get/together

Exactly one month to go, which I was going to panic about, but apparently the record for lateness goes to 2017 where the big post flurry took place only a fortnight out. Well done, 2017 me!

1) Restating for the record, as announced on twitter and to the mailing list earlier in the year, this year's get/together will, of course, be the weekend of October 5 and 6, with Friday 4 and Monday 7 as always for those who can make it/stick around.

2) Another year, another new fannish platform that didn't really take off. No disrespect to pillowfort, but most of us didn't do more than name squat there. On the other hand, I quite like the mailing list, it's been easy for me to use, so once again I'll be sending out wakeup emails and critical reminders, while continuing to use this livejournal as an information repository/hub. The best way to get up to the minute updates is still, of course, the twitter account. Even if you don't use twitter actively, it's worth checking out the g/t feed for up the minute news.

3) Taking signups as top level comments to the registration post seemed to work last year, so we'll stick with that. As always, open ID or (pseudonymously) signed anonymous comments are fine.

4) Everyone seemed to enjoy late night Saturday, vidshows, pub quiz, and pizza, so unless I get feedback to the contrary in short order, assume we're sticking with that. The pizza delivery went almost perfectly last year, so orders will again be finalised and paid for together with your registration and subs.

5) Subs will almost certainly be the same as last year, ie $33. I'm just waiting on the official invoice.

Expect a bunch of informational posts over the next few days, but if you're an old hand you can also expect not much to have changed. :-)

Hey guys,

It's not really quite that time yet, but I have been devilishly organised -- WORSHIP ME -- and started making bookings. So can confirm at this early juncture that the dates for this year's get/together will be the weekend of 7 and 8 October, and as always the bracketting 6 and 9 for those who are in town/can take leave/would like to make a long weekend of it.

I do strongly recommend out-of-towners make accommodation plans as quickly as they reasonably can, as the World of Wearable Arts complication seems to be multiplying with each passing year.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to offer feedback on last year's g/t, and apologies for never quite getting around to responding. I did hugely appreciate it all, and fortunately totally agreed too. Love it when that happens!

Extended Hours Saturday:

"I really enjoyed the longer run time on Saturday. It made my day feel less pressured, and I felt positive about being able to have more breaks between scheduled items instead of rushing." -- arysteia

"I too really enjoyed the longer runtime on Saturday this year. THOUGH I AM DOOMED TO NEVER BE ABLE TO FINISH MY VIDSHOWS. DDD: Maybe book the hall until even later - not so we'd necessarily plan on using it, but so the time's there if we need it." -- maudlinrose

"Saturday! I liked it long, too, and pub quiz & vids are actually pretty fun to have later. (I would have happily stuck around for the last five vids, personally.)" -- labellementeuse

"In principle I think the longer Saturday is a good idea. This year it was just a problem of me not listening to my body telling me to take it easy *g*." -- kiwisue

"Obviously I don't have previous years to compare to, but I really enjoyed the long Saturday. It felt like just the right length, with enough time to get lots of content in, but still have breaks and not feel rushed." -- owlishfun

I feel like there's a quorum here for keeping extended hours. Obviously self care something to bear in mind.

Pizza Party:

"I also thought the 'pizza party' went very smoothly, and I want to take this opportunity to give a big thumbs up to everyone's ordering and cashing up skills." -- arysteia

"Next year I'd suggest we move some tables into the main hall for pizza/quiz, and that way people can eat while quizzing; I think that'd work well." -- maudlinrose

I think the only thing I didn't like was pub quiz being broken up by dinner/eating off non-plates in the room. (This is because I am a nut who hates lap dinner.) I think I would have preferred it if a 30-minute dinner break had been scheduled in before or after pub quiz instead of in the middle just so I could stretch my legs a little bit, sit at the table and eat, etc. -- labellementeuse

The idea of tables for pizza is a great one! I liked the pizza quiz and thought it fit nicely in the evening time slot. -- dewey3067

"I really loved the Saturday format & agree that pizza while playing pub quiz would be A+." -- blademistress

Can I get some follow up/additional opinions on the 'set up tables for pizza during quiz' vs 'dinner first, quiz second' suggestions?

Reduced Hours Sunday:

"Sunday was less good for me; we were up against the clock, and we made the best of it, but it felt like a little bit of an anti climax. I would return to a full day here for preference." -- arysteia

"For Sunday, I think you're right, and a return to the traditional 5-6pm finish would be better." -- maudlinrose

"Sunday I agree, it was a tad wee bit rushed..." -- labellementeuse

"I agree that the Sunday did end somewhat anticlimactically (though it was still a brilliant day!), and I really regret not being able to attend the dinner but my ankle was killing me by the then and I was ready to head home." -- owlishfun

Again, I think there's a quorum here for returning to standard hours. Self care still a good thing!

