update: problem solved! A nice kossack and her nice roommate are letting this wayward stranger stay in their apartment while the dkos person is out of town that weekend! everyone give deliciea a LOT of mojo & other love if you see her around. OK? good.
I'm hoping I'm not the only one.
I got my registration for Yearly Kos back in March.
I even wrote a grant in April asking my department to help me pay for the plane ticket and registration, and they agreed. So most of my plane ticket and registration were covered (because my dissertation is going to have something to do with the netroots...). And I've been donating to ykos various ways since then.
I got my plane tickets... and then I kinda forgot about a place to sleep.
Anyone need a roommate???
(I'll say a bit more about my situation below; feel free to use this as a ykos-related open thread, too - I'm looking so forward to meeting so many of you there!)
I think I was hoping the ykos fairy would magically know I needed a room and set me up somehow, which almost seemed like it might happen the other night (if we call Elise the ykos fairy, at least) but, no go.
I looked into getting a cheap motel by the airport and then renting a car, but with gas & parking the costs added up to nearly as much as a hotel within walking distance, and it just sounded better to go with downtown.
So a few days ago I got a reservation at the Congress Plaza Hotel, at 520 South Michigan Avenue. It's only 2 blocks from the YKos-group Downtown Hilton, and a little less than 2 miles (along the lake, from what I can tell) from the actual conference. It's nice. It's also way more than I'd like to pay for by myself, about $180/night on average. I've got a room from Wednesday evening to Monday morning.
anyone want to stay with me and split the cost? At this point, I'll add "or best offer" - if you don't have a room but can't swing 1/2, I'll take whatever you can reasonably do, along the lines of "from each according to her/his ability, to each according to his/her need." My ability is that my partner and I are a nonprofit worker and a grad student respectively comfortable, but money is tight since there's a baby coming. I'll trust whoever wants to share to figure out what portion you can do.
except the Congress Hotel is on strike, (thanks for telling me, deliciae) so I won't be staying there. SO I'll be looking for OTHER solutions, maybe in Evanston as per rserven. If anyone wants to share that, let me know!
So, much more likely (maybe?), anyone got space in their room? I can cancel my reservation for only a $25 penalty through today; after that it's $25 + the first night's fee, but that could still be worth it. So if you still need a roommate, or think it might be nice to save $400 or whatever 1/2 the room fee is wherever you're staying, I can be your roommate! Or I'd even be happy to sleep on a floor, without telling the hotel we've got an extra person - I can bring a sleeping pad & a sleeping bag.
Some reasons you might like to be roommates with me - I'm incredibly considerate, I don't smoke or anything, I'll be very grateful and let you have the better bed or anything else you'd prefer. I can't imagine I'll be in the room very much, and I certainly won't be hosting any parties or anything. I'm a trans guy, and feel comfortable staying with any gender of person who's comfortable with me.
So, anyone want to room with me?!?!?!
Anyone want to talk about how fun yearly kos is going to be? Anyone else planning to go to the queer caucus? or the knitters caucus? (I'm not sure about knitting caucus, the two don't really go together, but I do knit so I might check it out.)
Anyone want to make fun of me for one of the most potentially expensive procrastinations ever? (for me, at least.)