First Friday Minutes: 3-4-2022 In-Person and Online
Attending: Eli, Karen, Erin, Kent, Mem, Jack, Lisa, Don, Ted, Tim
Zoom: Richard K., Cary, Cyndi, Wes, Rosa
Presiding: Eli – 20:02
President’s Report: Eli – NTR
Vice President’s Report: Ted – We have vice!
Secretary’s Report: Morland – Minutes of previous Meeting posted! Karen is our guest
secretary for the month of March, so good luck everyone!
Social Media Secretary’s Report: Talk about what we want to have on our webpage
* Link to COSine
* Book list
* What we are, where we meet
* Update FFF History
* Update COSine History
* Photos from photo committee/Photo library
* Front Range Convention Info
Treasurer’s Report: Lisa – We have money. PayPal going to savings now that COSine is
calmed down.
Trustees Report: Karen – Our newest potential member is not here; two more meetings to
go.
Book Committee: Erin – We have a Martha Wells book that is scheduled for September 2022.
We have books out until December 2022. 1 book recommendation for each paid member of
FFF, then voting at the July Party. Suggested Cloud Roads by Martha Wells for January
2023, October is the Hugo winner, November is the movie (we don’t have a movie).
Photo Committee: Mem – We have lots of cool photos. Mem’s computer is a poophead.
Refreshments Committee: We are thoroughly refreshed.
COSine 2022: I don’t think we have anything left from COSine 2022.
COSine 2023: Karen and Eli
*We are signed with the Embassy Suites Hotel:
o Jan 20-22nd, 2023
o $6,000 for space. We negotiated with them to include the service charge,
which would have added another $1400+ dollars.
o Minimum $1,000 for catering (We generally spent $1,600+ at the Eleganté)
o 100 room night commitment (actually on the hook for 64 because of the way
calculated, same as with Eleganté).
o Room rate $119 (talked down from $129). Includes hot breakfast, evening
drinks, Wi-Fi (usually $9.95/day).
*Because of additional cost, raising prices by $10 more-or-less across the board
o This includes raising participant/artist/staff rate to $35.
o Because that matches the dealer rate, we are going back to including a
membership with a table. Tables will be increased by $10 (but we will likely
have less due to space-we are thinking about having an author’s row-type
arrangement outside the dealer’s room. We still need to do the math on that).
o Art tables going up to $10, panels still $5
*Providing an “early bird” rate that is effectively the same rate as would have had at
the door. This will run through the end of March.
*Plan to send out a first “Status Report” by mid-March at the latest.
*Web site is mostly up-to-date with new info, prices, etc.
*B&W flyer is ready to go. Will probably print in the next month. Kyle Crutcher (our
artist GoH) provided some very cool art. Waiting on some color art from him for the
color full-sized poster.
*Working on switching website over to Square for credit cards (2.6% + $0.10 per
transaction instead of $3.5% + $0.49 per transaction with PayPal). Also addresses
issue a number of people had with requiring a PayPal account before they could pay.
Hopefully will still allow people to pay with PayPal if they want to.
*Mem suggested going to $75, but we should be solvent with the current price
increase.
*Do we need 3 tracks of programming? (5 tracks including gaming, etc.)
*Patrick Nielsen Hayden and wifey are editors at Tor … maybe some sort of guests?
~ Lisa knows them through John Singer
Old Business: – Westercon in Tempe, AZ. We are no longer looking at running Westercon.
New Business: – NTR
Announcements: Joshua (Mem’s cat) can now open the cat food cupboard and pull out the
bag. Child locks needed.
We lost Zoom for a little bit. Oops!
Jack is moving back to Elaine’s bedroom.
Stewart the Steer will not be available to attend the July FFF picnic. Orders available for
more Stewart the Steer through July 1, 2022 … contact Ted. (6 signed up, so best pricing!)
The highest paid Kickstarter is Brandon Sanderson’s Kickstarter at $22.8M.
Starlink customers may opt in to pay in $100/mo and donate it to the Ukrainian Red Cross
(not advertised). Sent 6K dishes in Ukraine with free service. Don’t get blown up.
Next Meeting: 1 April 2022 at Karen’s House (April Fools!)
Book: Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
Adjourn: 21:10
Book Discussion: Witch Slapped by Dakota Cassidy
Witch Slapped is free on Kindle and iBooks today
Theme: Hopepunk (not apocalyptic downers)
Book Recommendation for 2023:
Lisa: Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn
Movie Suggestions from Cary
– Have we done Contact, as a book/movie?
– Predestination (2014) based on the short story ” All You Zombies-‘ ” by Robert A.
Heinlein.
– John Carter (2012) ~ This is fun.
– The Adjustment Bureau (2011) ~ Eli has heard good reviews.
– The Prestige (2006)
From imdb poll on Best Sci-Fi Movies Based on Book –
https://www.imdb.com/poll/ZdTg0Qelk6k/