Shore Leave West 2004

[Atragon9 0]

 

Once a year, we try and meet each other in real life (if you can call Las Vegas "real life"). It is not an STSF convention or timed to coincide with some other Star Trek convention (but that has been threatened for our 2005 meeting), it is just an opportunity to put a face and voice to the simmers you've been spending your time with, here at STSF. Some folks try and organize a few events/dinners/gatherings/shows while we are all together, but none of that is a necessary part of the weekend, just an excuse to hang out with each other more.

 

If you've been reading these Boards for the past few months, I'm sure you've heard references to previous Shore Leave weekends and how they are bizarre, fun, embarrasing and exhausting (and that could be for just one meal together). I won't go into any more detail here, but I do invite you to check out the website that offers more specifics and is used to track who is gathering. Remember that all are welcome and none are supervised!

 

http://www.members.aol.com/captainfredm/

 

Thanks

 

-A9

[FredM 0]

 

A gathering of friends, many GMs or members of the Star Trek™ Simulation Forum, to spend a few days vacation with one another in Las Vegas, NV. This will be the second year this event has taken place in Vegas!!!

 

Last year's event had visits the Star Trek: The Experience, the "Blue Man Group" show, Star Trek: The Experience, casinos, Star Trek: The Experience, a lack of supervising minors, a lack of being responsible for minors and the overall good feeling of knowing your on vacation to enjoy yourself. Information regarding Shore Leave 26 West items will be posted on the event's website.

 

Though we understand this may cause concern and perhaps panic, please be aware that during this time there is a high probability those attending will be MIA from online activites/events. ^_^ ;) ;)

 

The most current and accurate information about this event can be located at the Shore Leave 26 West website, which can be found by clicking here.

 

DISCLAIMER:

This event is in no way sponsored by the Star Trek™ Simulation Forum.

This is a group of adults getting together to spend some of their vacation in the same place.

If a minor plans on attending, they must be accompanied by a legal guardian.

No person in attendance will take responsibility for any minor who attends.

Attendance by minors is not recommended.

[Guest STSF Dacotah]

 

A gathering of friends, many GMs or members of the Star Trek™ Simulation Forum, to spend a few days vacation with one another in Las Vegas, NV. This will be the second year this event has taken place in Vegas!!!

 

Last year's event had visits the Star Trek: The Experience, the "Blue Man Group" show, Star Trek: The Experience, casinos, Star Trek: The Experience, a lack of supervising minors, a lack of being responsible for minors and the overall good feeling of knowing your on vacation to enjoy yourself. Information regarding Shore Leave 26 West items will be posted on the event's website.

 

Though we understand this may cause concern and perhaps panic, please be aware that during this time there is a high probability those attending will be MIA from online activites/events. ;) ;) :D

 

The most current and accurate information about this event can be located at the Shore Leave 26 West website, which can be found by clicking here.

 

DISCLAIMER:

This event is in no way sponsored by the Star Trek™ Simulation Forum.

This is a group of adults getting together to spend some of their vacation in the same place.

If a minor plans on attending, they must be accompanied by a legal guardian.

No person in attendance will take responsibility for any minor who attends.

Attendance by minors is not recommended.

You forgot to mention the CABANA!! Applications for this year's Cabana Boy will considered pool side at the Hilton. Forward your questions regarding duties/qualifications to myself, Huff or Blu. ^_^

[Dumbass 0]

You forgot to mention the CABANA!! Applications for this year's Cabana Boy will considered pool side at the Hilton. Forward your questions regarding duties/qualifications to myself, Huff or Blu. ^_^

Applications for Favorite Showgirl can be sent to Admiral Atragon, Captain Fred M, Lt. Cmdr. Precip, or myself.

 

(Hey, fair is fair.)

[Feanor 0]

I may get squelched for this but I'd like to point out that prior to your previous meeting there was no Shoreleave West..there is a Shoreleave 26 hosted by the STAT club in baltimore. They don't call it shoreleave 26 East, and I doubt they're going to do so any time soon. So really Shoreleave West is Shoreleave West 2. Not 26, not 30...2.

 

yeah, call me a player hater, but this little inaccuracy bugs me. If I wanted to be a real jerk I'd complain about calling it "Shoreleave" but I'm not going to do that.

