First Annual IWDN Meetup, the debrief

[vito]

Well, this thread is taking a bit of a left turn, but who cares (apologies to the thread starter). I just spoke with Simon. I have him committed to coming over (from Halifax, Nova Scotia) with his wife and son for a BBQ on Saturday August 6, 2005.

Paul, are you and Amy in?

What about you, crazyfish? You're but a short drive to Brampton.

And any other IWDN member who wishes to attend the First Annual IWDN Get Together. :banana:

Vito

[Tyler]

Sorry, Tyler. Looks like we're zeroed in on August 6. But something tells me you are a resilient fellow and can bend to accommodate our schedule... ;)

See you Aug 6th??

Vito

Wish I could, the better half already scheduled our vaction! Short one, but that's all I can ever do ;)

[crazyfish]

Hmmm tempting. I am moving August 1st though, so that might be a bit crazy of a week. Mind you its only a 3 day work week. Gotta love summer hours.

[vito]

crazyfish, you must attend. After all, you are a hop skip and a jump away. What kind of example are you setting for our American friends?

Vito

[Simon]

Well, this thread is taking a bit of a left turn, but who cares (apologies to the thread starter). I just spoke with Simon. I have him committed to coming over (from Halifax, Nova Scotia) with his wife and son for a BBQ on Saturday August 6, 2005.
Sounds good to me :)

I can't wait:
Vatican paintings and historical documents in Montreal, followed by Niagra Falls, Ontario. Topped off with juicy steaks and drinks at Casa de Ceniti.

Simon

[Jamie]

Bahh, if Jamie gets a few more projects in before then, I may try and get a last minute deal on a flight and make a very long weekend out of it... well... it probably won't happen... I'll see how things pan out.

If i'm not there, I'll sure see some of you at HostingCon.

As for the 200th member... mmm... Aug 1st.

[the_pm]

Ooh, let me see. Amy graduates on August 4th, and that might not be an ideal weekend for her for that reason. It does conveniently fall right before my big trip to Oregon to teach at this year's e-learning DevCon, but we need to find out Amy's plans first. I don't want to disrupt anything she already has planned...

[crazyfish]

crazyfish, you must attend. After all, you are a hop skip and a jump away. What kind of example are you setting for our American friends?

Vito

I know i know I'm a bad Canadian. lol

[Christina]

Bad timing, I will be arriving home from L.A. on August 5th from Siggraph :lol:

[vito]

OK, so should I just create a new thread for the First Annual IWDN Meet?

Vito

[Lubby]

Vito - Where are you located? Toronto is sort of a broad area now days.

I am about a 2.5 hour drive from outskirts of Toronto.

[vito]

I'm in Brampton, Ontario. Just NW of Toronto.

Vito

[Tyler]

OK, so should I just create a new thread for the First Annual IWDN Meet?

Vito

No need, thread split and stickied :)

[vito]

Cool. Let's get this party started! :banana:

Vito

[Lubby]

I wouldn't know until way closer to the date, but I am within driving range of you forsure. 2.5 hours says mapquest.ca

[vito]

Where are you located, Greg?

Vito

[the_pm]

That weekend is Amy's graduation party. However, she's going to find out if it's happening Saturday or Sunday. If it's on Sunday, we might be able to come up for a day. We'd probably come up Friday afternoon and spend the night in Niagara-on-the-Lake or St. Catherines or somewhere, then come up for the day and maybe leave mid-evening or really early the next morning to get back. I'll let you know :)

[vito]

Sounds like a plan, Paul. Hoping you can make it.

Vito

[Lubby]

I am located in Parry Sound.

[crazyfish]

Well I'm leaving shortly to go to WIndsor, nothing like driving overnight. Gonna get my new car (http://66.246.242.92/~myerstow/inventory/uploads/x_1.jpg), well used but new to me. This thread should be interesting when I return from the land of no internet in 3 days.

[Odd Fact]

Why is no one in Texas? I always miss out!

[the_pm]

Hey, Martin's in Texas, and I'm coming down there for a visit come hell or high water! I suppose the first unofficial IWDN meet up was in Erie PA last November, when Martin, Sarah and I got together at Molly Brannigan's for beer and Irish food :)

[vito]

OK, time to kickstart this thread and generate some excitement/interest.

Fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs

Succulent Certified Angus rib eye steak

Juicy tender marinated chicken breast

Irresistably hot Italian sausage

Classic corn on the cob

Country fresh tomato / onion salad with vinaigrette dressing

Grilled (to perfection) vegetables (onions, asparagus, tomatos, eggplant and more)

All you can drink open bar (Pauly, you're excluded - you can't handle your liquor)



Come on!!!! If that doesn't get your culinary juices flowing, then you don't have a friggin pulse!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vito

[Tyler]

Are you trying to make me pass out from dehydration? :ko: :lol:

[vito]

YES!!! :cool:

Vito

[vito]

Sorry, Mods, but let it be known right now that in spite of any Forum Rules, I will be bumping this thread on a regular basis - until I get enough of you lazy bums to get off your tush and attend the First Annual IWDN Meetup.

Good chance I'll get banned for this irreverent behavior, but that's the chance I'm willing to take to get a good party going!! :banana:

Vito

[Tyler]

You can only fallback 3 positions or gain back 3 :rofl:

I could always go for a steak or one of those beer ribs you was talking about on WHT hmmm :homer:

[Jamie]

Geez, I really want to go! :lol:

[vito]

Here's a preview of the baby backs...

Vito

[vito]

Oh, and authentically Italian tiramisu, espresso and Sambuca for dessert!! :banana:

Vito

[Jamie]

Vito, that's too much. Stop it! I'll have you banned. :rofl: If I do not attend, nobody is allowed to post how well it went. :rofl:

[Simon]

Geez, I really want to go! :lol:
Then go :D

Vito, if you want to cook some steaks in guinness, please go right ahead!

Simon

[vito]

Ban away, Jamie. I'm outa control.

Sorry, but when you get the Italian heritage inspired and out in the open, it takes on a life of its own.

Simon, your wish is my command. A few steaks will be happily marinating in Guinness. ;)

Vito

[Jamie]

Then go

Fancy paying for the plane and hotel costs, Simon? You get my company in return. :D

I really would love to, but I have a holiday in a weeks time, I'm waiting to hear from Paul H about going over there, and I'm planning on attending HostingCon next year so I need to put some money aside for that.

Hummm... Jamie licks his lips at that menu. :lol:

[Simon]

Simon, your wish is my command. A few steaks will be happily marinating in Guinness. ;)

Vito
You won't regret it, Vito.

To make Vitos' offer a bit more tempting (as if it really needs it): For every person that turns up, you can have an authentic Cuban "Presidente" cigar (complete with "coffin"), which I will pick up the previous day in Toronto.

Simon

[vito]

I understand, Jamie. Budget constraints. But if you find a way to pay for airfare, I'll be happy to sponsor a hotel room for you for 2 nights. ;)

Vito

[Simon]

Fancy paying for the plane and hotel costs, Simon? You get my company in return. :D

If Vito hands out DemoDemo leaflets during the BBQ, maybe you can write it off as a business trip :D

Simon

[Jamie]

I understand, Jamie. Budget constraints. But if you find a way to pay for airfare, I'll be happy to sponsor a hotel room for you for 2 nights.

