Just 84 Days and Counting.

At least, that was the countdown to the L.A. Capfest when I posted this. The up-to-date countdown is here. We know you're excited!

•••••

So let's get down to some planning details. First of all, based on the comments on the last few posts, here is who is planning on coming:

Unreality (Fred)
Generik (Erik)
teambanzai (Brett)
Torgone
YibbleGuy
TinaW
CindyM
DiscoBoy (Me) & Nyssa (Mary Ann) (and insane kids)

If any of you are planning on bring friends/spouses/secret love children, let us know so we can include them as well. Also, if there's anyone I've forgotten, let us know. And feel free to spread the word to get more cappers to come.

•••••

So, we're looking at Labor Day weekend, which is Friday, August 29 through Monday, September 1. I've got some flight/hotel suggestions for you out-of-towners, But first, there's something to consider.

Mary Ann and I live in La Verne, which is a suburb of L.A., about 30 miles (a half hour's drive) east of downtown. Trust me, in Southern California terms that is practically just down the block. So the question becomes, where do you want to stay -- in the downtown/Hollywood area, or out in the 'burbs with us? Like I said, we're only about a half hour away by car, and the train going into Union Station downtown is pretty convenient too (which comes in real handy for the downtown walking tour on the itinerary, which I'll post about in more detail in the next few days). So let's break this down....

The case for staying downtown or environs: Ready access to touristy L.A. fun; transients (many of whom will call you "sir" or "ma'am") at no extra charge.

The case for staying in the 'burbs: Ready access to transportation in the fabulous DiscoNyssaMobile; cheaper hotel rates; close to our preferred movie riffing location (our living room, although there may be another option if the crowd gets much larger).

Whichever option you choose could also affect your flight choice. If you're coming to scenice La Verne (and environs), you'd probably be better off flying into Ontario (ONT) than into LAX. It's just closer and less crowded. You can probably even save a few bucks, too, depending on where you're flying from.

Anyway, hotel choices.... (I know this post is getting a little long, but bear with me because I'm almost done.)

Here are the current regular rates for Labor Day weekend of a few local (the 'burbs) hotels:
• Doubletree Inn (Claremont) -- $249.00/night
• Sheraton Suites Fairplex (Pomona) -- $146.50/night
• Red Roof Inn (San Dimas) -- $82.99/night
• Motel 6 (San Dimas) -- $74.99/night

And some L.A./Hollywood options:
• Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown -- $229.27/night
• Millenium Biltmore (downtown) -- $219.00/night
• Los Angeles Airport Marriott -- $199.00/night
• Kyoto Grand Hotel and Gardens -- $199.00/night
• Motel 6 (Hollywood) -- $102.99/night

...so, you get the idea. Like I said, these are the regular rates, so I'm sure you can find discounts out there. But except for the ridiculously overpriced Doubletree, the rates are cheaper outside of L.A. proper.

•••••

Anyway, this is all just some things for you all to chew on. Feel free to ask if you've got questions.

Beautiful Los Angeles Beckons You!

Come to Los Angeles! The sun shines bright, the beaches are wide and inviting, and the orange groves stretch as far as the eye can see. There are jobs aplenty, and land is cheap. Every working man can have his own house, and inside every house, a happy, all-American family. You can have all this, and who knows... you could even be discovered, become a movie star... or at least see one. Life is good in Los Angeles... it's paradise on Earth." Ha ha ha ha. That's what they tell you, anyway.
—from "L.A. Confidential"

Sorry I've been so lax in updating this site. That's about to change, with more info coming soon. In the meantime, here's a taste of what we'll be doing. I can't promise to be as entertaining a host as Charles Phoenix, but maybe I'll do a little song and dance if you ask nicely.

Robot Roll Call!

Okay, not really. More like a capper roll call.

But first, a hearty hello to all o' youse who are visiting because of Generik's kind (and totally unsolicited, I assure you) plug. Right now, the get-together is planned for Labor Day weekend, Aug. 30 through Sept. 1.

