Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Museums are not America’s attic for its racist shit.

Beware of advice from anyone for whom Democrats are “they” and not “we.”

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

You cannot love your country only when you win.

Everybody saw this coming.

I really should read my own blog.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

You cannot shame the shameless.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires Republicans to act in good faith.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

Dear elected officials: Trump is temporary, dishonor is forever.

Fear or fury? The choice is ours.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

President Musk and Trump are both poorly raised, coddled 8 year old boys.

She burned that motherfucker down, and I am so here for it. Thank you, Caroline Kennedy.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

Radicalized white males who support Trump are pitching a tent in the abyss.

You are here: Home / Balloon Juice / Meetups / And a Good Time Was Had By All

And a Good Time Was Had By All

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Well, I hope so. I had a great time, and didn’t even feel anxious like I normally do at affairs like this, which speaks to the excellent company. I hope others have pictures because I just have, not surprisingly, a bunch of crappy ones.

And I don’t care what you say about EFGoldman, he’s ok in my book.

Also, if most people were as nice as everyone that showed up tonight, I would go out more often.

Reader Interactions

73Comments

  4. 4.

    Villago Delenda Est

    I would guess that a meetup featuring the Blogfather on the West Coast is just right out, even if it was relatively close to me in Track Town, USA. For one thing, way out west.

  8. 8.

    CaseyL

    @Villago Delenda Est: Wait, what? Has Our Host said something about not wanting to travel westward?

    John, we on the Left Coast would *love* to see you. You don’t have to fly, if that’s the issue. If you don’t mind taking some extra time, traveling by train in a sleeper compartment is an excellent way to travel.

    Now, how you’d choose where to go – L.A.? S.F.? Portland? Seattle? – is another matter. Maybe you could make a tour of it :)

  9. 9.

    FlyingToaster

    Did you make it to Tosci’s?

    It was ice pellets all the way back to Watertown.

    Have a safe trip home!

  13. 13.

    Lyrebird

    Could someone who was there keep an eye out for Steve in the ATL and give him sound advice re: renting a car (imnsho re: NOT renting a car) to drive BOS-Somerville? Since there are cabs in Porter Square and Alewife and since the Monsignor O’Brien Expressway thing exists, I recommend against driving in Somerville for nice folks from outside the Hub. And I gotta crash before he’s likely to show up.

  18. 18.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @John Cole: Aside from my introducing myself to you when I arrived, we didn’t speak, I had a long and interesting conversation with kideni/singingtruthtopower. She’s rather cool. You were still drinking then.

  20. 20.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Jim Bales: Sorry I couldn’t make it, especially since I took a peek at the URL behind your nym. I took that lab mumble-mumble years ago – Doc was still there and popped in on occasion, but Charlie Miller was the primary instructor. Still have my negatives somewhere.

    But my drugs are taking hols, so it’s bedtime.

  22. 22.

    mai naem mobile

    So John I am assuming Anne Laurie didn’t stab you, resulting in a visit to Mass Genreal ER?

  24. 24.

    FlyingToaster

    @John Cole: Can’t blame you. I left the goldmans and hangers on, skipped Tosci’s, and wended my way through the slush westward. Not slippery so much as just wet, and one river road completely covered with water — for those in the Hub, end of Greenough at Arsenal. Bleah. Tired now.

  25. 25.

    WaterGirl

    Glad it was a success! Heading for bed, can’t wait for some more photos and stories tomorrow.

  31. 31.

    John Cole

    @FlyingToaster: I realized I was dehydrated halfway home. Wasn’t feeling the diet coke. Got a quart of vita coca and a six pack of diet ginger ale and drank the coconut water, two diet ginger ales, and a big glass of water and my headache is subsiding.

  34. 34.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @John Cole: Whatever. You were kind of a dick at the meet-up. Or you could say that was back when you were drinking and you are different now. And that is is cool. I’ve been here for years so taking a mild ribbing is something I can do.

  37. 37.

    Mnemosyne

    @John Cole:

    Not that you need it now, but club soda with a twist of lime and a splash of grenadine makes a nice-looking mocktail if you need to be inconspicuous in a place where others are drinking.

  38. 38.

    AnotherBruce

    Cole pacific tour 2018. Let’s start cranking out some psychedelic posters peeples.

  46. 46.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    MississippiState downs UCONN on buzzer beater in overtime in greatest upset in college hoops history.

  48. 48.

    efgoldman

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    Wait, they let him out of “the home”?

    Not only that, I got to sit beside Cole. But it was OK, he had pants on. And he’s much nastier on line than in person.
    We just got home. Driving from Cambridge to RI in a sleet storm is not my idea of a real good time.

  49. 49.

    max

    And I don’t care what you say about EFGoldman, he’s ok in my book.

    Someone thought EFGoldman isn’t OK?

    max
    [‘Is there something wrong with them?’]

  50. 50.

    efgoldman

    @mai naem mobile:

    I am assuming Anne Laurie didn’t stab you

    Her spousal unit was there to restrain her.

    BTW, good thing VP Dense didn’t know about this; I spent most of the evening talking to women who aren’t my wife.

  51. 51.

    Yarrow

    BTW, good thing VP Dense didn’t know about this; I spent most of the evening talking to women who aren’t my wife.

