Southern Alberta Dope Fest! Next Sunday! We hope!

[Cat Whisperer]

Inspired by this thread (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=579633) in which Le Ministre de l'au-delà mentions that he will be in Calgary next Sunday (October 24th) from around noon until eight pm. Dread Pirate Jimbo and I are in dance class from 1-2:30 pm, but we are available for say, an early dinner after that. Hell, after latin dance class, I will not only be available for but demanding an early dinner. :)

So, who's ready, willing, and able to come out next Sunday?

[FloatyGimpy]

Well I've pretty much been blackmailed into going by Le Ministre de L'au-dela.

[Cat Whisperer]

I know - the nerve!

Speaking of the blackmailing, I think I forgot to thank the Ministre for brunch. Thanks, Ministre. :)

[Le Ministre de l'au-delà]

My pleasure! It was great meeting you, and I'm looking forward to seeing some of the Calgary folks on Sunday!

[Spoons]

Hmmm... Sunday around 2:30. Doable, though I hope it doesn't go too late, as I'll have a two hour drive ahead of me to go home. I really ought to get up to Calgary anyway, as I need to hit Ikea. I could do that before meeting everybody though.

Any ideas as to the where?

[gregorio]

I'm good to meet. Being the newbie I'll defer to where and when. I can get to any location pretty easily so I'm, um, easy.

[EmAnJ]

Where are you thinking?

[Flutterby]

Hmm 2:30.. depends on what is happening that day. I'll see if I can squeeze it in though. ;)

Yes, where were you thinking of chowing down?

[Cat Whisperer]

We were tossing the idea of Ricky's in the North Hill mall around - it's central, good parking, good access to trains and Deerfoot Trail, never busy, and quiet (the last place we chose was really loud, and it was hard to talk). How does 4:30 sound to people, so those who have to travel can hit the highway?

[alice_in_wonderland]

Sadly Junior is still at that age that:

a) I have to take him with me everywhere;
b) The childfree in the group would find him unpleasant (i.e. the 'Crying Baby' age). Well, actually even those with children probably find that age rather unpleasant.

So I will have to take a pass. Have fun though!

[gregorio]

Ricky's works for me. And my kids will be soooo jealous. I mean, it's no Breadsticks, but they just loved that place when we needed a place to eat when the gas main blew across the street. Good times, good times.

We were tossing the idea of Ricky's in the North Hill mall around - it's central, good parking, good access to trains and Deerfoot Trail, never busy, and quiet (the last place we chose was really loud, and it was hard to talk). How does 4:30 sound to people, so those who have to travel can hit the highway?

[Dread Pirate Jimbo]

Sadly Junior is still at that age that:

a) I have to take him with me everywhere;
b) The childfree in the group would find him unpleasant (i.e. the 'Crying Baby' age). Well, actually even those with children probably find that age rather unpleasant.

So I will have to take a pass. Have fun though!

Unless I've forgotten something (which is entirely possible -- I am getting old, after all), I believe this will be the 5th consecutive Calgary Dopefest over the last several years that I'll be at, but that alice_in_wonderland has been unavailable to attend. Therefore, I would like to suggest, in her honour, that we name Sunday's event "Alice Can't Make This Dopefest: 5" and all subsequent Calgary Dopefests carry on the sequel naming until she is able to attend one. ;)

[gregorio]

She should just drop Junior at the little play area in North Hill Mall. What could possibly go wrong?

Unless I've forgotten something (which is entirely possible -- I am getting old, after all), I believe this will be the 5th consecutive Calgary Dopefest over the last several years that I'll be at, but that alice_in_wonderland has been unavailable to attend. Therefore, I would like to suggest, in her honour, that we name Sunday's event "Alice Can't Make This Dopefest: 5" and all subsequent Calgary Dopefests carry on the sequel naming until she is able to attend one. ;)

[Cat Whisperer]

There you go - as young as he is, he'd just lie there where she left him, anyway.


(THIS IS A JOKE, PEOPLE! I DON'T ENDORSE PUTTING NEWBORNS IN PLAY AREAS AT MALLS AND LEAVING THEM THERE!)

