From: Annie (annie@geekbabe.com)
Date: Wed Jan 07 2004 - 07:40:15 CST
In this mailing:
Org List
Our planning efforts
Big Sisters
Laundry list
Reminder
Glamour Boutique Open House
Roommate matching
Vegas Girl and Carluccio's
Vendors, spam, etc.
Summary schedule of activities
Administrivia
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Org List:
This is the DLV 2004 Organizational Mailing List (dlvorg@geekbabe.com)
Replies to this message will be forwarded to the DLVORG list and not
the DLV-Announce or DLV-Discuss list.
Ongoing activity database of proposed and scheduled activities on line:
http://www.geekbabe.com/annie/org04arc/acts.html
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Our planning efforts:
Welcome back. :)
We're coming up on the 100 day mark shortly and the holiday season is
now behind it. Now is the time to firm up the schedule and fill in the
blanks.
If there's to be any major changes or mass-reshuffling of activities on
the schedule, I would like to see that happen sooner, not later in the
process.
Although we do have a very good set of activities planned for most days
and evenings, we do have two evenings, Tuesday and Saturday, that are
screaming for things to fill them.
If you have ideas for feature activities for these evenings, please say
so as early as possible, as it will most likely the first to come
forward with a serious proposal who will get these timeslots.
. . . . .
Re-registrations have been coming in regularly since Sunday. Wow! I
never expected this brisk a response! As of this day, hour, minute,
and second we have 37 registrations entered (with 9 SO's) and 31
registrations validated.
Most of the people have been very good and responded as directed,
however it appears that about 10% of them obviously respond without
reading it. :)
One needed a little coaching, and I had to resend the validation
message.
I did get one very snotty response, in essense a refusal to either read
the instructions or a refusal to state that he/she agrees to our COP and
such. I deleted the registration. I don't need this bullsh*t! I want to
put my efforts toward those who appreciate what we are doing.
AFAIC, following procedure on registration is not optional.
I've already shared the details of this with one other ORG member who
agrees with me. If anybody else wants details, please write me off line.
. . . . .
Web site hits have skyrocketed in the past week or so, and I'm expecting
the mailing list to hit the 450 mark this month (may very well be 500 by
DLV).
All indicators are showing a lot of interest, and I believe this and
the early surge in registration points to a very heavy turnout.
One reminder to everybody on this list, please register. Nobody is
automatically signed up. Most of you should have received your
re-registration links. Those whose e-mail address changed may have
to re-register manually at www.geekbabe.com/dlv/reg2004.html
One other clarification, if you successfully registered during the
testing phase you will not have to re-register, and you should not
have received the personalized registration link. If there's any
question whether you are registered or not, please let me know and
I'll check to be sure.
I'm also asking everybody on this list to be the primary QA team with
regard to errors or difficulties with registration and such. Please
report anything that does not appear to be working right or anything
that's confusing.
I would like to thank everybody, in advance, for all their efforts
toward DLV. We're going to have a very good crowd this year, so let's
see what we can do to make DLV 2004 something that our people will
cherish for a lifetime! :)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Big Sisters:
We've already had one request needing a Big Sister, however we don't
have any current Big Sister volunteers yet.
I know that many of you on this list were Big Sister volunteers in the
past. Would those of you who want to be Big Sisters this year please
send in a brief note (just reply to this mailing) and confirm or
reconfirm. Thanks.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Laundry list:
I would like to ask everybody to please read over this list carefully
and please respond if your name or your activity is mentioned, even if
it's just to give the group an ACK that you're listening and you and
your activity are still on track.
For those who are new to the ORG group, I keep what I call a "Laundry
List" of items that need attention and periodically post it and call
for status and comments. This is the first one for this year.
It's almost 4 months until DLV, but one thing we must all keep in mind
is that with a larger group and more activities, we need to have many
things solid earlier in the game and we have less latitude for making
changes at short notice in the weeks just prior to DLV.
In particular, we're scheduled to begin activity sign-up on April 1.
This means that any activity that requires a sign-up, hoop jump,
advance arrangements, payment, etc. must be solid as of that time.
Please file the date of March 31 in your memory as the ABSOLUTE
DROP-DEAD DATE for planning any activity that requires a sign-up,
headcount, or other hoop-jump.
And, if you see anything I'm missing, please speak up ...
. . . . .
Moving right along ...
* Monique, San Remo arrangements? Anything to report?
* Jenni, Nora, Big Sister program. Everything ready to go? I know we've
recently corresponded, but if you could summarize for the group, please.