Vito, I really don't know what to say to that, apart from that is very, very generous of you, no doubt too generous, I just dare not say it because the food sounds lovely! You really have got me thinking now, Vito, give me a few days and I'll speak with you. :D

If Vito hands out DemoDemo leaflets during the BBQ, maybe you can write it off as a business trip

:lol: Don't tell the Paul's! I suppose, because just last night I counted the chocolate bar that I bought as 'business expense', I could count this as business. :rofl: Oops, did I just say that in public where the Paul's can see?

[vito]

You really have got me thinking now, Vito, give me a few days and I'll speak with you. :D

Mission accomplished!!! :banana:

Vito

[Simon]

Jamie,

Just an FYI: there's some flights from Manchester (I presume you wouldn't want to use leeds/bradford..), round trip to Toronto for around 500 GBP: http://www.expedia.co.uk/pub/agent.dll?qscr=fexp&flag=q&city1=Manchester&citd1=Toronto&date1=4/8/2005&time1=362&date2=8/8/2005&time2=362&cAdu=1&cSen=0&cChi=0&cInf=&infs=2&tktt=&ecrc=&eccn=&qryt=1&bund=&load=1&rfrr=-28283&&zz=1119718807695&

Simon

[Jamie]

Thanks Simon. It is looking like it is going to cost around £650.

I will probably be looking to depart Manchester on 5th, at 12:35, to connect at Philadelphia, to arrive in Toronto at 19:24 (I suppose I could do a little Canuk bashing during the evening on that day).

Eat like crazy at Vito's palace the next day.

Spend the 7th doing all the sightseeing bla.

Depart Toronto at 15:30 on the 8th, to connect in Philadelphia, to arrive in Manchester 08:05 on the 9th.

That will be three nights, thanks to Vito's very generous contribution, I will only have to pay for one night. (Obviously for my own pockets sake I will be in the most crappy hotel around).

Sounds good to me. Time to look at my books to see if I can afford it. :D

[Christina]

Hmm, wish I could go but it's awfully bad timing! :( I haven't been to Canada in ages......

[Pauly]

I won't be able to make it I'm afraid, maybe another time :) Have fun all though!

[vito]

Grrrrr, c'mon, Pauly. Make it happen! I know you can!

Currently, we have the following:

Vito (confirmed)
Simon [and Mandy and Liam] (confirmed)
Paul and Amy (confirmed)
Jamie [+ ??] (confirmed)
Crazyfish (should come, will come)
Lubby (should come, will come)

Plus whoever else decides to make the trip. Cool. We need to get this up to over a dozen people. Come on, folks. Let's make it happen!!!

Vito

[Pauly]

Afraid not, I won't be in Canada 'til later that month as things stand. nevermind ey :)

[vito]

Yet another enticement...

Vito

[Jamie]

Anybody visited Paramount Canada's Wonderland? I'm an adrenaline junky, and visiting there on the 7th would suit me just fine, whether that be by myself or with some other IWDN adrenaline junky!

If I decide to go, I think I may have to go all out and pay for an extra night in the hotel so I can go sight-seeing. :D

[vito]

Canada's Wonderland is a great amusement park. You could spend the whole day enjoying the rides, the arcade games, the shows. It's very cool.

Let me suggest that if you want to go to Wonderland, go (at the very least) with Simon and family. You will all enjoy yourself immensely.

Vito

[Pauly]

Anybody visited Paramount Canada's Wonderland?

Jessica's brother went about 2 weeks ago, they live 20 mins drive from the park. He had a good time :)

[Jamie]

Let me suggest that if you want to go to Wonderland, go (at the very least) with Simon and family. You will all enjoy yourself immensely.

Funny you should say that, Vito, I was on the verge of PM'ing Simon, I gathered Liam would enjoy it. :D

Jessica's brother went about 2 weeks ago, they live 20 mins drive from the park. He had a good time

Grand! :D

[vito]

Yummmmm, tiramisu!!! :homer:

Vito

[vito]

Mmmmmm, tomato salad... :homer:

Vito

[Pauly]

I could kill for that salad right now, I fancy something like that. Hmmm, think it's time I practiced my chef skills.

[vito]

No need, Pauly. Just show up and it will all be laid out for you... ;)

Vito

[Pauly]

Did you make the one we're looking at?

[vito]

Did you make the one we're looking at?

Hey, I can't reveal all my secrets, Pauly. Suffice to say you will be in for a culinary treat. ;)

Vito

[Pauly]

Jessica loves salads too :P But I'm really sorry, the 6th just isn't good for us :(

[vito]

:uzi2: :uzi2: Pauly :uzi: :uzi:

Vito

[Simon]

Let me suggest that if you want to go to Wonderland, go (at the very least) with Simon and family. You will all enjoy yourself immensely.

Good thinking, Batman.

Mandy had already suggested it to me, because of all the "Dora" related attractions there :kool:

Liam would have me hung, drawn, and quartered if we didn't pay a visit to Canada's wonderland!

Simon

[Jamie]

That's that sorted then!

Its official, I'm going, spending 4 nights in one of the Countries I have always wanted to go to since I was very young.

A possible schedule...

Depart 4th August to arrive in Toronto for the evening.

5th is my sightseeing day.

6th is a cracker of a meal at Vito's.

7th is a trip to Canada's Wonderland.

Depart evening of the 8th, to arrive back in UK on 9th. :D

This is looking great guys.

[vito]

Cool, Jamie. Kudos for making the decision to come.

Hey, the one danger is that you will fall in love with Canada and decide to move here. ;)

Vito

[Simon]

Hey, the one danger is that you will fall in love with Canada and decide to move here. ;)
Very true.

I did that; fell in love with Canada/A Canadian woman, whilst on vacation here. I've now been here for almost four years.

Simon

[Jamie]

:lol: I have my mind set on moving to Ohio to be honest, although that mainly lies on the fact the business is based in Ohio. Simon, I thought you were a full blown Canadian, the only other option I can think of is you are from Ireland, as you seem to have a few contacts from there, am I right skip? :D

[Simon]

:lol: I have my mind set on moving to Ohio to be honest, although that mainly lies on the fact the business is based in Ohio. Simon, I thought you were a full blown Canadian, the only other option I can think of is you are from Ireland, as you seem to have a few contacts from there, am I right skip? :D
Yep, I'm from Ireland (Dublin, to be exact).

I moved to NS after meeting Amanda.

Simon

[Jamie]

:D I can do a pretty good Irish accent when I'm on form :lol:

[daniel]

* Jamie puts flights onto the Company Bank Account, including the on flight drinks!!! *

[Jamie]

:rofl: If I could go business class I would, but I don't think the company budget would stretch that far. ;)

[daniel]

lol, including 7 star hotel in the most costly room in the Hotel. With 3 six-course meals every day except the big BBQ where jamies paying for all the food and drink!

[Jamie]

Why not? :lol: 7 star hotel... that reminds me, I still have a dream of spending time in the Burj Al Arab in Dubai during my lifetime.

At £385 per night, maybe, just maybe, it may happen. :lol:

http://www.burj-al-arab.com/

[vito]

Hahaha, I like your new custom title, Jamie. :lol:

Vito

[Jamie]

:lol: I thought it was appropriate.

