POZ Community Forums
Off Topic Forums => Forums Gatherings => Topic started by: anniebc on January 20, 2007, 04:51:19 pm
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Hi everyone
If you are still thinking of going to this years AMG can you put your name down along with any thoughts or problems you may or may not be having..any feedback at all at this stage would be a good...OK I will start off and hope some of you will follow.
I Will be attending this years AMG...but I'm still unsure of the exact location and how it is going to work for us..but I'm hoping by next week the coordinators will have some answers for us or made some kind of decision and we can all move ahead with this...wether we stay with plan A or move to a Plan B doesn't' bother me..this is my last AMG so regardless of where it will be I will be there.
love and hugs
Jan :-*
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Jan, I'm concerned: why is this your last AMG? Jay
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Jan mentioned that it was too expensive to travel such an incredibly long distance each year...She was gracious enough to go half-way around the world from New Zealand to Toronto and this past August to Montreal to see us and that is very long and costly...I hope to someday (sooner than later) get to Australia and New Zealand so little does Jan know she will be part of future gatherings, small as they may be...And I have a feeling that a few years down the road, if the cards fall right, who knows- we may just get her to Hawaii or Alaska or somewhere !!!
Jody ;)
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I am planning on attending but I live on the Russain River and will not be needing a hotel room.
If Plan B is San Francisco, I will also attend but will once again not need a room because SF is very close to the Russian River.
If Plan B is any location which requires airfare and hotel, I will not be able to attend because I live on a fixed income and can not afford such things. Have the best day
Michael
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I will be attending. I am hoping The Rendezvous will be at The Russian River. Dennis has already done a spectacular job and the lodge sounds wonderful. I see no reason to change as this site received the most votes. I like the dates of Sept 12 to 17 but I am flexible.
I will also add on dates at the beginning or end for a San Francisco soiree.
robert
ps....I will also be attending the Down Under Gathering, whether New Zealand or Australia....I'll be going to both.
Also....even you even think you might go this year, just say so.
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As of now I will not be attending this years AMG. If things were different and I was living on my own yes possibility but right now going to have to look for a new place to live starting in September since my lease will expire in October 07. Not really sure if or where I will move too. :-* ???
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I'm going to try to attend this year with a pre-trip to Las Vegas. Russian River sounds like the perfect way to wind down after a few days of partying and gambling in Sin City.
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I will be attending.....pinning down the dates is the most important for me, since I have to have a vacation request in by February 1st to be guaranteed that I will have those dates off.
I could probably swing anywhere in the West....but Russian River or SF would be easiest for me.
John
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Hi there
Jay..thanks for your concerns but it is only for the reasons that Jody stated and has nothing to do with my health or not wanting to see you guys..honest :D.
Michael..I think if plan B had to be put into affect it will only be the accomodation that would change and not the location...I look forward to seeing you there.
John..can't wait to meet you I know you will have a great time with all the guys.
Jerry..I'm sorry you are not going to be able to come this year, I know how much you enjoyed Montreal.
Jody..I hear Hawaii is very nice..like you said, who knows.. :D, and you will be more than welcome to my home, my door is always open to friends.
BTW..12-17 September is fine by me but I'm also flexible on the dates...so whatever date is fixed will work for me.
Hugs
Jan :-*
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Count me in. Sept. 12 - 17 is fine, I just need to know to request vacation time.
Hmmm, a Down Under gathering would be fun. Who knows, if I save my pennies . . .
HUGS,
Mark
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I'm going.
Too gooda time is to be had to miss it.
RAB
(That is not a cigarette in my hand in the first photo ;))
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I am planning on attending. Issues? Oh god, do I have issues. I don't think any of them have to do with AMG, though.
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I won't be able to attend but I'm still tracking the developments here mainly for the purposes of the Grants Committee. Jody and David_NC have expressed their willingess to be part of the Grants Committee. I'd like to encourage those who wish to attend and would need help from the Grants Committee to express their interest in this thread as well (you don't have to say that you need assistance) and perhaps PM the Grants Committee (http://forums.poz.com/index.php?action=profile;u=340) of your intent to ask for assistance (which will be kept anonymous, as with the prior AMGs). This would also help to plan in advance if there would be enough funds and also figure out how to do this creatively and expeditiously with the limitations of the conditions from Dawn Ranch (http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=8027.msg94077#msg94077). Hope this turns out to be as successful as the previous ones.
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As far as I know Herman & I plan on attending AMG 07. I can't speak for Herman but any location or date is fine with me.
Dan J.
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I will not be able to attend this year. I will still try to do the cd though.
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I am planning on attending, but it's unlikely I will feel comfortable paying a deposit for the hotel this far in advance, with the chance of losing 50% of it.
