Hey! Remember last year when all of Seattle’s most wonderful bloggers and most adorable reader got together for drinks, amazing hand turkey art making, socializing, and raised a bunch of money for Northwest Harvest, convincing many an attendee from the mixer upstairs that we were more interesting and eligible than the techy singles? Well it’s time to do it all over again. Mark you calendars for the 18th of November and plan to be at Central Cinema from 6 to 9 with a donation in hand and warmth in your heart. It should be a super fun time — please pay a visit to blogsgiving.org and let us know that we’ll see you there.

In the ongoing severed feet saga to our north, a seventh foot has washed up in British Columbia, according to the Vancouver Sun (#). Of the seven feet (over half a soccer team, as Wesa pointed out), only one has been postively identified, though a couple of the feet have been matched.

To date, none of the feet appear to show signs of foul play… most have just naturally separated from the bodies and floated to the beaches because of the buoyancy of the shoes’ material. Nothing like a decomposed foot to set the right tone for Halloween, huh?

The first 30 guests to purchase denim will walk away with a Dillinger customizations kit. (URL)

Our summer membership drive continues as we look for Seattleites to join the ranks of Team Metblogs. In case you missed it, here’s a refresh on the pitch:

Do you like to do things in the city and tell people stories about your experiences? Do you have zany &/or insightful takes on the news of the day? Are you obsessed with the impending local election or all of the sportsballs bouncing around town? Are you fixated on making beautiful photographs of our fair city? Is there some facet of Seattle that so capitvates you that you’d like to share it with an audience of adoring readers?

If the answer to at least one of those questions is “yes”, then do I have just the “job” for your volunteer efforts! We’re looking for a few great bloggers to join the ranks at Seattle Metblogs to help fill these pages with wonderful content. If you’d like to be a part of the team and have time to contribute a few times a week, please fire up your e-mail machine, point it to seattle.metblogs @ gmail.com and tell us a bit about yourself.

Hello there, Seattleite. Do you like to do things in the city and tell people stories about your experiences? Do you have zany &/or insightful takes on the news of the day? Are you obsessed with the impending local election season or all of the sportsballs bouncing around town? Are you fixated on making beautiful photographs of our fair city? Is there some facet of Seattle that so capitvates you that you’d like to share it with an audience of adoring readers?

If the answer to at least one of those questions is “yes”, then do I have just the “job” for your volunteer efforts! We’re looking for a few great bloggers to join the ranks at Seattle Metblogs to help fill these pages with wonderful content. If you’d like to be a part of the team and have time and dedication to contribute a few times a week, please fire up your e-mail machine, point it to seattle.metblogs @ gmail.com and tell us a bit about yourself.

american beer at oddfellows

From the looks of all of the conference tournaments on better bar televisions over the last weekend, it appears to be almost March Madness time (for further evidence, a Capitol Hill tournament pool [chs]). Which also means that it is also almost time to fire up the good old “Tournament of Blogs” here to help you choose your most favoritest local weblog of all of Seattle. The selection committee is working overtime at Seattle Metblogs HQ to narrow the field, refine the rules (possibly relevating previous champions the the Hall of Fame), and seed the contenders, but we would of course love input from you. Nominate your favorite local bloggist (yourself included) by sending an endorsement to seattle.metblogs @ gmail.com.

We’ll be finalizing the lineup on Thursday night at our almost-monthly Third Thursday happy hour, once again at the lovely and lively Oddfellows Cafe. Drop by after 6:30 for the final bracketing, drinks, and the warm glow of the company of Team Metblogs in the wild.

(press release after the jump)

WHAT: The Teachers Teaching with Technology (T³) International Conference, sponsored by Texas Instruments, has provided high-quality professional development for more than 25 years to teachers who want to teach more effectively by adding education technology to their curricula.

More than 1,500 high school, middle grades, college education professionals and administrators from across North America are slated to attend the T³ International Conference. Attendees will learn the latest math and science teaching techniques in more than 400 informative sessions taught by the most respected educators, influencers and presenters in math and science education.

WHY: Currently Washington state is struggling with the best way to teach math to students in public schools. This conference is bringing to Seattle top math and science minds from around the country who can speak to best practices in those subjects and how technology can impact student achievement, and perhaps inject a different perspective into the conversation. The conference also will show educators how they can capitalize on technology such as graphing calculators to reach this generation of tech-savvy learners.

WHO: Steve Ouellette: New TI-Nspire for Dummies author Steve Ouellette, is the Math Department Chair at Westwood High School in Westwood, Mass. A former activity writer for the television show, NUMB3RS, Ouellette can add the CliffsNotes® Guide to TI-Nspire and the CliffsNotes Guide to the TI-Navigator System to his list of accomplishments. Technology could be the key to helping students learn math and science. Steve Ouellette can show you why and how.

