The BABBLE Begins

by Gary Farber

Per previous announcement:

The ObWi Bay Area Bloggers & Bullsh*t League of Earth = ObBABBLE's first meeting is hereby announced. 

WHERE: Crepevine.  Specifically.

5600 College Avenue, Oakland, CA

5600 College Ave, Oakland,
CA 94618
Ph: (510) 658-2026

WHEN: Saturday, December 11th, 2010, 1 p.m. until we're done.

PURPOSE: Socializing, meeting each other, fun.  Talking about what we talk about on Obsidian Wings and our other favorite blogs.  Flame wars dampened with beverages and cheer.

QUESTIONS: email gary underscore farber at yahoo dot com. 

(I'd prefer to do this via the ObWi kitty address, and respond there, but that doesn't appear presently possible, so meanwhile, email me directly).

Name likely to change, as is everything else.  Frequency to start will be monthly, but subject to further detail and change of location/time; possibilities of every other weekend subgroups may occur, or may not. 

Further notices are intended to be issued at least monthly, at least one week before the next meeting, preferably two weeks. 

This is an open gathering: you are encouraged to bring interesting people who might be interested. 

Feel free to copy and repost this message, but if you do so, it's helpful to email gary underscore farber at yahoo dot com to inform him, so I'll have some idea how many more people might show up. 

R.S.V.P encouraged, but not required.

Gary Farber: Irresponsible Party.

Co-instigatees: Jacob Davies, RAL.

Pass it on.   This message expires as obsolete no later than Saturday, December 11th, 2010, 1 p.m. PST.

Comments

[Ugh]

Is the Las Palmas burrito shop still there on College Ave? Best burritos ever.

[Hob]

I would totally be there, except that I'll be attending this very serious event. Depending on how late it goes, maybe the BABBLE will still be in session after-- I'll check for clues on the blog.

[Hob]

By the way, Gary, as a fellow nitpicker I must point out that strictly speaking the abbreviation "ObBABBLE" is missing a "Wi". That is, it has the ObObWiOb (obligatory Obsidian Wings "Ob") but lacks the ObObWiWi.

[RogueDem]

I was in the Bay Area over Thanksgiving, rode the 51 bus down College from the Rockridge Bart to the Cal game. What a miserable experience--rain, lousy football, and Cal loses on the last play.

But you gotta love Berkeley, sorry I'll miss the fun. (Back when I lived there, Ay Caramba! on University had the best burritos.)

[liberal japonicus]

So, who is going to do the live blog of this thing?

[Gary Farber]

Someone recommended this place for future consideration. Comment?

Digressively, anyone have any updates, or commentary on this?

This is neat, and somewhat helpful.

But why didn't anyone tell me about LitQuake? And good little piece on bookstores in San Francisco.

[Gary Farber]

By description, that sounds almost exactly like the kind of place I had in mind.

But perhaps folks here might comment?

On paper it looks like a good place to try next time.

And, as I said, er, mostly in private, if this by any weird happenstance should start to turn into a larger thing, where, say, Balloon Juicers also show up, or folks from other lefty-lib blogs -- or other interesting people, particularly writers, but whatever, so long as they're interesting -- Au Coquelet Cafe Restaurant seems quite expandable into.

On paper.

But a friend also suggested it.

[Gary Farber]

The crucial factor, beyond the size, the drinks, the food, the looseness, is that you have to have something to complaint about as regards the place.

It's an important bonding factor for the community.

:-)

[Hogan]

Hob: I was going to suggest OWBABBLE, partly for the off-rhyme with "rowrbazzle." But I'm in Philly, so you don't need to pay me no nevermind.

I read about this in the NYTBR last week. It sounds fascinating.

[joel hanes]

> the off-rhyme with "rowrbazzle."

Ah, another who remembers Pogo, the Best Comic Strip Evar Bar None.

Can't make Dec. event in Berkeley (I live down in Santa Clara) but subsequent events are possible.

[Gary Farber]

Remembers Pogo, you say?

Pogo?

Links either still work, or in one case, fixed now.

[Gary Farber]

Joel, I have no objection to having, say, one largish group that meets once a month and a smallish group that has get-togethers every two weeks, or anything along those lines.

We'll work it out as we go along.

For whatever definition of "we" is involved. That's my own plan for myself, at any rate.

And we will have to decide if everything is on the record, off the record, declared by special statement, or what.

On a crucial question: how do you folks pronounce "ObWi," anyhoo?

