1st Annual Nerdapalooza Hipster, please! Meet-and-Greet (Sans Me)

My only complaint about Nerdapalooza is that it's just too damn awesome. I mean, it's like an all-you-can-eat buffet of nerdy delights that can scarcely be contained within the span of a single weekend. Sadly, we don't yet have the technology to for Perpetual Nerdapalooza™, but our R&D department is, even now, working overtime.

An unfortunate side effect of the breakneck speed of the festival is that – for those of us who aren't on-stage, at least – it takes a while to connect names with faces. This means that by the time you know who all your fellow scenesters are the weekend is almost over. Imagine, if you will, attending summer camp with a blindfold on. A blindfold which is only removed moments before your parents come to pick you up.

It's sort of like that.

By the time you realize that this guy has that cool YouTube channel or that this gal writes that awesome blog, you may not have time to fully appreciate each other's company.

Thankfully, my buddy Matt has come up with a novel solution. Since a number of attendees will be staying at the venue site – the Holiday Inn on Orlando's I Drive – he's arranged a pre-show meet-up:

So, Friday is the start of Nerdapalooza 2009. If you aren’t up on this fest, give the link a read and if there’s any chance you can make it over to Orlando by Saturday, I recommend it.

So after hearing about all the fun that Z had last year, I’ve decided to make the trip south myself to get in on the action. My original plans had me hanging out with Z for the weekend, but sadly life has gotten in the way and Z had to bail. Now that my plans to follow Z around like a lost puppy and leach on his nerd fame have been scrubbed I figured my next best option was to organize a little gathering.

Actually, I threw the idea out on Twitter earlier today and got a couple of nibbles and some serious encouragement from @freakapotimus, so I figured what the hell, lets see if we can pull this one off.

So here’s the situation.

The meet will occur on Saturday from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM in or near the pool side bar. If it is raining, then we’ll do it in or near the Coral Key Lounge (the bar inside). This will allow those who wish to swim the chance to do that, and the rest (i.e. me) to at least, hopefully, get our drink on. The time will hopefully give those who want to hit all the music a chance to meet before the show starts, while still giving the late risers a chance to take part before things get going.

Of course, while it might be fun to watch all of you try to find each other during the allotted time with no help, let’s make it easy for you. This is what you’re looking for… me.

I’m not an easy guy to miss. 6′2″, about 300 lb., short brown hair, glasses, and answer to the name Matt. I’ve had a couple of people look at me and automatically assume that I used to play linebacker in high school (I didn’t, but I kind of have that linebacker gone to pot thing going on). I’ll be wearing either blue jeans or cargo shorts. I’ll also be wearing a t-shirt that says “geek” on the front (see shirt here). I promise to be at the above spot by 11 and promise to stick around until at least 1. If its sunny, I’ll be at the pool, in the general area of where ever the liquor is. If it’s raining, then I’ll be inside, in the general area of where ever the liquor is.

If you think you’d be interested in joining in on this little meet and greet, leave a comment below letting me know that you’re up for it and may be an idea of what you look like so I can keep an eye open for you. You may also want to follow me on twitter. I’ll make sure I post any updates to that feed, including while I’m at the fest. While I’ll be posting though, unless you can DM me, I’m probably not going to see anything you send to me on Twitter. I have a normal phone, so I’m just getting texts.

OK, I think that’s it. If you have any questions, let me know. My plane doesn’t leave until Friday night, so I’ll check back at this site until at least 5 PM EST on Friday. If the hotel has free wi-fi, then I’ll see about checking on things in my room.

Since I will be conspicuously absent from this year's festival, Matt has agreed to act as my official emissary. He will be spreading the nerdy gospel of Hipster, please!, drinking extra heavy to bridge the booze deficit and collecting excellent event swag on my behalf. (Hint-hint!)

If you're gonna be around for Nerdapalooza, please stop by and hang out for a bit with your fellow geeky music fans. You'll be glad you did.