[the_pm]

It's confirmed. I'm dragging Amy up to Canada kicking and screaming :)

We're starting in St. Catherines on Friday for a little wine tasting. We'll grab a couple bottles to bring to the BBQ Saturday. We still have to figure out where we're going to stay Friday night, but those details are easy enough to figure out.

We're in!

[Amy]

I can't wait! See you in Canada Chef Vito!

[Tyler]

:lol: I have my mind set on moving to Ohio to be honest, although that mainly lies on the fact the business is based in Ohio.

Northren or southren? :D

[inimino]

Vito, posting those food pictures is really unfair. You're completely eroding my capacity for rational thought! ;)

It's looking like I'll be either in Denver or Vancouver on Aug. 6, but this does sound like a lot of fun. I'll probably know by mid-July whether I can make this work.

[vito]

Vito, posting those food pictures is really unfair.

Hey, no holds barred!! :ko: :ko: :ko:

Vito

[the_pm]

Why not? :lol: 7 star hotel... that reminds me, I still have a dream of spending time in the Burj Al Arab in Dubai during my lifetime.

At £385 per night, maybe, just maybe, it may happen. :lol:

http://www.burj-al-arab.com/For your gawking pleasure: http://www.ebaumsworld.com/fancyhotel.html

[the_pm]

Grrrrr, c'mon, Pauly. Make it happen! I know you can!

Currently, we have the following:

Vito (confirmed)
Simon [and Mandy and Liam] (confirmed)
Paul and Amy (confirmed)
Jamie [+ ??] (confirmed)
Crazyfish (should come, will come)
Lubby (should come, will come)

Plus whoever else decides to make the trip. Cool. We need to get this up to over a dozen people. Come on, folks. Let's make it happen!!!

VitoSomeone should get ahold of Kalina - she's in the Toronto area. Maybe Ross (RCMV) is up for a little travel?

[vito]

Do you think PMs will be good enough to get the word to them or do you have email addresses as well?

Vito

[the_pm]

I'm in the process of changing default settings so everyone gets email notification of PMs and popup notification while online. People will need to change this if they don't want it, but this was the default in phpBB, and it makes sense for it to be the default here. If you send them PMs, they'll get a messages about it. It'll take a short while to convert everyone (I can't find the MySQL field for the email notification for the life of me, so I'm doing it by hand :( ), so hold off on any more PMs for another 20 minutes or so, but I switched Kalina and RCMV.

Hey, do ya think Blue might want to come down from Prince Edward for a weekend? There's cooking involved ;)

[vito]

I was speaking with Michael earlier today. There is a good chance he will be coming. Not confirmed yet, but I'm optomistic about it.

Vito

[the_pm]

Oh wow! I was thinking there would be no way given the distance. That would be awesome!

Oh Vito, I'm hereby granting indemnity from the spam rule if you'd like to do a copy/paste job or group PM (you can PM up to 10 people at a time) on a message about the get together :)

[vito]

As it turns out, Michael was already going to be in Ontario end of July, so it's just a matter of seeing if he can shift his plans by one week to coincide with the meet.

Cooool, you're giving me the green light to spam the board? (runs off to compose a demodemo sales pitch :lol: )

Vito

[the_pm]

:lol:

[Jamie]

Northren or southren?

Not sure yet to be honest, it will no doubt be quite close to Paul and Amy, around the Canton area (That's if Paul and Amy are still living in Ohio when I move in a year or two).

For your gawking pleasure: http://www.ebaumsworld.com/fancyhotel.html

Talk about nice, eh!

This is sounded fantastic guys, I really am looking forward to it. The old man wasn't too impressed when he found out I'm going but he isn't. :rofl:

[Jamie]

If Tjobbe can scramble £520 together for a flight, there is room for another person in my hotel room so he doesn't need to worry about hotel costs. Tjobbe... where are ya...

[Tjobbe]

If Tjobbe can scramble £520 together for a flight, there is room for another person in my hotel room so he doesn't need to worry about hotel costs. Tjobbe... where are ya...

I'm here with a calculator, tour iteinerary looks good Jamie, and Vito, if you'd have me, I'd love to come for the barbeque but be warned, im a qualified chef and could well end up helping you out and interrogating you for recipes!

Whats the weather like this time of the year over there? ot that this will swing my decision at all.

[vito]

Would love to have you here, Tjobbe!! So can I consider you as confirmed?

(Wow, with you here, and [hopefully] Blue here, we could have an Iron Chef Competition, or East Meets West, or whatever the heck those cooking competitions are called) 8)

We will be smack in the middle of summer, so nice warm days (no snow :lol: )

Vito

[Blue]

I will be in New Orleans a couple of weeks before my Ontario trip. I will do a little shopping there so we can add a Cajun flair to the BBQ.
Vito, I have a big loaf of Foie Gras. Are you a foie eater?
We can't BBQ it but it would sure make for good pre-BBQ snacks.

[vito]

Yaaay, Blue has committed to coming! :banana:

Foie gras. Yikes. Haven't had it for years, but now you're taking me back 20+ years to when I was 21 and was dating a very sophisticated 34 year old high society lady for a couple of years. We used to have foie gras all the time (yummy). (Damn, she taught me so much... :) )

Vito

[Blue]

I'll take that as a yes, you are a foie eater.

The trick is to sear it early and then use all of the fat to cook the mushrooms in for the BBQ steaks.

[the_pm]

Yaaay, Blue has committed to coming! :banana:

Foie gras. Yikes. Haven't had it for years, but now you're taking me back 20+ years to when I was 21 and was dating a very sophisticated 34 year old high society lady for a couple of years. We used to have foie gras all the time (yummy). (Damn, she taught me so much... :) )

VitoI've never been a big goose liver lover, but I sure do remember my Mrs. Robinson. Boy, that was a lifetime ago...

[vito]

Was just speaking with my wife about the get together (actually, I'm only just telling her about the event for the first time now :shock: ). I did not realize that she is participating in a big race (half marathon, I think) that day. So she'll be gone early in the morning, do the run, probably wait around for the awards ceremony, then head back home. So I figure she'll be back late afternoon/early evening. Which is cool, because I'm guessing that our event will probably be something like 3 PM to late evening. Likely Amanda (our daughter) will spend the day at her friend's house, and then Susan will pick her up on the way home.

Heh, we are up to 11 people (family members included) in total so far. And that's in a forum of 160 members. For shame, WHT!!! Never got these results when having a WHT meet!

Vito

[Jamie]

Was just speaking with my wife about the get together (actually, I'm only just telling her about the event for the first time now ).

:lol: I like your style Vito!

[the_pm]

There are some things about which you just have to bully you way through. I told Amy I was treating her to a weekend in wine tasting in St. Catherines and grilling at Casa di Ceniti, and she had no choice in the matter. She seemed to take it pretty well :)

[kirxklox]

What's the ITENERARY like so far?

Is there going to be any COMPUTER GURU's there?

When is the SEANCE scheaduled?

[vito]

Some will probably be in Toronto a day or two early. So we may decide to go out and have dinner. Who knows? We'll have to see what everybody's schedule is like. I know that I am tied up on the Friday night, so I'm out of the loop for that night.

Saturday, I figure the doors open at 3 PM, and it ends when it ends.