[Spoons]

We were tossing the idea of Ricky's in the North Hill mall around - it's central, good parking, good access to trains and Deerfoot Trail, never busy, and quiet (the last place we chose was really loud, and it was hard to talk). How does 4:30 sound to people, so those who have to travel can hit the highway?Sounds good--as I recall, the mall is on 16th Ave N, which gives access to Deerfoot.

Meeting at 4:30 is good--that will give me time to get a few errands and whatnot done first. But an earlier time is fine too. Not sure if a later time would be.

[trupa]

Whew... almost missed the thread... Thanks for the PM Cat Whisperer..

So here's a question for y'all, and by all means please be honest: truesquirt luurves him some go-ghetti & garlick bread at Ricky's. He's an 8yr old boy, and we could plug him into his auxiliary brain support, (aka portable DVD player) to extend the patience range. Alternately, I have a goodaughter who is likely sufficiently broke & fashion conscious to want to earn a few bucks babysitting.

So then, would you feel constrained in your conversation if we brought him?

Note that I haven't run this by the higher authority, namely, Serious Lark, who may have a different take, nor cleared this with goddaughter's busy social & soccer calendar. That being said, please tell me how you feel, and we will do our best.

[alice_in_wonderland]

Unless I've forgotten something (which is entirely possible -- I am getting old, after all), I believe this will be the 5th consecutive Calgary Dopefest over the last several years that I'll be at, but that alice_in_wonderland has been unavailable to attend. Therefore, I would like to suggest, in her honour, that we name Sunday's event "Alice Can't Make This Dopefest: 5" and all subsequent Calgary Dopefests carry on the sequel naming until she is able to attend one. ;)

It's not you, it's me.

[Le Ministre de l'au-delà]

I'm fine with having kids there, even if they're at the 'crying baby' stage. I've brought les mini-ministres to meet some of the Toronto Dopers, and they all seemed to survive the experience.

The question is - do you want to risk exposing your kids to the toxic bad influence that is me? They may come away having learned new and interesting ways to make rude noises, as but one example.

[Northern Piper]

They may come away having learned new and interesting ways to make rude noises, as but one example.

That's really not a nice way to describe opera! :p

[Cat Whisperer]

That's really not a nice way to describe opera! :p
Says the guy who plays the bagpipes. :D

[trupa]

I know! we should have an opera recital,


accompanied by bagpipes!

:p

(and perhaps a bit of Vogon poetry to finish it off...)

[Spoons]

Sadly, I am going to have to send my regrets.

I'm involved in a community theatre production, and at tonight's rehearsal, the director informed us that we'd be rehearsing Sunday afternoon.

And I was really looking forward to seeing everybody again. And seeing some Dopers for the first time. :(

Well, folks, have a good time, raise a glass for me, and I'll look forward to the next one!

[Cat Whisperer]

Ah, sorry to hear that, Spoons - I was looking forward to catching up.

[Spoons]

So was I, Cat. But there will be other times. I may have to visit Calgary at some point to deal with some legal questions my sister (who lives in Calgary) has; if that happens, I'll let you know, and perhaps we can arrange something then.

[trupa]

Spoons, sorry to hear you can't make it, we'll miss you. At least I could reassure Beth that at least it wasn't work related.

For the benefit of the out of town dopers, I made a Google map, witha flag showing where the Ricky's is located (http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=51.066185,-114.099412&spn=0.005036,0.013379&z=17&msid=100292351515886614264.000493389e606f61d0d20).

I'll be there. Serious Lark is nursing a cold, and still TBD at this point.

[gregorio]

That map put Ricky's in Petcetera when I opened it in my browser. Not going to refer to the kitchen at all. Nope.

So what goes on at these dopefests? Joke answers and serious welcomed. Do we wear name tags?

[Flutterby]

I'm really not sure if I can make it now. Way too much stuff to do, my to-do list keeps getting bigger! I'll try but if I can't you guys have fun.

