waldo ran a now-defunct Dave Matthews Band fansite, and I used to be a member there. (I know!) One time I ended up on his blog somehow, and he had a link to MetaFilter in the sidebar. I don't know if that was the first time I saw MetaFilter, but I think that was when it stuck.
Maine meetup
This meetup was the best. Right after landing a dream job, I hitched a ride up to Maine with the very generous initapplette, hung out with her and Miko and Greg Nog and jessamyn and a bunch of other awesome MeFites, went to the beach, saw a sweet lighthouse, and even went to the arcade. (I know!) It was one of the best days of my summer.