[Holden 0]

So really Shoreleave West is Shoreleave West 2. Not 26, not 30...2.

 

huh?

 

oh wait, nevermind!

Edited April 29, 2004 by Cadet Holden

[Marris Krax 0]

huh?

 

oh wait, nevermind!

::clears throat, digs out the Old Book, dusts off the cover and begins to read::

 

Back in the age before STSF, there was a forum known as SFOL. Rumor has it that this realm still exists, and that it's king has finally stepped down, but that is not a tale for here.

 

The good people of SFOL would travel from the four corners of this land to convene at a gathering known as Shore Leave. There were others at Shore Leave, though. Half-naked Peter Pan men, Imperial Storm Troopers dancing to the Macerena, Mojo. But, as there were a few citizens of SFOL who liked to go to this Shore Leave anyway, they decided that this was to be their meeting place.

 

For years the SFOLians went to Shore Leave, until that fateful year when SFOL began to fall apart. It was at this gathering that STSF was born, where a handful of captains and commanders decided to defy king and country and strike out on their own under the auspices of Paramount. In their rebelious spirit, the newly proclaimed leaders of the as-yet-unnamed forum suggested that from then on, the members of the forum would meet elsewhere to both commemorate the seperation and because the convention was really boring to begin with. Thus, it was decided that in the next year, the members of the Rebel Alliance would meet in the Trekkian Mecca of Vegas, free from the constraints of a convention but with plenty of Trek activity for all. They would call this new gathering Shore Leave West and adopt the number associated with the original Shore Leave, but whether this was to honor their former gathering or because they just felt like it is not written in these pages.

 

::closes the book in a cloud of dust::

Edited April 29, 2004 by Marris Krax

[Marris Krax 0]

Narrator's note:

 

Let me just say, though Shore Leave 24 kinda stunk as far as conventions go, Shore Leave 25 kicked some serious butt (happy Dumbass? ;)). Trekkies 2 was there, for one, and so was ::squee!:: Teal'c! In fact, I have photographic evidence of me hugging everyone's favorite Jaffa. T'was much, much better this last year, sorry you guys didn't make it ^_^

[Grom 0]

I may get squelched for this but I'd like to point out that prior to your previous meeting there was no Shoreleave West..there is a Shoreleave 26 hosted by the STAT club in baltimore. They don't call it shoreleave 26 East, and I doubt they're going to do so any time soon. So really Shoreleave West is Shoreleave West 2. Not 26, not 30...2.

 

yeah, call me a player hater, but this little inaccuracy bugs me. If I wanted to be a real jerk I'd complain about calling it "Shoreleave" but I'm not going to do that.

I don't even see your reason for trying to stir up debate. Who (honestly) cares what the event is called? It's just few simmers getting together at a different location. Shoreleave 26, 27, 2, -2, it doesn't make a difference...especially not here. ^_^

[Feanor 0]

I don't even see your reason for trying to stir up debate. Who (honestly) cares what the event is called? It's just few simmers getting together at a different location. Shoreleave 26, 27, 2, -2, it doesn't make a difference...especially not here. ^_^

as I noted above its more a pet peeve, a little niggling detail that sticks wrong, as far as debate goes..if I wanted to stir a debatel there are better ways to do it.but thats a debate for another time. As to weather it matters or not, well maybe it dosen't matter to you or any one else but again as in the past, I feel a sense of duty to point these inaccuracies out. Not to mention the fact that there are alot of new people here who have little or no idea the history behind SFOL ShoreLeave and the sundering of the Elves. Besides, as I understand it STSF wished to make a clean break, and it would be perfectly logical to discontinue the roll of numbers and name the gathering something completely different to establish a new tradition for this new forum.

[STSF_BluRox 0]

as I noted above its more a pet peeve, a little niggling detail that sticks wrong, as far as debate goes..if I wanted to stir a debatel there are better ways to do it.but thats a debate for another time. As to weather it matters or not, well maybe it dosen't matter to you or any one else but again as in the past, I feel a sense of duty to point these inaccuracies out. Not to mention the fact that there are alot of new people here who have little or no idea the history behind SFOL ShoreLeave and the sundering of the Elves. Besides, as I understand it STSF wished to make a clean break, and it would be perfectly logical to discontinue the roll of numbers and name the gathering something completely different to establish a new tradition for this new forum.

