Tentative DSM GIRS Jan - May Schedule

Looks like someone else should bring the Frag Swap cake since it falls on my birthday.
Already know my feelings so I will just fall back into the silent minority again.

 

Looks good to me... might miss one or two but will sure try to make it to all!
Really interested in the 'Fish Food' but its a little ways a way.

 

No need to accomodate me Joel. Don't think I am going to be in the hobby much longer. Well that sounds a little fatalistic. Anyway, when I was expressing my opinion that we should do things together outside of just hobby related, I didn't mean that's all I wanted to do. The actual hobby topics seem to be focused on a small "elite" group of members.

 

i'll make it to a few but the only day's i have off are on weekend's will there be car pool's? elazar

 

Looks like a good schedule. I'm looking forward to the fish food meeting in particular. That should be a fun one.

 

Looks like a good schedule for me.  I'll be able to attend most/all meetings during the week.  I think you also did a good job setting topics - based on peoples' responses to the survey.  Good job.

 

My point was that the only hobby related stuff outside of tank tours is during the week which I can't make it to. Also, others have expressed an inability to make it during the week. It seems like it's we can ONLY have tank related meetings at you location and they can ONLY be during the week.

Lighting discussion...Thursday. A topic I am not only interested in but also one that I know alot about but I can't share my 15+ years of electrical experience with anyone at this meeting because of my work requirements.
Skimmer discussion...Thursday. A topic I need to learn more about and would like some hands on experience with. Same situation with work.
Fish Food...Tuesday. Something I have been putting stuff together to do for myself for quite some time and would love to offer up what I have to the mix...again, work will not allow me to do this during the week.

Social events are mostly scheduled during the week with the loan exception being the meet and greet. Funny thing is, if folks were drinking A-B products, Sam Adams products or Goose Island products, I could even pay for the beverages as a business expense.

Tank Tour...have offered my place up in the past and will in the future.

It just feels like it's a "We do it here or not at all king of thing.

MNBallard, Dave (Billbigsbe), Jeremy, Myself, Jan, and at least a couple more I know I am missing live on this side of town making the social event at one location sort of inconvenient.

I know you are not being elitist Joel and I don't want it to sound that way but it very much feels like we are working around your schedule. I am sorry but the trustee doesn't have to be at every gathering. A club is about it's members. It's board represents those members. But it feels like in this section of the club, the members outside of the "circle" are treated as an after thought.

Maybe I am just wasting my breath and time. Maybe it would be best if I just shut the hell up and went on my merry way. I don't know. All I do know is the first year I paid dues to this club, I felt like I was contributing to something that I was going to be a part of. This year when I paid my dues, I felt like I was paying a bill and that is definitely not how it should be. Unfortunately, those who have similar sentiments as me would rather just slip away quietly and not say anything in the open but, damnit, I enjoy this hobby and I want to be part of the experiences that go along with it. But frankly, I don't want to feel like i have to work to be included.

 

I am going to move to des moines

 

Chiming in, I am fairly new around here and am grateful for everyone's help and all that I have purchased things from at great prices...

I would be willing to bet if someone else stood up and said they could take the lead in a discussion and setup a setting like Joel does he would set something up on the weekend, that said I have never seen anyone say hey, I will take care of it, I can help out, I have a location and so on. Going by the polls that were set up it seems there would be less participation on the weekends, thats what we voted.

Also I live very close to Altoona, about a block away from Dave and have made it to the meetings after work, so if it has something to do with drive time Clive is not that far away, if your a little late so be it this isn't a grade school class. Its all suppose to be fun and a learning experience, the set up at his location is great... the tools and information needed for the discussion is there and set up ready to go. I have met some great people and learned tons!!

 

First, to Jason...stupid rule you dunderhead! /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/wink.gif Truth is, I have tried to work with Joel...frankly, I cannot make it to meetings during the week because I have 250 employees, some who work until bars close and a warehouse staff that works 24/7, who rely on me. And frankly, they pay me way too much for me to complain about it. Weekends on the other hand, our systems admin can take over freeing up my time. I think the schedule content is awesome. I think the days suck.
The reason I didn't come forward is because of my work schedule. It doesn't allow me to be available for meetings on both weekend and during the week. Frankly, that wouldn't be fair of me to expect everyone to only have weekend meetings.
As for location, I assure you, that while Joel's location is most assuredly awesome, it isn't the only location in central Iowa for meetings like these. I have asked for approval from the owners if i can have a couple of meetings at our place. We have a huge conference room as well as a hospitality room that is designed around having large group meetings. We have projectors in each room (remember way back when I offered club usage of a projector for the frag fest?) as well as a big screen behind the bar that has a PC connection. We are located right off I235 off of Guthrie. Our CEO is traveling on business but said we can discuss it when he gets back. I just didn't want to say we can meet at my place until it was approved.
I know you can't make a schedule that meets everyone's requirements. I am not expecting that. But as it stands, I can make it to 2 events. Frag Swap and Tank Tour. Other than that, those meetings are impossible for me to attend. And I honestly do have quite a bit of practical knowledge I can share from wiring basics to building your own LED lunar panels to wiring up simple multiple on/off timers that cost less and are more reliable that plugging in 4 timers to control your lights. Heck, given time, I could probably come up with a basic wave maker to use with your powerheads.
Drive time is far from the issue. Me being in a meeting taking a phone call every 15 minutes and having to get up to walk someone through printing an after hours order or get a special events hand held running again would be unfair to everyone attending and would also detract from me providing great service to my internal customers which is something I pride myself on.
Honestly, I WANT to participate or I wouldn't be making a fuss about it. I would just say eff it and ask for a refund of my club dues. But I want to contribute to the club as well as learn what I can from others. And frankly, it just seems like any input I have is being discounted as me wanting things catered to me. And that is not the case. I want to share knowledge that others may not have. I want to meet others and discuss the hobby and other interests that we may share.
Anyway, tell me to piss off and I will simply shut up and go away. I am not trying to rock the boat. I am trying to do what I can to make the club a better place for EVERYONE.

 

"You can please some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time but you can't please all of the people all of the time."
I wish everyone could meet on the same day and meet at the exact geographical center of town equal distance from every member. That would be nice.
I suppose we could do another availabilty poll for time and location and see what we get.

 

I would guess all is still on for the 19th?