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I'm not sure if D and I will be able to attend due to his school schedule. If we do, this will also have to count as our vacation. We'd probably spend a good bit of time in SF with friends who moved back there this past fall. We need to visit them plus the accommodations there are free! We'd likely spend a couple of days with the AMG... sort of half in SF and half in RR. That 50% deposit thing could be a problem for some. Like Cliff, I don't like the idea of paying a 50% deposit so far in advance. I wonder if having it towards the end of September might be better for those taking time off for Labor Day?
David
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David makes a good point. I too am planning on spending some time in San Francisco, so I will need to sort that out as well.
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My friend Joe lives in San Francisco so I will want to spend some time there as well. Perhaps we can work that into the schedule for those of us who want to do that for an overnight or more.
Jody
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i will love to go, I just need more information on when and how much will be...
Javier
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I want to attend, I'm just not sure I can make it happen this year.
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Count me in. I am planning to spend a day or two in SF also.
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Thom and I are counting on attending. We, like others, are a bit uncomfortable with the deposit policy. We wish that resort operators were a bit more flexible.
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I would love to attend -- I just feel like I need things to be a bit more settled before committing.
Mike
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Hell, with all these "day or two" trips to SF, I still don't know why we didn't just decide to have it there to begin with!
David
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Hell, with all these "day or two" trips to SF, I still don't know why we didn't just decide to have it there to begin with!
David
I am fine with that.
In fact I'm thinking it's where we will all have a better time. We can still take a day trip to Russian River, visit the wine country. But most importantly, I assume, we'd be free from this darn issue of putting down a 50% non-refundable deposit. (Which I think not only is making those who have expressed their concerns, nervous. I'm also thinking there are members on strict budgets who know they wouldn't be able to make such a commitment and have opted to stay out of the discussion.)
Dennis, can you find us a couple of goodhotel options in the $140.00 - $150.00 range?
RAB
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I've been reviewing these posts over the last few days and I foresaw this was where we were heading. I called a few hotels today and am waiting on return calls. I should have some information to post in the next day or two.
I'm confident I will be able to find something comparable to last years hotel as far as rate and amenities. A larger hotel will definitely have softer deposit and cancellation restrictions.
Dennis
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One thought I had was if it's to hard or to much to organize accommodation in Russian River then we could make it San Francisco and do Russian River as a day trip, like we did in Quebec
Rab..You weren't listening to me were you young man... you are getting as bad as your name sake... he never hears a word I say either.. ;) :D
Dennis..Thanks again for your help..the way things are going SF would be probably be the way to go, maybe then we can get more people interested and put an end to their worries regarding the RR hotel policies...what would we do without you.
Hugs
Jan :-*
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Guerneville is a small and rather rustic resort town. I haven't stayed there in a number of years, but I do not remember any big hotels there--just about a dozen small properties with rooms and/or cabins that generally lack such amenities as phones or TV's. Most of the rooms in these resorts have just one bed, which might be awkward for people who want to share a room. I believe that Dawn Ranch is the biggest resort in the town of Guerneville.
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I plan on attending, no matter where it is. Sept 12-17 is fine, but I have to have the vacation request in before the end of February.
And thanks to Jan and Dennis and all who are involved in this planning. I know it isn't going to be easy~~~~
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Having it in the city is MUCH better for me!!! ;D
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I AM ON THE SAME PAGE AS DAVID AND RAB.....THE CITY WOULD BE A GREAT CHOICE....THOSE WHO WANT TO VENTURE OUT FROM THERE CAN DO THAT.....A BUDDY AND ME DROVE THE PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY 5 YEARS AGO IN A SPAN OF 5 DAYS WHICH IS NOT NEARLY ENOUGH TIME. WE PULLED INTO SAN FRANCISCO AT MIDNIGHT AND HE GAVE ME A 2 HOUR TOUR OF THE CITY....GOT TO BED AT 2AM AND WAS BACK ON THE ROAD AT 8AM 'CAUSE WE HAD TO BE IN LOS ANGELES BY SUNDOWN...WHEW! WE MADE IT....BUT NEEDLESS TO SAY I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO RETURN TO SAN FRANCISCO TO SEE THE CITY IN THE DAYLIGHT!! SO THIS WOULD BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY!
THANKS FOR YOUR HARD WORK....IF I CAN HELP IN ANY WAY LET ME KNOW!
BE WELL....
CRAIG
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I would like to add that I like the direction this thread is headed. This element of a high risk deposit isn't something anyone considered when deciding on a vote..........and beings the tallies of SF and RR were so close........
My own plans were to have a rental car and travel from SF to RR anyway. When I read of the large deposit requirements of RR accommodations I knew I'd be staying in SF and traveling to RR each day.
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Dennis
Thank you for getting us the information on a possible plan B.