* Suzi, digital portraits? Is this still a "go"? Any more thoughts on the
logistics and location(s) of this?
* Speaking of photographs, everybody, group photos? Do we wanna keep the
same thing we've been doing for the past couple years, change or add
something, or ash-can the idea totally? Comments?
* Bev, you talked a while back about some kind of a hospitality suite.
Any further thoughts on this?
* Mindy, you mentioned Belz mall discounts. I know Belz recently changed
ownership. Will the discounts still be available?
* Sandi, SO's activities? Any goings-on, ideas, developments, thoughts?
I know things are iffy for you two, but please let us know what
develops.
* Monique, I show you on record as volunteering to provide the name tags
this year. How do you want the names? As they come in? In batches? All
at once? What format?
. . . . .
Let's now go over the schedule and touch base on things that are
unclear, undone, or otherwise need attention ...
+Sunday, May 2:
+ Ev Pre-DLV Happy Hour (TBD)
Since dinner Sunday evening is at Milano's, how about HH at Freezone,
primarily to avoid a dreaded move between the two? Any reports on how
friendly Freezone has been lately? Also, if we overwhelm Milano's,
Freezone could handle dinner overflow. If there are any objections to
FZ, other suggestions in the same general area?
Comments? Alternative suggestions?
+Tuesday, May 4:
+ 1:30pm Bowling (Bowling alley - MS)
Monique relinquished this activity, preferring to go on the boat cruise
this afternoon. If bowling is to happen, we need somebody (like YOU) :)
to adopt it. Basically all that a coordinator will have to do is to find
an alley (we had a suggestion of Castaways a while back) and make a
reservation. Number of people bowling will be on the activity sign-up
report.
Volunteers? Going once ...
+ 5:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
Tuesday evening is wide open.
We spoke briefly about dinner and Cagle and/or the Show Du Jour at
Tramps but nothing was decided.
LV people, what's the status of Tramps?
We had one good report and one crummy report a while back. Do they
(Tramps) have a regular Tuesday show?
Anybody in contact with Michael Cagle? I know he has two semi-regular
appearances going on right now.
Comments? Suggestions? Other ideas? (Volunteers?)
+Thursday, May 6:
+ 2:00am Charles Bar get-together (Bellagio - MS)
Gina is on record for coordinating this, but she may or may not be able
to make it.
Do we have a volunteer as a back-up for this?
This would not require any effort, other than being awake and showing up
so that the others will have somebody to look for, but since this is a
highly mainstream activity, I do think we need somebody who will
definitely be there to be a coordinator of record.
Volunteers?
+ PM Indoor skydiving (Flyaway - MS)
I'm gonna keep this on the schedule and see if it will, so to speak,
fly. I'll do a write-up on it as one of the activity features in the
mailings and put it on the sign-up screen. :) Let's see how many ...
+ 4:00pm High Tea (TBD - MS)
High tea people? Have we decided on this day/time for sure?
I do suggest the Tea people get together on this one and start the
wheels turning.
I know we had some discussion and debate on this a while back, but none
in the past couple months.
Although this is not for everybody, it's certainly high-priority for
those who are interested in it. I suggest that if there's any further
discussion or re-thinking, it happen sooner rather than later and we
firm this one up soon.
+ Ev Production show (TBD - MS)
+ Ev Limo Tour (TBD - MS)
Aiko, any news to report on the show?
Limo team, any news on the limo tour plans?
Everybody, do we want to have an alternative for those who don't wanna
do the show/limo for whatever reason? Mindy? "Pity Party"? Comments?
+Friday, May 7:
+ AM-PM Golf (Desert Rose - MS)
Mindy? Do you have a time for this? Are we ready to begin and announce
the golf list?
Dance Night? Usually we have this Friday after the Annual Mixer. Tina,
are you gonna do this one again?
+Saturday, May 8:
+ 10:00am Claude Hall Gun Show (Cashman Field - MS)
Since Gina is on record for this, and her attendance is very iffy, I
think we *definitely* need a backup or backups if this is to stay on the
schedule.
Yvonne? I seem to recall you volunteering to back up Gina. Are you still
"go" for this? Densie, Tony? Would you be willing to assist Yvonne if
necessary?
+ 5:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
Saturday evening is a blank canvas for the most part. Kate talked about
doing Showgirls Of Magic again.
Kate, still interested? I so I can get you a contact person at their
sales office.
Other ideas, ladies? (Gentlemen?)
