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Facebook has been called "the Brangelina of tech" for its ability to mesmerize the Valley's press corps. Insiders at the red-hot social network don't want to believe it. But it's true. At last night's Lunch 2.0 event — a periodic gathering where Silicon Valley companies take turns serving up free food — Facebook showed off its inability to cope with its newfound popularity. Even the timing reflected the crush of interest in the event: Facebook's caterers declared themselves unable to accommodate the lunch crowd, so Facebook turned it into a happy-hour event instead. Facebook's undersized cafeteria was filled with developers, Facebook execs, and assorted hangers-on who packed themselves in like college freshmen at a kegger. Even ostensibly sober types like the Wall Street Journal's Vauhini Vara, shown here double-fisting beers, found themselves caught up in the frat-party atmosphere.

There was even a rush, of sorts, as Facebook platform evangelist Meagan Marks grabbed a microphone to point out all the Facebook recruiters in the audience, followed by several other execs imploring people to join the team, especially, they noted, database administrators. (Too bad they couldn't find any of them a few days ago, when Facebook's servers started spraying users' private data all over the Web.)

For Vara, the Journal reporter, what better way to celebrate your 25th birthday and drown your sorrows over the News Corp. buyout of Dow Jones than a free happy hour in one of Silicon Valley's hottest companies? That's exactly what she did, noting that, at her advanced age, she'd gone from young prodigy to seasoned reporter. Happy birthday, Vauhini, and congratulations on being able to rent a car.