Texas BlogFest 2005

Pictures are coming!

2005-03-24T11:46:00.000-08:00

I promise. There will be a bunch of pictures here... later. I'm having problems with my camera. To get you started, here are some that Andy sent me (and one from Spats.)

2005-03-18T15:42:00.000-08:00

And we're off

Texas Blogfest 2005 has - unofficially, anyway - begun.

The live feed will be set up shortly. In the meantime, a chat room is open here. I'm already in there, so feel free to drop in and say hi.

Let the fun, frivolity and general debauchery commence!!!

UPDATE: if you have access to Yahoo's messenger service, we have webcams going at t_bear1 and lcbethw.

FYI for the Attendees (and other interested parties)

2005-03-16T08:31:00.000-08:00

Keep your eyes glued to this site. There are a couple of agenda items that are still fluid at this moment, and we will post any/all updates here (as well as send out e-mails).

Also, there will be some form of live feed from Humperdinks on Friday night- at LEAST a web cam, but possibly live blogging and or/chat. More info as it becomes available. (Best Bet- check here Friday evening if you're not joining us- we will have the appropriate links at that time).

One more thing- if you need my cell phone #- EMAIL me by tomorrow morning 8am, and I'll send it to you. No way am I putting it on this page. Nope. Not gonna happen.

Now, if you will excuse me, I will resume my "Chicken with its head cut off" impersonation in preparation for my journey north tomorrow.

2005-03-15T11:12:00.000-08:00

Slight Itinerary Change

Guys, thanks to Organizer #2 (me) almost waiting until the last minute, there's been a slight itinerary change. However, it may work in our favor, as I'm about to explain.

I have been in contact with Robert Fitzgerald at the D/FW Gun Range.

The bad news is that, if we all go shooting on Saturday, it doesn't look so good as far as having enough targets for all the people who will want to get in some practice. Mr. Fitzgerald could only guarantee five (5) spots, out of his usual 14, at best.

However, after explaining to him who we were and what we were about, he made us this counteroffer...which is the good news.

On Sunday, they normally open at 1 pm. Mr. Fitzgerald was kind enough to offer to open up at 10 am , basically let us have the run of the place and knock $5.00 off the normal range fee, down to $10.99.

In addition, he has pieces there for rent at between $7.00 and $8.00 plus ammo. AND as if that weren't enough - he also has an Uzi there which he'd normally rent out for $30.00...which, just for us, he will knock down to $10.00 plus ammo.

All we need do is identify ourselves as being with Blogfest. As we'd likely be going there en masse after Sunday breakfast anyway, I don't see that as a problem. Plus, it'll give you guys time to shoot before heading back - a perfect way to cap off the Blogfest.

Now. That'll leave Saturday afternoon open, unless some of you wanna go down on your own and shoot. Which I think we can accomodate, no problem - just let us know.

I have an idea which I will be presenting to you guys on Friday night at Humperdink's. Come prepared to discuss.

Thatisall.

How many kids, guys?

2005-03-03T11:49:00.000-08:00

Okay, all attendees, listen up and check in, please. (No kidding.)

How many of you are bringing rugrats, and how many? We need to know immediately so we can plan for sitters.

Please, please if you're bringing any, let us know in comments.

Thatisall. Thanks.

Update: The Smilies Edition

2005-03-02T15:56:00.000-08:00

Yeah, well... I'm in a goofy mood, so y'all get to suffer through it with me.

Just a few little details for the weekend. I hope everyone has made arrangements for . If you need a from your , e- us with your flight info, and we'll pick you up.

The plans, as of right now, are as follows:

Friday night, we'll meet at Humperdinks starting at 7pm? There will be much and . Because of wi-fi availability at Humperdinks, we will also be live and . Once we're booted out of Humperdinks, those who don't feel like can head on over to one of the hotel rooms for even more while listening to some .
Saturday, there will be plenty of time for more , as well as hopefully a chance for a little .
Saturday night, Billy Bob's is the destination, probably around 8pm. There's a $9 charge to get in (because of the concert). There will be more as well as for all of us and .
Sunday morning, we'll probably try to meet for breakfast before everyone heads to their and .

Did everyone get that? If you have any questions, let me know. And, if you need my number, let me know.

