The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Smittypalooza? Delayed Victory Celebration? Whatever!

Posted on | August 13, 2014 | 29 Comments

— by Wombat-socho


People have been suggesting that we do another Smittypalooza or similar get-together for a while now, but nobody has suggested a venue. Given a year to work with and a staff of at least a dozen, I could probably rent a hotel and accommodate about a thousand folks – oh, wait, I’m thinking about anime conventions. Never mind. I’m going to go ahead and set a date – September 12 – and see if I can find someplace in Fairfax County where we can have some quiet drinks, conversation, and bar food that won’t remind people of CPAC’s legendary #UnsustainableBarTab. I am of course open to suggestions; a small neighborhood venue is preferred over some noisy sports bar like Buffalo Wild Wings, and a hotel bar/lounge is absolutely the last resort unless someone knows one that doesn’t charge far, far out the ass for potables and nibblements.


Post suggestions in the comments. I hope to have settled on a location with Stacy and Smitty no later than Labor Day.


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Comments

29 Responses to “Smittypalooza? Delayed Victory Celebration? Whatever!”

  1. Kirby McCain
    August 13th, 2014 @ 9:32 pm

    I’ll be thinking about you at Dragon*Con. I’m going to cosplay Mario!

  2. smitty
    August 13th, 2014 @ 9:35 pm

    The RockIt Grill suggests itself => http://www.rockit-grill.com/

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    August 13th, 2014 @ 9:44 pm

    […] Wombat: Looking for a quiet place where everybody knows your name… […]

  4. JadedByPolitics
    August 13th, 2014 @ 9:52 pm

    Well I am in wherever you decide, I don’t have anywhere in particular I like or don’t like there is an Old Brogue in Great Falls, there is a Breakers in Herndon/Centreville or Jimmys Old Town Tavern in Herndon as well, all of them have good food and Breakers has pool.

  5. Good Stuff
    August 13th, 2014 @ 10:27 pm

    Old fashion style is all ways best when it comes to planned parties.

    picnic / beach / swimming pool – BYOB and food

    live blogging…

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    August 13th, 2014 @ 10:29 pm

    […] Smittypalooza? Delayed Victory Celebration? Whatever!. […]

  7. lemang01
    August 13th, 2014 @ 10:54 pm

    Deep discounts in Ferguson Missouri πŸ˜‰

  8. Wombat_socho
    August 14th, 2014 @ 12:29 am

    You know the rule – pics or it didn’t happen.

  9. Wombat_socho
    August 14th, 2014 @ 12:31 am

    I was hoping for something more suburban, but four blocks from the King Street Metro’s not bad.

  10. Wombat_socho
    August 14th, 2014 @ 12:32 am

    What part of “Fairfax County” was unclear to you, Bubba?

  11. Wombat_socho
    August 14th, 2014 @ 12:34 am

    Jimmy’s looks good. Free parking, and survivors can decamp to the Amphora after Jimmy’s closes. πŸ™‚

  12. Anon Imus
    August 14th, 2014 @ 4:57 am

    Ireland’s Four Provinces in Falls Church?

  13. JadedByPolitics
    August 14th, 2014 @ 6:16 am

    I saw a Black Sabbath cover band from NY there on a Friday night and I have met some people politically for lunch there, it is an all round good joint πŸ™‚

  14. Mm
    August 14th, 2014 @ 7:29 am

    Herndon is better an Alexandria.

  15. Quartermaster
    August 14th, 2014 @ 7:48 am

    There will also be the need for one to send you off to Siberia…er, I mean Sin City.

  16. Quartermaster
    August 14th, 2014 @ 7:49 am

    For some reason, I don’t think it was unclear to him.

  17. scarymatt
    August 14th, 2014 @ 8:07 am

    Yeah, Jimmy’s is excellent. Hell, I could walk to this…

  18. Mark Reardon
    August 14th, 2014 @ 11:31 am

    Damn Smitty, I won’t be in Fairfax until the 20th. Hoist 1 for me.

  19. Gunga
    August 14th, 2014 @ 12:59 pm

    Was once setting up an archaeology conference in Duluth. Told the venue to make sure they needed to provide more beer than they deemed humanly possible for a group our size to consume. Was rebuffed with the kind of contempt normally shown to vegans or people who wear button-down collars with short pants. The penultimate night found our hosts without sufficient quantities of malted beverages. “That’s alright, we’ve had enough” said exactly no-one. More than 20 years later, people who generally aren’t smart enough to pour internally produced liquids from their own boots still remind me that I’m “that guy who…”
    I bring this up only as a cautionary tale. Don’t be “that guy who” trusted “the professional’s” opinion. To paraphrase Ron Swanson, whatever establishment you choose you should tell them that you want all the beer that there is. They will think you mean you want a lot of beer. You must impress upon them that you want what you asked for: “All-the-beer-that-exists.” …or are we leaving the wives at home?

  20. Christopher_Renner
    August 14th, 2014 @ 1:35 pm

    If you’re all up for a potluck, my building in Tysons/Falls Church has a nice club room that I can reserve. Fits 20-30 comfortably, and we can shuttle from the Silver/Orange lines.

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    August 14th, 2014 @ 2:53 pm

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  22. K-Bob
    August 14th, 2014 @ 4:39 pm

    Is it just me that hates that word, ‘cosplay’?

    Something about it just don’t sit rite.

  23. JadedByPolitics
    August 14th, 2014 @ 5:45 pm

    We would have to shuttle because this chick doesn’t do Tysons, that place is a freaking nightmare….just saying πŸ™‚

    I of course want to be gracious and thank you for the suggestion, its sounds cozy and comfortable!

  24. K-Bob
    August 14th, 2014 @ 8:14 pm

    The whole thing is entirely on the wrong side of the Blue Ridge mountains. Move West, my man.

  25. Wombat_socho
    August 15th, 2014 @ 12:01 am

    It’s one branch of costuming, with the additional effort of trying to act in character. For example, Klingons aren’t usually in costume, they’re cosplaying, especially the ones that can actually speak the language.

  26. Wombat_socho
    August 15th, 2014 @ 12:02 am

    I am, but not until next spring after tax season.

  27. missred
    August 15th, 2014 @ 2:29 am

    I want a parking lot. I live too far away to take metro

  28. K-Bob
    August 16th, 2014 @ 5:13 am

    Just get away from the mega-tsunami zone before it’s too late!

    Leave barack behind, though.

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