The world is conspiring to end my reclusive ways. We’ve long wanted a MetaFilter get-together in the Ottawa area, but now it finally looks like it’s going to happen. The particulars are settling out more quickly than they usually do: it looks like it’ll be at Pub Italia on Friday, February 18, beginning at 7 p.m. Nearly a dozen people have expressed an interest; if they all show up, it’ll be one of the largest MeFi gatherings in a while, and that’s probably because we haven’t had one yet.

I stopped by the Pontiac Archives this afternoon to do a little digging into the local railroad history. (I’m a trained historian, I like railroads, and I thought I might be able to find grist for an article or two.) I ended up staying for the monthly executive meeting, where I was the youngest (and male-est) attendee by a long shot; I may be dragooned into volunteering for a few things, like cataloguing the map collection. As far as the Pontiac is concerned, I’ve been incommunicado for about a year; this was nearly a coming-out party for me. I’ve been a volunteer workhorse in the past — here I go again?

If nothing else, it’s probably not a bad thing if I spend less time in front of this screen.