Secondly, since we seem to have hit those duldrums between the initial planning stage and the "I-gotta-hurry-up-and-pack-cuz-its-time-to-go" stage -- I figure we can pass the time by getting a head count. If you're planning on attending (or even just considering it), check in with a comment below so we know how many to expect. (And plan to revisit this in a couple months as the date grows closer.)

And feel free to sign up for the RSS feed, so you don't miss any of the big developments.

Please. Don't do it for us. Do it for the baby. If you don't, the baby will be angry. And you wouldn't like him when he's angry.

Cappers of the World Unite! You Have Nothing to Lose But Your Cookies!

It looks like the consensus has Labor Day weekend as the best time for the Capfest, so let's go ahead and plan for that. (Unless anybody has any serious objections, in which case you should speak now or forever hold your peace.)

So that would give us three days (Saturday, August 30, through Monday, September 1) to plot the overthrow of the bourgeoisie and usher in the dictatorship of the capper proletariat -- er, I mean, to spend Labor Day with our favorite capping buddies.

The next step seems to be to get a head count of who can come and where the accommodations will be for those coming from out of town. Mary Ann (Nyssa) and I live in La Verne, which is about 30 miles east of L.A. -- but by Southern California standards, that's practically down the street. Getting into the city from here is no big deal. (Maybe we can go into detail on those logistics in a separate post.)

We should also work up an itinerary of activities. I've got a couple ideas to throw into the mix:

• The touristy tour of Hollywood, including the Walk of Fame, the theaters (Chinese/Egyptian/Kodak/El Rey) and the tacky souvenir shops. To be followed by a drive up to everyone's favorite movie location, Griffith Observatory, where we can see the views and do science-y type stuff.

• A walking tour of downtown L.A. Starting from everyone's second favorite movie location, Union Station, we would visit Olvera Street, have lunch at the must-visit Phillipe's and see some sights like city hall, Parker Center and the L.A. Times Building. Or, if you've really got your walking shoes on, MOCA and Little Tokyo are possibilities, too.

The advantage of these two ideas is that each can be done in a day, leaving the evenings free for another activity. If Brett (teambanzai) is performing with his improv group one of those nights, we can take in a show. Or we can convene somewhere to riff bad movies together.

Of course, there are loads of other opportunities as well, so if you have ideas, let's hear them!

Still Moving Forward.

I second (or third) the notion expressed in the comments earlier about not wanting to let this die out. So, to that end -- speak up, people!

I guess the first question we need to answer is when to get together. It seems that we've narrowed it down to either Labor Day weekend or Columbus Day weekend. Does anyone want to speak up for one or the other? Pros and cons? Plusses or minuses? Yings or yangs? (As opposed to YingYang, unless he chooses to join us.)

Personally, I'd prefer Labor Day, since I don't get Columbus Day off at work. (Sure, it's no problem for me to take a vacation day that day, but having the CapFest on Labor Day means I don't have to dip into my vacation time.) But I can easily do either if need be.

The next question would be, do we want to make this a two-day or a three-day affair (not counting travel days on either side for those of you coming from a distance)? We could go Saturday/Sunday, or Sunday/Monday, or Saturday/Sunday/Monday, or Friday/Saturday/Sunday (or you can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay....)

In other news, it looks like my new survey site is something of a bust. Instead of me trying to find another one, maybe we can just have a lively dialogue in the comments?

Finally, lest you think we're all business around here, I'll leave you with this picture of a tiny monkey:

This Here's a Survey Test.

Free Survey

Moving Forward.

Well, it looks like I'm going to have to close the two polls below. It's not just because the responses have slowed down, but also because the poll service I signed up for neglected to mention that they weren't really a free service after all, but only offered one-month free trials.

Oops. Whatever.

Anyway, it provides as good an excuse as any to move ahead and try to do some more planning. It looks like Labor Day weekend is the time most people can get together, with Columbus Day weekend close behind. Let's get a discussion going in the comments about which weekend is better for everyone. If we can nail down a date that will help those who need to make travel/vacation plans well in advance.

And expect more polls here soon. And maybe this time they won't disappear after a month.