FOOD FIGHT!!!
Hey, you had your chance - we had to pick up our waitress to replace you, remember? 
Seriously, though, I had a good time - and there seems to be quite a few Minnesotans floating around, as well. Perhpas we can get one going later this fall?
Aye.
The more dopefests I see, the more they seem alike.
is that a bad thing, handy?
is there dopefest coming to the Ohio area anytime soon?
if not, anyone want to get together (after I move up there in October) and set one up?
handy said:
Well, this kid has been to the bar/grill/brewery place, one that was just two of us for lunch, one at a bar/grill/sports complex (filled with ice skating, laser tag etc.) a football game and Vegas.
Those aren’t all the same, quite varied really.
For those of us that usually just lurk, should we just show up and sit at a nearby table and enjoy the show?
This is where I plug for the upcoming Rochester Dopefest:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=35768
http://fff.fathom.org/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000489.html
Convenient to the New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Jersey areas. We have people coming in from California, Connecticut, and Alberta (and we’re working on Maryland and Florida). We’re holding it in a restaurant so all ages will be welcome. We’ll have a doctor and a lawyer in attendance, so we’re prepared for all contigencies. And it’s not on a school night.
I didn’t go to the Norfolk gathering for two reasons: I have little money and I was moving into college that day.
I didn’t go to Vegas because, among other things, I did not have the cash and I live way the hell and gone away from Vegas.
The odds of anyone seeing me at a dopefest before next year are slim to none, as I don’t think any are planned reasonably close to me (and NC is too damn far away, plus it’s next weekend. I don’t sink so.).
Well, I am painfully shy. I limit my posting even here on the SDMB because I am convinced no-one cares what I have to say (the lack of responses to the majority of my posts lends credence to this belief). And I’m even less charming in person.
While the idea of attending a Dopefest seems intriguing, it also conjures up images of everyone doing little besides drinking and flirting, both of which I have no interest in (not that I have anything against the idea of flirting; just that for the most part it’s insincere flattery, and I can’t bring myself to do that). Of course, that’s just the impression I get from many of the IMHO and MPSIMS threads.
(See how un-charming I am?)
I also have no transportation (I don’t drive and I hate bumming rides from strangers).
I can’t think of any other excuses right now…
I have the same problem of feeling that no one wants to read my posts. That changed quite a bit when I did some ego surfing and found a thread I hadn’t seen the end of and several people welcomed me back after an absence. The way to conquer shyness is to do the things that your shyness tells you not to do, because shyness is counter-productive. A lack of response is not necessarily indicative, I’ve responded to maybe two or three posts just to indicate my appreciation even though I actively enjoy most of what I read on the board
Don’t put yourself down. It reinforces your negative self-esteem and gets very old very quickly. Be positive about yourself and you’ll find that the people around you will start to agree with you.
There has been very little actual flirting at any of the dopefests I’ve been to, just good conversation between friends. As far as the drinking, I usually don’t drink much, and I’ve never seen anyone get plastered at the dopefests I’ve been to(that I could tell, I’m sure someone will correct me). Irishman, who I’ve had the honor of partying with several times, doesn’t drink at all and always seems to enjoy himself
If a dopefest is being arranged in your area, indicate your transportation problems and a venue will be chosen to accomodate whatever transportation options you have available.
Mauve Dog - excuses are great, aren’t they? It’s easy to come up with excuses not to. It’s easy to make yourself feel unimportant and unwanted, and to find reasons not to put yourself out so you don’t “get slammed”.
I understand. I’m a low self-esteemer. (I’m working on that. It’s one thing to recognize the problem, another to fix it. But I’m trying.) Also, I don’t drink. In fact, big parties aren’t really my thing. Yet I just went to Vegas for the three-day dopefest. Why? I don’t gamble. (Spent maybe $20 on slots just to say I did it.) I didn’t manage to see any of the shows. I did sight see some. But the big deal was spending time with friends. Even the late night drunken revelry wasn’t that bad, because nobody was rude or arrogant or pushy or demanding I do anything I didn’t want to. And it was a blast.
As for “regular” dope fests, the Houston ones have mostly been good conversation with interesting people in a restaurant or bar. Beatle drinks enough to feel it, but he’s still a fun person. There hasn’t been endless rounds of flirting - I suspect in part because it is a little more real with people actually present. (Plus several have been male top heavy.)
There are ways around the transportation issue. Like Zyada said, mention your transportation options and the venue will be tailored to it.
And yes, that first time is a little strange. I remember my own unease first time I showed up downtown to meet a group of internet freaks. But it wasn’t bad, and I went back.
For any of you shy people, or those a little concerned about meeting a bunch of people you don’t know, bring a friend or something.
My first internet gathering (1995) was a huge party in a huge bar in Denver. I had introduced the Colorado Room on AOL to my brother who had recently broken up with a girlfriend. After a couple of weeks (it was fun having my lil bro in the chat room with me, he’s more like one of my best friend’s than brother) he ended up attending one of the AOL parties before me, even though I had chatted with these people for over 5 months. I had lived about 4 hours from Denver at the time.
Well, they were having a large party – had to have been 75 - 100 people there. So I drove on over to C Springs, stayed at my brother’s house and he drove up to the party.
I had the best time I had ever had in my life as far as your typical party goes. It was my first time ever meeting internet people and will always treasure it as a time to remember. (…remembers a Flower sandwich dance, one guy whom is one of my best friends now and the other with a now ex boyfriend but friend – I am COflower on AOL – nothing kinky but funny as hell.)
I wasn’t shy but I was concerned about these people. My parents thought we were very strange for meeting people from the internet, but eventually through a friend on AOL my brother met, married and now has a 6 month baby out of that experience.
You never know who you will meet, how much fun you will have until you meet up with those you spend so much time on line with.
Me, I have always enjoyed all of the times I have spent with my internet buddies. I even had a good time at a wake for a friend of ours on AOL that passed away last year. Yes, despite our loss we partied it up in Dave’s honor and he wouldn’t have had it any other way.
I’d go but I’d be as nervous as a whore in church. And where is the closest one to Saint. Louis?
It’s a joke. It helps if you understand the relationship that goboy and I have (generally adversarial) and the fact that I live in SF, so have no business telling him he can’t show up someplace I won’t even be.
Any Deep South dopefests in the offing?