Computer gurus? Umm, so far, we have 11 of them in attendance, no? :lol:

Sorry, no seances planned. But we might have a Web Horologist show up... ;)

As far as I know, Jamie along with Simon (and family) are planning to go to Canada's Wonderland on Sunday. Very cool amusement park in Toronto.

Vito

[Jamie]

Computer guru's Sam, bla, what are they? :lol:

At the moment, it is looking like the only day we are all going to be together is the 6th, at the BBQ.

Around that date, we all have our own little plans, I'm going sightseeing, hopefully with Tjobbe.

There has been talk of dinner, and talk of visiting the local theme park. Everything still needs to be finalised, but theres plenty of time. :)

[kirxklox]

I am sorry, but I will probably be in Denver that Weekend.

Maybe next year at the IWDN WebCon.

[Simon]

It sounds like it's coming together nicely.

We're leaving Montreal on the evening of the 3rd, which means we'll be in TO from the 4th onward, for anyone that wants to meet up early.

Simon

[vito]

Simon, perhaps we could get together on Thursday (4th) for dinner somewhere. Anyone else who will be in town on that day and wants to attend should chime in here to say they're coming as well.

Vito

[Simon]

Simon, perhaps we could get together on Thursday (4th) for dinner somewhere. Anyone else who will be in town on that day and wants to attend should chime in here to say they're coming as well.

Vito
Sounds like a plan.

Just make sure we're nowhere near a casino.

Simon

[vito]

Just make sure we're nowhere near a casino.

Hahaha, inside joke. :lol: I'll be sure to remember to relay the whole story at the BBQ (with Simon's permission, of course).

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Vito

[the_pm]

It's unlikely, unless I can get an extra half-day more off of work, and Amy's done with school early that day. I wish we could :(

[vito]

OK, time for menu requests. Here's the deal so far.

Baby back spare ribs
Italian sausage
Rib eye steaks
Boneless chicken breast
Halibut ( as per request by Mandy - Simon's wife)
Possibly a few burgers/hot dogs to satisfy the kids)
Mashed carrots (as per request for Liam - Simon's son)
Foie gras
Corn on the cob
Tomato salad
Grilled vegetables
Open bar
Espresso
Tiramisu
Sambuca
Frank Correnti authentic Cuban cigars

Sounds like a feast to me. What else do you want? Any special requests?

Vito

[Jamie]

Yum! Sounds very nice Vito.

How about BBQ Chicken Kebabs. http://www.barbecue-online.co.uk/barbecue-recipes/poultry/images/bbq_chargrilled_chicken_kebab.jpg

[vito]

Can do, Jamie. Done. Chicken kebabs added. Perhaps even some beef or lamb kebabs.

Vito

[Simon]

Vito:

About the only thing I would like to see, that isn't already there, is jacket potatoes. I love BBQ'd spuds :D

The rest of it sounds great. Don't worry about Liam's carrot's though. He'll bring his own :lol:

Simon

[Pauly]

Sounds like you're a great host Vito :D

[vito]

Sounds like you're a great host Vito :D

Ah, wait for the post-meal reviews before you give me that label, Pauly. If they all come out of it unscathed and no food poisoning, I might get close to earning that praise. ;)

Vito

[Jamie]

Simon, his wife Mandy, his son, Liam and myself will be going to Canada's Wonderland on Sunday 7th. Who else is up for it? Just say the word.

[Tyler]

So tempting Jamie! :cry:

[Jamie]

Vito, How about you?

[vito]

Not sure, Jamie. I will let you know as we get closer to it.

Vito

[Jamie]

:D

[Martin]

Well, I'll have to decline gracefully I'm afraid. There's just no way I can take the time off...the only downside of being an hourly contractor. :(

Have fun all.

[Jamie]

That's too bad Martin, maybe next year? :)

[Martin]

Hopefully.

[Blue]

Vito, I forgot to mention that my wife will be accompanying me on this trip.
Hope you can make room for one more.

[vito]

The more the merrier, Blue. ;)

Vito

[Tjobbe]

shoite,

Just worked out my finances - ingoings and outgoings and there is no way I can guarantee I can come, my Dad can not lend me the dosh in advance, especially not as I can't tell him for definete I can pay him back. So I'm in for a tight month!

BUT

heres my plan

IF I do get enough money, then I'll hop in on a last minute flight, hopefully a cancellation, my aunty lives in or near ontario so if I have to go early then I'll just do it, i can stay there.

My car needs to be fixed, I'm waiting on clients and I have a small holiday planned next weekend and straight after I come back, so I have to be carefull. Plus all my UNI friends are back so I do like to go drinking with them now and again.

So, hopefully, if my clients get their fingers out their bums, I go carefull with my spending between now and then and my car repairs dont cost too much, I will definetly come, otherwise, I will be missing out.

I'd really love to come though, so I wont know till the last minute, I'll keep you updated!

[vito]

Sounds like a plan, Tjobbe. A tight last minute one, but hopefully it'll work out.

Now go tell those customers to get their fingers out of their bums! :lol:

Vito

[the_pm]

Amy and I have cleared Sunday. We were originally going to have to be back by Sunday morning, which would have cut Saturday evening short, but now we don't need to be back any particular time. So, we can close the house down ;)

[vito]

That's great, Paul. It would have been a shame to have to cut it short on Saturday night.

Vito

[Tjobbe]

well, I've posted on the WHT "offers and requests" forum to try and boost my income, hopefully I may get one person with a large enough site requirement to fund the entire trip, lets hope so!

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=419032

[crazyfish]

Wow, after driving all day I had to read 7 pages of posts :( What a crazy busy weekend I just had. But I am home now. I can not comfirm whether I can go or not yet. I am moving that week, plus I have to be in Windsor later on in August and in September. So I don't know if I can afford 3 trips to that area but moving all in that month. Are there any cheap hotels/motels never your place vito? The bad thing is if my girlfriend goes to Brampton with me but doesn't visit home her mom might kill her lol. So I am not sure about myself or if anyone will be joining me if I can make it up there.

[vito]

There are a couple of inns in Brampton proper, and there are a half dozen motels. My guess is they would be 80 bucks or so. Heh, I just tried calling a couple of them to get some rates for you, and nobody picks up the phone on Sunday nights, it seems.

Vito

[Jamie]

Tjobbe, that is too bad. I'm not sure what to do now. I don't fancy staying 5 nights by myself, it will mean I will have 2 sightseeing days, and to be honest, I don't think I will be able to be entertained for 2 days by myself.

Hummm, now i'm in about 4 different minds. :lol:

[Jamie]

Maybe I could go to Canada's Wonderland for another day. :lol:

I have been looking around plenty of Websites, looking for things to do, obviously the CN Tower is a must.

Any other recommendations?

[vito]

There is certainly no shortage of things to do in Toronto and surrounding are. You could fill a month without any problem. If you like, I can come up with a list for you.

Vito

[Jamie]

Please do Vito, that would be fantastic.

[vito]

Here you go, Jamie. That should get you started. ;)

www.demodemo.com/toronto.html

Vito

[Jamie]

That is perfect Vito! Thanks a lot!

[Lubby]

Well it looks like I am a no go, which is really to bad considering the chances of having one of these get togethers so close to me is rare. Turns out I have a wedding to go to on the Saturday with my girlfriend. Wouldn't you know it the wedding isn't down your way either. Sorry guys, really wish I could have met you all in person.

