Re: [AGA-sc] Speakers and Aquascaping Demos

["Karen Randall" <krandall@rdrcpa.biz>]

Well, the _timed_ part of the IA challenge was 1 hour.  It was probably 3
hours if you include the time needed to set everything up and move it all
out of the room again.  It would be less for a dry aquascape competition,
but certainly not insignificant.  So that's another point to consider.  If
we only get a half hour of "entertainment time" out of it, is it worth the
work involved?

I'm not saying yes or no; I have less objection to a dry scape than anything
that includes plants and water.  But we do need to think this through. (and
I agree, the same materials could then be used for the "sandbox" idea)

Karen

-----Original Message-----
From: aga-sc-bounces@thekrib.com [mailto:aga-sc-bounces@thekrib.com] On
Behalf Of Cheryl Rogers
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2008 11:34 PM
To: Aquatic Gardeners Association Board
Subject: Re: [AGA-sc] Speakers and Aquascaping Demos

The concensus here seems to be that we are negative-to-ambivalent about 
a full Iron Aquascaper contest with water and plants, and 
positive-to-ambivalent to an Iwagumi challenge with hardscape and 
substrate only.

So unless Amano says something really startling about his demo, I think 
we should go ahead and do the Iwagumi challenge. I don't really see my 
sandbox idea as being mutually exclusive. We can let folks play with the 
rocks and still use them for the challenge, whatever night we do that. 
The wet Iron Aquascaper took 1 hour, right? Surely we could do a 
hsrdscape competition in 30 minutes, and then Amano could help judge to 
"honor" him for using his NA Party idea.