Sunday Dinner/Drinks:

"It was a bit of a marathon for me coming up with a way for us to spend Sunday afternoon together; I was very conscious that transport is an issue, as well as finding a venue that can handle a large boisterous group, and there really aren't a lot of combined restaurant/bars that are happy for people to sit around all afternoon. I actually thought the Cutting did the job well, given our limitations, and I quite enjoyed being able to have a couple of drinks before dinner. I know it's not the most salubrious of venues, however, and I'm open to all suggestions re preferences for Sunday dinner next year." -- arysteia

"I did really enjoy spending a couple of hours drinking cider in a pub." -- maudlinrose

"I quite liked the drink before dinner and I thought the food was very nice! (Although food is my 11th priority on g/t weekend.) So not all bad, and it did mean that people who were on their last legs/had trains and planes to catch could make it. I didn't even mind the Cutting - hilariously out of our usual scene but it was warm and dry and the drinks were very, very cheap. (On the other hand: somewhere slightly more central would have made staying later a bit more comfortable for me.)" -- labellementeuse

Can I especially ask for further comments/suggestions here? The way I see it we have a few options: a) straight to Kilbirnie at ~7pm as in years past, choice of the Indian or the Thai based on majority vote; b) drinks at the Cutting, stay there for dinner (ie as last year but starting later); c) quick drink at the Cutting (or alternatively Gasworks in Miramar?) then to Kilbirnie for dinner. Otoh that's probably pushing dinner a bit late for some, otoh it may suit early leavers to come for a drink but skip dinner? Please make your voice heard here if nowhere else.

Content:

"There was some mention of maybe making the art segment a regular feature the way we do vids and I am very much in favour of that. I think if we have a full day on Sunday like we used to, that I'd also like another discussion panel." -- dewey3067

"I always enjoy the discussion sessions, any chance of another on Sunday if the program is expanded? Apart from talking about stuff, I enjoyed all the presentations with a special shout-out to the history ones, and both the art and podfic ones." -- kiwisue

"Thirding - I loved the shit out of the art presentation especially, and would greatly enjoy that becoming a regular event." -- maudlinrose

"An opportunity for 2 minute informal mini pimps." -- blademistress

Yes to all these things, but if you have any other ideas let's be having them.

Get/Together 2015 will be held the weekend of 3rd and 4th October, plus the usual frivolity Friday 2nd and Monday 5th for anyone who's in town.

We'll be based at St Christopher's again (same location as last two years), many thanks to china_shop for being our point person on this.

I know there was some discussion last year about whether it's still worth booking accommodation at the Brentwood given we're no longer based in Kilbirnie. I'll leave that to someone else (dewey3067?) to make a post about and you can talk there.

I will be putting up the content volunteers' post shortly though! Please start thinking about what you might present. Otherwise it'll be just the pub quiz, my thoughts on Fast and Furious part two -- the foursomeing, and my oral history of get/together. Rapidly followed by my mental breakdown. So. Um. Volunteer please. ;-p

It occurs to me belatedly that I really should have announced this here. Sorry about that. It's been so long since posting to lj was second nature, and that does make me sad. D:D:D:

As mentioned at various times and in various places, the confirmed dates for get/together 2013 are the weekend of the 5th and 6th October, with festivities commencing on Friday 4th, and farewells Monday 7th if you're around.

If you have a twitter account, then make sure you follow @get__together, as that does tend to be where I make announcements in the heat of the moment. If not, I promise all future updates will arrive here in a more timely fashion.

Start thinking about presentations you might like to make, questions you'd like to submit for discussion, and just generally getting in the mood. It's only nine weeks away!

ETA: check comment thread from Dewey to call early dibs on accommodation if you need it.

Right, sorry for the hold up on this -- further delayed by lj shenanigans -- but we managed to get dates confirmed at last. As hinted earlier, and as endorsed by unscientific polling, we're going for the first weekend of November (ie exactly one month later than usual).

That is to say, get/together 2011 will take place Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 November. Since it's term time rather than holidays I'll have to check the almanac to confirm what time I can take off Friday and/or Monday, but given I'm only teaching seniors this year, odds are it's a decent part of both days. Lord knows, I have no problem going from chapel to fandom lunch to class and back again. ;-p

ETA: Venue remains the same as the last two years -- Park Bowling Club in Kilbirnie.

ETA2: Formal registrations will open in about six weeks, but in the interests of planning and working out costs (ideally similar to last year) it'd be cool if you could indicate likely attendance in comments here.