+ 12:00m Rocky Horror Picture Show (Highly tentative)
I'm afraid that this will be up in the air until May. Let's keep it on
the schedule, but I'll try to keep my ears open WRT what's going on. If
anybody local hears anything, please be sure to pass it on.
. . . . .
Now let's go over the list of activities that have been proposed but
not scheduled (yet).
Most of these will not happen unless a volunteer steps forward and
adopts them.
* StarTrek Experience. This is a good no-sign-up-just-show-up thing and
can happen most any morning or afternoon, even as a second-track option.
Do we want to schedule it? If so, when? Ideas? This probably won't take
any major coordination, just at least one familiar face who is sure to
be there at the designated time. Going once ...
* Ethnic theme gathering. Going once ... This could fit either Tuesday
or Saturday evening.
* Spa day. Could be most any morning or afternoon. Probably best as a
second-track item. Any takers? Going once ...
* Casino night. Second-track against show/limo? After hours? Ideas?
Another good no-sign-up-just-show-up thing. All a coordinator would
have to do is decide what casino, when, and be there.
* The "Slut", "Pimp N Ho", or "Trash-N-Flash" party? Is this a dead
item? Perhaps more of a general costume party? Going twice ...
* Major headliner show. Could be Tuesday, could be Saturday, could
be ... Volunteers? Going once ...
* Side trip. I know I said I would coordinate one (other than the trip
to Rhyolite) but I really don't see where this would fit. I'm gonna
scratch this one.
* V (production show). I know this is one option that Aiko is
considering for the Thursday show.
* Galiano [sic] Challenge. Densie? :) :)
* Big Show Pity Party. Mindy?
I think that's about it for this load of laundry. :)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reminder:
Aiko writes:
>To the DLV ORG activity coordinators:
>DLV 2004 is right around the corner, and I'm sure you are looking
>forward to it as much as I am. I wish to thank all of you in advance,
>for putting forth the effort to make DLV a reality. From experience, I
>know how much time, effort, and money goes into the coordination of an
>event. Without your efforts, DLV simply does not happen.
>I would also like to thank those on the DLVADHOC group which clarified
>the Dress/Behavior/Restroom Guidelines and Conditions Of Participation.
>On this subject, I would also like to remind you that during DLV 2003,
>we did have a few incidents putting restrictions on the DLV
>participants at some locations, and for a few girls, ruining their
>vacation.
>Annie said it best in the Kick Off newsletter: . . . . .
+New for DLV 2004:
+There are no sweeping changes this year. DLV is still a vacation and
+not a convention, no central location, based on reality and not
+fantasy, with a mixture of mainstream and alternative venues for
+activities.
>"Based on reality and not fantasy" definitely relates to mainstream
>activites. Each of us should honor the efforts of the coordinators,
>and encourage everyone to follow the D/B/RR guidelines. As DLV
>organizers, we should assist all the event coordinators and support
>their efforts by encouraging the participants to comply with the
>guidelines.
>Everyone attending DLV spends a good deal of money, and should not
>suffer due to the mindless actions of a few that try to "live a
>fantasy".
I would like to join Aiko in thanking all of you for your efforts toward
DLV 2004, without which DLV could not happen, or at least would be a
very boring affair. :)
Aiko does raise a very good point, in that most of those attending
do have quite an "investment" in DLV, not only in money, but in
time and expectations and anticipations of good times to come.
To many of our people, DLV's of the past have been, as one of our
colleagues stated, "a blur of good memories", but as we've also seen,
when incidents happen they can totally spoil the DLV experience and
devalue the investment one has in DLV.
We need to do what we can to prevent any incidents that cause the loss
of self-esteem, confidence, and that investment our people have in DLV.
We also need to remember that even though we've more clearly defined
what is expected with regard to dress and behavior, we've definitely not
asked our people to be staid and conservative. We're still doing DLV to
have fun, and we want to encourage everybody present to cut loose and
indeed have fun ... just not at somebody else's expense.
Thanks in advance for helping out on this, gang. :)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Glamour Boutique Open House:
Copy of correspondence to keep everybody in the loop ...
(from a conversation)
Bill writes:
+>Just wanted to let you know, now that DLV is almost here, we will have
+>our open house either Wednesday or Thursday, either day will work for
+>us, so just let us know which fits into your scheduling best.
+Thanks, Bill.