First off, I think you're missing something that was stated in the original posts.

 

This event is in no way sponsored by the Star Trek Simulation Forum, so I don't see why the need to relabel what we call our personal vacation. This is not a forum event. It is basically, some of us that enjoy each other's company, that have decided to spend our personal vacations with each other, and have invited along other simmers to join us if they wish. We all leave the kids at home, because we do enough with them at home, and this is basically, adult time. With the casinos...this is more so, as entrance to most of the casino areas is restricted to age 21 and up.

 

As for inaccuracies, I don't see how you figure there is an inaccuracy, in how a group of friends, refer to their vacation. As for the Baltimore event, yes..that's where many of us first met in person. However, Maris did have some of it wrong as well.

 

Shoreleave did not begin when a bunch of SFOL'ers decided to meet. The fact was, that several of us had already attended the event in Baltimore religiously for many years, well before even SFOL was around. And everyone, just called the week we all vacationed together, Shoreleave. In the course of online conversations one year, with these newer onlin people, someone noted they wouldn't make one of the sims that weekend, because they were going to be in Baltimore. To our suprise, quite a few of us were already planning to be there with other people and groups, and we set up times to try to meet. Even after we all met, I remembered having seen some of these people for years prior, without even knowing they were people we simmed with.

 

As for keeping the numbers, hey, I've been there with Star Trek RPG groups, AD&D groups, filkers ect, and nothing says we've stopped going. Actually, some of us have actually met on the Thursday prior to just eat crabs before the throngs get there, so technically, we're still there too. Numbering helps us older folks remember what year to look under for pictures and notes, and if we're in Baltimore, Vegas or some of our covert locations as well, mental notes do help. I think personally, I've only missed 6 or 7 of the events in Baltimore, I'd have to pull out my photo albums to be sure, but it really doesn't matter. It's a vacation. It's a vacation with friends, not a sponsered event by anyone. And, I know I'll continue to call my own vacation what I want too...sorry if that upsets anyone.

 

Like we told the fellow that showed up one year with his kid to drop off, he's welcome to stay, as long as you stay to supervise him. One other thing people have to realize.... We're not there to entertain people either. Often, people will go off and do their own things different times of the day, so if you come, don't get hung up by the schedule.

 

So, to make things clearer...26 so we know which year. Some of us will attend both events. Though, perhaps only for an evening. West, as opposed to being East. Easy enough to figure out.

 

If we renumbered each time there was a change in the continum, we'd constantly be calling it #1. As for dinner, I think it's the 9th year I'm hosting it, though others did before me, but I'm staying with 9.

 

::tosses in about 42 cents:: (because that's the answer to everything)

[Atragon9 0]

So, to make things clearer...26 so we know which year. Some of us will attend both events. Though, perhaps only for an evening. West, as opposed to being East. Easy enough to figure out.

And to clear my throat on this, as I started this Boards mess, you will notice that I referred to it as Shore Leave West 2004 - that's a number we can all agree on.

 

As for the use of "Shore Leave" - what else would you call a gathering of Sci Fi space nerds?

- "Away Team?" naaaah, that sounds like work.

- "Rissa?" It's got possibilities, but who's gonna deliver on the assumed goodies of a trip to that planet?

- "Gang of Online Star Trek Role-Playing Geeks meeting in Las Vegas (aka GOSTRPGMLV)" Accurate, but hard to say when you've had a few Warp Core Breaches at Quarks.

[Captain Huff 0]

I prefer to be called a nerd rather than a geek. It's a pride thing. (Not really).

 

Since I'm one of the reasons we now meet in Vegas, let me explain at least one contributing factor on how it came about... ^_^

 

1997 Online Paraphrased Conversation:

 

Huff: You know what would be really cool? If we went different places different years...

Friend: Yes!

Rest of Friends: We don't want to fly farther than Baltimore

 

1998:

 

Huff: Man, it would be great if we went someplace else next year, like Vegas or New Orleans...

Friend: They won't go.

Other Friends: We don't want to fly farther than Baltimore.

 

1999:

 

Huff: You know... Baltimore really sucks and I'm tired of doing the same stupid things every year for a lot of money. Why don't we spend the same money and go someplace fun instead??

Friends: Hmm...

 

2000:

 

Huff: I hate this [explative] convention.

Friends: It *is* kind of tedious...