[vito]

Can't they just postpone the wedding for a week, Greg? :)

Vito

[the_pm]

That doesn't leave you out of festivities on Thursday evening or Friday ;)

[Jamie]

I have been speaking with Tjobbe all day, trying to figure out a way of him getting there. We have tried every single way, but he has had to decline. Looks like I'm going to be the only Brit there, unless somebody else fancies the trip.

[Lubby]

Can't they just postpone the wedding for a week, Greg? :)

Vito

You try talking the bride to be into that......

[Lubby]

That doesn't leave you out of festivities on Thursday evening or Friday ;)

That's a bit of a drive for just the evening, and I will have to work Friday until 5pm.

[vito]

You try talking the bride to be into that......

Would she be more inclined to agree if I invited her to the BBQ? :lol:

Vito

[crazyfish]

Would she be more inclined to agree if I invited her to the BBQ? :lol:

Vito

I think vito has been hitting the wine a bit early today :lol:

[vito]

*hic...*

[Lubby]

Would she be more inclined to agree if I invited her to the BBQ? :lol:

Vito

You never know, maybe she'd change it for some free demodemo tutorials.

[Jamie]

How difficult is it to get to Niagara Falls via public transport, and could I easily make a whole day out of the trip?

Because Tjobbe cannot come (unless he gets a late flight) I'm contemplating as to whether I should stay for 5 nights or 4.

[Lubby]

How difficult is it to get to Niagara Falls via public transport, and could I easily make a whole day out of the trip?

Because Tjobbe cannot come (unless he gets a late flight) I'm contemplating as to whether I should stay for 5 nights or 4.

Not sure about public transit although I would imagine you could take a bus there from Toronto. Besides actually standing there and looking at the falls you can go on the "Maid of the Mist" boat which goes right up to the falls almost, the area is also VERY much built around tourism and there are many attractions and such. Last time I was there I remember there being a "Ripley's Believe it or not" museum, a wax museum, all kinds of gift shops, theatres, restaurants, bars, you name it and Niagra Falls is likely to have it. I would imagine you could find stuff to do for most of a day there.

[the_pm]

Niagara Falls is worth visiting once in your life. After that, you've pretty much seen it and you can move on to more interesting places. Amy and I love Niagara-on-the-Lake, but we're big food and wine people. We always go to the Angel Inn for Fish'n'Chips one day of our trips, and we try to do tastings at every winery and bring back at least one bottle from each one (assuming they're pouring something decent).

In Niagara Falls, you'll probably want to drop a few quid on Ripley's, Nightmares, Guiness Book museum, the movie theater that's like an amusement park ride - I forget the name of it, but it will make you good and sick ;)

Pay your dues at the Casino too. If you're into nature, the butterfly conservatory is amazing, though best enjoyed with a significant other.

[Jamie]

Hummm, I think I may go for the 5 night option then, and visit Niagara Falls on my last day. Thanks guys. :)

[Blue]

How difficult is it to get to Niagara Falls via public transport, and could I easily make a whole day out of the trip?

Because Tjobbe cannot come (unless he gets a late flight) I'm contemplating as to whether I should stay for 5 nights or 4.



You can get to Niagra Falls easily from most of the major TO hotels.

I think the cheapest way is to take a Fallsview shuttle.
They will take you directly to the largest casino in Canada. From there you can walk to pretty much anything worth seeing in Niagra Falls.

[crazyfish]

They are having the Festival of beers (http://www.beerfestival.ca/satellite_beerfest.html) in Toronto Aug 5 - 7. Just thought I'd let everyone know. Its not looking good for me being about to go :( I went to the one that was in Ottawa last year, it was a good time, too bad the city cancelled it. Too many drunk people, damn city.

[the_pm]

Vito's promised to have his piano tuned up. So I get to have a little fun at the expense of everyone's ears :D

[vito]

Can you sing too, Paul? We have a microphone/amp set up at the piano as well.

Vito

[the_pm]

Heh, I can sing a little, but I wouldn't quit my day job(s) for it ;)

[vito]

We'll let the camcorder (and the post-BBQ IWDN thread voters) decide if you can sing, Mister. ;)

Vito

[the_pm]

The quality of my voice is directly proportional to the amount of alcohol I've ingested. I hope you have a guestroom ;)

[Blue]

That's funny Paul.
I get much better looking the more I drink.
Magical stuff that alcohol.

[vito]

That's funny Paul.
I get much better looking the more I drink.
Magical stuff that alcohol.

Hehe, reminds me of a product I used to sell at a retail site I owned some years ago :D

http://www.talkingpresents.com/productpages/mugs_beermug.html

(Dang, after revisiting the site, I was reminded how much fun I had building that site... I miss it... :( )

Vito

[crazyfish]

Its looking pretty bad for me. I don't think I will be able to make it, I have to be in Windsor the weekend after the event and then I have to be back in Windsor 2 weeks after that. Its too bad too cause it sounds like it will be fun.

[Simon]

Just to keep this thread updated:

One of my longest standing clients lives near Vito, and it looks like he will be paying a visit to the BBQ. He's a web developer, so he's excited about meeting people in the same field. Plus, we've been wanting a face-to-face since mid 2003, so we can kill many birds with one stone :D

For those interested, his site is http://www.stevecanning.com

Simon

[Jamie]

Sounds great Simon.

<Jamie makes a note to bring his earplugs if Paul is going to sing> :lol:

I have been away for a week, so not much has happened regarding booking a flight or hotel, give me a day or two and I will get things sorted.

[Jamie]

Bang! Flight booked (extra leg room of course!). Departing Manchester 5th Aug, departing Toronto 10th Aug.

Which means, I'll have the evening of the 5th to play with. The 6th at Vito's BBQ. 7th is a trip to Canada's Wonderland.

8th is my sightseeing day around Toronto.

9th I am hoping to get to Niagara Falls.

:D Now to look at hotels a little more closely. Although that may have to wait until a cheque clears as I'm in the red after booking that flight. :lol:

[vito]

Yikes. Jamie, I need for you to clear out some of your PM box. It's full and I can't send you anything!!

(Damn UK noobs) :smash:

Vito

[Jamie]

Grrr! There, deleted 54 messages. :D

[vito]

Vito's promised to have his piano tuned up. So I get to have a little fun at the expense of everyone's ears :D

Remington, our piano tuner, is scheduled to be here at 6 PM today to give it a tune up, so we're on track and ready for your magic fingers, Paul. ;)

Vito

[Jamie]

If its anything like I have heard once before, we are in for a show and a half!

[crazyfish]

Anyone gonna setup a webcam or put some videos on the web for all us losers that can't make it?

[Jamie]

I'll have a few short videos like I did from my Isle of Wight trip. :)

[vito]

Anyone gonna setup a webcam or put some videos on the web for all us losers that can't make it?

Absolutely. Jamie's already bringing his camcorder and I'll have mine going as well.

Hmmm, wonder what the odds are of setting up a live cam and stream it here so other IWDN members can "virtually attend"?

Vito

[Jamie]

Jamie's already bringing his camcorder and I'll have mine going as well.

Not quite, just a digital camera with a video function. :D

Hmmm, wonder what the odds are of setting up a live cam and stream it here so other IWDN members can "virtually attend"?