[Spoons]

So what goes on at these dopefests? Joke answers and serious welcomed. Do we wear name tags?Well, you've been around less than a year, so there may be squid involved....

[Cat Whisperer]

Good job, trupa. Here's hoping serious lark can make it, too.

What goes on at a Dopefest? Well, we chat about stuff. Sometimes people discuss board goings on (especially if we've just had a meltdown or something), sometimes we just talk about general stuff. There haven't been nametags in the past; someone often puts a sign on the table or something indicating which group is us, since we're often strangers meeting strangers.

Oh yeah, and everyone brings me chocolate. I don't recall now how that tradition started, but if youse know what's good for youse, you'll keep it up.

[Spoons]

Oh yeah, and everyone brings me chocolate. I don't recall now how that tradition started, but if youse know what's good for youse, you'll keep it up.Question since I cannot be there: Should I mail mine, or just bring double next time?

[trupa]

Well, you've been around less than a year, so there may be squid involved....
Or is that the goat, hrmm... I can never remember....

Well, better stick to the squid, the goat got us barred from that otherwise excellent pub down in in mission ...


Well, gregorio, I can only speak for the Calgary ones to which I've been, but there is usually food, some beer or wine depending on your preference, and conversation that is usually a bit better informed, funnier, and more interesting than I get in everyday life, my lovely wife excepted. We meet real life people whose posts we may have been reading for a while, and get to find out more about them.

There are legends of Dopefest long ago, usually somewere in the states, that turned into prolonged events, featuring outrageous flirting and more (tm), drinking to intoxication until breakfast time, and then relocating to a waffle house, but, sadly, the dopers in Calgary tend to be more sedate, more often than not married with kids (like me), polite & well manered (sometimes like me) , but who might go so far as to tell an off colour joke or two. We usually wrap things up when our butts get numb from sitting too long, or when a critical mass of babysitters turning into pumpkins in achieved.

I always thought name tags were a good idea, but we never introduced them. Perhaps I can bring a printout of the main page as a table identifier.

Oh, don't worry about the proximity to pet-ceterra, it means the fajitas will always be bresh & tender...

Cat Whisperer, any chance you might give these folks at Ricky's a heads- up about the teeming hordes about to descend upon their unwary establishment?

[Cat Whisperer]

Question since I cannot be there: Should I mail mine, or just bring double next time?
Hmm, tough call. Probably bring double next time - and it better be the good stuff. None of that waxy American crap. :)

[Cat Whisperer]

<snip>
Cat Whisperer, any chance you might give these folks at Ricky's a heads- up about the teeming hordes about to descend upon their unwary establishment?
I don't...think we need to warn them - they're usually not very busy, and a table of eight (if I counted right) shouldn't be too much. I could check, though.

[Le Ministre de l'au-delà]

I know! we should have an opera recital,


accompanied by bagpipes!

:p

(and perhaps a bit of Vogon poetry to finish it off...)

We could do 'Schwanda the Bagpiper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwanda_the_Bagpiper)'...

Quote from trupa: For the benefit of the out of town dopers, I made a Google map, witha flag showing where the Ricky's is located.

I have to confess, I was a bit worried because I've never heard that area referred to as the North Hill. Clicked on the map and laughed out loud - it's "the place just up the hill from the Jube!!" I know it well.

Quote from Spoons:
Sadly, I am going to have to send my regrets.

I'm involved in a community theatre production, and at tonight's rehearsal, the director informed us that we'd be rehearsing Sunday afternoon.

And I was really looking forward to seeing everybody again. And seeing some Dopers for the first time.

Well, folks, have a good time, raise a glass for me, and I'll look forward to the next one!

Oh, what a drag! I keep telling people that theatre ruins lives but do they listen?

Looking forward to meeting some lucky day in the future, possibly when I get to a (hypothetical) gig in Calgary.



I'll see the rest of you folks tomorrow.

[FloatyGimpy]

I can't make it now either. I have a job interview at 8:15 on Monday and I'll get home too late on Sunday night.