+We're just beginning the process of firming up the schedule. We have
+the Glamour Boutique Open House in pencil for Thursday, afternoon, May
+6. We'll put that one in ink now. :)
+Also, for the past two years, your staff has allowed our people, those
+who may be a bit shy to carry clothing and such thru airline baggage
+inspections, to ship items to your shop for pick-up. Will you be
+offering this again this year?
>Sure, that would not be a problem at all. Just tell them to make sure
>they send it to themselves c/o Glamour Boutique so the boxes do not get
>mixed up. Also, would prefer male names on the address so I can check
>ID's and make sure we are giving the correct person the package.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Roommate matching:
Diane writes:
>Morning Annie,
Hewwo :)
>I think I'd prefer to have a pseudo mailbox that would be redirected to
>me. Something like: a roommate@geekbabe.com which would auto-forward to
>me.
This should be set up and working now. I'm planning to include the
following item in the January 11 mailing, as the January 4 one was very
long and people tend to skim and skip ...
+Room sharing:
+DLV, just like any other event where people pay for hotel rooms, can
+be more affordable if people share rooms.
+Diane (one of our volunteers) will be coordinating the roommate
+matching for DLV 2004, and the special address of roommate@geekbabe.com
+has been set up for roommate matching.
+If you've already booked a room, and would like for somebody else to
+stay with you and share the expense, or if you're looking for somebody
+who has extra space, please write to roommate@geekbabe.com with the
+word "Roommate" somewhere in the subject line. Please include the
+following items in your e-mail:
+1. Your name.
+2. Your e-mail address.
+3. What date you will be arriving and what date you will be departing.
+4. Do you have a room to share (and if so, what hotel), or do you need
+space in one.
+5. Any annoying habits or traits you have. (Do you smoke, do you snore,
+are you a very early riser, compulsive talker, late-nite MTV addict,
+etc.)
+6. Any additional notes or comments.
+Diane will then contact those seeking roomates as needed and put them
+in touch with each other when it looks like there are good matches. She
+may or may not list them here in the announcement list depending on the
+circumstances.
+We reserve the right to reject any room share item for any reason or
+for no reason. Specifically, any room share item that contains language
+that is so much as a HINT that it's anything other than a friendly
+good-faith effort to save money will be summarily rejected.
+Please remember, (yeah, I hate this stuff too) any roommate agreements
+are strictly private arrangements between the people involved, and DLV
+organizers and volunteers are not responsible if things don't work out
+(etc. etc., yada-yada, you know the drill).
+Remember the special address: roommate@geekbabe.com
Of course, if roommate requests come in to the main DLV address, I'll
forward them to the roommate address.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vegas Girl and Carluccio's:
Leah writes:
>Hi Annie and HNY to you!
HNY 2u2!
>I rode by Vegas Wigs on New Year's Day (they were closed for the
>holiday) but I noticed they have a 'For Sale' sign on the property. I
>don't know if they own the building or not or if they are staying or
>relocating after the sale but I'll find out. Just wanted to mention
>it.
>If you would rather email them yourself to find out then have at
>it..... I've already forgotten to check for two days now...... <g>
Thanks for the heads-up.
What I will do is just write her a brief "checking signals" note and see
if she says anything. If you want to stop in and ask her about the sign,
please do so.
I do hope her business is solid, as that has been one of our
highest-rated vendors and they have a history of years of service to
the t* community.
IIRC, she (Susan) does own the property, and she has mentioned to me
that it is not the best location, but it's a very good deal because it's
paid for. Maybe (hopefully) she is looking for a better location.
>I'll book in Carluccio's next week too..... they asked me to wait until
>the new year when I previously tried. Guess they didn't have a 2004
>calendar yet.
Thanks, Leah. I think the same arrangements and menu will work out fine
for this year too. I didn't hear any complaints about the atmosphere
or the food. I personally really enjoyed Carluccio's last year.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vendors, spam, etc.:
Densie writes:
>> a rating and/or comment on our Big List at:
>> http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/vendors/
>I just read and added several of them. The lack of negative comments
>about certain businesses was surprising, but in a way it's a good thing
>because it probably means that we're having a positive experience
>overall.
Oh, there are negative comments in there. Just look at the comments for
the LV Lounge if you wanna see some. There are a few others too. The
vendor page does, however, concentrate on recommended places in LV, and
will tend to focus on the places that get positive ratings and comments.
. . . . .
>>The sad thing is, that if spamming were not profitable, it would die out
>>very quickly.
