SUMMARY
Location: Duck Landing, NC (a little north of Kitty Hawk, NC) at this house

When: 21 April 2007 through 29 April 2007 (split into segments of 21 Apr-25 Apr and 25 Apr-29 Apr)

Closest airport: Norfolk, VA (airport code: ORF, and yes, the closest airport is in another state)
Distance from house: 1.5 to 2 hours

PAYMENTS ARE DUE IMMEDIATELY. PRICES ARE NOW FROZEN. NO CHANGES WILL BE MADE DUE TO ADDITIONAL RESERVATIONS.

Fragment (48 hours) price: 60% of segment price, or $155
Segment (96 hours) price (including deposit): $255 (PLEASE READ THE PRICE NOTES BELOW)

Payment method: Cashier's check, money order, or PayPal (PLEASE READ PAYMENT NOTES BELOW)

For questions, please post here, e-mail me, or ask on the IRC server in #Gathering. An answer may not be immediately forthcoming, but it will come about.


ATTENDEES
Confirmed (at least deposit provided -- 0 segments confirmed total):

Segment 1 (10 confirmed, 4 spaces open):

• Deacon
• edge
• Infin8Cyn
• Jamie Bond
• KatFreak
• rkitect
• rkitect's wife
• Sophira
• Sir Spankspeople
• YROuiHear

Segment 2 (8 confirmed, 4 spaces open):

• Deacon
• Hennet_sim
• Infin8Cyn
• Kitsune
• Kree
• Sir Spankspeople
• Sophira
• YROuiHear

Fragment 3 (1 confirmed, 5 spaces open):

• Jamie Bond

Fragment 4 (2 confirmed, 4 spaces open):

• rkitect
• rkitect's wife

RESERVATIONS
Segment reservations are first come, first served. Fragment reservations may be asked to make way for segment reservations, and if so, will be refunded their full payment, if any.

There will be no pro-rating beyond fragments and segments. If you can only make one day, you have to pay for two. If you can only make three days, you're still required to pay for the full four. No one who has not paid will be allowed in the house. We really do apologize for this, but it's the only way to be fair to those who have paid for guaranteed room, and to ensure that I don't go insane balancing the schedule.

Couples are permitted, and even encouraged. The more, the merrier.

Earliest arrival time is the first day at 4pm.

Latest departure time is the last day at 11:00am.

Arrival/departure times for the fragment and segment turnovers should be figured at about the 48- or 96-hour marks from your estimated arrival/departure times.


PRICES
Pricing is based on splitting the available eight days into two four-day segments and, where possible, four two-day fragments. The prices shown for segments are based on a minimum of 12 segments purchased (the 2006 total, but accurate as to costs) and a maximum of 28 segments (the most the house can hold excluding the hosts), and include the following:

• House rental
• Rental taxes and fees
• Airfare and food for the hosts (Greg, Elizabeth, Jez, and Martin)
• All food and some incidentals for everyone there ($10 per person, per day)

The pricing for fragments is 60% of a segment, except where two fragments are purchased. The cost is then that of a segment. Anyone purchasing a segment and a fragment will pay according to the rate of each.

Souvenirs or food from a restaurant are the responsibility of the guest ordering. The idea is that everything in the house is covered. It is possible that an outing or two may be covered, depending on where it is, how many people are there, and how much it costs.

One of the ways we want to keep costs minimized is to plan ahead for the meals. If you have a dish that you would like to see on the menu (or especially if you want to make it yourself), please let us know, and we'll make sure that it's there (presuming it's not too expensive -- steak and lobster with fresh potatoes and Dom Perignon just doesn't fit in the budget). We will coordinate ingredients with you and make sure that we have enough there. Breakfasts were a little iffy last time due to the random waking hours of everyone involved, so if you want to do that, either be prepared to cook in small batches, or plan for brunch.


PAYMENTS
Important: Payments are non-refundable after 60 days, unless your fragment reservation is overridden.