21 of the 34 original votes cast named Russian River as their first choice with SF a close second. With the additional wrinkle of the non refundable deposit, I think it's appropriate to at least give members the chance to reconsider. (Although I would point out that cancellations were not a problem the first two years, in fact we scrambled to find rooms for late comers.) Once they can see both options hopefully a quick vote can occur and we'll find out where the final location is going to be. (You watch, it'll end up in a tie. ::) :D)
One thing I find positive about this is we are engaging members in the discussion, we seem to be heading forward with two great possibilities to chose from, and once the final selection is made we'll all have had a chance to make a clear and informed choice.
Wherever we end up, as I've said before I wouldn't miss the opportunity for anything. Some good times with special people? How could that not be a great way to spend a couple of days. (Some more fond memories below. Jan #3 is my response to your last post. ;D)
RAB
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Should we also revisit (vote again) the timing?
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Should we also revisit (vote again) the timing?
I think this is a good idea, as so much has changed with the AMG.
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Should we also revisit (vote again) the timing?
The purpose is to narrow the discussion not re-open the entire process. Frankly Cliff I'm disappointed you'd even bring this up. Seriously.
RAB
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With all the changes, it seems like we are starting from scratch. I see no reason why it would hurt to confirm the vote on timing, if in fact we will re-vote the location. If there is no new vote on timing, then I question why the need in going back to the members to vote on the hotel/location. An executive/committee decision should just be made.
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Hello All,
After following this thread closely the last few days it has become clear the issue is the strict deposit and cancellation policies at the Russian River hotels and not the month selected. I see no reason to move backwards and revote on the time of year.
Revoting will only set us back and it has been made clear that people need to put in for the vacation time as early as next month. Not to mention it would undo all of the work I've done to date.
The results of the group vote are below. I will proceed with obtaining rates for the groups second choice, which was San Francisco and the groups first choice for time of years which was September.
Location
Russian River Area - 78
San Francisco - 65
Vancouver - 53
Las Vegas - 14
Cruise - 5
Time Frame
September - 50
August - 47
Dennis
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Thank You, Dennis and all others involved, for your time and efforts (spells W-O-R-K) in getting the AMG co-ordinated.
I have a question (anyone). Have the dates been set? I see tentative dates of Sept. 12 thru 17 in one of the postings.
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With all the changes, it seems like we are starting from scratch. I see no reason why it would hurt to confirm the vote on timing, if in fact we will re-vote the location. If there is no new vote on timing, then I question why the need in going back to the members to vote on the hotel/location. An executive/committee decision should just be made.
Exactly. New organizers. New location. Unsure of exact date yet. It almost sounds like preliminary discussion to me, not something decided by a vote. I've said all along we needed more information before voting on anything...
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September 12 - 17 have been the dates I've been working with based on a suggestion from a previous post. Of course, I've been enquiring if other weekends can offer better availability or rates. So far, the 12th - 17th seem to be working out fine on both occassions.
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I am very interested in attending, especially since getting to SF will be a tad bit easier than getting there and then having to get to RR. I have kept up with all the threads regarding this year's AMG and did vote when the ballot was out. I have one observation, that is everyone will not be happy with the location and/or the date. When was the last time you were with a group of people and doing something as simple as choosing a restaurant was a snap. I applaud those who volunteer their time to organize this event and think everyone must realize that somewhere along the line decisions have to be made by those involved in the planning that they feel are in the best interest of those who might attend. Having been part of professional associations that have meetings all over the country, I was not always happy with the location. However, I went because of the people not because of where they were held.
Woods
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Echoing Woods about restaurant decisions and going cuz of people not really location.
I'm interested in attending as well.
Jay
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Hey Everyone,
September 12th is the second Wednesday of the month and the Sonoma County Commission on AIDS meeting. It is held at 625 5th Street in Santa Rosa at 5:30 PM and lasts about 2 hours. I will be there and invite you all to join us. Have the best day
Michael
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I'd be interested in going this year. I'm firmly in the San Francisco camp.... I'm not really an "outdoorsy, camping" type. Well, maybe if David and partner took me..... :o
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These gatherings seem like such a great idea but the location should keep changing to make it easier for those of us on different sides of the earth. I myself would like to go someday but I'll keep participating in this community forum until the days comes when the gathering is in some place close to the Carribean. Going to California from Puerto Rico is going to kill my rear end, not to mention my legs for sitting so many hours on a plane. Also, I take medications at a 12 hour interval and one of my injectable meds need and hour time to mix before I can apply the injection. This isn't easy on a plane where there is no privacy, people are knocking on the door to see if you are finished, and injecting in a dirty bathroom is pretty inadvisable. I'll just hope the time comes where the gathering will be on the west coast somewhere between Florida and Washington DC. I do wish all those going to have a great time in my name. Enjoy! ;)