Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come around once again for me to think that it is a good idea to propose this.

It's not a good idea, of course. All the names on here either hate each other or are aliases of one person. Or they live in such far-flung locales as Afghanistan or Parts of North Carolina that aren't within fifteen minutes of campus-stan.

So I am probably wasting my time, but I suggest that, a month or two from now, we endeavor to have a meeting of the minds among those of us who remain in or near Raleigh and can stand the thought of meeting each other face to face.

Such a meeting can have, and has had, good effects. At best it can make real-life friends out of former online enemies, thus moderating the tone of debate and encouraging understanding. At worst, there's beer.

And so I ask, wolfweb, are there any among you who think you might be up for such a meeting?

1/17/2011 4:05:24 AM

the concept of meeting people I only know through the internet makes me fucking hate myself.

1/17/2011 8:18:12 AM

Quote :

"the concept of meeting people I only know through the internet makes me fucking hate myself."

Spend less time online then, I see you on here whenever I'm browsing

Quote :

"And so I ask, wolfweb, are there any among you who think you might be up for such a meeting?"

Depends on the date but I do my best not to turn down opportunities to drink with you. When do you think this will happen? If I can line it up with a standard home visit I could make it.

1/17/2011 9:42:19 AM

So this event will be taking place is the most populous city in the state, right?

1/17/2011 10:57:26 AM

I guess you dont like to use technology and that is why everyone has to ride their horse to the meeting place?

1/17/2011 2:47:51 PM

I think i'm just now getting humble enough to handle one of these...

1/17/2011 2:50:56 PM

Put me down for a possibly.

1/17/2011 6:11:01 PM

Quote :

"So this event will be taking place is the most populous city in the state, right?"

Unless Raleigh shot past Charlotte while I wasn't looking, no.

Or I guess, fuck, it could be if everyone is in Charlotte and votes for that, but I would not be in attendance.

Quote :

"When do you think this will happen?"

I got no frickin' clue. I'm pretty well swamped until early February and at that point it's a matter of whatever day the most people can agree on. In the past I think I've called for summits that ended up on dates I was unable to attend. I'm sure it could happen again.

1/17/2011 6:16:15 PM

I would be interested provided it is in Raleigh even though I am a relative SB noob.

1/17/2011 6:50:49 PM

I'm down with this.

1/17/2011 8:05:28 PM

skype it

1/17/2011 8:29:54 PM

I am game as long as it isn't on Saturday night. A few years ago it ended up being just me, GoldieO (who is a rather classy individual) and Gamecat whom I've known since middle school. I've been wanting to meet Grumpy for a long ass time though.

1/17/2011 9:31:05 PM

What's gamecat up to these days?

I miss his posts.

1/17/2011 9:32:13 PM

Singing karaoke on the weekends mostly. I've not talked to him in a little while sadly.

1/17/2011 9:47:46 PM

can i wear my W shirt?

1/17/2011 9:56:49 PM

sure but we would all call you stupid think you're stupid

1/18/2011 6:11:34 AM

^haha true. I dont really have one.

1/18/2011 9:14:18 AM

I might throw out the ideas of either Friday, Jan. 27 or any time the first weekend in February, if those are agreeable to the masses. They're pretty much the only weekend times I'm around in the next little bit.

There's no particular reason it has to be on a weekend. They don't tend to turn into late-night events. So if more people think they could do a weekday thing that's fine, or if it needs to be some time farther in the future.

I believe to date all of the summits have taken place in Mitch's, because it is the bar near campus for which people have the least amount of irrational hatred and prejudice. But if someone has a better idea then throw it out there.

1/18/2011 3:15:59 PM

I would, but I quit drinking

1/18/2011 6:40:22 PM

If it's on the weekend after 5 pm any time in the next 4 weeks I won't be able to make it because of a temporary work schedule.

1/18/2011 7:24:04 PM

Quote :

"Spend less time online then, I see you on here whenever I'm browsing"

haha. my comment wasn't supposed to be a knock on anyone, but rather an in-depth look into my self-loathing nature.

1/18/2011 8:46:09 PM

Quote :

"I would, but I quit drinking"

The fuck? I call bullshit.

