Survey about a WrongPlanet Gathering

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Hi everyone,

Sorry I haven't been very active here lately on the posts---been kind of depressed or something.

Anyway, the retreat sounds good in PA. I can't get the link to open here on my teacher workstation here at school, but do you know when it is? And how far ahead you have to register?

AUTISM NETWORK INTERNATIONAL
Presents
Autreat 2009
Living Life the Autly Way
4 p.m. Monday to 1 p.m. Friday
June 29 - July 3,2009
Bradford, Pennsylvania

We are now accepting proposals for workshops.
Click here for Call for Proposals and submission form.
Submission deadline: February 15, 2009

This Autreat sounds great from what I have seen so far. I would personally find this meeting as more than acceptable. It sounds quiet, relaxing, and peaceful. The idea of going on television can have either a terrifying or exciting feel to it. I mean I used to dream about being a TV star, but gee, once at an Elton John concert with my wife we got interviewed by the local TV news crew---and did I ever make a fool of myself. The newswoman asked me what I thought of his concert and I said, "It was an honorable thing to do." On TV I freeze up and feel like I am lost in a cloud. So---TV makes me even more awkward and terrified---I really just want to see what such a gathering has to offer for me, and meet some WrongPlanet people that I have conversed with/or will perhaps converse with in the future.

I live in southern Ohio, so Bradford is like about 6 hours away maybe. I think from my house to Cleveland is 4.5 hours, and it looks like maybe an 1.5 hours from Cleveland? How many of us could make it to Bradford? I emailed a guy on the website for it earlier today and he said registration would start around the first of March. He wasn't sure of the cost yet. But I went and joined the yahoo group for it off of the link given on a previous post here. It's something to think about. Thanks to all who have responded on this post.

I would love to go, but I don't have a car and I live 10 miles from the nearest bus station.

I just got my membership approved to join the Autreat 2009 yahoo discussion board and though I haven't got to read any posts there yet, there was mention of car pooling and getting rides if you needed it. That is if you trust your ride. I would be a little cautious about just getting a ride with anyone---autistic or neurotypical. Anyway, if you are interested I guess you could join the Autreat 2009 discussion group like I did and await information. Here is the website:

http://autistics.selfip.org/aut09.html

You will not regret it
I have already met about 100 aspies and I look forward to meeting the next 100.

With the knowledge of Autreat 2009, which I had not heard of when I started this discussion, I would like to ask another question:

Would you consider attending Autreat 2009 this summer? I think it is June 29-July 3---I think those are the dates.

Those are the dates, yes. I might consider it. Not sure if I could attend each day of it but, a few days might be possible for me.

Do you have to register for Autreat 2009 in order to be able to attend?

Yes, from what I understand you do have to register. Jim Sinclair, who seems to be over it, told me through email that the registration will probably start around the first of March. I went ahead and joined the yahoo discussion group for the Autreat 2009, and they are supposed to send important messages to the members. You can join too. But I will post here when I hear anything about the registration. The link for the Autreat 2009 is just a few messages back (I posted it)---I couldn't get it to copy/paste to put it on this reply.

Just bumping this for Ruveyn who was asking on the S. France meet-up thread if there was a USA meet happening.

.

I am just keeping in touch here to show that I am still very interested in this meet. But like most of you, I am not keen on media coverage---it does seem rather cold and impersonal to involve the media. And the idea of television coverage would make most of us nervous. I made a fool of myself on TV once, so I am not excited about doing it again. I still remember the fuzzy dizzy feeling in my head when I was "on." Fortunately it was taped and did not make it to the local news. I commented on a rock concert I saw.

Anyway...as summer is quickly approaching, what should we do? Try to organize our own little gathering(s)? Go to the Autreat2009 in Pennsylvania? I still haven't heard anything back from Jim Sinclair on this---he is suppose to post a message on the Yahoo discussion forum for Autreat2009 when he hears of new information.

I will keep you notified if I hear anything. Maybe you could do the same. And please, I am very open to suggestions---I am not a good leader of things like this---so I would love it very much if someone could lead this on. But for now, I will try to keep it going. My main goal here is that I would love to meet some of you---and I feel like a lot of you would like to meet each other for real too. Thanks for your interest.

Jim Sinclair is the chairman of Autreat's organizing committee. He is very busy at the moment. The committe is currently finalizing Autreat 2009's schedule. The official invitation to Autreat 2009 will soon be published. I suggest waiting for the invitation.
If you have questions about Autreat 2009, you are invited to post them to Autreat's information mailing list, which is on: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/autreatinfo/
Several members of Autreat's organizing committee are on that list, so they can answer questions about the plans for this year.

Someone might know the answer to this---maybe KenG does---is Autreat mainly for younger people, or is it designed for all age groups? I am 44 and I want to amongst other Aspies in my age range---nothing against teens---but I don't want to feel like the old man.

Autreat is designed for all age groups.
It does attract autistic teens (and children), who come with their parents, but most of the participants are adults. Some are much older than you are. Most of the organizers are in their 40s.
It is better to ask such questions on Autreat's information mailing list, because if you ask them over there, you are likely to get responses from several people, rather than just from me.

I haven't read this whole thread yet (I hate it when people do that)
But it's so long and I'll lose it if I don't subscribe.

I wish I could go to Autreat. It's about 5.5 hours from me. But I'm broke.

http://www.autreat.com/

Has anyone suggested a cheap, spin-off gathering? Like find a campsite somewhere... Better yet, does anyone have some undeveloped or farm land we could use, like an Aspie version of Woodstock?