agile_one

Mike ... very cool photo op with the Woz. Where was that? Did you invite him to the meet?

x2 Love the old stuff, Miguel - lots of bang for the buck, and most is well made and cool looking to boot. Per your room booking readiness, you can go ahead and book a 1 br suite for $99 now, but if you want a 2 br for $129, wait till I give info for it. Should be final when I talk with them tomorrow.

Brent ... PIE would be approx $20 cab ride to the hotel - it's accross the bay. Will try to arrange pickup - all depends who is around with a car. Ari, Ken, Grahame, and whomever else is coming in on Thurs - looks like I better get my butt up there on Thurs to keep a lid on things. I say 5-Guys to go and eat them @ CCB.

Way to go, cj!

Me also sad you can't make Tampa, Nate, but as Shelly, Jim, and Al have mentioned, the Mayberry silver lining part is win. hmmmmm ... if enough peeps are hanging around through Monday your meetmeister will be obligated to serve up some activity. So, if a Monday return is the only option, go for it, and we will keep you entertained.

Not a thing planned for Monday, Todd. You would be on your own. A few should be around, and you can probably cook something up. Lots to see and do in the area, so if you wanted to stay, there will be plenty to keep you busy.

A Place For Us ... Finally Just back from Tampa and the final tour of hotel candidates for our little gathering. And the winner is ... drum roll, please ... Marriott Residence Inn - Tampa Westshore/Airport. Here's why: Competitive rates - $99. for 1 br suite, $129 for 2 br suite. WiFi and breakfast included. Two BR Suites will serve as meeting rooms for gear, so no additional meet room required. Two BR Suites will make nice hospitality rooms. Walking distance of: Cigar City Brewing, International Mall, Total Wine & Whole Foods, and many restaurants. One downside is no hotel airport shuttle. The property is adjacent to TIA, however, so cab fare should be no more than a fiver. We should be able to get creative with cab sharing and some of the Florida crew meeting flights. Don't call for reservations yet, I'll post info when they tell me they are ready. I have been assured that there are plenty of rooms blocked off for us. The regular suites have just one bed - king or queen, and a pullout couch in sitting area, so are sharable. The 2 br suites have two separate, private one bed bedrooms and a common living area with full size fridge, full kitchen, good size table and a couch and chairs. It is the availability of the 2 br suites at reasonable cost that swayed me on this property, and I think it will meet our needs nicely. Fire away with any questions, comments, or suggestions. Working up some fun activities for Fri and Sat evenings, so stay tuned.

Yup, Vicki has it right, Alex. It will be some flophouse near the airport, but it will be next week before I get back home to finalize. Glad to see all the out of town interest, as it adds to bargaining power for room rates. Reason for airport locale rather than Ybor City or Bayshore is to have shuttle service for fly ins, and to be near CCB. We will also be in walking distance of restaurants, the International mall (Apple Store there), and we can car pool or limo to Ybor or other further points of interest. Gear is welcome, but optional. I'll bring some stuff that may be interesting. Vicki's BHSE is to die for, and who know what Mike might have?

The final date decision has been made, and the Tampa Winter Meet will be the weekend of 12/10-12. The thread title is correct, but the first post is incorrect - if a mod could change the dates in that post (I can no longer edit it), that would be sweet. Book flights, but hold off on hotels - negotiating with a few, but won't finalize till next week. I am away in Tenn at the moment, so meet planning is on hold. As stated in original post, this will be a HC meet - no announcement or posts on HF at all. It should be a great weekend, and your hosts will work hard to serve up a good experience. Plus, it's getting that time of year that some Florida sunshine will feel good to a lot of you. Feel free to pm me with any questions. Steve, and any others who were polite enough to ask about coming ... you are all welcome, and we will show you a good time.