Right then.

First official post of the 2008 season.

Dates: Main event Sat 4th and Sun 5th October. Welcome dinner, gossip, vids etc Fri 3rd for those who have already arrived.

Accommodation: Nomads Capital. It's a very nice, very new, hostel smack in the centre of down-town Wellington. What we hope to do, ideally, is put together groups and book the rooms so noone gets accidentally left off like happened last year. Prices are $31 per person for an Ensuite Quad, $23 for a ten bed dorm, and various combos in between. I can poll to see which options you favour when we get a stronger idea of numbers.

Venue: At the moment we are strongly leaning towards the Arts Centre, which is also smack centre of town. Location location. This is to be confirmed with the worst secretary in the world (TM).

Costs: To be confirmed when venue is confirmed, but looking very reasonable. Self catered this year, so basic venue and admin costs only.

Attendance: Confirmed -- arysteia, china_shop, morebliss, woolly_socks, kiwisue, cross_stitchery, mab_browne, shihadchick, blademistress, stickmarionette, sethra2000, aworldinside, blue_raven, angel_a.

Official Forms: Will be posted soon. Bwah.

Contributors: arysteia = 1) Doctor Who in 15 Minutes, 2) Doctor/Master -- Clex for Clever People, 3) Smallville Update -- Renaissance/Requiem 3 for the Fandom that Will Not Die; china_shop = 1) Slash Pictionary, 2) Due South part deux, 3) Flashpoint; morebliss = Torchwood; cross_stitchery = Sentinel; blademistress = Nip/Tuck (sans gore); stickmarionette = Update of Soccer RPS.

All remaining fandoms (including those previously visited) are up for grabs to volunteers. Your contribution can take whatever form you like -- pimp reel, slide show, powerpoint, old skool handouts, ship manifesto, you name it. Go nuts. Also panel moderators and suggestions for discussion please.

I think that's it for now. COME! The power of slash compels you!

As you've all heard by now in fits and starts, Lex Luthor has departed Smallville for Metropolis my friend A has finally conceded he's moving permanently to the UK, and Stately Luthor Manor has been boarded up and dust sheeted sold for a princely sum such as none of us shall ever see in our life times. [/small emo tear]

The show must, shall, and does go on however, and get/together 2007 will take place, as promised, the weekend of 28-30th September. The only real change, and one which is sadly unavoidable, is that the slumber party style the Manor made possible is no longer an option. China, Vaud and I have investigated all possibilities however, and believe we have come up with the best alternative.

China has very graciously agreed to host the festivities, by which I mean make available her home here in Wellington for daytime and evening activities (the panels, the presentations, the games, the viewing etc). She has a large open plan living space, and a smaller room for breakout time. Between us Vaud and I will be able to take care of the mod cons and technology so all will proceed exactly as usual as far as the actual content of the weekend goes. China cannot, however, accomodate or fully cater for people the way that I used to.

With regard to accomodation, we are looking at a group room at the Cambridge (in Cambridge Terrace, surprise!), which will enable the band to stay largely together, which I imagine would be most enjoyable. Sort of like the convention room parties of old. They are available for six or for ten, at a rate of twenty dollars per person per night, which is very reasonable. I know some of you have family in Wellington you can stay with, though of course you're very welcome to join the mob if you prefer. Those of you coming in from Sydney for the holidays who have already made arrangements are, of course, already arranged. I will require numbers from Kiwis sooner rather than later though, so we can confirm the current provisional booking.

With regard to food, we will be making a small charge to provide lunch both days and the usual snacks and drinks. We will have the usual dinner out, and order takeaways the other nights.

I realise this makes the weekend a little more expensive than in the past, but it will still be fantastic, and I hope as many of you as possible will still come. Please do get your thinking caps on and get back to me asap though.

Tentative programme to follow shortly. Though not tonight. ;-p

After careful consideration (read: far too much Chinese food) we've tentatively decided on a date.

How's the weekend of September 30-31?

I know that's earlier than we'd originally touted, but it's pretty much the only time that suits everybody, or as close to everybody as we're likely to get. It has the added bonus of being in the school holidays, which means my entire time can be yours and I won't have anything to worry about bar decorating the house, making up campbeds, cooking, and organising activities... [/shades of last year's exhaustion, and the exam marking I had to squeeze in too]

I'd also be keen to make it a three day, or two and a half day, weekend, and include Friday or Monday too.

So what do you think???

Varsity holidays for erilyn; not U2 for shihadchick and engenda; not winchestercon for sinden and i_naiad... Sorry we couldn't do Melbourne Cup damned_colonial... NZ holidays NZers...