Deposits: Minimum deposit due is $100 per segment or fragment. If you can afford more (up to the minimum of $215 until we figure out what the actual price will be), then you're welcome to get ahead of things.

NOTE: DEPOSITS ARE NO LONGER SUFFICIENT.

Remainders: Final payment is due NOW.

Please include with your payment your forum name, real name, age, and a valid e-mail address so that you can be contacted with updates. Also include how long you will stay (for clarity's sake) and who, if anyone, is coming with you.

Payments will be accepted via cashier's check, money order, or other secured instrument. Personal checks will NOT be accepted. Money orders may be purchased from the US Postal Service for 95 cents, but pretty much any money orders will be accepted. Please make them out and send them to:

Jarrod Frates
2960 E Jackson Ave #56
Anaheim, CA 92806

Payments may also be made via PayPal. You can use PayPal to send the money via credit card, but there will be a surcharge on each payment, as takes 2.9% + 30 cents on each transaction, except for international which tacks on an additional charge of 2.5%, so 5.4% + 30 cents.

Domestic
Full Fragment Payment (presumes no existing deposit)

Full Segment Payment (presumes no existing deposit)

Remaining Segment Payment (presumes $100 per segment deposit)

International
Full Fragment Payment (presumes no existing deposit)

Full Segment Payment (presumes no existing deposit)

Remember that a surcharge has been added to the PayPal payments to reflect the additional amount that I get charged for accepting them, and in the case of international travelers, what I get charged for accepting foreign denominations. Those sending cashier's checks or money orders are not charged this fee, but they should be in US currency.

If you're planning on staying the whole week, make sure that you change the quantity to 2 (or 4 if you're bringing someone else), because your guaranteed spot is based on your deposit. If you are staying for two fragments (such as each weekend), then please use the segment pricing and indicate that you are paying for one segment.


TRAVEL COORDINATION
It is highly encouraged to organize your arrival times with others. The house will not be available until about 4pm on the first day, and we must be out by about 11am on the last day. Because the airport is two hours away, coordination to minimize the number of vehicles is almost mandatory. While it is not required to do so by the forum management, it would be courteous to at least offer to pay for part of the rental/fuel costs associated with transportation if you're not the one renting. Shuttles are available from the airport to the house, but they cost around $100 per person in each direction.

For those driving instead of flying, it can be an extremely long trip, so picking up people along the way may be a good way to go. A detour of an hour may prove beneficial in splitting the cost of fuel, and providing someone along the way to at least keep the driver awake.

In both cases, we can keep track of who is driving, flying, and/or renting, if they choose to make the information public.


RULES

• Follow the instructions of the hosts. They are responsible for ensuring that things goes smoothly during the stay, and their decisions are final. If they ask you to lower the volume, then do so, and keep it low. If they say you've had enough to drink, then you're done drinking until they say you can drink again.
  
• Respect everyone. If someone asks you to stop doing something (within reason), then please stop. If there is still an issue, get one of the hosts to arbitrate.
  
• Nothing illegal. This is going to be further clarified below, but if it's not legal to possess or do, don't possess or do them at the Gathering.
  
• No weapons -- end of discussion. This means no firearms, no paintball guns, no BB guns, no swords, no combat knives, no nunchaku, no throwing stars, not even rattan or bamboo practice weapons. Pocketknives and utility tools are allowed.
  
• No drugs that are not over-the-counter, unless they're valid prescription medications in the pharmacy bottles with current dates. These must be reported to the hosts on arrival. There will be no sharing of medications; if there's a medical need, an emergency call and/or transportation to a medical service provider will be available.
  
• No throwing things inside the house.
  
• No smoking indoors. This is not only our rule, but a house rule.
  
• If you do smoke outdoors, deposit the remains in the proper receptacles.
  
• If you make a mess, you clean it up. Special note: If you spew, you scrub. If you blow chunks in the pool or the hot-tub, 10-20 people will beat your skull in and ship your remains home by way of Abu Dhabi, because no one will want to use the facility again.
  