Not quite my field, not really sure how easy it is to set something like this up.

[the_pm]

Hah! That would be awesome! Vito, Jamie, (Simon), what would it take for us to stream a few cameras for the IWDN get-together on our server? If Vito's ISP can provide the pipes in, we can provide the CPUs and pipes out ;)

[vito]

I just PMed my buddy Jeff (aka sailor) at tranxactglobal.com. He had a streaming web cam in his booth. So I asked him for some advice on setting it up. I will let you know when he replies.

BTW, I'm on high speed cable connection, so the pipes out from here shouldn't be a problem.

Vito

[Jamie]

I'll let Simon answer that, he will hopefully know much more than I do as to whether the server can handle it.

[kirxklox]

I am not using nearly the bandwidth or cpu power as I will by mid Sept. Feel free to take up the slack. I wish I could be around to peek in at the PARTY, I mean Meet.

[vito]

Excellent, Sam! Hope you can make it. When would you know for sure either way?

And BTW, I'm very curious about your username. What's the origin? I see some resemblance to your last name, but it isn't completely apparent.

Vito

[kirxklox]

Phonetic spelling of Kirk's Clocks as I am a major collector of Horological Artifacts . I also repair my own items that I collect.

Got into the Web Design again because (1) to cheap to pay someone else, (2) I like to do things myself, (3) Ebay is next door, and (4) some Computer Nerd told me If I could do a better JOB to do it myself. I now have the BIGGEST Horological Web Space in the World and the most 21st Century. (5)No one to cuss at for not doing a good job.

Sorry, I will be in Colorado at the NAWCC convention that weekend and will be celebrating my 29th BDay again the week before. 28th Anniversary. :lol: I will be looking forward to the one next YEAR. A real IWDN Convention. You think we could get GoDaddy .com to be a HOST.

[vito]

Thanks for the explanation about the name, Sam. Sorry, I had forgotten that you had the Horological site. So I didn't make the connection. Kudos on being the world leader in that area. :beer:

Next year? Well, let's see how this one turns out first. If nobody gets arrested, if nobody ends up on the 11:00 News, if nobody keels over from food poisoning, then perhaps another IWDN member will pick up the ball and host it next year.

GoDaddy? Hmm. OK, as long as Parsons brings that TV commercial babe!! 8)

Vito

[Jamie]

Next year? Well, let's see how this one turns out first. If nobody gets arrested, if nobody ends up on the 11:00 News, if nobody keels over from food poisoning, then perhaps another IWDN member will pick up the ball and host it next year.

I'm not much of a cook, and I certainly don't live in an area full of hotels (unless you plan on sleeping under a cow or a sheep), but maybe I can get a party organised in Leeds or somewhere similar. We'll see. :)

No getting arrested? Whats the darn point of going then? :roll: :lol:

[kirxklox]

Yep, We are on the same page. Almost as good as Patty Lunch, I mean Pat Benitar while cruising with the Greatest Fleet in the World.

[vito]

It would be great to come to see you in the Kingdom of Uck, Jamie. Problem is that I suspect most IWDN members reside on this side of the pond, so it may be a challenge to get good attendance.

No getting arrested? Whats the darn point of going then?

Dang. :x I can just see it now in the local papers. "Ceniti party brings in Riot Squad. BBQ parties now banned in Brampton."

:flame:

(Pat Benitar. Wow. A name out of the past... :shock: )

Vito

[Jamie]

Problem is that I suspect most IWDN members reside on this side of the pond, so it may be a challenge to get good attendance.

If I can travel over the pond, then so can everybody else! :lol:

Has Simon lost his Irish accent yet, or am I going to be the only one with a 'normal' accent at the BBQ? :rofl:

Dang. :mad: I can just see it now in the local papers. "Ceniti party brings in Riot Squad. BBQ parties now banned in Brampton."

:bawling:

:rofl: :rofl: If you don't provide a guide to get me back to my hotel, all liability falls on you for my actions. :rofl:

[vito]

If I can travel over the pond, then so can everybody else!

Yeah, but we're all cheapos! ;)

No, sadly, Simon has not lost his Irish accent. I speak with him regularly on the phone, and I still have to continually ask him to repeat himself...cause I can't understand what the hell he's saying!!! :x

Vito

[Jamie]

Thats good, I'll almost feel at home. :lol: Thee be leprechauns at thee bottom of mi garden, the frogs ride on der backs.

Ok ok, it sounds better when I say it rather than type it. :lol:

[adam]

Well I wanted to be at the last shindig vito had last year but I couldn't make it, is this one still scheduled for the 5th of August?

Hopefully I can make it for this one :) My car should be done getting everything done to it that the shop is doing by then...look forward to seeing you all, glad I ventured over here from WHT seems like a pretty nice place.

BTW -- I am right outside of Hamilton, near St Catherines.

[the_pm]

Well I wanted to be at the last shindig vito had last year but I couldn't make it, is this one still scheduled for the 5th of August?

Hopefully I can make it for this one :) My car should be done getting everything done to it that the shop is doing by then...look forward to seeing you all, glad I ventured over here from WHT seems like a pretty nice place.

BTW -- I am right outside of Hamilton, near St Catherines.Hi Adam! :hi:

Amy and I are planning on spending the better part of the day Friday in St. Catherines, doing some wine tasting and celebrating her graduation from nursing school. I hear it's beautiful there. We go to Niagara-on-the-Lake every year to replenish our wine supply, and this will be our second trip this year.

I'll be a few other people would love to say hi too (http://www.iwdn.net/forumdisplay.php?f=40) ;)

[adam]

St Catherines/Niagara-On-The-Lake is an awesome place, very beautiful. After seeing that list of food that vito has whipped up there I dont see how anyone can turn it down..

I'll supply all the beer needed if im able to make it! (I should know by monday).

[vito]

Great, Adam. Please let us know on Monday if you will be gracing us with your presence. :)

Oh, and it's Sat Aug 6th, not the 5th.

Vito

[adam]

Ahh the 6th, even better!

[Jamie]

Hope to see you there, Adam. The 5th is when I'm flying over from the UK, so that probably confused you. :)

[adam]

I'll join whoevers going to Wonderland, I know that place like the back of my hand.

[Steve]

One of my longest standing clients.......plus, we've been wanting a face-to-face since mid 2003, so we can kill many birds with one stone :D

Make that 2 clients, I never did make it up to Halifax that one weekend. Now that I think of it, Vito, you're only maybe 6 hours away... :P



No, sadly, Simon has not lost his Irish accent. I speak with him regularly on the phone, and I still have to continually ask him to repeat himself...cause I can't understand what the hell he's saying!!!
I still remember the first time I spoke to him on the phone, we spent half the time asking each other to repeat what we had said. :lol:

[vito]

Welcome, Steve. It would be great to have you here. When do you think you would be deciding?

(It seems it is convention week in Toronto in the first part of Aug, so hotels are filling up quickly)

Vito

[the_pm]

Steve, you'll be joining us that weekend?? Hey Vito, what's the head count now? :D

[Steve]

Steve, you'll be joining us that weekend?? Hey Vito, what's the head count now? :D

I can't promise just yet, I have to hammer out my schedule for the few days prior to that weekend, but I'd love to.

Vito, Simon, Paul, Blue....it's pretty tempting.