>I'm not totally certain about that. Granted, as with telemarketers, I
>have no doubt that there people who resond to spam, but I think that
>the people who are making the money are the ones who sell the addresses
>and software to the spammers. There is no shortage of people who want
>to get rich quick, so when someone comes along and offers to sell them
>an Internet business opportunity, there are sure to multitudes who want
>to jump on the spamwagon.
This next part (digression, I admit) comes from my evil twin brother who
is active in the anti-spam community.
The get-rich-quick mom&pop spammers are mostly insignificant. They try
it once and learn that they make far more enemies than customers, so
they give it up quickly.
About 90% of the true spam in your inbox (body part enlargement, drugs,
pr0n, weight loss, refinancing, credit cards, and such drek) originates
from and can usually be traced to (with a LOT of effort) any of about
200 well-known professional spammers who do indeed make a good living
doing it. Coincidentally, one of the worst of the nasty ones is
currently operating out of the Las Vegas area.
If anybody is curious about who these clowns are, I can give pointers.
It's estimated that each of these ~200 schmucks will send out between
10 and 40 million spams per day, or an estimated total of between 2
and 8 (US)billion spams being pumped into the net per day.
With current estimates of 500 million or so working e-mail addresses on
the net, you can see how everybody's gonna get their daily ration of
spam, even with a high percentage of undeliverables.
>>+>Here's one right in between "You can have a bigger {xxxxx}" and "get
>>+>{xxxx} here".
>Sorry about that...but by quoting it, aren't you going to block the
>mailing again?
Nope, it was not "spammy" enough this time. Only 3.5 out of 5. BTW, last
year our user group had a "contest" to see who could provide the spam
message that gave the highest score on Spam Assassin. IIRC it was about
35 or so. :)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Summary schedule of activities:
This schedule is preliminary and is subject to change
without notice.
Sunday, May 2:
10:15am Metro Comm Church service (MCC - SV)
Ev Pre-DLV Happy Hour (TBD)
Ev Pre-DLV dinner (Milano's - MV)
Ev Pre-DLV get-together (Spotlight lounge - SV)
Monday, May 3:
10:00am Trip to Rhyolite (Rhyolite - MS)
1:00pm Lunch with or without Ginger (Sahara buffet - MS)
5:00pm Happy Hour (Hamburger Mary's - MV)
6:00pm Dinner (Hamburger Mary's - MV)
8:00pm Welcome Celebration (Flex - SV)
Tuesday, May 4:
12:30pm Boat cruise (Lake Mead - MS)
1:00pm Lunch with or without Ginger (Sahara buffet - MS)
1:30pm Bowling (Bowling alley - MS)
5:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
Wednesday, May 5:
9:00am Air Tours (Henderson Executive Airport - MS)
11:00am Hidden Woman Open House (Sahara (suite) - SV)
12:00n Buffet Lunch (Bellagio buffet - MS)
1:00pm Lunch with or without Ginger (Sahara buffet - MS)
2:00pm Shopping expedition (LV Premium Outlets - MS)
5:00pm Happy Hour (Hard Rock Cafe - MV)
6:00pm Hard Rock Dinner (Hard Rock Cafe - MV)
Ev Secretaries Night (HRC - MV)
10:00pm Karaoke (Goodtimes - SV)
Thursday, May 6:
2:00am Charles Bar get-together (Bellagio - MS)
10:00am Art tour (TBD - MS)
1:00pm Lunch with or without Ginger (Sahara buffet - MS)
PM Indoor skydiving (Flyaway - MS)
PM Glamour Boutique Open House (Glamour Boutique - SV)
4:00pm High Tea (TBD - MS)
5:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
Ev Production show (TBD - MS)
Ev Limo Tour (TBD - MS)
Friday, May 7:
AM-PM Golf (Desert Rose - MS)
1:00pm Lunch with or without Ginger (Sahara buffet - MS)
2:00pm Shop til ya drop (Various - MV)
5:00pm Happy Hour (Carluccio's - MV)
6:00pm Carluccio's Dinner (Carluccio's Tivoli Gardens - MV)
7:30pm Annual Mixer (Goodtimes - SV)
Saturday, May 8:
10:00am Claude Hall Gun Show (Cashman Field - MS)
11:00am SBS Garden Party (Mindy's residence - SV)
5:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
12:00m Rocky Horror Picture Show (Highly tentative)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Administrivia:
This is the Diva Las Vegas 2004 organizational list.
One address for all items regarding this list, additions, removals,
changes, submissions, questions, etc.:
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Mon Jan 12 2004 - 10:01:42 CST