• Help clean up from time to time. Keeping the place neat helps for the final clean-up, and makes things much more pleasant overall. We are required to tidy up the house before leaving, or lose part or all of the $558 deposit, which I am fronting at no cost to those attending.
  
• No underage drinking. If you are caught doing so, you risk expulsion from the Gathering.
  
• If you're drinking, possession of your keys may be requested by the hosts. They will be secured until such time as you are judged capable of driving; this will be at the sole discretion of the hosts.
  
• No wandering around outside if you're drunk, especially in the front yard.
  
• No drunk swimming or hot-tubbing.
  
• Anyone using the hot-tub must be wearing bathing suits. If you can't wear it on a normal public beach in the US without getting cited, you can't wear it in the hot-tub.
  
• No deck jumping. In fact, no jumping on or off of things in general, especially the beds. DECK JUMPERS WILL BE EJECTED IMMEDIATELY AND HARSHLY, AND WITHOUT TIME TO CHANGE CLOTHING OR REFUND.
  
• No using the pool and/or hot-tub alone. Someone must be at least in the back yard with you.
  
• Jacuzzis in the master bedrooms are invitation-only. They're quite small in any case, and barely fit two people, let alone seven.
  
• Serious kanoodling should be done behind closed doors. Couples can be affectionate, but when it turns from affection to passion, close the door, please.
  
• Knocking Rule: If a bedroom door is closed or has a sign that says "Please Knock" (the more communal bedrooms), please do make your presence known before entering. If a sign on a bedroom door says "Do Not Disturb" (the master bedrooms), follow its advice. Respect the privacy and the sleeptimes of other people.
  
• It is possible that you will not always get to sleep in the same bed, depending on how many people are present. You may sometimes have to sleep on a couch or on a cushion bed, especially if there are more people than normal beds, rotating with those in the opposite situation. It's only fair.
  
• One console per person, preferably agreed-upon before the trip. There's something like 7-8 TVs, so it's pointless to have 15 consoles there, especially if they're all Playstations. If you do bring anything, please label it as yours. Guitar Hero games MUST be played downstairs.

[hr]
Update 2006-11-27:
Added Jamie, rkitect, and rkitect's wife to the list of those confirmed. Added a few possibles.
Update 2007-01-01:
Added Sophira to the list of those confirmed. Modified sign-up and due dates to 02 March 2007, providing several weeks of extra time.
Update 2007-01-30:
Added several people to the list of those confirmed and possible. Updated pricing and due dates. Made minor modifications to a few rules.
Update 2007-02-01:
Updated pricing to reflect massive drop in prices due to change in airfare.
Update 2007-02-07:
Updated list of attendees.
Update 2007-02-10:
Added bigK25 and Hennet_sim to the confirmed list, and updated prices.
Update 2007-02-18:
Added KatFreak and edge to the confirmed list.
Update 2007-02-23:
Updated attending list, moving those who have arranged for travel to the list even if they haven't paid deposits. Updated space available. Updated pricing ranges.
Update 2007-03-09:
Removed bigK25 from the list of participants. Locked in pricing at $155/$255. Updated payment links.
Update 2007-03-23:
Removed Gowerlypuff.

Okay, so we've decided to do something a little different this year as far as food goes. Last year was very poorly planned as far as meals went, and we ended up spending more than was probably needed as a result. This was largely a result of people not contributing much input into what they would like to eat. This year, we hope to do something a little different. You decide what to eat. Yes, that's right. You. Each person picks a meal and/or a day (logistically days may need to be moved around, so that part isn't as important.) and decides what they want to cook and/or prepare. This way we have a menu planned out in advance, and also we don't have one or two people sharing the main load as far as cooking goes. It's a win-win situation.

It doesn't need to be anything fancy or high tech, something as simple as ham sandwiches would be great. The important part is that you would be making it, and we would know what to get in advance.

Now, on with the show.