[Cat Whisperer]

<snip>
I have to confess, I was a bit worried because I've never heard that area referred to as the North Hill. Clicked on the map and laughed out loud - it's "the place just up the hill from the Jube!!" I know it well.<snip>
Ah, I should have realized your points of reference. Yeah, it's about a block away from the Jube. :)

Sorry to hear that, Floaty. Well, I'll see the rest of you tomorrow. :)

[EmAnJ]

Well, looks like I won't make it. My husband is home tomorrow afternoon and he's not really in to 'internet friend meet ups', so I probably shouldn't even ask. If anything changes, I'll just show up!

[Cat Whisperer]

Okey dokey - so table for six then. :)

[Dread Pirate Jimbo]

Worst experience of my life. Screw you all.










:D

[gregorio]

I knew all that dancing on the table would be a bad idea. Even so, it was good to meet you all so I know to avoid you in the future.







;)

Worst experience of my life. Screw you all.










:D

[Spoons]

I knew all that dancing on the table would be a bad idea.Aw, man, I missed the newbie dancing with the squid? On the table, yet? Well, I hope you all had a good time, and I'll look forward to the next time.

[Cat Whisperer]

Worst experience of my life. Screw you all.<snip>
There's that famous Alberta hospitality. :D

We gotta get some girlies out next time - too much baseball talk! Of course, it was my husband who was doing most of it, and I'm sort of married to him, so I don't know if having more ladies there would help. Can I come in again?

[Le Ministre de l'au-delà]

I'm home, safe and sound; lots of snow between Calgary and Red Deer. Cat Whisperer, Dread Pirate Jimbo, trupa and gregorio, it was wonderful to see you - thank you for the scintillating and wide-ranging conversation. I hope to see you all again sometime soon.

(I must confess to only partial accuracy on both the Churchill launch facility (http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/sciences/fort_churchill.asp) and the locations of Bill Reid sculptures (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Reid) and their locations - maybe I need to get one of those fancy iPhone things so I can google before I speak.)

Spoons, FloatyGimpy - we missed you!

Oh, as promised, here's the link (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=577967) to the last Short Story contest, which Spoons won.

Good Lord, that's the second time I've met Alberta Dopers in just over a week and no one has taken any pictures!

[Northern Piper]

We could do 'Schwanda the Bagpiper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwanda_the_Bagpiper)'...

Neat! I've never heard of this one. Have you ever seen a production of it, Le Ministre? I wonder what type of pipes they use for it - there's a lot of Central European pipes that don't have the public recognition factor of the GHB or the Uillean pipes.

[Flutterby]

Well looks like you guys had fun. Maybe another time I can be there, but I took Velociraptor costume hunting and brought us home to chicken and dumplings this time.

I'll do my best to be there next time Cat, to save you from baseball talk. I'm not much one for sports..

[Sunspace]

Wish I could have been there. I'm thinking of a road trip to the West next summer though...

[Cat Whisperer]

I'm home, safe and sound; lots of snow between Calgary and Red Deer. <snip>Agh, I was afraid of that. Glad to hear you made it home alive.
Good Lord, that's the second time I've met Alberta Dopers in just over a week and no one has taken any pictures!
Too many old farts who forget about the technology we're packing. :D

[Cat Whisperer]

Neat! I've never heard of this one. Have you ever seen a production of it, Le Ministre? I wonder what type of pipes they use for it - there's a lot of Central European pipes that don't have the public recognition factor of the GHB or the Uillean pipes.
You would have enjoyed the conversation about the Bulgarian bagpipes with the penis-shaped chanter. :D

[Cat Whisperer]

<snip>
I'll do my best to be there next time Cat, to save you from baseball talk. I'm not much one for sports..It's a deal. :)

Wish I could have been there. I'm thinking of a road trip to the West next summer though...
First beer's on us!

[Le Ministre de l'au-delà]

Wish I could have been there. I'm thinking of a road trip to the West next summer though...

I have to tell you, from an entirely unscientific set of data points, Sunspace is the bar none, number one with a bullet 'Doper Most Dopers Look Forward to Meeting in Real Life.'



And I have assured them that you are every bit as interesting and kind in real life as you are on the SDMB.

