I also need to bow out of this for awhile. I'm dealing with a bunch of personal/professional stuff right now and don't have time to follow up the way I have been. Anyone can use Survey Monkey; it's easy.

Thanks for everything you've done, Pix!!

Kristin, that is the other weekend that is bad for Providence. I would set up a poll, but I am on cell. Can someone else do it? Maybe a question of how many people are interested in changing the date and then how many could attend at various dates?

I'm home now, and have posted a quick poll in Press.

My only hesitancies with changing the date are that a) its already the end of April and b) we may have gone beyond the attention span of a large group at this point.

If we get a strong "Let's Move It!" response, great. But if we don't get that response... Or if its a weak response...

It seems like (and I say this as a person who's Father may yet take her out of comission that weekend so its hardly optimum for me) we should stay put at the weekend agreed upon. We hearded the cats to this point and this is the point the cats reached.

Here is how we could do a dozen-or-so people F2F:

Check Orbitz for a cheap/decent hotel. (Orbitz rates are certainly comparable to and often cheaper than a block.)

Book rooms individually

Someone book a suite. It can be our meeting spot. (I'll even be the person with the big room -- I don't think any of you are going to swipe my stuff and I'll just leave the diamonds at home. If my Dad uncharacteristically comes through we'll deal.) People can chip in some money to the person with the big room. Maybe we can all chip in enough to keep it the extra day.

We can bring in whatever food and booze for a dozen people that we want. We're not booking together and we don't look like a pack of frat boys -- they will not know or care.

Saturday night we get dressed up and go out. Our after-party in the room is unlikely to cause any drama with only a dozen or so people and if we get a noise complaint from the desk we'll just keep it down.

A small group for the F2F has its merits. We'll get to see everybody and we just don't have to plan that hard.

Trudy, I agree it should be a big response in order to change the date. So far we have 10 responses, I am hoping for a lot more than that.

I'm liking Trudy's small-F2F ideas.

Having attended the ginormo huge-fest of SF2F and the Atlanta F2F, which was smaller, more intimate, and much less hectic, I have to say I actually enjoyed Atlanta more. I got to see fewer people, overall, but I got to spend more time with those I did see. Being an introvert, I felt less stretched and stressed and more able to relax and have fun.

There are definitely things to be said for smaller gatherings. A lot less hoot, a little more nanny. 'S all good.

The poll had only 23 responses, with 17 in favor of changing the date. I don't think that is really enough interest to justify trying to do a big F2F on a different date. So that leaves us with where to have it and how to do it? Suggestions?

sj, can we a) still use the rate at the place you talked with; b) what is the rate?; c) how are they on rooms?

We could compare that with our orbitz options and decide from there.