I've always said "Ob-why" to myself, but most of my oral conversations about the blog have been with one other person, or talking aloud to myself.

I've heard others say "Ob-whee," which is just as reasonable.

There are probably other pronunciations people have used.

And before anyone asks: I've forgotten where the title comes from, too, for the moment. Other than it was Moe's, I think.

On the plus side, my feets were actually not too bad, relatively speaking, yesterday and the day before. Ditto for the moment, though undoubtedly I'll start with more p soon.

Of course, as soon as I write that.

But I'm feeling optimistic.

[Gary Farber]

Hogan, that was $13.72 you just cost me.

:-)

Thanks!

[Hogan]

Gary: Ah, but I saved you $11.23. My pleasure.

[joel hanes]

I pronounce "ObWi" as "Obsidian Wings"

[Hob]

I'm not really crazy about the food or the ambiance at Au Coquelet, but it does usually have plenty of space. Jupiter is my preferred spot in Berkeley (at least in terms of spots that are near BART)... it tends to be more crowded & sometimes noisy, and sometimes you can't get food at the upstairs tables, but it's just nicer and I like their beer.

Glad to hear your feets are better!

[Hob]

Hey, you know what else is neat? Jeff Hoke is doing a thing at the Exploratorium.

[Gary Farber]

Hob, sorry for only just catching up to your first message, but that's a cool event! Have a great time!

Also for the other stuff.

[Gary Farber]

RSVPs here, if you read this and decide you'll be attending, would be nice, by the way, but not at all mandatory in the least.

I believe we'll have at least 5-6 people, bare minimum, unless everyone else is as flakey as I am. :-)

[Gary Farber]

In a couple of hours, it'll be exactly four weeks since I arrived in California.

It seems like a very long time ago and a very short time ago.

[Gary Farber]

"Hob: I was going to suggest OWBABBLE, partly for the off-rhyme with 'rowrbazzle.'"

If you care, ask me sometime about how I connect this to my incidental standing-around-nearby history with funny animal comics fandom, which eventually begat furry fandom, which....

It'd probably be easier for me to be coherent about it when I'm attached to Google, but I might be able to cough up a few wandering thoughts about it in person, before I lose track of what I'm saying, because ooh shiney, and what was I saying?

[Gary Farber]

Oh, and everyone who I meet should probably be warned that I'm afraid I've not had time to read more than some fragmentary comments and bits of posts on ObWi in weeks, and ditto the whole outside world of news in general.

I'm about six weeks, if not more, out of date on everything outside of my life, except for an almost random smattering of bits and pieces.

So expect me to nod a lot at any discussion of recent events, and ask questions.

Although, of course, as a licensed blogger, I should just issue a lot of opinions about all the major news of the last month anyway, shouldn't I?

[Hob]

As a licensed blogger, you're authorized and/or required to have opinions about things you haven't even heard of yet.

BTW, it's possible that I'll be going to the Nutcracker show on Sunday instead of Saturday, in which case it's also possible that I'll be at Crepevine on Saturday.

[Gary Farber]

Expect a certain confusion from me between my trying to learn new faces, and then associate them with at least one or two different names, please.

And please forgive, everyone, when I forget which name I know you by, assuming I remember at all, and ask you for the 15th time, wait, which one are you again?

I'll get it down with repetiton, but I won't say how many.

Meanwhile, please keep your appearance and names frozen forever thereafter, for my convenience. Thank you.

Actually, what I probably won't need a reminder of, but if I do, remind me, is take a picture of each individual, and then when I get home, check with each person if I've gotten the name and face remembered correctly.

Naturally, no one's picture is posted or made available to anyone else without your permission, and I will only take your photo if you give permission.

If people permit, I will post photos of those who give permission, and I'll offer the following options:

1)Picture, my use only.

2) Picture, postable only at X.

Pick one or any of:

a) Facebook (tell me preferred privacy setting);

b) Obsidian Wings front page under the cut; Amygdala; creative commons license; unlimited.

I suggest people keep in mind that anyone and everyone will walk away with the freedom to write as they wish, but that we encourage all to attempt some discretion and judgment regarding any possible privacy issues, and, of course, issues of courtesy.

Trying a blanket policy of everything said orally is off the record is apt to fail, so there's little to be done beyond my suggesting that that's probably a useful default unless you ask permission to quote someone.

But we'll be playing jazz, and seeing how it goes. Occasional discordant notes are inevitable, but need not ruin the music.

