arisia | Yoga, labyrinth, and climbing. Also football.

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Yoga, labyrinth, and climbing. Also football.

I will once again be leading yoga Saturday and Sunday mornings at the con so wanted to remind anyone who might be interested that, though we plan to provide towels and/or blankets, those of you who've attended in the past know how plans can go awry, so if you aren't bringing your own mat, you may want to bring a couple of towels from your room just in case. Also note that we are starting a little earlier: 8:30a (eek) and will run just over an hour. If that's not enough inner peace, you can go right from there to walk the labyrinth (Sat & Sun 10-11a and Sun 6-8p).

If you know you will be at yoga and have any special requests or concerns you'd like to address ahead of time, feel free to leave a comment or drop me a note. As always, it will be "all-levels", so don't ask for Crow. :)

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Saturday and Sunday at 2-3p will be the official Arisia stair climb: Summit Mt. Arisia! Start at the bottom and receive a ribbon when you reach the top. This year's climb is dedicated to the memory of the very recently departed Sir Edmund Hillary, who I hope would smile if he knew.

(I'm also co-hosting the Geocaching BoF, but Eric has already promoted that. I'm starting to sense a pattern to my activities this year...)

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And speaking of assorted physical activity and the con, does anyone know if the Pats game will be on somewhere? I'll be busy for most of it, but I'd love to tune in when I can and I know many others are looking for the same. I know it's been done before, but, not being a football fan, I never cared to find out. This year I've been sucked in despite myself.

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I didn't even think about the Patriots game being on during the con. Looks like I will have to change my panel plans so I can watch it.

I imagine it will be on in the con suite.

If you didn't know, how much of a fan can you be? ;)

I could imagine that, but I certainly don't know for sure. I imagine there are a few people who feel very strongly about *not* seeing it.

(Two replies so far and both about the non-con event. Hmph!)

I knew the Patriots game would be on Sunday, and that I would be at the con on Sunday, but the two thoughts never cross-pollinated in my mind that I would have to watch the game while at the con. Usually those two interests (Patriots and cons) are kept separate.

I was on the 12th or 13th floor last year, so I did my share of climbing Mt Arisia already. And I probably will need to do the same again this year. Hopefully the elevator situation will be better this year, but I don't expect it to be (those elevators were not disigned for the capacity that the con requires of them).

My hiking partner and I are considering bringing our hiking packs with us, and maybe a sherpa or two, for the Mt. Arisia climb. :-)

About that geomeet. I am on a panel at that time. Would it be possible to meet you and sign the book at another time, like during the Mt. Arisia climb, maybe? If that won't work, if I send my partner to the geomeet, can she sign for both of us?

also, depending on interest level, it is possible there may not be enough room in the con suite for all...

*ducks before responses from those feeling strongly about not seeing it*

nice dedication on the Climb -- I am looking forward to it!

So, I'm curious. What is the base to peak height at Arisia, and what kinds of hills/mountains does that compare to? It's not exactly a fair comparison, since on a mountain you'll likely travel more horizontal distance and/or have much more difficult footing, but I'd be interested to know approximately what it compares to.

Climbing equipment on the summit push would be fabulous! I've already made the suggestion to the folks who are helping to staff the event, though I don't know if anyone will do it.

As for the geomeet, I am not the official owner of the event cache, so I can't really answer that.

In fact, this will be my first event cache, so I can't speak with any authority whatsoever, but I would imagine that since it *is* an event and part of the point is to be there and meet people in person and all, that not being there means not being there. When I thought my stuff would overlap the BoF, I resigned myself to the fact that I'd miss it, and I wouldn't log a find for it if I wasn't there any more than I'd log a find for a traditional cache that I hadn't been to.

But again, that's just my personal view, not the official answer, and I may just not understand event caches well enough.

I still think you could show up right after your panel and be fine. The panels are supposed to end 5-10 minutes before the hour, and I'm sure we'll still be going.

That's a great question, one which I would love to be able to answer and have wondered about myself. So yeah, if anybody else knows and can share, that'd be fab. :)

All I can really say is that the top floor is the 16th.

I've gone to event caches and simply signed the log and left, due to other commitments. I am going to run out of my panel down to the meet, with the hope of catching y'all, so if you can try to be there a little past the hour, I for one would greatly appreciate it. :-)

Ah, but this time, doing it can get you a ribbon!