The first time I ever met you, you had come out to watch to see if a fight happened in front of DH Hill. Someone had threatened to kick my ass and I agreed to meet them somewhere, and you turned out to observe. Fortunately the guy didn't show because I can't fight for shit, but you suggested we go to Mitch's and proceeded to buy shots.

Though, now that I think about it, it was the middle of the day and the number of shots may not have been socially acceptable for the hour. So I guess it's not completely unbelievable.

OR MAYBE...that was the guy who was supposed to fight me, and he was (wrongfully) intimidated by my size, and pretended to be you.

At this point I am willing to talk about virtually any bullshit to avoid having to memorize this poem in a language I don't understand.

[Edited on January 19, 2011 at 1:25 AM. Reason : ]

1/19/2011 1:23:57 AM

Since this is a summit I officially represent the staunch environmentalist/tree-hugger delegation.

I am sad though that I never got a chance to meet TGD. *hint* *hint* Greg, if you are trolling around still please to make a special guest appearance. I may even be able to drag Gamecat out of mothballs so we can all be amused by his occasionally condescending ramblings.

1/19/2011 6:13:13 AM

Quote :

"I would, but I quit drinking"

roflmao

1/19/2011 4:13:15 PM

You should still come. IIRC one of the twelve steps is apologizing to everyone for being a prick.

No, wait, everyone you were a prick to when you were drinking. I don't know if that includes TSB or not.

[Edited on January 19, 2011 at 4:49 PM. Reason : .]

1/19/2011 4:46:48 PM

Everyone who drinks and posts on TWW has posted on TWW while drinking.

At this point it's my #1 go-to for when I'm drunk and everyone else has been a pussy and gone to bed/passed out.

[Edited on January 19, 2011 at 5:25 PM. Reason : incidentally I predict this will happen in about seven hours]

1/19/2011 5:25:20 PM

there is no way i could drink around a few of the people here. most of you all are very insightful and i enjoy reading your posts, but a few people are so unreasonable i don't think that i could refrain from laughing in their face until they took a swing at me.

1/19/2011 5:38:36 PM

Would we sit around and discuss politics (pass) or fun drinking topics instead (maybe)?

1/19/2011 5:41:53 PM

Politics has never really come up at these things. Nor has religion or anything like that.

Typically there's some introductions, shit-talking about posters that aren't present, maybe a little ribbing at one another but mostly just shooting the shit so everyone walks away with a little background on the people they've been talking to all this time.

Don't come expecting a live, real-time debate and don't stay away because you don't want to encounter one.

1/19/2011 5:58:20 PM

haha.

i was supposed to fight nutsmackr once. He pussed out and we wound up eating pizza at Amedeo's with Solinari.

1/19/2011 6:28:40 PM

If you schedule one for June or July, i might be in town from Seattle.

sometime around then, not sure when.

1/19/2011 6:29:43 PM

I would go in order to meet joe_schmoe

damn that rhymed way more than I meant it to

1/19/2011 7:43:18 PM

Quote :

"there is no way i could drink around a few of the people here. most of you all are very insightful and i enjoy reading your posts, but a few people are so unreasonable i don't think that i could refrain from laughing in their face until they took a swing at me. "

You have to realize, this is the Internet. People are WAY more unreasonable online than IRL (it's part of the fun for some people...). I know this because some of my closest friends are farther to the right than the most extremist posters here, but IRL, they can't be an asshole about it because they have to be personally accountable for their idiocy, so they don't try to defend positions unless they are sure of them.

I bet even some of the wonky people here are really cool IRL.

1/19/2011 7:52:44 PM

Quote :

"i was supposed to fight nutsmackr once. He pussed out and we wound up eating pizza at Amedeo's with Solinari. "

?

Quote :

"The fuck? I call bullshit. The first time I ever met you, you had come out to watch to see if a fight happened in front of DH Hill. Someone had threatened to kick my ass and I agreed to meet them somewhere, and you turned out to observe. Fortunately the guy didn't show because I can't fight for shit, but you suggested we go to Mitch's and proceeded to buy shots. Though, now that I think about it, it was the middle of the day and the number of shots may not have been socially acceptable for the hour. So I guess it's not completely unbelievable."