Oh, yeah... my whole reason for doing this? Because I found this : and I needed some reason to use it. Don't make me haul out the real one!!!

Now, if you'll excuse me... I need to before His Tyrantness finds this...

Questions and Tidbits

2005-02-24T18:19:00.000-08:00

This week's post will be a quick one. Not much new to report. Things are in full swing as we prep for the invasion to forever be known as Blogfest 2005.

Thanks to those of you who have sent us your flight information. Rest assured, someone reasonably sober will meet you at the airport. What happens after that is anyone's guess...

Has everyone made their hotel reservations and ordered their Blogfest goodies? Just checking...

One small piece of housekeeping. I'm going to print out a hard copy of the attendees and their blogs. If anyone does not want their first names listed, let me know now or forever hold your peace. This list will not be on the internet. It will only be for the attendees.

Oh, yeah... one more tiny little piece of information, for anyone who might be interested (yes, I'm looking at you, Dash and Deathknyte). I have procured a brand new frying pan, just for the weekend.

Let's just hope I don't need it...

A Little Housekeeping...

2005-02-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

Beth: (walking in) geez- who left this mess in here? Spats, did you leave all these boxes and t-shirts... and stickers and mousepads... in here? Where did all this stuff come from?

Spats: (peeking out from behind a box) the Cafe Press store. I... uh... ordered a few things...

Beth: a few things? Did you leave anything for the other attendees?

Spats: well... uh... they said they'd make more.

Beth: ... anyway... Time to do a little admin housekeeping for the party. It's only 4 weeks away.

Spats: you're not going to do that freak-out, panic mode thing, are you?

Beth: Not yet... maybe later...

OK... here we go. A few memos/requests/questions from Southern Command:

First, old business:

Everyone get everything done on the checklist?

Did you order your official gear?

New(ish)business:

Are any of you driving in from out of town? If so, are any of you interested in carpooling to/from Dallas? (This does not necessarily commit you to providing transport while in Dallas- just to/from)
Any of you interested in cutting down on expenses by sharing a room with another attendee? (No, I cannot guarantee that your roommate won't snore)
Any of you from the D/FW area willing to help out carpooling some of the out-of-towners who either don't have a lift or who are uncomfortable with the idea of driving in the same area code as the Mix Master? (I have a minivan, and we're thinking about renting a big van, but... some back-up might not be a bad idea)
Flying in? We still need to know where/when to pick you up.

Definitely new business:

I talked to someone from Billy Bob's. I need a pretty definite headcount to see if we can do the group rate for the Chris Cagle concert. I also need to know if we want to do BYOF (BUY, not bring, your own food) or if we want to do some catered stuff. PLEASE e-mail or leave your count/preference on food in the comments. (They have all-you-can-eat buffets and/or hors doeuvres trays.)

That is all for now... we are now at 30 days and counting...

Spats: 30 days? Thirty days!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!! AAAAAIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (starts shoving t-shirts back into boxes)

Beth: and he thinks I panic? yeah, right... whatever...

2005-02-09T19:50:00.000-08:00

Time to go shopping, guys

Well, some of you wanted shot glasses, some of you wanted shirts.

How about this? Click on this link and knock yerselves out!

I'll be there in my muscle shirt...

BETH: (snicker...snx...snx...snicker...) BWAH-HAHAHAHAHAHA...~!!! (snort)

...while Beth will be in her bikini...

BETH: WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! (reaches for frying pan)

Uh, 'scuse me...gotta go...(scurries) MERRRRRRRR-LINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN...!!!!!!!!!

2005-02-03T13:49:00.000-08:00

S, M, L, XL...4XL?

We're thinking about having a memento for the blogfest, souveniers (sp?) if you will, to prove that we actually pulled this extravaganza off somehow. (grin)

We've narrowed it down to two: Shot glasses etched with "TX Blogfest 2005" on the side...or perhaps t-shirts with the TXB2005 banner on the front.

Here's the deal: If we do the shot-glass option, we can probably take care of the cost of this ourselves...

BETH: Who's this 'we', paleface???

LSIK&T: Hush, or I'll sic this cedar tree on you.

