2010.02.14 08:00 - Guardian Session: We Can Push Them Over the Edge

Present for this week's meeting were 10 guardians: Adams, Bleu (her first), Calvino, Eliza, Eos, Fael, Maxine, Wol (momentarily), Yakuzza, and Zen.

This was an important session in which we discussed upcoming retreats and also dug into the topic of fundraising in various ways.

(How, Why, Who)

Of course at first we start with greetings. :)     

Eliza Madrigal: Hello Zen :)
Zen Arado: Hi Eliza :)
Zen Arado: how are you?
Zen Arado: Hi Maxine :)
Maxine Walden: hi, Zen and Eliza
Eliza Madrigal: Well, thanks Zen :)
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Maxine :)
Maxine Walden: lovely outfit, Eliza
Maxine Walden: love those colors
Eliza Madrigal: Thank you :) I feel warm and happy in this
Maxine Walden: yes, very warm colors, remind meof autumn colors actually
Zen Arado: warm reddish colors
Eliza Madrigal: yes... very much so... think of falling leaves and breezes...
Maxine Walden: exactly!
Eos Amaterasu: Hi Angel
Zen Arado: warm Autumn soft light
Fael Illyar: Hi Everyone :)
Eliza Madrigal: :) Hi Fael, Eos :)
Maxine Walden: hi, Fael, and Eos
sophia Placebo is Offline
Zen Arado: Hi Fael
Zen Arado: Hi Eos
Maxine Walden: Wow, think Fael brought Valentine hearts into the room
Eliza Madrigal is really enjoying the wispy hearts
Wol Euler: Hello all, I'm on sparkle so cannot move or see you
Eos Amaterasu: Wo ist Wol?
Eliza Madrigal: Oh.... now we have a Wol cloud...
Eos Amaterasu: Yak just dropped in
Yakuzza Lethecus: hey everyone
Wol Euler: At workk in RL alas
Maxine Walden: hi, Yaku, nice of you to drop in
Eliza Madrigal: Ohhh... sigh
Zen Arado: Hi Yaku:)
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Ya :)
Bleu Oleander: hi
Fael Illyar smiles.
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Bleu!
Zen Arado: Hi Bleu :)

The guardian initiation ritual...

Eliza Madrigal: Welcome to your first guardian meeting! :)
Maxine Walden: hi, Bleu, yes, welcome
Bleu Oleander: thanks
Eliza Madrigal: The building is spread across a boundary so it may take a few tries to sit....
Eliza Madrigal: good to get really close :)
Bleu Oleander: is this an initiation rite? can't seem to sit
Bleu Oleander: hehe
Eliza Madrigal: hehe, you figured it out
Maxine Walden: must seem so, Bleu
Fael Illyar: sitting needs to happen on a chair in the same sim you're in :)
Maxine Walden: and it does not make it easier for us to be watching you!
Eos Amaterasu: I had to go to this end
Eos Amaterasu: (slightly buggy)
Eliza Madrigal: true, Maxine!
Fael Illyar: this place is on the crossing of two sims
Zen Arado: better if you walk to the end where we are
Zen Arado: and then sit
Maxine Walden: are you comfortable, Bleu?
Eliza Madrigal: In RL one could get up and offer their seat.... or hm, something :)
Bleu Oleander: i'll try it again :)
Wol Euler: Sorry meeting, hope to be back later
Eliza Madrigal: You got one!
Maxine Walden: ah...!
Eliza Madrigal: Oh... sorry Wol
Bleu Oleander: :))))
Zen Arado: bye Wol :)
Maxine Walden: thanks, wol
Eliza Madrigal: thanks for trying :)

Eos gets us started...

Eos Amaterasu: Just wanted to mention the upcoming San Francisco RL retreat
Maxine Walden: yes, Eos
Eos Amaterasu: http://playasbeing.wik.is/PaB_Retreats/2010-04_California
Eliza Madrigal is sorely tempted
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Eos Amaterasu: Let Pema or me know if/when you're coming :-)
Eos Amaterasu: He got a great rate on the hotel rooms
Maxine Walden: how many currently planning on coming, Eos
Eos Amaterasu: Starts evening Sunday April 18, departure Sat morning April 24
Eos Amaterasu: 4 definites so far, plus various considering, tempted, maybe's.....
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Eos Amaterasu: Eos, Gaya, Pema, Stim so far
Eliza Madrigal is a various tempted maybe
Bleu Oleander: sounds interesting!
Maxine Walden: :))
Bleu Oleander: what happens for five days?
Eos Amaterasu: shorter or longer sessions, along with discussions
Eos Amaterasu: plus at least one silent day
Eos Amaterasu: this is experiment in "urban retreat"
Eos Amaterasu: more intensive, continuous exploration
Eos Amaterasu: I think we're finding that the SL/RL back and forth has its own special power

