Write-Ins

I have a minor obsession with the library, so I'm always down for meeting there! But I can also make the other locations work, particularly Lulu's and Coffeetopia.

I loved Surf City write-ins in Aptos last year.

And LuLu's is great - also, I heard Ugly Mug mentioned as well, which seems to be a good compromise.

Also, don't skin me alive, anyone, but the top level of Border's is a really nice area for writing. And there are pretty decent coffee-type drinks and pastries served if you don't mind supporting the corporate monster.

--
Denial - not just a river in Egypt.

Nobody's going to skin you alive for making a good suggestion. The one criteria that many people overlook, however, is the all-important electrical outlet. I have two (count 'em - TWO) long extension cords with multiple outlets, so if we can find even one solitary plug, we can power all of us. Electricity can be a deciding factor, especially for people with older laptops and I don't want to exclude anybody because of that.

If Border's has seating, coffee AND electricity, I'd say that makes it an ideal candidate!

Borders and electrical outlets kinda suck. I remember working their last semester on a paper and finding that I was screwed until someone left and I lunged at the outlet like a monkey for a banana. It was no good. Provided we do have those extension cords, it might work but I dont know what Borders thinks about us mooching so much power. Seating isnt too bad, but in the comfy seating area there are pretty much no outlets.

~~~~~~~

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less travled by.

And that has made all the difference.

So I had this silly idea. I live near Ferrell's Donuts on Mission (well... walkably close, but not super close). And I've been thinking that since they're open 24 hours, I have to go there and eat a donut at an ungodly hour sometime. And then it occurred to me that NaNoWriMo is a time of doing crazy or weird things. So then I thought that maybe a group of us could get together and do it as a group.

But there's a problem with this. I don't believe they have a single power outlet for customer use. Also, donuts are sticky and probably impede novelling.

So it occurred to me that if anyone else is interested, we could meet up to write at my place and at some point go acquire donuts (and/or ice cream... they sell Marriane's). In my room there's multiple outlets and I have a power strip and could get ahold of another one from my parents' place, providing about ten or twelve three-prong outlets, effectively. Internet access is an issue - we have it but it's wired. You may be able to mooch from the neighbors. I live, according to Google Maps, about ten minutes walking distance from Ferrell's, which seems about right. The house is not really wheerchair accessible, and my room is not huge and has only the one table... there aren't any three-prong outlets in the living room, so that's not really doable. I do live with people, so it'd be best to be quiet.

But there you have it. If anyone's interested in doing something like this some night probably around the middle of the month, give me a holler and we can organize it.

Participant 04-07, Winner 04, 06, 07
NaNo 08:
Bananas to the Party: It's All Gone Pants - Doctor Who/Star Trek Voyager fic featuring Seven of Nine, with cameos by Captain Jack and K9 and lots of crazy nonsense

That's a very nice offer, bubble. Thank you!

So, it sounds like we have our first (almost) scheduled write-in. As soon as I figure out the whole Google calendar thang and you guys pick a date, I'll put it up.

And bubble, thanks for putting this one out there - you RAWK!

\m/ >_< \m/

I'm a little bummed to see that all the write-ins are during the day... I can still make the weekend ones (even then I'd rather have them at night, so I can spend the daylight hours with my kids), but it's kind of a bummer to have 4/5ths of the events eliminated for me right off the bat. We're not all students with relatively open schedules...some of us actually have jobs that require our presence during much of the day.

I think that's a little harsh, elekazal. A lot of us students have jobs as well and our schedules are not as "open" as you would think. I wasn't able to make the meet-and-greet because of a class and the same may happen for the Nov 7 event--but we're all doing our best to organize events that lots of people will be able to make it to, and nobody's intentionally trying to leave anybody out here. Suggest a few dates/times that would work for you and everybody will work together to make something happen!

2008: By Inches (typing with one hand and knocking on wood with the other)

Lots of us have day jobs! Mine is in Mountain View, which adds an hour drive each day. But rather than curse our darkness - light a candle! If you have a time/place you'd like to have a write-in, please let me know and I will add it to the calendar. Sunday afternoon at Ocean Park (where you can bring your kids)? Wednesday evenings at a pizza place? I have kids myself and would love to bring them, but I don't know many kid-friendly places in SC. By all means - tell me what would work for you!

I would love to see more evening write-ins, too. I have classes early morning and into the afternoon, and even the Saturday ones are at ungodly hours of the morning, considering I have to travel over an hour to get to Scotts Valley or Aptos by bus from campus.

Can we have maybe a 7pm to 9pm or something of the like write-in during the week? Or later, up to you guys. I heard Lulu's is open late.

Okay, I'm putting 7-9 at Lulu Carpenter's on Pacific up on the board for a couple of days a week. Let me know if you want those days changed around.

I can't make it on Mondays because I have a late-night lecture, but Saturdays and Wednesdays work great. Thanks!

Where is 'the board'?

If you go back to the home page for the Santa Cruz regional lounge, there's a bunch of stuff up at the top. The second topic talks about our regional Google calendar, which is our board for the write-in schedule. Anyone may request a write-in anywhere for any time and I will cheerfully post it there. Try it!

Ah, thanks!

I signed up for write-ins Mondays and Thursdays at Ugly Mug at 8:30 am (right after school drop-off), but I think I've been the only one there. Mind if I switch to Peet's on Bay Ave?

From what I hear from the guys in my office, Peets on Bay Ave is the best place around for using laptops and working. We had computer issues, a couple months ago and could not get a stable T-1 connection for our office. THey were using Peets to work. My office is right across the street from Carpos. I would love to do a write-in there but it doesn't fit into my schedule.

~*~Jenn~*~

Your wish is my command. I've added yours to the Ugly Mug one just in case there's someone who's still thinking of attending. But now they have a choice.

Thanks!

I wrote at Peet's yesterday, from about 8:30 am to about 10 am. Of course, the coffee is the best. As to the other variables, most indoor tables seem to be near power outlets, certainly along the wall. The two leather easy chairs in the middle don't seem to have an outlet near by. If you're going to want Internet access, ask for a code when you get your coffee. The code is good for two hours. When I was there they had beautiful classical music on in the background. There were waves of people coming in, most getting their stuff to go. If you don't find a place to sit right away, something will likely open up by the time your espresso drink is ready. Lighting is good, with lots of windows. If you like to write in clusters, there might be a bit of a challenge as the tables are mostly small round ones (say 24–30" diameter?).
Enjoy!