[wj]

I'm really regretting that at that hour I'm probably going to be in Milwaukee changing planes. (Naturally a flight from Orlando to Oakland goes thru Wisconsin! In Decmber.) Sigh, maybe next month.

[ral]

Gary: But we'll be playing jazz, and seeing how it goes. Occasional discordant notes are inevitable, but need not ruin the music.

Gary, that is the music.

[Gary Farber]

wj: "I'm really regretting that at that hour I'm probably going to be in Milwaukee changing planes. (Naturally a flight from Orlando to Oakland goes thru Wisconsin! In Decmber.) Sigh, maybe next month."

Barring disasters, plan on January 7th, 8th, or 9th, probably again Saturday, same timeish, but There Will Be Announcements posted at least a week out, and updated at least ObWi, though I'm also doing a Facebook Invitation to those I know who are on Facebook (and, again, anyone is welcome to send me a Friend Request, but do please give at least a few words that offer a clue as to whether you know me from Obsidian Wings, or wherever), and will also try to keep Amygdala updated.

Other developments may develop, or not.

ral: excellent point.

[Gary Farber]

"Naturally a flight from Orlando to Oakland goes thru Wisconsin! In Decmber."

I doubt the airport will be very cold, though I could be wrong.

Think of the cheese opportunities.

[Jacob Davies]

I will be wearing this highly-amusing rainbow-striped sweater for easy recognition:

Probably no baby though.

[Gary Farber]

I'm now going to do my best to stay seated off my feet as much as possible between now and getting up in the morning -- which still means many journeys up and down the stairs tonight and tomorrow -- or there's a strong possibility I'll be completely unable to walk tomorrow without great pain.

There's also a strong possibility I'll be able to walk, for at least while I'm in sight of others, well, slowly, with little more trouble than that.

Otherwise I expect to be at Crepzine, barring developments in the morning, with whatever degree of comfort or uncomfort occurs, for at least some time after 1 p.m., and however long it seems like a reasonable idea.

I'm apt to be feeling social until I can't, but can't predict if that'll be ten minutes or ten hours, though with luck, it'll be in close range of the amount of time people want to be social with me. :-)

Meanwhile: effing exhausted. And the usual.

(I hope to arrive a bit earlier, so as to be first or among, but we'll see; still working out last minute arrangements.)

People can see my picture on Amygdala's sidebar, if they wish. I'll look rather like that, but with a black tee-shirt with words on it, assuming I don't spill something on it before leaving, or tear it, or otherwise make a substitution. A new head and body might be nice. Or just a few tune-ups on some body parts.

To be sure, I'm damn lucky compared to so many who have them missing, or in worse shape.

*yawn*.

Probably finding a moment to eat something today would be good.

[Gary Farber]

"Otherwise I expect to be at Crepzine...."

Or even Crepevine, on College.

If one doesn't like the place, the name alteration possibilities are overly obvious.

[Gary Farber]

Actually, there's at least a 30% chance that you'll see me wearing a white sweatshirt with graphics that will be highly suggestive it's me, over the black aforementioned tee-shirt.

I'll be sure to keep everyone posted with hourly bulletins on all this for the rest of the night, though switching to every thirty minutes at midnight, then every fifteen minutes at three a.m., and so on, because I know this makes for compelling reading.

Hey, anyone want cat pictures on ObWi? Because I'm thinking of inventing that idea soon. I want to get to it before anyone else on the internet does.

[Gary Farber]

That was nice.

Of course, we talked about you.

[Gary Farber]

I will be wearing this highly-amusing rainbow-striped sweater for easy recognition:

I'm prepared to vouch that that's what Jacob looks like.

I don't know who the older guy is, though.

[Gary Farber]

At one point in the conversation with a couple of the folks, I referred to this article on Laptopistan.

So, there's the link. I thought it was interesting, anyway; you're allowed to think otherwise.

[Gary Farber]

I may get to posting a brief report on this meeting, with pictures, sometime in the next week.

Or I may not. But it's on the list of Things To Do, as priorities allow. FYI anyone interested.

[Gary Farber]

My December 12, 2010 at 03:28 AM may not have come through as the pure joke that I thought would be completely amusing.

That can happen. If that was the case, I am utterly and completely sorry!

I thought I was being funny. Friendly. All that good stuff.

But I go wrong on that many times, in many ways.

If so, Jacob: I'm sorry.