    Gasp! Was your own spousal unit there? If so, then it’s all good with Trump’s butler.

  52. 52.

    seaboogie

    @efgoldman:

    BTW, good thing VP Dense didn’t know about this; I spent most of the evening talking to women who aren’t my wife.

    As long as you called them “Mother”, everything is cool…

  56. 56.

    seaboogie

    @Aleta: I think that’s going to get a lot of play in the weeks and months ahead.

    Steep sent me a perfect music link re: my recently departed feline companion in the thread below @156. Shall we ask him for some more wonderful late night music?

  58. 58.

    Yarrow

    @efgoldman: Well, then you are all good. I think Pence even says it’s okay for you to have an adult beverage if your wife is there.

    Wow, just typing that out…they are such children. So many complicated rules. No sense that the husband can control himself around women. Has to have a gazillion rules to keep him in line.

  59. 59.

    efgoldman

    @Yarrow:

    So many complicated rules. No sense that the husband can control himself around women.

    A couple with whom we have been god friends for mat=ybe 25 years, maybe more. We’re the same age, our kids and grandkids are the same age. In her youth, she was a gorgeous flaming redhead. For a while, by coincidence, we worked across the street from each other in downtown Boston. I guess she and I are supposed to feel guilty, because every once in a while we had lunch together – unsupervised!

  60. 60.

    seaboogie

    @Yarrow: I believe that a not insignificant aspect of authoritarianism arises out of having desires that they feel are unacceptable and must be surpressed, and therefore they will accuse all and sundry of the evil-ness of their own desires, in order to not have their “desire/perversion” discovered.

  61. 61.

    Mnemosyne

    @efgoldman:

    It depends on local customs. I had friends who were forced to move to Idaho for work who discovered that they had been accidentally shocking the locals by having lunch together every day. Because the wife had kept her own last name, the Idaho locals didn’t realize that they were married to each other and just knew that they were married people having lunch together every day.

  62. 62.

    jl

    Cole and efgoldman are both irascible grumpy men of a certain age with lots of spleen. I don’t see why they wouldn’t get along.

  63. 63.

    efgoldman

    @jl:

    Cole and efgoldman are both irascible grumpy men of a certain age with lots of spleen.

    Cole is way more rascible in person. Of course, I knew better than to ask about mustard, pants, or a car in a field. He’s also considerably younger than I am.

  64. 64.

    Steve in the ATL

    @efgoldman:

    He’s also considerably younger than I am.

    As is Methusalah. Zing!

    And thanks all for the don’t-drive-in-Boston advice

  65. 65.

    jl

    @efgoldman:

    ” He’s also considerably younger than I am. ”

    efgoldman also tells wild tales, and is not overly careful about the truth, another thing in common with Cole.
    C’mon, Cole brags about being a grumpy old man before his time.

  66. 66.

    jl

    OK, now I feel bad for talking mean about Cole and efgoldman. Pic looked like everyone had a great time. I’m glad the meet up was a success. And I’ll be happy that Cole was a nice young man who had a good time, I’ll be very happy about that. I will. I will I will.

  67. 67.

    Aleta

    @seaboogie: Sorry I left and missed your comment. Very sorry to hear about your loss of your loved cat. It’s so hard. Sympathy to you.

  68. 68.

    NotMax

    @jl

    I will. I will I will.

    Pluck your magic twanger, Froggy.

    :)

    /showing age

    (To those of us around at the time, the memory is dear.)

  69. 69.

    Kropadope

    Just got in myself. Went to the movies after and had an epic misadventure on the way home.

  71. 71.

    Greg

    I had a very nice time and it was great to meet new people. Maybe I’ll take the time and post more. I am more of a car/motorcycle/boat/grandkids guy than books/food/pets (I do like pets but don’t have any at the moment). So not sure if people would be interested in what the cutest grandchildren in the world are doing, engine rebuilds, fixing hulls, and doing brakes. Anyway I like the political discussions. Can’t wait for the next get together..

  72. 72.

    Kropadope

    @satby: Dropped my friend off, was on my last notch of gas. But forgot about it while passing the gas station conveniently located on his corner. So I’m driving along Rt. 9 to pick up the highway home and don’t see another open gas station. Rather than get on the highway, which it turns out I should’ve done, I decide to follow this road figuring “hey, it’s a numbered road near Boston, I gotta see something soon.” Long story short, Wellesley is a ghost town at night. Eventually find a convenience store for directions. I get to Framingham by the time I find gas, having left from Boston with my destination close to the SE Rhode Island border. I was fumbling for almost an hour on my low gas light.

    Thank god I drive a Prius.

  73. 73.

    J R in WV

    @Kropadope:

    Many years ago mom and dad were on a driving trip headed for the west coast.

    One evening mom asked to drive so they switched. As it slowly got closer to dark, they were chasing the beautiful sundown in Nebraska, they switched driving again, and dad asked mom how long the gas reserve light had been on. She didn’t recall.

    This part of the Interstate, most exits just opened onto dirt roads to ranches. and they were driving a V-8 roadster. Finally, after full dark, they saw a dusk-to-dawn light off to the south at an exit. As they got to the station, the manager was just shutting up, but was happy to turn the pumps back on for them to fill up and continue west.

    But driving on fumes those 5 miles from the I-70 exit to the feed store/gas station.
    All for a pretty sunset.

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