Timroff wrote a diary in the middle of the night. It didn't get much action so I'm reposting it here.
Nightbirds at NN'08 in Austin should remember the scene well: There we were, 50-strong in the lobby of the hotel, enjoying the fruit of the vine while singing and swapping stories.
Well a few of us are considering doing it again this year in Pittsburgh, but according to organizers, we'd need to find a place, as the hotel lobby won't be suited for our plans.
And what are those plans? Join me on the flipside:
Imagine, if you will, this crazy idea:
The First Annual Mojo Friday Mojitothon/Cheers & Jeers Rum and Coke Friday Extravaganzapalooza!
The idea is that on Friday Night after the Pub Quiz, we gather, drink, eat, talk, and have a jam session/song circle/Hootenanny. Party from 8 PM until they kick us out. Take turns calling/playing songs, and attempt to fill requests. Have a laptop handy to look up lyrics so we can learn songs right there on the spot. Play games, laugh and be Merry. Or Mary. Or Steve. Hell, be whoever you want to be!
But the question I need to answer from the organizers of NN'09 is this:
How many people would attend?
Feel free to answer in the comments. I'll do this for a couple of nights to get a head count.
I promised pictures. These were, for the most part, taken in the Lobby of the Hilton in Austin.
Have a look at the photos below and tell us, in the comments, if you're in any of them. I'll number them for you. I'm stealing these from snorfbear, timroff and rose's compilation album and a diary that Navajo wrote.
On with the show!
Photo 1 Bleeding Heart and jlms_qkw
Photo 2 vm and Lulu57
Photo 3 Paradox and Common Sense Mainer
Photo 4 Robespierrette, Rascal, Sarahnity
This one may be from Maggie Mae's
The following photos come from a Photo Diary that Navajo wrote last July.
Photo 5 I see Brillig, mik (Mr. Brillig), and Daniel, OPOL's son
Photo 6 Daniel, Opol, Malacandra, ?
Photo 7 ?, Jotter, David Boyle
Photo 8 Cedwyn
Photo 9 Elisa, Markos' wife
Photo 10 Nyceve
Photo 11 ?, dadnation?
Photo 12 Navajo
Photo 13 Trashablanca and clammyc
Photo 14 The Awful Truth and Darcy Burner
Photo 15 Sharoney
Photo 16 ?, Common Sense Mainer and BiPM
Photo 17 n the cneter is Justin Krebs, founder of Drinking Liberally and 2nd person from left is Vic Uzemeri who blogs as Grapes
Photo 18 I see Floja Roja, Perfect Stormer, Timroff
Photo 19 Darcy Burner, Markos, Ari
Photo 20 ?
Photo 21 ?
Photo 22
Our goal for Netroots For The Troops 2009 is $50,000.00 (cash or in-kind donations).
PLEASE DONATE HERE
We realize that you would like to donate something tangible to go inside the packages that will be mailed to the troops. Unfortunately, accepting in-kind donations from individuals is not practical in terms of storage and handling of the items. The Pittsburgh Convention Center is a union shop so we have more stringent rules that need to be followed. Instead, we will only be accepting corporate donations or cash from YOU to purchase items for the care packages this year.
Here’s how YOU can help:
- Please contact TexDem or DonnaMarie if you know someone who might be helpful in securing the corporate in-kind donations. To help you think of companies who could donate products, see below* for a list of potential items. Put your thinking caps on and let us hear from you. It takes time to get through the corporate processes so we need to hear from you ASAP!
- We are accepting cash from individuals and
beg ask that you DONATE HERE to contribute to this worthy cause. Your donation will enable us to purchase the things that we are unable to obtain through corporate donations, and will help to pay the costs of shipping them to our troops. This year your donations will be tax deductible, thanks to Netroots Nation and their partner Netroots Arts and Education Initiative, a California 501(c)3 corporation.
- Sign up for a diary! Our goal is to post two diaries per day until NN09. That’s a lot of diaries! Don’t worry---we’ve made it easy for you. We’ve got a template set up, and all you need to do is add a small introduction telling us why you are donating, sharing a story of someone you know who has served or is serving, or any other thing you want to share that might help motivate others to donate. Please contact Donnamarie if you are interested in posting a diary.
- Do you know a service member who would like to receive a care package? Email a request to: NFTT.request@gmail.com before July 31, 2009.
Please include all of the following information. Unfortunately we will not be able to process any incomplete requests:
Rank:
Last name:
First name:
APO Address Line 1:
APO Address Line 2:
APO Address Zip:
- Write letters to be included in the packages! Our own jlms qkw is collecting the letters and will print them out and bring them to Pittsburgh. Just email your letter to her jlms_qkw@yahoo.com. Look for more information from jlms qkw soon. If you need some ideas, rbutters wrote an excellent diary with tips on how to write letters to troops and why it’s so important to them.
- Help us assemble the packages in Pittsburgh. It's fun! More information will be forthcoming for those of you who are going to be in Pittsburgh and would like to help there.
- Please consider joining the NFTT FaceBook Group. Invite your FaceBook and non-FaceBook friends.
_____________________
*The following list contains some of the things we would like to include in the packages. Please let us know if you know someone who might be helpful in securing these corporate in-kind donations. (Please DO NOT send these items yourself! We have no way to accept them. Instead, your cash donation is the very best way to help make this happen on the ground in Pittsburgh.)
- Baby wipes
- Mechanix gloves
- LED flashlights
- Gel shoe insoles
- Goop Cleaning Gel
- Powdered energy drinks
- Gel energy food packets
- DVDs and CDs
- Letters to the soldiers
- More suggestions coming soon
Books for Soldiers
Soldiers love to receive books, but due once again to the logistics of collecting and storing them prior to NN09, books will not be included in the packages that NFTT will put together this year. Other organizations are more specialized in the collection and distribution of books to Iraq and Afghanistan. If you are interested in sending books, please consider checking out the Books for Soldiers Website. It is run by DKos's very own StormBearand is a great resource for giving.
Important Note about Successful Online Donations
PLEASE DONATE HERE
When you make your online donation, the screen indicates that you are donating to Netroots Nation. This is the right screen! Rest assured all donations WILL go to NFTT. If you wish, feel free to use the comment area provided to note that your donation is intended for Netroots For The Troops. It isn’t necessary to do this however, as this is the only fundraising activity being conducted for Netroots Nation at this time. For further information about online donations, please read TexDem's diary on the subject.
Update 07/08/09
We have our first deep discount of a product. Our LED pinch-light flashlight. Princeton Tec, through Hit the Trail Wilderness Gear and Nature Goods, a hiking store in Newnan GA, are providing us a discount for the top of the line "Impulse".
If you need hiking gear, please support Robbie Hinley online via, Hit the Trail. Spread the word.