I thought for a moment of the after-retreat blending back into so-called 'real life' 

Eliza Madrigal: The pro of an urban setting seems that maybe it might encourage a more seamless re-entry? rl/retreat life
Maxine Walden: very interesting, eos
Eliza Madrigal: yes
Zen Arado: if you already live in an urban setting in RL maybe
Zen Arado: I would love to do a retreat in Tassajara
Eliza Madrigal: hm, yes maybe I mean not closing out distractions but working with them...
Zen Arado: it's up in the mountains from SF
Maxine Walden: where, Zen?
Eos Amaterasu: Near Big Sur
Maxine Walden: Ah...thanks
Zen Arado: http://www.sfzc.org/tassajara/display.asp?catid=4,19&pageid=182
Zen Arado: so wild
Zen Arado: they got burnt out last year
Eos Amaterasu: Fall 2012 will be in Creston, Colorado, considered by some to be one of the 2 or 3 best places in the world to do retreat
Zen Arado: but that's beside the point I guess
Eos Amaterasu: Crestone
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, nice Eos
Maxine Walden: wonderful Eos to be planning so far ahead!! and to such great places
Eos Amaterasu: Hopefully Storm will go there first and set up Play as Being saloon :-)
Eliza Madrigal: :))
Bleu Oleander: :)
Maxine Walden: :))

Reference to our "Bella" who I for one have neglected and need to visit today. :)

Zen Arado: but don't get a cat :)
Eliza Madrigal: haha, or we will spend the retreat naming it :)
Zen Arado: :)
Eliza Madrigal giggles
Maxine Walden: yes :)
Maxine Walden: yes, a pleasurable distraction perhaps.

Fael had been fidgeting with a prim box in the hall while the discussion evolved, and now had completed a fancy ad. :)

Fael Illyar: there, all ready and packaged, now to write a notice notecard :)
Maxine Walden: ? Fael
Fael Illyar: I'm listening here but mostly not quite here :)
Fael Illyar: preparing to release a product in my shop
Eliza Madrigal: Nice Ad, Fael.... (she's multitasking for business)
Zen Arado: one of those hotels in SF could be disabled accessible Eos?
Fael Illyar: it's behind me :)
Eos Amaterasu: Can check into that: highly likely
Eliza Madrigal: yes I would be surprised if not

Maxine continues our discussion from last week...

Maxine Walden: I was not here last guardian meeting, when the naming of the cat took so much attention. Was there any time given to the topic of donations as well?
Eliza Madrigal: Yes, Maxine... for a few minutes....
Eliza Madrigal: The idea of tip jars was brought up, and everyone was asked to consider ideas...
Eos Amaterasu: (Hotel Kabuki wheelchair access: yes)
Zen Arado: ok thanks Eos
Eliza Madrigal: We are few this morning, but you know it ties into the retreat topic as well, because it would be nice to raise funds enough to support PaB inworld, and also to make sure that all guardians have a chance (though not obligation) to attend a rl retreat...
Eliza Madrigal: Tip jars traditionally do not bring in very much, but perhaps they allow those who prefer to donate through lindens to do so, and also serve as reminders? I *think* we basically decided to give it a try?
Eliza Madrigal: but just as one thing among hopefully many other ideas :)
Maxine Walden: that is what I heard to give the tip jars a try

Zen Arado: what about a few signs like the one Fael just made?
Eliza Madrigal: signs can be tip jars too :)
Zen Arado: yes

Bleu jumps right in, asking important questions...

Bleu Oleander: is there something on the PaB website that explains the donation request and what the money is used for?
Bleu Oleander: that might be helpful if there isn't
Zen Arado: http://playasbeing.wik.is/Donations
Eliza Madrigal nods to Bleu. There is a donation page....
Eliza Madrigal: Thanks Zen :)
Fael Illyar: Hi Cal, Adams :)
Zen Arado: Hi Cal, Adams
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Calvino and Adams :) I'll give you both notes :)
Calvino Rabeni: Thanks :)
Maxine Walden: hi, Cal and Adams
Adams Rubble waves quietly
Bleu Oleander: hi Cal and Adams