[Simon]

Make that 2 clients, I never did make it up to Halifax that one weekend. Now that I think of it, Vito, you're only maybe 6 hours away... :P




I still remember the first time I spoke to him on the phone, we spent half the time asking each other to repeat what we had said. :lol:
Two long standing clients - two Steve's :D Apparently, 2003 was the year of Steve for DIY :lol:

I'm ecstatic to see you're contemplating it, Steve. We'd love to see you.

Simon

[vito]

Hey Vito, what's the head count now? :D

Let's see. We have:

Vito (and Susan and Amanda)
Simon (and Mandy and Liam)
Paul (and Amy)
Jamie
Michael [Blue] (and his wife)
Steve Canning (Simon's customer)
Adam
Steve (tentative)

So far, that's total of 14.

Vito

[adam]

So what's the ages like here? Am I going to be the youngest one? (19)

[Jamie]

Don't count on it Adam, I'll be 17 (going on 30) at the time.

I'll join whoevers going to Wonderland, I know that place like the back of my hand.

Grand! I'm happy you are willing to come along. That is Simon, (and Mandy and Liam), myself, and Adam for the Wonderland trip.

[vito]

Q: How do you know when you're getting old?

A: When you add Jamie's and Adam's ages together, and then you still have to add a decade to get to your age. :shock:

Vito

[Jamie]

:rofl:

[crazyfish]

lol poor vito

[the_pm]

I'll be a few weeks away from the big 3-0. Amy will be a solid 27 and counting :)

[adam]

Don't count on it Adam, I'll be 17 (going on 30) at the time.



Grand! I'm happy you are willing to come along. That is Simon, (and Mandy and Liam), myself, and Adam for the Wonderland trip.


You will love it there, it is absolutely amazing.

[vito]

Thanks, Adam, I do throw amazing parties! :banana:

(Oh wait, you meant Canada's Wonderland...) :blush:

Vito

[crazyfish]

I'll be a few weeks away from the big 3-0. Amy will be a solid 27 and counting :)

I thought women stopped counting at 25? :lol:

[the_pm]

I thought women stopped counting at 25? :lol:They only stop counting their own age. I get to hear about how old I am from Amy practically every day :lol:

[crazyfish]

They only stop counting their own age. I get to hear about how old I am from Amy practically every day :lol:

There is 5 almost 6 years between myself and my girlfriend and she reminds me all the time. But she is going to be 22 forever LOL thats what she says anyways. I just tell her to be careful or I will trade her in for a younger model hehe. Thats shuts her up :)

[Simon]

I'm 24, Amanda's 27, and Liam is 2.

We booked the Delta Chelsea hotel yesterday :D

Simon

[adam]

I'm 24, Amanda's 27, and Liam is 2.

We booked the Delta Chelsea hotel yesterday :D

Simon

How much is it per night?

[adam]

Don't count on it Adam, I'll be 17 (going on 30) at the time.



Grand! I'm happy you are willing to come along. That is Simon, (and Mandy and Liam), myself, and Adam for the Wonderland trip.

Ahh cool, we can poke some fun at the older ones :D

Look forward to seeing you all there...if you need anything brought just let me know vito, I can stop by the beer store and grab some blue or canadian on my way up as well :)

[Simon]

How much is it per night?
I believe it's $269 per night. We're in a suite though (there's three of us) so the usual rooms are a lower rate.


I think they have rooms for around $160

Simon

[adam]

Awesome -- i'll be reserving one later this week.

James -- if you need a ride from the airport let me know, I may be able to pick you up.

[Jamie]

Or even Jamie, Adam. :lol: ;)

I have a free shuttle service from the airport thanks to the hotel, thanks for the offer though buddy. :D

Adam, I really would hurry up and book the hotel, I searched about 5 hotels, and all were booked, as like somebody said, it is convention week in Toronto.

Me, Paul H and his wife to be are staying in the CarlingView Airport Inn, so maybe that is worth checking.

[adam]

Ahh sorry about that, was half asleep when I was posting lol. I am going to check them out today then and make sure that I can get a room.

[the_pm]

I was able to reserve my rom at Carling View for $99/night, breakfast and parking included. Jamie didn't fare quite as well. Apparently, the night staff person was "a rookie" who booked me at an inappropriately low price, but they were willing to drop his price to $119.

Try this - if you're interested in Carling View, call them late at night and when you're ready to book your room, ask them if they are running any specials or promotions. When I asked this, they immediately quoted me $99/night. If you get this rate, report back to the boards so we can yell at them for making that "rookie mistake" twice, and we might be able to get Jamie's rate reduced some more.

But even at $119/night, that's a good rate!

[crazyfish]

Does Carling View have a website? Where are they located, near or in Toronto?

[vito]

www.carlingview.ca

Dixon/Carlingview (near airport)

Vito

[adam]

I'll be giving them a call tomorrow, I hope my car is done by the 6th, I don't want to miss out on this. I think it should be though, if not don't laugh at me for driving a car up there with a bunch of bondo spots on it...got a 2003 civic that a body kit is being put on.

[crazyfish]

www.carlingview.ca

Dixon/Carlingview (near airport)

Vito

How close is this to your place vito?

[Jamie]

Vito told me it is a 15 min drive from his house, IIRC.

[Jamie]

Have you heard back from Jeff at tranxactglobal.com, Vito?

[Jamie]

Adam, how did the hotel hunting go?

[vito]

Yes, it is indeed about a 15 minute drive.

I did hear back from Jeff. He gave me contact info of one of his staff who could help me, and I forgot to follow up on it. Thanks for the reminder - will do that today.

Vito

[Jamie]

Great. :) MapQuest is a pretty handy tool, according to MapQuest the CarlingView is around 15 miles/20 minutes from Vito's.

I'm just trying to come up some sort of itinery so I can identify any spots that arn't taken.

<Jamie can see himself making cab drivers in Toronto rich next month> :lol:

[vito]

OK, we're getting close. Two weeks this Saturday and the clan will be sittin' in my backyard! :banana:

I would like to get a feel for your food preferences. Let's face it. Some of us like steak, some chicken, some fish, some all of it! So in an effort to make sure I prepare properly for the event, please post your preferences. You are certainly not limited to what you post here, but it would be good to get a general feel of what gets your gastronomic juices going.

Just copy/paste the list and put yes/no next to each.

OK, I'll get it started.

spare ribs - yes
Italian sausage - yes
Beef tenderloin steaks - yes
chicken - yes
Halibut - no
Burgers/hot dogs - no
Mashed carrots - no
Corn on the cob - yes
Tomato salad - yes
Grilled vegetables - yes
Espresso - yes
Tiramisu - yes
Sambuca - yes
Frank Correnti authentic Cuban cigars - yes
Beer - yes
Wine - yes
Mixed drinks - yes

Tanx for your assistance.