Ok, then, I think we have a quorum. Just learned of a possible conflict for a vital member of Team FL, so am opening the date window to include the following weekend, 12/10.11,12 At this juncture, only the west coat chapter has an issue with 12/11, so we may have to throw him/her (how you like that PC?) under the bus (a flaming Mercedes bus, to be exact). Bottom line ... is 12/10/11/13 ok?

Tampa Winter Meet will be the weekend of 12/10-12 So, we're throwing around dates, and it seems like the weekend of December 3/4/5 is the least offensive to the parties that matter. That being the case, I hereby declare that there WILL be a Florida meet (Team Florida attendance is mandatory to maintain gold status) the weekend of December 3, 4, 5, 2010. Early arrivals and late departures are encouraged and expected. Where - Tampa ... any out of towners can book flights to TPA, and we will accommodate you. If not by picking you up, you will have explicit directions for transport to meet. I am very conflicted about about gear, so have decided to make this a gear optional meet. In my world, this works, because old hands who are tired of schlepping 100 pounds of iron to countless meets can relax without that obligation. OTH, anyone with new and amazing gear to thrill us, should definitely bring it on (me included - oh, yeah, I've got some you'll want to see). I've saved the best for last ... accommodations will be near TPA for easy in - out air travel, (as if that mattered . see next phrase), and within walking distance of Cigar City Brewery, where they brew and serve beers of world class. Welcome to Cigar City Beer in Tampa Florida Please indicate your interest in this thread, and a Team Florida member will be in touch to enhance your meet experience. Note .. this is a Head Case only event ... No clowns allowed.

Shelly ... sorry for your loss. Pets are amazing friends, and sad and tough to see them pass. Your web memorial is a nice tribute. Peace to Ranger, you, and your family.

So, these two important birthdays were, like, what, two days ago? Christ, I'm getting pathetic. So, Happy Birthday already to two more of HC's best, and sorry I didn't see earlier.

Peter & Carl - Happy Birthday to two of HC's best!

Beautiful speakers, Douglas! The drivers do, indeed, look to be in wonderful shape. Will be watching for the sound check.

Grats on qualifying for ATC, Manuel. @ AL ... nice win by the Giants - would love to see Giants=Rays in the WS. Oh, and that's what I call a proper use of the iPad.

Nice grab on the pvw cask, Al. Hope there will be some left for Mayberry '11.

5k? Dinny, you running monkey, you! Congrats for making it alive, and kudos to Jeff for some great pics. You both rock.

Aristotle, of course. A northern Greek. And, I thought you had soul ... so disappointed. I should have known when you shunned the grits at breakfast. It's all good, though, because we need pure intellect for the cause, too. You ARE in for the cause, no? Silly question, of course you are ... you BE the cause (in the headphone fora world .... let's not get carried away here) But you need we simpletons to augment the bright light of knowledge with the round, puffiness or feeling, intuition, and the muscle and sinew of willing soldiers. Lead on, you worthy greek.

Not strictly on topic, but I got my Schiit Valhalla tube amp a few days back. Had it sent up to Maine while on vaca, so don't have much for sources or headphones to try it with. In fact, I am waaaaay out of recommended use with an iPod Nano headphone jack as source and Shure SE530 IEMs (below recommended impedance) as monitors. Should have sounded hissy, flabby, and noisy, but, mais non, messrs et madames, sound ver terrifique (ask Al to translate). This thing is a keeper, and one of the best $349. audio purchases I've ever made.

Jesus! Just when I think I have you nailed down, you post something like this. wtf? I had you as 2nd gen Black Panther channeling Plato.

Happy Birthday, Wayne. Enjoy the day, and here's to a great year ahead.

Happy Birthday, Stretch!

All together now ... Beer Fest, Beer Fest, Beer Fest .... Toga, Toga, Toga ....

Dan ... nail the job @ Hershey ... I got a sweet tooth, and would love access to discounted chocolate, not to mention all the rides at the park. Good luck with the cpap ... a good night's sleep is one of life's great pleasures.