Mittens 2009: Have You Paid THE MASTER METER?

[mouthuvmine]

Hey, I found the back of my head! Woohoo! I'm a star!

[Disco]

Some videos I took-

Cato and the Seven Crackers

Burn the Queen!

Grundislav's Welsh Accent

The Terrifying Memphis!

[Darth Mandarb]

Yay group photo time!

Front: (from left) CJ, Miez, Disco, Esseb, Lackey, Nacho

Back: Scummbuddy, Darth Mandarb, DutchMarco, Squinky, Creed Malay, Finkenstein, Grundislav, MrColossal, Becky, Adamski, Pesty, Sylpher, Lorena, Quintaros, MillsJRoss, AGA

Squinky was there??

[Disco]

Squinky was there??

Wow, although I've never met Squinky, that has got to be the ultimate insult

[Snarky]

Yes. Being me is the ultimate insult.  :'(

Incidentally.

I would post photos as well, but Flickr is being difficult.

[Disco]

Yes. Being me is the ultimate insult.  :'(

Noes! It's just funny that out of all the people I misname, it was the person I hung out with most

[Nacho]

Hello guys... I am uploading the pics now to photobucket... but I am do not remember bad, visualization pics from that website is a hell... if someone could provide a space for upload the photos, I would appreciate it deeply...

[Nacho]

Solved! I will upload them in americangirlscout... Tonight or tomorrow... Ciao!

[Pumaman]

Great pics and vids, guys!

Also, to whoever slipped the blue cup into my luggage -- thanks, it means a lot! Also, I'm grateful it was a cup and not a bag of heroin, because I didn't spot it until now

[m0ds]

Word on the street is...check the bottom pocket again...

Then have your own Crackwell legacy

Did you drink more than your prescribed one beer a month CJ? hehe, did your liver explode all over the queen?

[Darth Mandarb]

I'm confused ...

Did I insult Squinky and/or Snarky with that comment? 

[Disco]

Did I insult Squinky and/or Snarky with that comment?  

No, I was saying I may have since I credited Snarky wrong in the photo despite how much we hung out at Mittens this year, but the way it is written it can come across in a bad way :o I don't know why I though Squinky especially after I had not gotten it mixed up before that

[Snarky]

Let's just assume that we are all offended. Or possibly offensive.

OK, I got my pitiful set of pictures up on Flickr. (Like the guy in Lost Highway who doesn't own a camera, I "like to remember things my own way. How I remember them. Not necessarily the way they happened.") Anyway: Here you go!

[AGA]

Here are Nacho's photos.

[Finkenstein]

Becky and Adam, those photos are awesome!
It's like re living the whole week! You must have been sneaky about it too, I don't remember a camera being permanently implanted in your hand...

[Becky]

A camera? Surely you mean my bionic hand.

I took so many photos so that when we all get senile we can reminisce about "those crazy internet days when people met in reality".

I am also enjoying the photos that other people have provided!  The group photos especially turned out great, apart from grumpy AGA.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

AGA being grumpy is a constant.




A CONSTANT SOURCE OF AMUSEMENT!

[DutchMarco]

http://www.sylpher.com/photos.php?photo=41&album=2
Yes, it's too late now, Todd. In fact, as I'm typing this, I look around but there's nobody taking a photo. [cry]Where are you?? Anybody??[/cry] Oh ewll, the people heremake for a decent substitute, but you can't beat the real thing!

Anyway, I'm writing this (belatedly) from the hostel in Baltimore, I know I said I'd go to Charleston, SC and Atlanta GA, but I couldn't find any suitable (suitably located) accomodation there, so I took another (tiring!) busride over here. Now to consider where to go next.

BTW I've done a quick browse on the interwebs for the venue for next Mittens, and I've found this:

http://www.vakantieverblijf-nederland.nl/accommodatie/2357

a bit small(12-15people): http://www.familieweekend-drenthe.nl/

I've briefly also considered this:
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleis_op_de_Dam

pro's: includes staff (cooks, cleaners, etc), quite well maintained, centrally located (downtown Amsterdam).

Cons: already includes royalty (occasionally),  Sometimes contains politicians (a big bummer for a party atmosphere - though they might be good subjects for making fun of), security would make it rather diffficult to get into. I think they have a night-lockout too, + it's probably too expensive (if  for rent at all).

So I'm thinking, even though I haven't looked at any prices yet (of any venues), that the Palace on Dam-square (Paleis op de dam) should be deleted from the list.

But back to the Vice-Mittens: I've already thanked Grundy for organizing it, but I'll do it again (and also thank you for driving me to the busstation): Francisco, thanks for the (good!) organisation. It was cool to see almost everyone again, and as for those who haven't made it, the replacements did a good job.

My only regret: missing on going to the gun range. (well,..... the other regret: we didn't get to finish the movie)

(an untrelated dislike: the heat + climate)
Oh, the penis gun was hilarious,  so I'm thinking for next Mittens we buy Jess a pair of penis-clogs, or a squirting tulip (you could possibly actually buy those, but you'd have to put a knob on yourself). Oh well, she can go buy them herself in Amsterdam when she's here.

[Nacho]

Sorry to bring this back, but I think I am lost of translation... I think Darth made a simple and innocent joke saying "where was Snarky? Was he there?" and Disco replied "Well... I was with Gunnar, but I was not aware till now that Gunnar=Snarky". I am wrong? (I repeat, I might be missunderstanding something).

If my interpretation of what Darth and Disco said was correct, then, I think nobody was offensive and no one must feel offended... Snarky, we are constantly doing jokes like that in mittens... I think that there's nothing wrong in being the target of jokes... actually, you should be worry if you were not! Now, you are just one more of the group.

And talking just for me, I dunno the other people' s opinion, but I did not like some of the thinks I saw about "Snarky, the AGS forums poster", but I really liked "Gunnar, the guy I meet at mittens". As a consequence, now I respect "Snarky the forums poster".

Point two... for future mittens organisators: (I assume next mittens will be in Dutchalandia). Some of us talked about renting a whole floor of a hotel. Just an idea. We reached to the conclussion that it can't be as much expensive as renting those big houses.

OR...

Doing a cruise... I assume you Oranges are excited about hosting a mittens... but we were also talking of doing a Cruise... A cruise through the Mediterranean? Barcelona, Marsella, MonteCarlo, Rome, Popeii, Tunisia, maybe?

As said... just ideas.

[Becky]

I am not sold on the idea of renting out a hotel floor - I reckon it probably -would- be more expensive than renting a house (hotels tend to charge per night!), and less convenient: we wouldn't be able to cook our own food easily, there'd be few common areas for us all to hang out, and even if we got a floor to ourselves, there'd still be other guests that could get in the way

Equally I am not completely sold on a cruise, for many of the same issues as a hotel (expense, convenience, common areas, other guests) and the inability to be flexible about what we want to do and when we want to do it. 

I personally think that renting a house/cabin/villa/mansion works pretty well for our needs, we have space, privacy for individuals but also common areas for groups, we can cook as we please or go out to eat, we don't need to worry about intruding on anyone elses fun, and they don't ruin ours!   Miami was perhaps an exception, as the mansion was pretty pricey (although I don't think anyone would argue that it wasnt worth the price?), put generally these house rentals work out reasonable enough between the size groups we're looking at.  This is all just my opinion though, other people might love the idea of a cruise or hotel