Eliza Madrigal: :) It is a good idea though, along the lines of Bleu's question, to discuss as we go along... if there are questions, etc
Eos Amaterasu: ~ ~ ~ ~
Eliza Madrigal: that's what these meetings are for :) brainstorming, etc
Maxine Walden: Donations/money is so hard to talk about or often to refer to....it seems so mundane and perhaps feels coercive compared to many of our other topics
Eliza Madrigal nods
Maxine Walden: but for such a long time Pema carried the whole financial issue on his shoulders...and now we are trying to open it up, have the rest of us become more aware of the costs as well as the benefits of PaB
Eliza Madrigal: yes... and perhaps there are creative ideas, energies that might come to the surface along the way
Maxine Walden: yes indeed
Zen Arado: are people taking up the subsidies to the retreats?
Zen Arado: two people each time?
Eliza Madrigal: I don't think there were funds available for the last retreat... Am I right, Eos? This is part of why it seems right to set a goal for donations....
Eos Amaterasu: We have not done that yet, but have "budgeted" to be able to offer scholarships
Bleu Oleander: how do people qualify for these scholarships?
Eos Amaterasu: Last retreat made a bit of money, which we'll apply to that
Eos Amaterasu: I guess contact me (as the retreat coordinator, currently), and the working group will oversee allocating funds
Zen Arado: just wondering ...if no one takes the offers up...

Eos Amaterasu: I think idea is if someone is on the edge financially, we can push them over the edge :-)
Eliza Madrigal giggles at that idea
Eos Amaterasu: (in a positive way :-)
Fael Illyar: would sound reasonable to roll any extras over to the next quarter if there are any
Eliza Madrigal ws just saying this morning that pab pushes our boundaries :)))
Eliza Madrigal nods to Fael
Eos Amaterasu: yes, Fael
Eliza Madrigal: So the basic idea is two people paid in full, but I'm sure if there were four who could pay half... that might be another way to distribute?
Eliza Madrigal: hypothetically?

Eliza Madrigal: But of course first we must cover the basic financial nees of pab in world :)
Zen Arado: yes - I think the basic costs have to be covered first
Zen Arado: and perhaps any extra could be used to finance grants ?
Eliza Madrigal: this is also a conversation we can have in email within the larger guardian group, though I know some are sensitive to email load :)
Bleu Oleander: nods to Eliza ... makes sense to have all the guardians involved

Adams Rubble: Have you considered that all the guardians have a vested interest in the costs of the in world activities and a few in the retreats and that it might be better to ask for funding of specific activities inworld rather than the other way around?
Maxine Walden: interesting point, Adams.
Zen Arado: yes and we might be assuming a demand for assistance that might not be there
Zen Arado: the retreats seem more lie the icing on the cake to me?
Eliza Madrigal: yes, interesting question Adams... I'm not sure that inworld activities break down to specifics... aside from tier? hm... definitely worth considering
Eos Amaterasu: is SL or RL the icing? Good question.
Adams Rubble: I am sure the retreats are very meaningful for those that attend them but for many the RL activities take place thorugh SL PaB
Fael Illyar: inworld activities seem to be mostly tier and volunteer time to me.

Adams Rubble: and yes Eliza, tier, but the tier includes the pavilion, this meeting place, the pub, the museum, etc. as well as Kira places
Eliza Madrigal: yes... and tier costs can be surprising. I know I was startled when I first heard what Pema had been carrying for a while...
Adams Rubble: yes, for me too Eliza
Eliza Madrigal nods to Adams... yes PaB inworld is many things and good to draw attention the richness of our experience here too :)
Adams Rubble: fund a pub :)
Bleu Oleander: seems to me that we have alot of spaces that could be condensed

Maxine Walden: and Kira as a non-profit organization, an umbrella organization, has some accounting expenses...to keep it non-profit, as I understand
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, yes that is very true
Bleu Oleander: so maybe Kira members should help as well as PaB members

As the meeting wound down, I considered our seriousness, which I appreciate as showing our devotion and interest in PlayasBeing and its workings... 

Eliza Madrigal stops to consider all the silly guardian sessions we've had and that Bleu's first is rather serious-minded ...
Adams Rubble: There are just a handful of Kira members who are not in PaB and they are working very hard on projects
Eliza Madrigal makes silly faces at Bleu =P~
Eliza Madrigal: As I understand it, PaB is kira's most vibrant/active component?
Bleu Oleander: :))
Maxine Walden: that is my understanding as well, Eliza
Fael Illyar: Yes, I agree, the budget covers Kira too.
Bleu Oleander: Kira has 443 members
Eos Amaterasu: !

Eliza Madrigal: Thank you Maxine, for all you contribute... and Thanks everyone for the discussion (which we need to continue). I have to go for now. Will someone send me 'excess' chat log? :)))
Adams Rubble: that is the mailing list
Maxine Walden: I have to go, hour is up. Nice discussion, and maybe we could continue it on email
Eos Amaterasu: (also must go...) bye all!
Maxine Walden: yes, nice to see everyone
Adams Rubble: tip jar at the Cafe
Adams Rubble: :)
Eliza Madrigal: :))
Adams Rubble: bye everyone
Zen Arado: haev to go too
Zen Arado: bye all
Bleu Oleander: bye everyone