Thanks so much, everyone, for showing real interest in this! I’m really looking forward to getting the chance to hang out with all of you in person – either again or for the first time!
Obviously we’re going to have to wait for SciFi to set a date for us to find out who’ll be able to swing time off from work and airfare/gas money. But in the meantime, a few thots:
- What if SciFi changes the date around – like they almost always do?
I think that once SciFi announces a serious date we should pick ours and stick to it – even if they move the finale. It’d be incredible if the two dates align, but if the out-of-towners are going to have any chance at all of securing airfare (and all the other arrangements required for a trip, from time off work to pet sitting, etc.) we’re going to have to give 'em at least a few months notice.
- What are we gonna do, just watch the finale?
Hells, no! I figure we’ll plan this as a Fri/Sat/Sun event lining up with the first-announced finale date. Once we set the date and have true RSVPs based on ticket/hotel purchases, I’ll set up a viewing (or a viewing of something else if SciFi screws us on the date between announcement and the event) appropriate to the size of the group. If it’s three or four people, you’ll get an intimate viewing somewhere fun. If it’s twenty, I’ll book some place, snag some gear, and put together a bigger showing. I’m pretty crafty that way. 
But I figure we’ll also plan a number of other GWCish events as well, plus some planned lunches and dinners so everyone gets an opportunity to hang out, get to know each other, and have a good time. Again, I’ll start figuring 'em out once we have dates and a rough number of people to work with. If it’s a small group, we’ll just hop in a car or two and go for it. If it’s a large group, I’ll plan the hell out of it. Either way, I imagine we’ll hit the 'coupla tourist sites here and have some good eats minimum.
- Where the hell would I fly into/stay?
If you’re already hitting Farecast, your airport of choice is DFW – Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. I’ll research hotels/etc. as we get closer, but I’m guessing we’ll likely suggest hotels in the Frisco, TX area. (There are about a hundred little “suburbs” jammed in/around/between Dallas and Fort Worth. Frisco is one of them, located on the north side of Dallas.) They’re building zillions of hotels up here, and with the economy the way it is, there’s going to be some killer deals.
Of course, as we get closer and I start locking down “to do” plans for the weekend, we might vary that. Either way, I’ll make sure you have some hotel options long enough to book way ahead. And hey – at least it’s not D*C. You’ll be fighting, like, three other people for hotel space in ten new hotels.
- What the hell do we call this?
I propose that we treat this as something like Lebowskifest. The guys who started that did it because they really, really wanted to hang out with other people who enjoy The Big Lebowski. I figure we GWCers have at least as big a bond as that. Screw that – bigger! So I think we oughtta come up with a name for this, even if it’s only a couple of us getting together.
And remember: we’ll be the first.
