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Post by captsueb on Oct 17, 2014 22:05:41 GMT
Good points brought up. That was one of the things that Saucehead and I talked about ~ getting away from the superfulous stuff and sticking to the heart of the matter: getting together to enjoy each other's company and explore! I think we all would rather put money towards our travel or sight seeing.
As far as the returning of stuff goes, when all is said and done (hopefully not any time soon!), I would like the HH telescope back as I paid for that our of my own pocket before HH2002 when I passed it to the Desert Rats.
So with that said, I love the idea of circling back to Baltimore or Niagara Falls. Both are great places to explore. Bucky - someone mentioned in St Augustine that the telescope was yours. I can send it back to you with the other items I'm sending you. Sound ok? I will miss the tradition of handing off the telescope to the next Captain. I didn't get to do that this year since we didn't have a site picked out for 2015 yet. Think one of flags is a battle white ensign that came from me. I would like it back if possible but may need someone who is coming over to UK to transport it. From memory I brought it to US in 2006. Flag came from grandfather I lost just before 2005 con. Academic Fangirl - I think we still have the flag. I'm going to go through the box of stuff I have and make a full inventory. Then I'm going to post the list at some point to see who claims what. Also someone said you brought the director's chair over from England. Was it your's or PTP's chair? Wanted to know if you/or PTP wanted it back. Its great to have but now that the airlines charge for checked bags it's getting expensive to move from place to place. If the owner doesn't want it anymore, we can discuss what to do with it then. A horatian raffle? I had 2 friends (not Horatians) joke to me that if you wanted it back I had a good excuse for making a trip back to England! Which is incredibly tempting I must admit. I was going to check out some shipping prices as well.
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Post by captsueb on Oct 17, 2014 23:02:02 GMT
My second post in a row Also just to respond to a few things said by Shipoftheline Conference room: When we did San Diego, this was the most expensive item and for the amount of time we are now spending watching movies, we could do away with it all together. We can explore chipping in for a suite to hang out instead. One night we hung out in the Captain's suite to 'play whist' but spent most of the time just having a lovely time chatting and spending time together. Yes this is the biggest expense. As well as the AV equipment. That's why I cut down movie nights from 4 to 2. The suite was useful. I just paid for the increased cost of the suite because it wasn't horrible expensive. But suite pricing varies greatly from hotel to hotel. So if someone rents one in the future, they might have to have participants contribute a few dollars to the cost, not unlike the conference room. You would have to see which costs less, the suite or the conference room. Some of the hotels will not negotiate AT ALL on the conference room costs. Lucky I found a few that would.
I also wanted a back up meeting place for the days we didn't have the conference room. In the future, you could hook up a DVD/Blu Ray to the TV in the suite to show movies. Just make sure the hotel allows it and the TV can accommodate it. Though the LCD projector I used for St Augustine is mine. I bought it when I realized for a few dollars more I could own one rather than rent one for 2 days. So we have one if needed for the future. Just need a DVD or blu-ray player (which I'm sure everyone has) and some kind of speakers.All the stuff that gets passed around every year: We've accumulated a huge amount of stuff. At the end of the con, we tried to get rid of some of it by having people take whatever they wanted of the left over prizes and photos. Some people took other items with the commitment to bring them to future get togethers in order to minimize what the Captain has to cart around, one example was Pamski taking the 'Wetter is Better' banners. Suanne was going to try to contact the original owners of items such as the flags, telescope and The One Chair to try to return them. We need to decide as a group what to do with other things like Matthew's shirt and the rest of the items. If anyone is the owner of some of these larger items, please feel free to chime in. I will be taking an inventory of everything I have in the Horatian Box and post a list to see who claims what. Other things like all the extra signed Paul Copley photos I will offer to anyone who does not have one.Goodie bags: We enjoyed them while we had them, but it is time to let go of them. If anyone wants to gift everyone with something (like me with the buttons or calendars) they can do so but otherwise we wouldn't have them. Agreed. They are nice, but we could do without . I have to admit, finding nice things for goodie bags is getting harder each year. That's why I went practical this year with beach gear. LadyJamers gave me the idea from one of her posts. I think the information stuff is still good, like tourist brochures, crew list, maps etc. That would still be nice. Door prizes/moldy canvas bag gifts: No more of these either. Ditto Website: For the few people attending every year, we really can just post information here or come up with a simplified version. Agreed. Just