I was there, too.

Lileks and the Fraters were gone when we returned from watching fireworks at Pracna at about 11 ($2 Guinnesses and front-row seats to big pretty flash-booms was a good thing).

Thanks for throwing that little bash. It was great to meet the faces behind the blogs.
How funny to just say hello to someone and then discover that he's the proprietor of one of my not infrequent visits in the blogosphere...as is precisely what happened to me in the case of one Jay Reding.
But I was also introduced to blogs that were previously entirely unknown to me.
If the blogosphere is the universe, then the bloggers bash was a black hole. I discovered that nothing, not even Bud Lite, could escape.
I must admit I am flirting with the notion of beginning my own blog. But I'm terribly frightened. What if somebody reads it?

"most notably"
What an honor! Mitch, it was a great affair and I really enjoyed meeting everybody. I'll read their blogs with increased appreciation. Of special note was carrying on a coversation with King as his spirits rose, fell and rose again with the fortunes of his Red Sox. Thanks to you and the rest of the Alliance for putting this together.

Don

Hey Don, this is Red Sox-Yankees we're talking about here. I take it as seriously as a Florida recount.

Thanks for coming, everyone.

Er, that would be *Kevin* of Wombat Rampant, Mitch, but thanks for the shoutout anyway. We need to do this again - maybe make it a monthly thing?

P.S. Don, I'm watching the game right now. Bellhorn hits a homerun, I jump up and they cut to John Kerry high-fiving some other op in a suit.

Thrill kill.

"Hey, Yost just hit another tatah!"

It's kind of tragic that he can even ruin a game. isn't it? That said, I repeat that I don't have a dog in this Yankees/Red Sox fight.

Thanks for all the introductions, Mitch! I had a great time.

My evening began with a screeching drop-armed halt for light rail, included parallel parking hell and meter confusion, and ended with chalk outlines of the Aquatennial celebrants who strayed into my headlights on the Hennepin Avenue bridge. So I vote for having the next bash in the burbs.

Thanks to everyone for a great time, especially Mitch and the Northern Alliance posse. It was a blast to meet so many new bloggers and hang out with some old friends.

The burbs, noooooo!

Thanks for a great bash Mitch. Twas a pleasure meeting you, Dave, Lileks, Fraters Brian, Odin (natch) and about a zillion other guys.

I didn't have any problem finding Keegans, or finding parking, either. But why does Minneapolis have to use both numbered streets and avenues? How about 1st, 2nd, and 3rd streets, etc., and name the avenues after dead governors?

I must admit, though, that Keegans was a fine venue.

Minneapolis is strange - they do a little bit of both.

In South Minneapolis, east of Lyndale and north of 46th both streets and avenues are *mostly* numbered (with exceptions like Chicago, Portland, Bloomington and Cedar avenues and Lake Street), while south of 46th they intersperse more named avenues - albeit with no system of any kind. Then west of Lyndale the avenues are named in alphabetical order. In Northeast, things are also mixed, except where they aren't - most of the avenues are named in order of president, from Adams through (I think) Coolidge.

And people say Saint Paul is irrational...

Saint Paul is irrational. The city though is just fine.

I had a great time! If only Laura Billings could have made it. I also appreciated the little touches, like Mitch being the greeter at the door.

Would the Saturday after Election Day be too soon for the next one? We'll need a beer or two either way.

Saturday after election would be a greatone - good catch.

We will probably be having a "post-production meeting" at one of the beer gardens after one of our Fair broadcasts.