Okay, Clobs just brought it up in the Blog thread and I figure it's about time to start solidifying some of this stuff.
For those unfamiliar with the idea, here's a brief refresher:
Since Chicago is still close to a year away and not everyone will make it, we made the plan to split it off into three seperate meets. Chicago's still happening, but we were planning two concurrent January meetups in Boston and California. I'm not sure how the west coast plan is going, as I'm not really involved, but the Boston plan has been pretty well solidified:
-The plan is definitively locked as starting Friday, January 16 of 2009. Early attendees are welcome to hang, but the bulk of any plans we set up will be for the weekend of January 16 through 18. The date is non-negotiable at this point, as it is serving two-fold as falling in the middle of most college breaks and also being when we have an international visiting and a forumite who is busy the weekend before and after. Anyone who wants to spend extra time is more than welcome to do so, but that's the major timeframe.
-Current confirmed and locked in attendees are: Myself, Rachel, Shane (Obviously, since we all live around here) and Jimmy the Squid (Who has already procured airfare for the trip).
-There is also a decent list of likelies and rumored individuals. Edith is a high probability and I've heard interest expressed by Linds, Cerny Jon, Phil, Clobs and Gemm (Though Shane is telling me Gemm's not going anymore, any word on this?).
-I will be allowing people to crash at my apartment (Which is in Cambridge, about a mile and a half outside of downtown Boston) and will be guaranteeing that now that I have been able to get the opportunity to re-up my lease. My place is small, but I'll be able to fit a few people if anyone's willing to enjoy the fun of a sleeping bag. A rock, paper, scissor tournament will be held to decide who gets couches and who gets floor, though priority will be given to anyone willing to share as I have two futons.
-Anyone who does not want to risk sleeping on the floor or can afford to stay elsewhere, there are many hotels around the city and they will be at lower than usual rates, since January is considered the off-season for Boston. There is a bed and breakfast literally across the street from my place. There are not a lot of
hostels in the area, but there's at least a couple on mass transit.
-Weatherwise, this will be the dead of winter up here. I shit you not, I have encountered a few people on the forum who were unaware that Boston gets winter. January is probably the second coldest month of the year here (It'll range from 0-20 degrees F). Be aware of this if you're interested in attending.
-Current tentative plans include the following:
*Sledding (Weather permitting, though this will involve some driving, probably)
*Cereal Party (Whereby, Eed and Gemm were planning to buy as many boxes of cereal as they can afford and mix it all together to see how it goes)
*Chicken party (Anyone who knows me knows my obsession with Chick-Fil-A. Any orders of $100 or more can be delivered and I am totally doing this)
*Hot cocoa and movies at my apartment (With my projector and surround sound, this should be fun)
*Video games and crap (For those inclined, I have an Xbox 360 and a Wii hooked to said projector)
*Ice skating (There's a few great ponds in the various parks around)
*Shopping (There's some excellent shopping in the area)
This is now less than four months away, so I want to get a headcount so we can all start figuring out transportation and sleeping arrangements. I'm only going to be able to fit so many people in my apartment.
Who's interested?