I remember that one. Good fucking times.

[Edited on January 20, 2011 at 12:47 AM. Reason : .]

1/20/2011 12:45:43 AM

Quote :

"If you schedule one for June or July, i might be in town from Seattle. "

Well you can call a summit on your own when you know for sure. Nobody's gonna remember that shit if you just tell us in January.

Quote :

"I bet even some of the wonky people here are really cool IRL."

This is true. Take McDanger and I. Online we are mortal enemies. In real life we have socialized on a number of occasions without taking each other to task. Hell, you saw him say, "I do my best not to turn down opportunities to drink with you." This was a man who not four months ago called my degree the "useless result of four+ years of debilitating alcoholism" and then spent a few paragraphs calling me an asshole. (And -- I reiterate this point -- asshole though I may be, I was only an alcoholic for two of those years and I graduated in four without a "+.") And just the other day he sincerely congratulated me for no longer having to sleep on a mattress on a garage floor. (I may not have said "thanks" for that, incidentally, but, well, thanks.)

I also enjoyed meeting with nutsmackr and Gamecat, who are also online foes. hempster, who hasn't posted here in a while, had an online personality that nearly inspired me with a desire to murder, but we spent a pleasant year as neighbors. Or would have, if he wasn't such a goddamn mooch. And then eventually I heard he tried to kidnap a dog. But that wasn't politically motivated.

You know, let me put it this way: You ever see the old Loony Toons with Wile E. Coyote and the Sheepdog? Every day they greet each other when they show up for work, spend a few hours beating the shit out of each other while Coyote tries to steal sheep, then they clock out and have lunch together with perfect civility and even friendship, then clock back in and whale on each other until close? That's the wolfweb/real life relationship.

[Edited on January 20, 2011 at 1:04 AM. Reason : ]

1/20/2011 1:03:24 AM

Hell, I'd love to meet GrumpyGOP or McDanger in real life and NOT talk about religion or politics. I come to the TSB to vent about religion precisely because I don't go around haranguing folks in public.

1/20/2011 8:52:21 AM

Quote :

" nutsmackr: "?"

^^^ oh... whoops. somehow i just confused you with FroshKiller. my bad, mate.


(in my defense: both of your screen names are trisyllabic compound subject/predicate present indicative phrases ending in "R")





[Edited on January 20, 2011 at 11:22 AM. Reason : ]

1/20/2011 11:19:40 AM

They both sound like fighters
I can flex my schedule around what works best for the rest of you.

1/20/2011 11:44:29 AM

aha. yes, one "smacks", the other "kills". they're looking more and more alike every moment.

1/20/2011 11:56:26 AM

oh, and ^8

1/20/2011 6:52:49 PM

???

2/19/2011 12:52:12 PM

i've know both frosh and smackr off of the internet for years and lol at that mixup

[Edited on February 19, 2011 at 12:56 PM. Reason : wow almost 10 years? REALLY? when the hell did that happen? [OLD]]

2/19/2011 12:55:35 PM

As usual, the interest in this from most people was purely theoretical. I'm still game for trying it though.

2/19/2011 3:40:18 PM

I hope someone records this. I would be interested to know what would happen if trolls troll each other IRL. I predict that someone would die.

2/19/2011 5:04:37 PM

that just shows how much of a dumbass you are.

2/19/2011 7:38:15 PM

Yeah, I don't see any of the "trolls" actually showing up.

2/19/2011 8:24:59 PM

And just because someone’s a troll on the interwebs, doesn’t mean they’ll troll IRL.

Internet != real life.

Most of my friends have different political philosophies than me, but that doesn’t mean i wouldn’t take a bullet for them while calling them a dumbass.

[Edited on February 19, 2011 at 8:27 PM. Reason : ]

2/19/2011 8:27:15 PM

I would definitely show up.

2/19/2011 9:13:56 PM

I would want face to show up. I want him to share his expert knowledge of folding the perfect tin foil hat!

2/19/2011 9:15:52 PM

bttt -- give me a day and I'll be there if I can get all my HW done

3/29/2011 10:35:31 AM