I hereby announce the “2nd Annual Aaron and Stina Brown Seattle Bloggersnacker and 4th of July Party.” It will take place on the evening of July 4th, at our apartment in Seattle, overlooking Lake Union. (O.K., so last year’s 4th of July Party wasn’t a Bloggersnacker, and last year’s Bloggersnacker wasn’t on the 4th of July. Whatever.) If you are reading this blogpost and you live in the Seattle area, you are invited. If you are reading this blogpost and you don’t live in the Seattle area, you are also invited. Just don’t expect me to reimburse you for your planeticket.
We will probably send out e-vites to some of you that live in the area, so don’t worry about writing this down so that you don’t forget. But if you don’t get an e-vite, don’t think we don’t want you to attend. All the oversight means is that I forgot about you, cause I’m an idiot.
Normally, I would tell everyone not to bring food, as my wife will prepare everything. However, given that she’ll be in her 8th month of pregnancy by then, we’re thinking “potluck” would be best.
Let me get some FAQs out of the way:
Q: “Aaron, the 4th of July is traditionally a family holiday. So why in the world are you holding a Bloggersnacker that day?”
A: “Well, Ronan, we were going to throw a 4th of July Party anyway, so I figured there was no harm in turning it into a Bloggersnacker as well.”
Q: “But Aaron, people aren’t going to come. They’d rather spend the holidays with family. Why would they want to hang out at your place, listen to you drone on and on and on about your stupid issues and feel obligated to give courtesy laughs to your bad jokes?”
A: “Because, Steve, family is overrated. Besides, do you and Sumer have a place that directly overlooks the Lake Union fireworks display, and a big rooftop deck outside where hordes of folks can hangout with front row seats to the festivities? I didn’t think so.”
Q: “Aaron, I’d love to come, but I already have plans to get together with family.”
A: “Jonathan, you can still go to your stupid picnic. You can come by our place afterwards, at which point it will dawn on you what a waste of time your silly little frolic-in-the-park really was.”
Q: “Aaron, I’m sorry, but I’m just not coming. In fact, I think it’s totally presumptuous of you to think that anyone would want to spend 5 minutes with you in your pad. Stop flattering yourself.”
A: “Bite me, Steve. Besides, 40,000 satisfied attendees last year can’t be wrong.”
The shindig officially begins at 4:30 pm. But if you want to come earlier, or later, that’s O.K. And please note that our “rooftop deck” is actually a sloped roof without guardrails, so don’t blame us if your kids fall off and plummet to their deaths. (Actually, it would probably be best to keep them inside). Please bring edibles of your choosing. Finding street parking will become more and more difficult the later you arrive. You have to climb almost 40 steps to get to our door. But you can’t ask for better seats during the fireworks display.
If you think you’re going to make it, please email me at aachbr@yahoo.com, or say you’re coming in the comments section. Until then…
Aaron B
By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog 
Actually, AB, it would be more like:
Q: “But Aaron, there’s World Cup watching to be done.”
or,
Q: “But Aaron, I’ll be in England, mate. But judging by your Range Rover, I think you can afford to fly me out.”
or,
Q: “July 4 makes me want to barf. Bloody colonials.”
or,
Q: “It’s my son’s birthday.”
Ha, Ronan, some friends and I were discussing just last night when England would… give it up, as it were, and become the 51st state.
(We’ll never get Ireland, though, I fear.)
We already did, in 1945. There’s a secret communique between Churchill and Truman to that effect.
(BTW, much genuine sadness about not hanging out in Seattle, AB. Have a great time.)
The wife bet me that since we’re talking about the 4th of July, no one will come. Based on the number of comments generated so far, I’d say she’s winning the bet. :)
Aaron B
By the way, Ronan, the only reason I was driving that borrowed Range Rover was to make you feel at home. I understand you come from a land far, far away, where everyone drives Jaguars, Land Rovers and Aston Martins.
Aaron B
Aaron – maybe you can change the date of your party to the same date as Kristine’s (June 30), so we can have the first bi-coastal bloggersnacker. We could sit around and instant message and write snarky comments about each other. Wait, I guess we do that every day, anyway.
As an alum of the first annual Seattle bloggersnacker, I must say that attendees are in for a real treat. Unfortunately, there will not be any provolone imported from Italy.
We’d be happy to come, but we’re 2200 miles away, and we’re stuck having to go in August to DC to a family wedding…
Hey, Ronan, I was working the treadmill at the fitness center in my building, and there was England v. Sweden on the telly, so I watched a bit. I saw England score the first goal to go up 1-0 (I just now checked the net and see that it ended in a 2-2 draw.) I’m not much of a football fan, but I have to admit seeing the goal was quite exciting, perhaps since it is a relatively rare occurrence. I thought of you and was rooting for England. (Becks looked dapper, as usual.)
(Whenever I see football, all I can think of is the Cartridge Family episode of the Simpsons.)
I’ll think about it. If it was another day, I could probably talk my husband into coming even though he is not part of the bloggernacle and never will be. But we’ll probably be setting off our own fireworks in front of our house where our kids won’t fall off the roof. Thanks for the invitation.
If I’m back in town, I will show up!
If I feel like it, I will show up too!
