika -- It was fun! And it was great meeting all the other monkeys, from near and far. On the topic of games, we mustn't forget the exciting rounds of mechanical Babble. [ you know you're an addict when... ] As for cereal, I found that the trick to keeping your it safe from little kids' hands is to ensure that it looks (and tastes!) like dog food. yUm!
• How can you resist a bowl of Captaine Crounche?? Ahh yes mechanobabble!!
• a few meetup pics Yeah, so I said soon. What? It's only a month and a half later.