Topic: Tell me about the pre soak....

[Norfolk Slim]

I am looking seriously at coming over this summer.  It occurs to me that if I am going to do so, it makes sense to make the most of it, given the long journey, so is it worth coming a few days early for this pre soak business?

[Slack]

Yeah man!  Come on over Simon!

The workshop week is SO busy -- I mean they jam pack the thing... too much fun.

So the nice thing about pre-soak is that weenies get to visit, play guitar and drink the adult beverage of ones choice.... not necessarily in that order...

...and if you are coming from the UK, hey - stay awhile...
 

[GhostRider]

Hey:

Pre-soak can be a bit of a risky business. Wait a bit until housing has been firmed up.

Or you could spend hours waiting to move daily.

alex

[waxwing]

Waiting? You describe sitting around drinking beer on a veranda and playing blues "waiting"? -G- Okay, sure, we couldn't leave the pile of guitars, clothes and barbecue equipment unattended for a couple hours while they cleaned the next house we were moving into, but it wasn't like it was onerous.

There was a bit of a snafu with our housing last year due to a changing of who does the arranging 2 years previously, but that was all ironed out and we will likelike only have to move once, at most, due to the fact that the arrangement usually changes between presoak and the actual week of camp.

But I would recommend to anyone who is coming such a long distance that they should consider being at PT for presaok, unless your also trying to work in some sightseeing elsewhere along the coast.

As Slack said, it is really the time when the Weenies really get to kick back and just play and socialize, without a lot of classes to get in the way.-G- And it gets you warmed up so you're in a better place to get more out of those classes, too.

All for now.
John C.

[Norfolk Slim]

Okay- thanks for the information.

So presumably, if one was planning to join the pre soak- you book up, but not with the normal accomodation and meals etc?  Then that stuff gets sorted nearer the time?

[uncle bud]

Correct. Presoak is not run by Centrum but by the Weenies and is completely unofficial. You'll need to contact the Weenie housemaster (see your personal messages) to get on the presoak list, make sure there's room etc. Jed manages the presoak housing fees and you pay him. This is all better done off the board here through private mail. If Jed doesn't respond right away, it's because his world is complicated.    Email me, and I'll prod him.

If you are planning on staying in the dorms/doing the meal plan once the workshop starts, I believe you can book that already. I seem to remember someone posting that registration was now open. But you can wait to do that until you know better what your plan will be. You're not risking losing your place in the workshop. There's lots of time. More important I suspect will be committing to going so that you can start booking your flight and looking for the best deal.

We do tend to move around from available house to available house during presoak because it's tricky to get the free space with the overlap that occurs with the jazz workshop running the week before the blues workshop. But it's no big deal IMO. Alex just isn't used to roughing it for a couple hours.

[Norfolk Slim]

Thanks.  Got the PM.

Flight deals seem hard to come by at that time of year but that's life :-)

[GhostRider]

Jed manages the presoak housing fees and you pay him.

I can't believe that Unkie Bud can say this with a straight face. Aren't we three years behind?

Alex just isn't used to roughing it for a couple hours.

As long as you like getting up early on your vacation (10 AM) and having no place to keep beer cold until 3:30 pm, IT'S FINE. Better to find a guard for $20,000 worth of misc. stuff while houseless. Try Pyrochlore, he's usually hungover anyway.

Norfolk, I just way to illustrate the good with the bad. Once ensconced in ones new digs at 4 PM, pre-soak is a total gas. Lots of playing, listening, drinking (did I say that...) and fine eating.

And no one ever makes fun of Unkie Buds legs or Slack's funny accent....

Alex

[uncle bud]

Not aware of being three years behind on housing. Food, yes, but that's another story.

In the past, we have usually moved around less, got out of the houses late, and got into new houses early. Last year the housing folks at Fort Worden were more "by the book", so we sat around a bit more.

Slack has an accent?

[Slack]

UB, if Pyro cannot stop all the bellyachin', I think we should consider sticking him in the Alladin Motor Inn in town --- to give him a little perspective and us a nice break! 

Slack has an accent?

And then send him to Lubbock or Midland, TX for more perspective.

And Alex, I'm not into Punk.  In order to keep using my fingerpicking skills (meager as they are) ..I'm now into Punkabilly and Psychobilly.  Reverend Horton Heat is my new hero.

 

[Norfolk Slim]

Okay- thanks.  Final question then, is there a definite starting date/ day for this- or is it yet to be decided? 

[uncle bud]

Good question. Presoak has generally started three days before the workshop. Last year, a day was added to the workshop schedule, starting on Sunday, which meant moving presoak back a day to Thursday. Thursday is usually a half dozen Weenies arriving late afternoon/early evening and decompressing. Friday and Saturday more people arrive, including some faculty that we help Centrum with, generally by making them feel welcome, feeding them and plying them with adult beverages, as Slack put it. So presoak can theoretically start for someone on any of those days. But, I don't know that we have confirmation yet on housing availability for three days of presoak, so let's see if we can drag Jed into this. It will likely be a bit too early to tell.

[swampman]

Yo Weenies,

Looks like I am coming to PT this year with my dearly beloved, Anne.  We are actually taking a real vacation and driving down to the Bay area after PT.  Got some new fly rods I want to test out (want to see if I can catch a King Salmon on a 1 wt Orvis superfine) <gr> We will spend about a week driving down.

So, the conundrum is what guitars and what fly rods to bring.  I guess that means I am pro-choice.  Look forward to  seeing you guys.

Jed,  Please put Anne and I down for Sunday arrival for Weenerhousen.  Also, remember we need a bed turndown each night, and mints on the pillow.

Swampman

[Norfolk Slim]

Thanks for everyone's help on this.

Unfortunately developments in the real world have caught up with me...  My wife is going to be out of work for a month this summer, which means I need to cover all the outgoings she usually deals as well as keeping her in wine and nice shoes!

Im not going to be able to do it this year after all- I simply cant justify the expense of the flights etc.  Hopefully life will be a little simpler next summer!

[Johnm]

Sorry to hear it didn't work out to come to Port Townsend this summer, Simon.  Maybe next summer will work out better.
All best,
Johnm