post info here on Horatians. Shipoftheline does beautiful websites but it is time consuming, especially going back and forth between 2 people to get the information right. Whoever is Captain can just start a thread with the different topics that we usually cover - hotel, travel arrangements, links to city information and attractions etc. I posted the hotel information here weeks before the website went up. It was faster and I could add information as needed.Registration fees: Probably not needed unless there was a special tour or group activity that needed to be paid for in advance. The only good thing about collecting money in advance for group tours/activities is that its faster when you arrive at an attraction to have one person pay than 15. But I would still call these places in advance to let them know you're bringing a small group. On one or 2 of our group excursions I was told we would be part of the general tours because we weren't a big group. But when we actually showed up a private tour guide was provided for us. Most of the time we didn't qualify for groups rates because we were to small but you might get a perk here and there.We felt all these changes would make it easier for people to volunteer to organize something, not having to cart all that stuff around, having to procure video equipment and do all that other stuff. You should have seen my car when I drove into St Augustine. My little Corolla was almost full to the roof. Thought for sure a cop would pull me over. Trunk was full too of course. My mother kept saying, "you'll never get all that stuff in your car". WELL I DID. With some very strategic packing. I wish I had taken a picture!And to QueueMistressMags: We need a new name--not convention. Reunion? Horatians Reunion, or something? It seems like if someone is willing to be captain still, it would mostly entail getting a room block at a hotel and possibly arranging for a suite. When the hotels hear the word "convention," the bells start going ching-ching in their heads. "IT'S JUST A REUNION" might put a stop to that. Never used the word convention once this time around. Said we were a book club and social group. Worked great. We were just "The Horatians", not HHUS2014. They always need some name to put on the hotel contract when you book a block of rooms. We had a nice couple ask us about our group as we were going into the conference room one day. "Horatians" was posted outside the door. He thought it had something to do with Horatio Hornblower. I think his wife also mentioned something about it referencing a poem. I can't remember but Phizz might.P.S. That being said, I hope we still manage the Sunday night pizza-and-a-movie. Doesn't matter what movie, really. But it's one of my favorite parts of the con REUNION. I suppose it doesn't really have to be SUNDAY night. Yes to a continued pizza night. Any time, any day. Pizza - the perfect food. Hope this helps.
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Post by Bucky on Oct 18, 2014 14:34:18 GMT
Sue -- I don't want it back right now. It can be passed down as long as there are conventions/reunions. I was just mentioning that I would like it back eventually.
I think the simplier the better is a great route. It had gotten to the point where I had to omit things in my suitcase in order to fit goodie bag stuff coming back! Plus that'll be less work and stress for the hosts too.
Saucehead created that HH alumni group on Facebook and look at all the people that have come out of the woodwork!! If you are on Facebook and are friends with anyone from there, have them invite you to the group (it is closed so no one else can see the pictures that are being posted - like the panty toss pics!). We can steer people back to horatians to join in the fun and discussions.
Maybe this is a nice jump start to getting people interested in coming back to the reunions, no matter where it is held in 2015 and beyond.
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Post by Phizz on Oct 18, 2014 15:52:45 GMT
Just read that the USS Constitution is going into dry dock for 3 years. If someone was thinking of Boston for a con, they may want to take that into consideration.
~Phizz
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Post by Ensign Sandra on Oct 18, 2014 16:44:01 GMT
Just read that the USS Constitution is going into dry dock for 3 years. If someone was thinking of Boston for a con, they may want to take that into consideration. ~Phizz p'raps we should schedule a jaunt to The Hub of the Universe to coincide with her re-launch party!
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Post by Phizz on Oct 18, 2014 22:34:20 GMT
Just read that the USS Constitution is going into dry dock for 3 years. If someone was thinking of Boston for a con, they may want to take that into consideration. ~Phizz p'raps we should schedule a jaunt to The Hub of the Universe to coincide with her re-launch party! According to Boston.com, she'll be back in business in the spring or summer of 2018 So definitely time to find a hotel and other things to do. ~Phizz
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HMSCody
Lieutenant
Happy to be of service, as ever.
Posts: 427
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Post by HMSCody on Oct 19, 2014 2:52:10 GMT
Is this the "Horatians Dot Org" group? Or a different one?
[waving hand in air, bouncing up and down] Tell me what you need -- can I send you some stamps? A few bucks? -- and I'll be happy to take one of those off your hands.