Vito

[Simon]

spare ribs - Lovely.
Italian sausage - Very much so.
Beef tenderloin steaks - yes
chicken - yes
Halibut - yes (Mandy)
Burgers/hot dogs - no
Mashed carrots - love em!
Corn on the cob - yes
Tomato salad - yes
Grilled vegetables - yes
Espresso - yes
Tiramisu - yes
Sambuca - yes
Frank Correnti authentic Cuban cigars - most certainly.
Beer - yes
Wine - yes
Mixed drinks - yes

My addition: Jacket potatoes :D

[the_pm]

spare ribs - yes
Italian sausage - no
Beef tenderloin steaks - yes
chicken - yes
Halibut - no
Burgers/hot dogs - yes
Mashed carrots - no
Corn on the cob - yes
Tomato salad - yes
Grilled vegetables - yes
Espresso - yes
Tiramisu - yes
Sambuca - yes
Frank Correnti authentic Cuban cigars - yes
Beer - yes
Wine - yes (I'll contribute here)
Mixed drinks - yes

My list is almost identical to the original, though I'm not too fond of italian sausage unless it's being used as a component in other dishes. Hamburgers get my vote though (hotdogs, no way).

I'll be bringing wine from my little excursion with Amy :)

[Jamie]

spare ribs - no
Italian sausage - yes
Beef tenderloin steaks - yes
chicken - yes
Halibut - Never tried it, but I'll give it a try, so yes
Burgers/hot dogs - of course, I'll eat any the kids don't. :lol:
Mashed carrots - no
Corn on the cob - yes
Tomato salad - yes
Grilled vegetables - yes
Espresso - no
Tiramisu - yes
Sambuca - yes
Frank Correnti authentic Cuban cigars - no

2 weeks? Yikes! I think I better start planning.

Hey Vito, I hope you'll be providing water and installing another rest room. :lol:

[vito]

I'll be bringing wine from my little excursion with Amy :)

Cool. I look forward to a taste from your Niagara tour.

Aside from Michael's pate de foie gras, please nobody bring any food with you. I've got it covered. If you wish to bring some liquid refreshment to add to the mix (as Paul is doing), feel free. But no food.

Vito

[Jamie]

I've got it covered. If you wish to bring some liquid refreshment to add to the mix (as Paul is doing), feel free.

You know I would Vito, but you said no getting arrested, so I can't go buying al-co-ma-hol when underage. :D

[vito]

Haha, you're the exception to the rule, Jamie. :lol:

Hey Vito, I hope you'll be providing water as standard with every pint, and installing another rest room. :lol:

Heh, having been in the spring water business for 18 years, yes, I have 2 water coolers in the house. So plenty of spring water. As for the additional peepots, sorry, you're gonna have to take that second tree on the left. :banana2:

Vito

[Tyler]

You know I would Vito, but you said no getting arrested, so I can't go buying al-co-ma-hol when underage. :D

If they ask, you're just a poor UK boy who doesn't understand Canadian age standards! :rofl: Cheers! :beer:

Vito - Don't forget the webcam for us! :D

[vito]

Vito - Don't forget the webcam for us! :D

I'm working on it. I have an email in to sailor's tech team, and I'm just waiting on a reply.

Vito

[Tyler]

I'm working on it. I have an email in to sailor's tech team, and I'm just waiting on a reply.

Vito

If you ever need any help Vito, just let me know! It's a very easy process :)

[vito]

Thanks, Tyler. Much appreciated. As it stands now, I figure I'll just pay sailor for one day of streaming through his network. But if that doesn't work out (although I can't imagine why it wouldn't), I'll give you a shout.

Vito

[Jamie]

If they ask, you're just a poor UK boy who doesn't understand Canadian age standards!

That wouldn't be too far from a lie. :lol:

[the_pm]

Between all of us who will be in attendance, I think we have the server juice to make that happen. You shouldn't need to pay for it, Vito. But I don't know how your relationship with Sailor works, so if it's better to go with him, then by all means, do so.

FWIW, our server can handle the traffic at this point in time, no problem :)

[vito]

I appreciate that, Paul, but it's not a matter of server power. It has to do with having Windows Media installed on the server. Getting it installed (and configured properly) on your server (or some other server - assuming it's a Windows server) would cost. So I might as well " rent" a day's worth off sailor. Just makes more sense.

Simon could probably explain it better.

Vito

[Simon]

If you put streaming media on a linux box, you're risking the loads going up. The most efficient way to do it, in my experience, is to run it via a windows box that doesn not affect other customers.

Live streaming is much different to regular http streaming media. Live streaming tends to be eratic, especially when it comes to CPU and Memory allocation.

That said, it can run on linux, with the right environment.

Simon

[adam]

Hey Vito, I hope you'll be providing water as standard with every pint, and installing another rest room. :lol:

Don't worry, i'll show you the canadian way of drinking ;)

I don't think Jamie is going to feel to good once he get's to Wonderland lol.

[the_pm]

If you put streaming media on a linux box, you're risking the loads going up. The most efficient way to do it, in my experience, is to run it via a windows box that doesn not affect other customers.

Live streaming is much different to regular http streaming media. Live streaming tends to be eratic, especially when it comes to CPU and Memory allocation.

That said, it can run on linux, with the right environment.

SimonThanks for the clarification, Simon. I was equating the processes and server loads associated with http streaming with live streaming. I guess I'll leave this one well enough alone then ;)

[crazyfish]

Well I was able to clear something up and I booked my room today. Still not a 100% sure I can make it, but about 90% sure. So I should be there, no discount on the room for me though :(

[vito]

Yaaaaaaaay, Nick! :banana:

I knew I could count on you, my fellow Ontarian to set a good example. :)

(Place setting has been reserved for crazyfish)

(Jamie, you should grant Nick access to the private forum...)

Vito

[Jamie]

Wahayyyy. Sounds good Nick!

[crazyfish]

Yaaaaaaaay, Nick! :banana:

I knew I could count on you, my fellow Ontarian to set a good example. :)

(Place setting has been reserved for crazyfish)

Vito

Guess I should have mentioned that the girlfriend (denise) will be coming along too.

Hmmm which great canadian beer to bring.....

[the_pm]

All right Nick! Nice to see you'll be there too buddy :)

Vito, headcount please!

[vito]

Vito, headcount please!

Vito (and Susan and Amanda)
Simon (and Mandy and Liam)
Paul (and Amy)
Jamie
Michael [Blue] (and his wife)
Steve Canning (Simon's customer)
Adam
Steve (tentative)
Nick [crazyfish] (and Denise)

Would be good to hear from Steve soon to know if he will be able to make it.

If Steve comes, we're up to a total of 16.

Vito

[Jamie]

Would be good to hear from Steve soon to know if he will be able to make it.

I PM'd Steve yesterday to see what the deal was, he has been online since but I have not received any reply.

Come on Steve, make it happen! :D

[vito]

On a side note, I had misinformation about my wife's schedule. I thought she was running midday. As it turns out, her race is at 7 PM. So Amanda will be staying at home. And Susan will likely leave 3-4 PM, so depending on when you show up, you may meet her before she leaves. She will then be back around 11 PM.

Vito

[crazyfish]

Thats a good head count. I can't remember if this has been asked or not and not really feeling like seaching through 17 pages of posts. But is there something we can bring to the event?

[the_pm]

Thats a good head count. I can't remember if this has been asked or not and not really feeling like seaching through 17 pages of posts. But is there something we can bring to the event?A preferred beverage if you have one. Otherwise, yourself :)

[vito]

Nice of you to ask, Nick.

All food is taken care of, so no worries there. But if you would like to bring some liquid refreshment of your choice, feel free. There will already be plenty available, but you are welcome to add to the inventory. ;)

Vito