BETH: Eeeeeeeeeeep!!!!! (scurries)

...okay, where was I...?

Ah, yes. If we go with the t-shirts, we're gonna need some help from you guys - say, somewhere between $10-20 per.

The shot-glasses are nice, but they're trinkets, and (mostly) useless ones at that. The t-shirts cost more, but they're a little more functional.

Let us know where you'd like to go with all that. Thanks.

Survey Questions #1 and #2

2005-02-03T09:49:00.000-08:00

Beth: Is this thing on? Oh, good!

Attention all attendees! We here at Blogfest HQ™ (Southern Office) are trying to finalize the schedule for the Shindig.

Spats: Is that a real word?
Beth:Yes, I looked it up. It's a real word. Now, hush. I'm making an announcement.

So, as I was saying, we working on the schedule. Friday night is pretty much a done deal. Check into the hotel as you roll into town, and then we'll meet up at Humperdink's (3820 Belt Line Road, just down the street from the hotel) for food, drink, and a general get-to-know-you time. (This is when the quiz will be taken. Prizes may be awarded. Haven't decided that yet.) The gab-fest will then move on over to the Holiday Inn Express when a: the first bloggers start dropping off; or b:when Zane needs to hit the sack. (Right, Denita?)

Spats: Prizes? We can win prizes? OK, now where is that attendees blogroll again?
Beth: No, ya big oaf, we can't win any prizes. That would be cheating.

So, on Saturday, during the day, we have several options. Sight seeing (any ideas where?), a trip to a range for some target practice (hmm... need to see if I can bring Mr. Friendly along... I'm sure he'd enjoy a field trip), and a Blog Q&A (where newer bloggers can pick the brains of the "old pros" and everyone can just talk up a storm about that which ties us all together- this dang addiction known as blogging) have all been mentioned as possibilities. So, Survey Question #1- what are your choices from the list above (in order of preference)?

Spats: Will we only get to do one of those things?
Beth: Probably not. I'm sure we'll be able to squeeze in more than one thing into the schedule. I'm looking for priorities here.

Now we come to my conundrum. Saturday night in the Big D. What to do? What to do? What to do? Someone who shall remain nameless (ZiPpo) suggested that I just make an executive decision, but... well... here's the deal. Unless y'all come up with something MUCH better, the plan is to hit Billy Bob's over in Ft. Worth (don't panic! We'll carpool! We won't risk losing any of our bloggers in D/FW traffic!)

Spats: And I suppose you're going to expect all of us to Two Step, too, aren't you?
Beth: Damn strai... I'm mean, darn right, y'all are going to dance. Why in the world do you think I want to do this? I want to dance with some of these cute guys. And, come on, Spats, admit it... you know you'd like to do a little dancing with some of the ladies... come on...
Spats: I can neither confirm nor deny that I can or will dance with... hey, she's kinda cute...

So, as I was saying... Chris Cagle will be in concert on Saturday night, and I've heard he puts on a good show.(Any guy who sings a song called " 'Cause the Chicks Dig It" can't be all bad!" And, come on- it's Billy Bob's- how much more Texas can you get than that? As for the dancing, it'll be fun! Really! Here are directions on how to Two Step. (How long have you lived in Texas, and you still haven't learned how to Two Step???) So... Survey Question #2- is everyone ok with Billy Bob's on Saturday night, or do you have another idea?

Thanks, and have a great weekend! (And, by the way, in case anyone was wondering... yeah, Spats and I really are like this.)

Spats:Am not!
Beth:Are too!

Attendees Reminder/Checklist

2005-01-20T14:13:00.000-08:00

Spats: Oh, no! She's got a list! Everybody, RUN!!!!!!

Hey, Everyone! Here's a handy-dandy checklist for all of the attendees. How many items have you completed so far?
- Have you RSVP'ed yet?

Spats: uh, Beth... check the sidebar- that'll tell you who's contacted us...
Beth: shhh... I'm concentrating...

- Have you made your reservations at the Holiday Inn Express?

Spats: uh... why don't you just call the hotel and ask them yourself?
Beth: Spats, I'm warning you...

- Have you purchased your plane tickets and let Beth and Spats know when and where to pick you up?