[Le Ministre de l'au-delà]

Neat! I've never heard of this one. Have you ever seen a production of it, Le Ministre? I wonder what type of pipes they use for it - there's a lot of Central European pipes that don't have the public recognition factor of the GHB or the Uillean pipes.

I'm quite certain there has never been a Canadian production, and I think it's quite probable it has not been done in North America. It is known chiefly because of the overture, which is pretty good, and because it is one of the most ridiculous titles in the entire repertoire. Unless you live in a community of ex-pat Czechs, I think it has 'Death at the Box Office' written all over it in large, glowing letters.

Still, hope springs eternal... I'm holding out for the operatic version of 'The Black Bonspiel of Wullie McCrimmon'.

[Spoons]

Wish I could have been there. I'm thinking of a road trip to the West next summer though...Looking forward to seeing you out here, Sunspace! I've been to Toronto too many times over the past few years and not had any time to set anything up with you.

Having done the road trip myself just last summer, I'd be happy to help with hints and tips for the journey. Keep us posted as to your plans.

[Sunspace]

I have to tell you, from an entirely unscientific set of data points, Sunspace is the bar none, number one with a bullet 'Doper Most Dopers Look Forward to Meeting in Real Life.'



And I have assured them that you are every bit as interesting and kind in real life as you are on the SDMB.:: blush :: Thank you!

I'm quite certain there has never been a Canadian production, and I think it's quite probable it has not been done in North America. It is known chiefly because of the overture, which is pretty good, and because it is one of the most ridiculous titles in the entire repertoire. Unless you live in a community of ex-pat Czechs, I think it has 'Death at the Box Office' written all over it in large, glowing letters.

Still, hope springs eternal... I'm holding out for the operatic version of 'The Black Bonspiel of Wullie McCrimmon'.I... think I'm going to have to learn about this. I like bagpipe music crossed with other things.

Although part of me keeps wanting to drag out the techno version of Song of the Volga Boatmen that I filched from the internet a while back.

Looking forward to seeing you out here, Sunspace! I've been to Toronto too many times over the past few years and not had any time to set anything up with you.

Having done the road trip myself just last summer, I'd be happy to help with hints and tips for the journey. Keep us posted as to your plans.Tips greatly appreciated! I've driven out west, but as part of a group and we took the southern route through Michigan and Duluth and along US 2. I have never been along the North Shore of Superior (beyond Wawa, if that counts), and have always wanted to. And doing a road trip by myself would be a LOT different.

Always assuming my car could make survive the trip. Which is another question.

[Northern Piper]

You would have enjoyed the conversation about the Bulgarian bagpipes with the penis-shaped chanter. :D

Cut or uncut? :eek:

[Cat Whisperer]

Well, if it was made of wood, I'd guess it would have to be cut. :D

[Northern Piper]

... because it is one of the most ridiculous titles in the entire repertoire. Unless you live in a community of ex-pat Czechs, I think it has 'Death at the Box Office' written all over it in large, glowing letters.How can anything with bagpipes in the title be 'Death at the Box Office'?? Simply does not compute!

Still, hope springs eternal... I'm holding out for the operatic version of 'The Black Bonspiel of Wullie McCrimmon'.

I was saw a production of it in Halifax in 1986 with Don Herron in the title role. W.O. Mitchell apparently was there for the opening night, and afterwards he stormed back and yelled at Herron: "You're not playing Wullie out there! You're playing ME!"

Herron apparently didn't deny it....

W.O. also said that the 1990 production at the Globe in Regina was the best he'd ever seen.

[trupa]

Hey y'all, I had a blast. Thanks for driving down, Ministre, I'm glad you made it safe. I must admit being a tich nervous about you having to make the trip back in the dark.

Sunspace, dude, you gotta come out here. Spoons has said some embarassingly nice things about you I won't repeat here, and Ministre also mentioned you kindly last night.

Jimbo, all chapters stores and the largest used books chain are all sold out of "Men at Work". Looks like I'll have to order in online. Thanks for the baseball education.

Cheers guys.