(The elevator situation should be better, since they will at least all start out working, and hopefully folks will abide by the posted warnings regarding not doing the things that will cause them to break, but yes, I expect there will still be Issues.)

Since one story is approximately 8-12 feet (depending on the amount of space between floors for ductwork, insulation, etc.), Mt. Arisia is about 160 feet, give or take a few.

To put that in perspective, the highest natural point of Suffolk county is Bellevue Hill in Roxbury, which is about 325 feet.

I am going to bring my GPS with me, and take a measurement at the base and at the top, and see what it says. The website for the hotel doesn't mention it's exact height, and the GPS is not completely accurate with regards to height (I was once standing IN the Atlantic and it insisted we were ten feet above see level), but it's the best I can think of at the moment.

Oh yes, "Don't touch the doors or let them bump into you when they're closing." Great as long as you only have 2-3 people getting on or off at a time.

Ah! I actually live on Bellevue Hill! (and it's in West Roxbury actually). Highest point in Suffolk County and yet ironically we get no cell phone reception up here. :-) It's not that high a climb, in my opinion. Stairs, however, are different than walking up a gradual slope.

The Con Suite does not have a TV (it's a regular function room).

As a last resort, the hotel bar has a couple of TVs.

Yeah, it isn't much of a hill, but it's the highest point in that county, so, to some climbers like me, it is worth visiting. There are websites devoted to crazy people like me that think finding and standing on the highest point in various geopolitical boundaries (national, state, county) is a worthwhile goal. The height information for Bellevue that I posted comes from peakbagger.com, and I track my highpointing progress there and on cohp.org. Last year, my partner and I did the entire state of CT, and this year are are going to complete RI, MA and get started on VT.

Since this is getting pretty far from the OP, I'm going to stop now. Feel free to poke me privately if anyone wants to know more.

Start at the bottom and receive a ribbon when you reach the top.

One thing to keep in mind is that the summit of Mt. Arisia is the Art Show floor so please be considerate of those coming off the elevators to see the show. Both Bidder Number registration and Print Shop will be in the lobby area but there won't be a lot of chairs available.

I hope to have a water service near the stairs and there is a Women's Room there, as well; the Men's Room is further into pre-function space, though, so you'll have to have your badge visible to get past Art Show security.

Good luck!

Saturday and Sunday at 2-3p will be the official Arisia stair climb: Summit Mt. Arisia!

*strokes chin* Interesting...

Yeeesssssssssss?

I'm just intrigued.

I asked around, we don't have any function space available for the game, so I recommend either the hotel bar, or finding friend with a hotel room.

p.s. If you watch the game in the bar, please buy a drink or two from the bar (even if it's just soda or juice).

After reading this story I'm suddenly having trouble staying interested in the Pats game ....

While I don't intend to attend (^_^), I'm wondering if you have the use of the room in the gym which was mentioned at last year's gripe session.

I'm not sure which room you mean -- the open space in the gym area is pretty small, and, since it's been a while, I don't recall what other room it might be. But in any case, no, it will be in Crispus Attucks on Saturday and William Dawes on Sunday.

Maybe next year we can make it in the afternoon!

I do not know how silly people want to get, but I will try to remember to bring my climbing harness and hat. However, I do have an ice ax and could bring it, but I do not want to be hauled off by the Cambridge constabulary.

So far, I have only be able to find rather general guidelines about obeying local laws. In this case, are ice axes considered weapons (they certainly have that potential)? If so, can they be "peace-bonded" for purposes of summiting Mt. Arisia?

The ax is just a detail, but to satisfy my curiosity I would appreciate an official answer.

Thanks.

There is definitely going to be some silliness -- several folks have told me of their plans to bring climbing gear, backpacks, etc. I'll have my poles (with plastic tips on, of course).

I can't actually give you an official answer about the ice axe, but I'll shoot an email to the folks who can answer.

Looking forward to ribbon-ing you. :)

To be honest, I'd have to see it to make a final call. 100% sure it would need to be peacebonded. If it is actually sharpened, then Cambridge Police might object if the blade isn't covered. Anything sheathed is generally fine for them as long as it doesn't leave the hotel except inside luggage.

Feel free to bring it in to Security in advance of the climb and we'll make a call then. Sorry I can't be more definite, but as a non-climber I don't have a real sense of what an ice axe is size-wise.

Geoff/Kelyn
Arisa Security Head '08

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Yoga location?

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weapons policy on ice axes?

Re: weapons policy on ice axes?

Re: weapons policy on ice axes?