Cheryl




Karen Randall wrote:
> Just to be clear, I don't have a bad opinion of the Senskes at all.  I
like
> them both very much.  But we haven't had ANY speaker (including Amano,
> Claus, Christel or Ole) with the (recent) frequency of the Senskes.  It
> doesn't matter how good (or not good) they are, when you have the same
> speaker too often, it gets old.
> 
> BTW, I'm only about 45 min from down town.  So if you have a car and time
> for a visit, I'd love to invite you for dinner!
> 
> Karen
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: aga-sc-bounces@thekrib.com [mailto:aga-sc-bounces@thekrib.com] On
> Behalf Of Larry Lampert
> Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2008 7:08 AM
> To: Aquatic Gardeners Association Board
> Subject: Re: [AGA-sc] Speakers and Aquascaping Demos
> 
> Hey Guys,
> 
> Sorry I am late on this but I have just caught up on
> emails. I am in Boston at a trade show all week so it
> maybe difficult to get me by email.
> 
> I have only a minute so I am going to be brief....
> 
> Jeff and/or Mike can talk we can decide who.
> Regardless of what our opinions are about them
> personally they are well known and folks enjoy hearing
> them. 
> 
> The Iron Aquascaper is an offer we can either, accept,
> turn it down, or propose a counteroffer.
> If we do it I would prefer to do the Iwagumi- I don't
> think it matters to much that it is a rip off of ADA's
> idea ;-)   
> 
> 
> We have time to figure this out without everyone
> getting upset about things yet. Please save that for a
> week or two out when someone cancels on us and we have
> no time to backfill ;-).
> 
> As far as scheduling Karen has already done what I
> suggested earlierwhich is to first ask Amano and then
> schedule aroundhis time preferences. 
> 
> I have a call with  Seachem scheduled for this
> morning. I will give a report tonight. This may help
> answer some questions. I would like  to table Karen's
> vote until then.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Larry
> 
> 
> --- Karen Randall <krandall@rdrcpa.biz> wrote:
> 
>> OK guys, we don't need people to start lurking.  We
>> need to discuss this,
>> (and that means EVERYONE, particularly those who
>> have not yet expressed an
>> opinion) make a decision and then get back to work. 
>>
>>
>>  
>>
>> So far, it looks like we've got Larry and Scott for
>> doing IA, and Karen and
>> Erik against.  If it takes doing it by a vote, I
>> make the following motions:
>>
>>  
>>
>> 1.   I move that we NOT hold the IA competition this
>> year, thank Jeff
>> very much for his offer of organizing it, and ask
>> for a rain check for the
>> next convention. (avoiding ruffled feathers by
>> pointing out that we don't
>> want to rain on Amano's parade)
>> 2.   I move that we set up two or three (10 gallon?)
>> tanks with sand and
>> nice rocks in the vendor room for people to play
>> with during the convention.
>>
>>  
>>
>> Karen
>>
>>  
>>
>>   _____  
>>
>> From: aga-sc-bounces@thekrib.com
>> [mailto:aga-sc-bounces@thekrib.com] On
>> Behalf Of S. Hieber
>> Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 8:06 PM
>> To: Aquatic Gardeners Association Board
>> Subject: Re: [AGA-sc] Speakers and Aquascaping Demos
>>
>>  
>>
>> I did not think that holding diff points the view
>> and discussing them was
>> seen as insisting on something.
>>
>>  
>>
>> I'll ratchet back. Althought, we might all end up
>> lurking.
>>
>>  
>>
>> sh
>>
>>  
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----
>> From: Erik Olson <erik@thekrib.com>
>> To: Aquatic Gardeners Association Board
>> <aga-sc@thekrib.com>
>> Sent: Monday, March 3, 2008 7:17:24 PM
>> Subject: Re: [AGA-sc] Speakers and Aquascaping Demos
>>
>> Notwithstanding what Scott said off-list, I get a
>> "this is what we're 
>> gonna do" vibe coming from him, and to a lesser
>> extent, Larry. It feels 
>> like my input is being ignored, and it has certainly
>> made me reconsider 
>> how much energy I wish to put into the planning of
>> the event.  It's 
>> especially maddening after the many many months of
>> being asked for input 
>> on the hotel contract (areas which I feel massively
>> NOT qualified to help 
>> out on)... then suddenly to be presented with
>> "here's who we're asking to 
>> speak, and we're going to do Iron Aquascaper, and a
>> demo", etc, in the 
>> areas which I *am* qualified to give opinions.
>>
>> I will rehash what I have mostly stated on conheads,
>> in a more concise 
>> format.  Then I will go back to lurking:
>>
>> 1. I agree with Karen 100% that Iron Aquascaper +
>> Amano Demo = Too Much. 
>> We have to get double plants, more tanks, more wet,
>> more clean-up. 
>> Remember also that these events take TWO HOURS EACH.
>>  That's a lot of 
>> sitting around waiting for things to happen.
>>
>> 2. Something easy to set up, on *Friday* night, such
>> as a hardscape-only 
>> challenge or workshop, seems both doable and
>> exciting to me, especially if 
>> it had a nice lead-in.
>>
>> 3. Mike spoke in 2004, Jeff spoke in 2006
>> (photography) AND at NEC last 
>> year.  They're very good to the AGA, but we might be
>> in Senske overload. 
>> I don't remember Jeff's talk in 2006, other than
>> half of it was in 
>> Photoshop.  I should go back and look at the DVD.
>>
>> 4. We need to have something good for the banquet,
>> 'cause aquascaping 
>> contest awards alone won't cut it anymore.
>>
>> 5. Karen, you left out Dr. Tan, confirmed right?
>>
>>
>>
>> Now, maybe there is a possibility of killing two
>> birds with one stone 
>> here.  What is Jeff (or Mike's) topic?  Maybe they
>> could be persuaded to 
>> do a sort of "pro aquascaping with easy plants", as
>> that tends to be 
>> something they excel at for some of their client
>> installations.  Maybe 
>> that would cover some of the 'basics' we are
>> currently missing.
>>
>> Back to lurk now.
>>
>>   - Erik
>>
>>
>> On Mon, 3 Mar 2008, Karen Randall wrote:
>>
>>> If you get this twice, folks, I'm sorry.  I've
>> been having a terrible time
>>> with my e-mail today.  This looks like it was sent
>> on my end, but didn't
>>> come back to me (as it should) as part of the AGA
>> BOD list.  Here's what I
>>> wrote earlier:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> OK, I've moved this to the BOD list, because I
>> really think we have to
>> hash
>>> out some decisions, and I think we want to present
>> a united front on the
>>> larger list.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Here is what Larry sent to the list.  It sounded
>> pretty confirmed to me:
>>>
>>>
>>>>> Yes, we have Speakers confirmed.....
>>>
>>>
>>> We have confirmed Karen Randall, and either or
>> both Jeff and Mike Senske.
>> We
>>> will also have a Seachem speaker but that may
>> happen if we do the tour of
>>> their facility.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I talked to Ricky yesterday (He and Doug are in
>> San Diego for a trade
>> show)
>>> and he is going  to talk to Doug again. I will be
>> talking to Doug next
>> week
>>> to get all of the Seachem arrangements confirmed.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Here is the prospective list with a C for those
>> who are confirmed and a T
>>> for Tentative:
>>>
>>> 1. Karen Randall - C
>>>
>>> 2. Jeff Senske - C
>>>
>>> 3. Mike Senske - T
>>>
>>> 4. Seachem Speaker TBA - T
>>>
>>> 5. Takashi Amano - T<<
>>>
>>>
> === message truncated ===>
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