 

2001:

 

Huff: Can we PLEASE go somewhere else next year? I'll look up prices.

Friends: It's not a bad idea...

 

2002:

 

Huff: That's it. I am never going to Baltimore again. I'm spending the same money to go to Vegas.

Friends: We're going too.

 

2003:

 

Huff: WHAAAHOOOO!

[Captain Huff 0]

Btw... I bet we'll have a Cabana Boy long before you get a showgirl. :D

[Vex Xiang 0]

No one's asked the obvious question...

 

How can you have a shoreleave without a crab feast?

[FredM 0]

How can you have a shoreleave without a crab feast?

Hey there,

 

Two words: Rio Buffet ^_^

[Atragon9 0]

Hey there,

 

Two words: Rio Buffet ^_^

Ohhhh, my two words were going to be "Coconut Bra"

[Dumbass 0]

No one's asked the obvious question...

 

How can you have a shoreleave without a crab feast?

No one asked the question because the answer is already known.

 

There is a Crabfest-type event on the agenda if you check the website. I believe Blu is organizing it.

 

Then again, the agenda is not a set-in-stone schedule. Last year's "Breakfast with Huff" didn't happen until 12:30 in the afternoon, and Huff wasn't even there. ^_^

Edited April 29, 2004 by Dumbass

[Grom 0]

No one asked the question because the answer is already known.

 

There is a Crabfest-type event on the agenda if you check the website. I believe Blu is organizing it.

 

Then again, the agenda is not a set-in-stone schedule. Last year's "Breakfast with Huff" didn't happen until 12:30 in the afternoon, and Huff wasn't even there. ^_^

Crabs? Vegas? Bah! ;)

 

No seafood should be carried more than 20 miles from the shore it was caught from!

 

(Says the New England grown guy)

 

 

;)

[Dumbass 0]

Btw... I bet we'll have a Cabana Boy long before you get a showgirl. ;)

Yeah, that's right, just keep it up. I've already got one of those short-skirted TOS uniforms picked out for your Hood character! ^_^

[STSF_BluRox 0]

No one's asked the obvious question...

 

How can you have a shoreleave without a crab feast?

That's why my dinner was renamed slightly....

 

It was Blu's Annual Blue Crab Fest...

 

Last year, it was Blu's Annual Crab Fest and what ever you can find on the Buffett

 

They weren't Blue Crabs.....which was the true shame, but they did have Alaskan King Crab, and we taught Precip how the Pandarians use the crab knives....

 

Blue Crabs were still had the weekend before by a few that made a quick trip to MD to get a bushel......

[STSF_BluRox 0]

Yeah, that's right, just keep it up. I've already got one of those short-skirted TOS uniforms picked out for your Hood character! ^_^

Huff .....is it time?? Is it time yet to pull out the Dumbass picture?

 

You know the one......

 

Where he's standing in the middle of the street in front of the

 

4 Queens

 

holding a sign that says "Nerds"?

[STSF_BluRox 0]

No one asked the question because the answer is already known.

 

There is a Crabfest-type event on the agenda if you check the website. I believe Blu is organizing it.

 

Then again, the agenda is not a set-in-stone schedule. Last year's "Breakfast with Huff" didn't happen until 12:30 in the afternoon, and Huff wasn't even there. ^_^

This is correct, as we are still considering a change of venue to

Manadaly Bay for dinner.....

 

Keep an eye on the page...

[Dumbass 0]

Huff .....is it time??  Is it time yet to pull out the Dumbass picture?

 

You  know the one......

 

Where he's standing in the middle of the street in front of the

 

4 Queens

 

holding a sign that says "Nerds"?

OK, if I remember the situation correctly, I WANTED to walk in front of those people with the NERDS sign and you guys talked me out of it.

 

Interesting story about that sign. I'll retell it so that the newcomers know how crazy we got.

 

Fred was to pick me up at the airport. We were wondering how he would recognise me and I said "Why don't I just hold up a cardboard sign that says 'Nerds' on it?" His reply was "If you really want to embarrass yourself go right ahead." Fred used to be my CO so he should have at least suspected I just might be crazy enough to do it.

 

Hey, don't laugh, it worked. ^_^

Edited April 29, 2004 by Dumbass

[Tovan 0]

dang its scheduled in july ::pouts::