[AGA-sc] San Jose Report

[Erik Olson <erik@thekrib.com>]

Met with Jim L ("convention chair"), Michael LaFlamme (my little helper), 
and Chuck Rambo (my SVAS contact, ACA bigwig, and local Bay Area Mole) at 
3:30 in the hotel before heading off.

Michael's wife is lending us a nice laser printer (HP Laserjet 2200).  I 
tested it with the auction computer and it works great.  We will be able 
to use this for printing incidentals like walk-in badges or signs) as 
needed through the weekend, and also for auction receipts on Sunday. 
Very cool.  She also has access to seven LCD projectors, so we could get a 
backup that way.  Chuck said he could bring the SVAS projector as well. 
Nice.  We need to remember to get a 25-foot VGA cable, though (Larry, do 
you have access to that one I bought for you guys?)  (Karen, please bring 
your projector regardless, if you can!)

Transferred 75 pounds of A/V and auction gear to Michael, where it'll sit 
in storage until November.  Nice load of my stress level.

Went off to the meeting, where we were joined by Leon Garden ("Field 
Trip") and Karleton ("PR guy #2").

Leon imparted the info I have now mentioned in the other e-mails about 
there being 60 tickets available, but that there are only 50 bus slots.  I 
do remember him saying there might be more like 54 bus slots, but let's 
shoot for 50).  Discussed the minivan plan.  Reiterated that he has all 
the snack stuff taken care of.  Jim has volunteered to tip the driver and 
be the FT headcounter guy/chair.

Leon also re-iterated his Krombholz-like desire to return to the 
Chattanooga-style auction where everything was silent and the items got 
stuffed into bags and picked up at the end.  Boy, he dislikes those live 
auctions, and having to surrender his driver's license.  (Do we have to 
make them surrender their drivers license?)  I explained that this was all 
well and good when we had 1/5 the amount of stuff to sell, but there just 
was no way we could pull this off anymore.  He was mildly impressed that I 
at least had the silent and live auctions tied together on the same 
system, and that we'd be using a computer rig that at least one person was 
familiar with (not to mention a spare hard drive with a backup image of 
the entire auction database machine that can be installed in virtually any 
laptop if something happens to the main system).  He's still not 
convinced, but we agree to disagree.

Discussed at length why various people were going AWOL.  Always amusing to 
hear the responses:

   Skids: Talks big, then shies back.  Michael L was just plain embarrased
          about the whole "We're going to make a GREAT bid!" posturing.

   Bill Harada: Pissed that we're not letting volunteers get in the talks
        for free.  Apparently off sulking.  (Sorry, this chronology
        doesn't make sense, as he stopped participating long before we had
        the stupid thread with Gomberg.)  Later heard he was also sulking
        about not having his stuff used, whatever that means.  Kareleton
        will ask him about making a large poster and/or program blowup
        for registration area.

   Gomberg: Everyone was asking about who would be Gomberg's "keeper".  Jim
        had some interesting perspective on PAM from the perspective
        of an old-timer local...speaking of which...

   Jim: Did you know Jim was a member of the AAGA?
        Check out TAG V4#4, page 114... I pulled it up on my archive DVD!

   Tom: Apparently Tom has stopped returning e-mails from SFBAAPS folks.
        He is alienating every forum and mailing list one by one. He also
        is now working for UC Davis.

Iron Aquascaper challenge will be entirely handled by SFBAAPS folks. 
This seems to be a mutually agreeable idea: I think Jim really wants 
SFBAAPS to handle at least one aspect of the convention, and to me nothing 
important hinges on the Iron Aquascaper part.  They can have fun with it. 
Jim (and perhaps Karleton, who took lots of notes) will insure that they 
have equipment, materials, and people.  We brainstormed some pretty cool 
and funny ideas to include, include sport-announcer commentary, 
American Idol style bickering amongst the judges, tag-team handoffs 
mid-scaping, "And now, representing the Dallas-Fort Worth Club, 
Laaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrry LAM-PERT!".  I suggested at least one joke 
material such as a plastic castle be included in the materials.  So we'll 
see.

Jim has offered to also handle buying of hospitality food/beverage if
needed.  Those in the know could perhaps advise?  (I had no idea, because
I have no experience in this area.)

Meeting started.  Talk went pretty good.  Happy to see their wireless 
system (more expensive than mine) crackles and buzzes something awful. 
Caught myself turning my head and getting my voice cut off many times -- 
I'm one of those bad speakers who does that!

We got a couple of people offer to volunteer as runners or reg helpers.

Several folks said they're coming, so I think we might see 5-10 hotel-less 
walkins from SVAS.  (We'll have to decide how stringent we're going to be 
about the club affiliations.  I would suggest we drop the requirement for 
anyone who volunteers as a runner or reg helper from one of these other 
clubs.)

As I mentioned elsewhere, Chuck Rambo wants to put up fliers, so we need a 
flyer.  Good timing from Kirsten on conheads!

I really found it good to talk to the guys face-to-face.  I really wish 
there was a way for all of us to talk to all of them this way.  Try 
explaining to someone in e-mail how we just can't let everyone who 
volunteers in for free vs. explaining this calmly to them directly, 
letting them explain their point.

Jim asked me point blank "Why do you do this?"  (a statement that says 
much about the local club/forum/slacker/whatever mentality more than 
anything I could come up with).

I had to think about it... I said that I personally do this because I like 
working A/V an putting together the disks, but I wasn't really sure 
anymore.  Later on during the plant swap, Jim started talking excitedly 
with another member about one of the bags, showing how he grew it 
under certain conditions, but this other one he never really had luck 
with, etc etc.  It was then that it hit me the real reason.  I love 
hanging out with all these plant geeks, talking this stuff for 3 days 
straight, seeing a hundred other people just having a good time doing the 
same.  It's very hard to remember why, when everything's all clouded up in 
these layers on layers of planning, stress, and beaurocracy, but once we 
get in that Hospitality room on the 9th and start bagging auction 
plants...that's the reason.

    - Erik

-- 
Erik Olson
erik at thekrib dot com
_______________________________________________
AGA-sc mailing list
AGA-sc@thekrib.com
http://lists.thekrib.com/mailman/listinfo/aga-sc