For future reunions, you could eventually hit all of the maritime cities, like Seattle, San Francisco, maybe Vancouver BC, places on the Great Lakes... there are plenty of places to go if you're getting together to get together, and to visit cool stuff.
HMSCody
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Post by captsueb on Oct 20, 2014 2:59:08 GMT
HMS Cody - LOL! Will save you a photo or two. I went through the box today. About 40 signed Paul Copley pics, all 4" x 6". They are pics from throughout his career. Some from when he was very young. And in black and white. Will save you one or two. I took pics of everything. Will eventually get a list and pics up for everyone to look at. Will figure postage stuff soon enough.
AcademicFangirl. - I think I found your White Ensign Flag. To confirm it's a white flag with a red cross through the center with the Union Jack in the upper left hand corner? Measures about 6 ft by 3 ft? When I download the pic I took I can email to you to confirm. Did you or PTP want the chair back?
I have not yet joined Facebook and really had no intention. But since there are some lost HH people I may just break down and consider it. Be sure to redirect them here as well!
I actually found some old emails we sent around from the old A & E message board days. I was tempted to send out emails letting them know about HHUS2014 but it was really too late to let anyone else sign up. I'm sure half the emails aren't even good anymore. Maybe next year - unless they are on Facebook. Is the A &E Boards officially kaput by the way?
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Post by Academic Fangirl on Oct 20, 2014 9:15:19 GMT
Think one of flags is a battle white ensign that came from me. I would like it back if possible but may need someone who is coming over to UK to transport it. From memory I brought it to US in 2006. Flag came from grandfather I lost just before 2005 con. Academic Fangirl - I think we still have the flag. I'm going to go through the box of stuff I have and make a full inventory. Then I'm going to post the list at some point to see who claims what. Also someone said you brought the director's chair over from England. Was it your's or PTP's chair? Wanted to know if you/or PTP wanted it back. Its great to have but now that the airlines charge for checked bags it's getting expensive to move from place to place. If the owner doesn't want it anymore, we can discuss what to do with it then. A horatian raffle? I had 2 friends (not Horatians) joke to me that if you wanted it back I had a good excuse for making a trip back to England! Which is incredibly tempting I must admit. I was going to check out some shipping prices as well. I did bring the chair over in 2006 - but it was PTP who got it originally.
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Post by LadyJamers on Oct 20, 2014 11:19:44 GMT
Even if the old A&E boards are up, none of us have been there for years.
As for Facebook- I always say that those who don't want to go there because of -- well, too numerous reasons -- that you can leave it as blank & just see what others are doing & it does go under the internet rule - never put anything there that you would be ashamed to have others see.
I also say, if we want to get our point across to all, it's worth looking at all avenues.
Another thing- I like the idea of port cities for our "reunions". :-)
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Post by QueueMistressMags on Oct 20, 2014 17:47:26 GMT
Being active on both, everyone seems to be having a great time on the new Facebook group, and that's great. But since Horatians is public (to read) and Facebook is not, it's probably best to steer people here for organizing gatherings, at least to see the info. You don't have to join the board to read it.
If you need forms to fill out and stuff, we can always use Google Docs or something. I'm happy to post anything needed, and set it as visible to anyone with the link, so it can be shared and you don't have to "join" anything.
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Post by Academic Fangirl on Oct 20, 2014 18:58:24 GMT
Sue - yes that is my flag. Need to check with PTP first over the chair - otherwise I wouldn't mind it if possible.
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Post by Bucky on Oct 20, 2014 19:42:01 GMT
Being active on both, everyone seems to be having a great time on the new Facebook group, and that's great. But since Horatians is public (to read) and Facebook is not, it's probably best to steer people here for organizing gatherings, at least to see the info. You don't have to join the board to read it. Any discussion can be held here. We're just having fun posting pics of past cons and stuff right now. We can post the horatians link to those that want to discuss future locations for the cons.
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Post by QueueMistressMags on Oct 21, 2014 19:25:40 GMT
Just to clarify--did anyone else have any plans for anything Stateside for 2015?
We can save Niagara Falls for a future gathering--and I know there were lots of other ideas being floated around in St. Augustine, but I don't remember anyone saying they definitely wanted to do something here in 2015.
This is not to say that a group won't get together in Belgium in June--I'm thinking more about something planned over here. If you did have something, please speak up!
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Post by LadyJamers on Oct 21, 2014 21:40:10 GMT
Estelle and I were thinking Boston, but I think we should wait until 2018 - when the Constitution comes back in port.
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