Man, I’d really like to make it to a party with Kim Siever! I’d really like to meet him! … er, you!
Aaron,
I am deeply disappointed in your choice of title. Brie is, quite possibly, the lamest cheese on earth. It gives American cheese a run for its money in lameness.
If you really must go with a soft-ripened cheese, try some talleggio. Camembert works, too. (I don’t really like camembert, but it’s eons better than brie).
The only way that brie can be made even slightly edible is with foie gras. (Note to vegetarians — when I say foie gras, I mean eggplant, of course. I would never dream of eating duck livers. Not me.) However, if you’ve gone and gotten foie gras (um, I mean eggplant) well then you might as well eat it with some tasty chevre rather than waste it on brie.
Do your guests a favor. Pick up some gorgonzola or roquefort; a little manchego or pecorino toscano; some parm-reg of course; some talleggio or camambert for the soft-ripened cheese fan. (Or try Port Salut, which isn’t as soft but is a very tasty cracker cheese). And probably some chevre (like the ash-covered Humboldt Fog, which is quite popular on the West Coast).
And leave the brie at the store.
Kaimi
(Official member, Cheese Snobs of America)
Hmm, something’s up — my posts aren’t posting.
I’m big into Saga Bleu, and gouda too.
Gouda is a very respectable cheese, D. You can get the super-aged crystalized stuff (yum!) or the young soft stuff (less bite than the aged stuff, still quite tasty). Gouda is also great smoked, or with herbs in it — a smoked gouda is a very nice change-of-pace cheese for a cheese plate.
Saga Bleu is very tasty too. Like a lot of soft blue cheeses, it goes particularly well with berries — put it on a cracker with fresh raspberries and a bit of raspberry jam, and yum.
(I don’t know how much Saga Blue Aaron will find in Seattle — Dutch cheeses don’t make it as often to the west coast in my experience. There are a number of relatively mild, creamy California blues that he could go for if he can’t find Saga — Point Reyes makes a nice creamy blue that doesn’t have too much kick and goes great on a cracker).
Kaimi,
How presumptuous of you to assume that you can out-snob me in the queso department!
“Brie is, quite possibly, the lamest cheese on earth. It gives American cheese a run for its money in lameness.”
I agree that most Brie “sucks donkey balls,” to employ the technical terminology. But that’s often cause most brie isn’t really brie, as I see it. It’s over-processed crap which, at its worst, is almost as bad as American cheese (but not quite).
“(I don’t really like camembert, but it’s eons better than brie).”
Camembert is actually one of my favorites. We served it at our lost Bloggersnacker, I believe. Yum. And yes, it’s so much better than brie.
Incidentally, we also served foie gras at our last shin-dig (a really good variety), and nobody dared touch the stuff. Which was fine with the wife and me, cause then we had to engorge ourselves so it wouldn’t go to waste. (We thought about all those poor starving children in Africa who can only dream of foie gras).
“Pick up some gorgonzola or roquefort; a little manchego or pecorino toscano;”
I won’t even show up at a party unless I receive a signed, notarized statement by the hosts that roquefort will be served. It’s indispensible. As for manchego, see my prior comment about the donkey.
My wife realy likes Humboldt Fog, but I’m indifferent. Truth be told, there’s nothing better than staying home from work all day, watching Oprah, and chowing down on a really good Bleu (preferably St. Aguirre, though that ever-present Roaring 40s stuff from New Zealand is also pretty tasty). Bleu and Roquefort are the best.
Alas, I knew if I said “Bleu and crackers,” even LESS people would show up for the festivities. So there.
Aaron B
(President-Elect, International Brotherhood of Snooty Cheese Connoisseurs)
Now about the brie you would be wrong Kaimi. I do not like plain brie but triple cream brie is where it is at. It is great with crackers and grapes. Regular brie’s only problem is it doesn’t have enough fat.
Kevin,
Cole’s goal was a stunner — you caught a good one.
Comments so far have focused on cheese. What I would like to know is whether fireworks will be visible from the Browns’ windows.
Levi — Yes, the fireworks will be quite visible. Like I said, we have a great view overlooking Lake Union. We hope you can make it.
Aaron B
Gosh . . . if only you’d had it this weekend, I would be interested (up in Anacortes as I type) dropping my son off at EFY for the week. Sounds fun though–with or without a Range Rover. BTW . . any chance Prudence might be there? It might just be worth the return drive to meet such a fine upstanding LDS babe saint!
Levi — Yes, fireworks will be visible from the windows. You’ll recall we overlook Lake Union, and we’re not far from where the fireworks are actually launched. We hope you and Althea can make it.
Aaron B
D.,
I’d love to meet you as well. Sadly, I don’t get out of Canada much, and the Bloggernacle doesn’t get into Canada much.
I will be in Vancouver at the beginning of September. I could drive up to Calgary if you ever come that way. As well, depending how things work out next year, I may be in Boston in the fall and Austin the following spring, but I can’t commit to those two yet.
Aaron,
With no relation to Ronan’s comment above, the 4th is actually my son’s birthday, and we’re having a family party here. As delightful as your view of Lake Union promises to be, we’ll have to miss it. Enjoy!