Hope your father's surgery goes well, Marc! Keep us in the loop.
I apologize again for the announcement being so late. The sign-up thread will go up later today. I spoke with the venue manager yesterday and we should be good to go now. We will have access to the gym this year in addition to the cafeteria, auditorium, and all other normal spaces!
Gary asked "what people were getting tired of and what people are looking forward to"... I don't mean to speak for the group, but speaking in general terms, I think most people look forward to the social aspect of the event as much as anything. Many of us have grown quite close over the years, but because we're all so far apart we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like, so SELEM is almost like a family reunion. Of course, everyone looks forward to seeing new shows, and new equipment, and even learning new tricks and tips, but to me the lasers are secondary to the joy of just hanging out with a bunch of cool folks for a week.
Regarding what I am getting tired of, well, the first thing would definitely be the revolving door at the office for the Auditorium Executive Director! We have yet another new person in that chair this year. Fortunately, she is more experienced than most, as she served on the board of directors for the Auditorium for 5 years and has lived in Newton for quite a bit longer than that. She is very organized, so I don't think we'll have too many issues moving forward.
The other thing I am tired of is the profound sadness I experience the day after SELEM ends when I realize I have to wait a whole year before we can do it again.
Adam