Brendan Kelly: Author Brendan Kelly has written more than 60 books for students from grade 1 through college. His books are sold throughout the world in multiple translations. Brendan Kelly is professor of mathematics and mathematics education at the University of Toronto. Have you ever wondered how math applies to the real world, even to a reporter’s job? Brendan can show you.

Jason Dorsey: Keynote speaker Jason Dorsey is a bestselling author and acclaimed speaker. Jason has delivered more than 1,800 keynote speeches around the world giving insight into Gen Y, their parents, educators and employers and has appeared on shows and publications such as: 60 Minutes, 20/20, NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s The View, Fortune Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, NPR’s On Point, USA TODAY, Forbes.com, CNN. With keen insight into the new generation of American school-goers, Jason can give tips on how to help how to reach students.

WHEN: Friday, Feb. 27, 2009 – March 1, 2009

WHERE: 2009 T³ International Conference at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, WA

Photo and interview opportunities: Interviews with Steve Ouellette, Jason Dorsey and Brendan Kelley as well as local participants can be scheduled upon request. For more information please contact Mari Hancock at 713-513-9574 or mhancock@golinharris.com.

While Slog has been busily indexing a list of inauguration parties in Seattle, those of us over at Metblogs have been quietly coming up with our own list of celebrations surrounding Obama’s swearing-in tomorrow. Here’s the list of events that us Metbloggers are hoping to check out tomorrow:

- Paramount Theatre will be opening its doors at 7 a.m. for a free showing of the inauguration on the big screen. Concessions to be sold include “Malia Scones with Bright Cherries and Almond Crunch,” “Banana-bama Bread,” and “Sasha’s Carroty Goodness Muffins” from Dahlia Bakery. KOMO 4 and the Seattle Theatre Group are co-hosting.

- Aster Coffee Lounge is playing the inauguration on a big-screen TV, while serving red, white and blue waffles (strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream) and mimosas, according to MyBallard (#).

- 88 Keys in Pioneer Square will have a brunch buffet for $10.90 starting at 8 a.m. (doors open at 7 a.m.), as well as AM1090 and Lee Callahan on hand to ring in the new presidency.

- Every single Starbucks with a flat-screen TV will be showing the inauguration live. The locations are listed in an attachment at the bottom of this post.

- King Cobra is throwing an inauguration party tomorrow starting at 4 p.m.

- At The Corson Building in Georgetown, $25 will get you a party with wood fired pizzas and oysters. 6 p.m.

- The Obama Ball is being thrown at the Armory complete with big band, soul food, and “keynote speakers.” Casual or formal, the ball costs $22 for individuals, $44 for couples, free for children, and begins at 6 p.m.

- Happy hour at Moe goes until 8 p.m., and then there’s the FuturObama 3D Inauguration Bash at Sole Repair, with Johnny Fever, among others, DJing, starting at 9 p.m.

- Rebar is having a Return To Camelot inauguration ball with Ade and Nick Garrison and Sylvia O’Stayformore starting at 8 p.m., $10 or $5 if you’re in formal wear.

- High Dive in Fremont will be having an Inauguration Celebration featuring RA Scion from Common Market with Vunt Foom Vunt Foom, with Diztortion and I-Adjust 10th and Commerce starting at 8 p.m. $6 cover.

- Three Imaginary Girls is throwing an Inauguration Celebration with H is for Hellgate, Friday Mile, Benjamin Bear and Ed Wang at Chop Suey starting at 8 p.m. Cover is $7 and the event is 21+.

- Or, you could take a cue from one Metblogger, and break out that magnum-sized bottle of champagne that you’ve been saving. :)

Let us know which event you’re heading to, and we’ll add it to the list!

Save the News?

Seattle is on the verge of losing one of its two daily papers. What does that mean for the city? For news readers? For local media and bloggers? Dylan Wilbanks of Seattle Metblogs had an idea that there should be an event in a month or so that gives people a space to talk about this. The objective of this meetup, other than to discuss these things ourselves, is to begin planning that larger event. [facebook]

Of course, if you just want to hang out and help us welcome a fresh crop of new Metbloggers, there will be plenty of time and space for that too. Plus, you should be aware that Oddfellows’s pastry case is home to peanut butter & jelly cupcakes and fruit-loop-enhanced rice krispie treats. You can get your tater tots at the Wildrose [slog] before or after.

Oddfellows Cafe // 1525 10th Ave (between Pike & Pine) // 15 January

As disappointing as this was, I’ve been extremely impressed with the communications and use of technology from the Washington State Department of Transportation. Between their blog, their Twitter feed, their Flickr photos, and their constantly updated maps, I’m feeling incredibly informed, and very happy that they’re so communicative.

If more governmental units were as open and helpful as WSDOT (who even replied to one of my Twitter questions about alternate routes), I think we’d benefit tremendously. Keep up the good work, guys!