Spats: did you get any e-mails? I didn't get any e-mails.
Beth: (muttering) where is that frying pan?
Spats: ok! ok! I'll be quiet

- Have you sent in your pop quiz clues to Beth?

Spats: dang- knew I forgot to do something...)

- Have you made any suggestions for activity ideas- besides reenacting certain Jimmy Buffett songs?

Spats: hey! What's wrong with that? (wanders off, singing) Why don't we get drunk...

OK, everyone. That is all for now. Have a great weekend!

A Place to Lay Your Weary Head

2005-01-12T11:25:00.000-08:00

We now have "official" lodging set up for the blogfest. We have a "weekend deal" with the Holiday Inn Express in Addison. (Addison is just north of Dallas proper.) The rate we were given is $42/night plus tax, and that includes breakfast. They are setting aside a block of rooms for us. You can make reservations by calling (800)991-5387, and tell them that you're with the Texas Blogfest (yes, I had to explain to her what a blog is... oh, well...). The dates are 3/18 and 3/19 (in case you forgot).

There is one thing I thought about, and I wanted to run it by everyone. Some of you are coming by yourselves and might be trying to save some money. If you want to share rooms and split the cost, e-mail me, and I'll work out some pairs. (No, this is not a matchmaking service. Get your minds out of the gutter... geeez).

Pop Quiz!

2005-01-11T11:38:00.000-08:00

How well do you know your fellow blogmeet attendees? Hmmm?

We're going to just how much we know about each other from reading each other's blogs and hanging out in various chat rooms. Normally, I am NOT one for party games, but this one might be fun. We're going to have a pop quiz. Scared yet?

What I need everyone to do (non-bloggers can do this, too, as long as they routinely comment on the blogs- that way we have a clue as to who you are!!!) is e-mail me with something that people should know about you if they've read your blog more than once or twice. I will compile everything into a fun matching pop quiz (or maybe fill-in-the-blank... haven't decided yet.)

Deadline for getting info to me is... March 1st. Yes, I will remind you again. And, yes, there might be prizes (if I come up with something interesting. Any ideas? Leave those in the comments.)

For now... e-mail me if you know what info you want on the quiz. And, see those links on the right? Start clicking and start studying!!!

2005-01-09T14:15:00.000-08:00

Bringing a date?

Those of you with ~~main squeezes~~ ~~harems~~ ~~concubines~~ ~~ball & chains~~...

BETH: (bings Spatula with a frying pan)

LSI: Ow.

...uh, spouses or significant others...could we get you guys to check in with us, please?

Thanks. (rubs back of head gingerly)

Update from Beth: Guess I hit Spats a little too hard, 'cause he didn't explain WHY we needed the info. We're just trying to an accurate count. THAT's it. Really.

Now, Spats, get that ice pack back on your head. That's gonna leave a mark.

2005-01-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

Possible restaurant/bar sites

Right now, two establishments have taken the lead for "Hijack A Corner Of The Bar" night (whatever night that is - Friday?):

Humperdink's is an excellent dining establishment for those of you who are equal parts food and Adult Beverage™. Fantastic wings, delicious entrées and a full service bar make this a place where the entire family (if you're bringing one) can have fun. Multiple TVs all over the place for those of you who have to have their sports fix...(sheepishly raises hand) :-D

The Fox & Hound English pub offers a less-robust-but-still-decent menu, wide-screen TVs, plus a game room with darts and billiards. We can have a contest: How badly can you Beat Lord Spatula At Pool™, 'cause I suck royally at it. (grin)

Submitted for the consideration of TWACTSITMF™ (Those Who Are Coming To Say It To My Face (big grin)). Your feedback would be most appreciated.

No, Boobert, not you. :-/

Want a Button?

2005-01-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

If you'd like to add this nice little button to your sidebar(as a link, no less), copy/paste the following code into your template:

<a href="http://txblogfest2005.blogspot.com/"> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v374/beth_yeah_right_whatever/texasbutton2.jpg"> </a>

Welcome

2005-01-03T10:34:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the home of the Texas Blogfest, 2005 addition. On this site, we will post information about the shindig, from itinerary to attendees to lodging options.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment or e-mail the organizers (see the sidebar).

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you there!