Saturday

• Dinner-Order out Pizza

Sunday

• Breakfast: Jez McMuffins
  
  • Eggs
  • Block of cheddar cheese
  • English Muffins
• Lunch
• Dinner

Monday

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Tuesday

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Wednesday

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Thursday

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Friday

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Saturday

• Breakfast: Leftovers
• Lunch: Leftovers
• Dinner

Sunday: leftovers

We are looking for specifics, meaning don't just say "chicken salad", give us an actual recipe so we can put together a complete menu list. This will make things loads easier on us.

I thought that we were going to let Greg plan the menu? I already told him to do so! THATS what I thought we agreed upon.

Deposit sent for the full week

Some questions that may/may not be pertinent to others:

1) To verify, I can use pay pal without extra charges if it is not a credit card transaction?

2) Would it be prefered to have higher occupancy vehicles at the house (ie: SUV) or lower occupancy, smaller vehicles (ie: Miata) at the house?

3) For those of us bringing someone that we can share a room with, what will be the final price per segment?

4) If Greg is planning the meals, is he taking requests?

Thanks,

What is deck jumping anyway?

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=deck+jumping

You'll get the jest

What kind of people show up to these things that that has to even be a written rule?

I've seen some seemingly bright people do some obviously stupid things...

Point being that it's more of a CYA rule than anything. Technically, when a guest stays at someone's house, if they hurt themselves they can sue the owner for damages. This is why rules like these must be implimented and enforced.

I can understand CYA, but wow. Heh.

No one even considered jumping off the 2nd story deck last year (That I am aware)

But I think jokes were made about it, maybe it made MB nervous

We are all intelligent and smart people. It's mostly for those people who lack certain "street smarts". But, I have to admit, that jumping from the second deck looked fun, but the intelligent part of me says, "You'll never make it to the pool. Even if you did, the pool isn't deep enough. Survey say,'BAD IDEA'."

Lizzegirle";p="682788 wrote:I thought that we were going to let Greg plan the menu? I already told him to do so! THATS what I thought we agreed upon.

I thought it was supposed to be a mix of the two.

Jamie Bond";p="682793 wrote:Deposit sent for the full week

You sent $100. That's for one segment.

rkitect";p="682864 wrote:1) To verify, I can use pay pal without extra charges if it is not a credit card transaction?

No. I have a merchant account (which is required to be able to pull more than a certain amount of money per month, something like $300), so they take fees on all incoming transactions. I was just reimbursed via PayPal for a favor I did for some friends, and though the funds came from a PayPal account, I was still charged fees.

2) Would it be prefered to have higher occupancy vehicles at the house (ie: SUV) or lower occupancy, smaller vehicles (ie: Miata) at the house?

It's your choice. There's room for about seven vehicles in the driveway, and a larger one is probably better, but we won't dictate what you choose.

3) For those of us bringing someone that we can share a room with, what will be the final price per segment?

It's double the segment price. The prices are per person, even if linked up with someone else. Understand that you're getting sleeping space, but there is no flat guarantee that you will have your own room. Best efforts will be undertaken to provide a level of privacy to couples (there are queen beds at the house), but no promises can be made, and it's possible that you will have to rotate with someone else. There are bunkbeds in some rooms, though, so you can play sleepover with your significant other and 'accidentally' climb into the wrong bed. Just make sure that a) you're not going to disturb others and b) that you're climbing into the bed with your significant other.

4) If Greg is planning the meals, is he taking requests?

Insofar as we want people to enjoy things as much as possible, I imagine requests would be considered.

Bigity";p="682930 wrote:What kind of people show up to these things that that has to even be a written rule?

It was in last year's rules after I spoke with the house owner, and he talked to me about the people that would seem to be quiet -- until he actually went to check the house out and found them not only deck jumping, but also throwing deck furniture into the pool.

What's the rule on air mattresses? I'm going to get one for my weekend larp and I figured it'd be easier on the bed-space if I brought it along, and I can be weird about strange bed[mate]s.

Also, will you possibly have the chance for people who can't make it by the due dates if there's room left? Cause you'll be minus one kitsi if you need it by Feb, :/.