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The grand unification: Las vegas - Tony H - 02-02-2015
What is a Grand Unification?
The Grand Unification, or GU as they are affectionately known, is a gathering of fans of F. Paul Wilson.
The very first event of this type was held in October of 2001 and was put together by yours truly and Lisa Krause. A few of the active members on the board during that time decided to take our love for each other into the real world. We met up in Baltimore, MD and spent a few days causing trouble, hitting up the inner harbor, going to Jasons Woods in PA, and doing karaoke in the hotel bar.
That year, FPW graced us with his presence and we all lost our shit as we were granted an intimate audience with the man whose books we loved and who inspired many of us to want to be writers.
We had so much fun that we attempted to have some type of GU each year.
The GU:2 was held in Atlanta, GA in October of 2002. We met more folks from the board and expanded our circle of friends into the real word.
For some odd/stupid reason we decided that visiting Paul at the Love is Murder convention in Chicago in February of 2004 would be an awesome idea for the GU:3. It was of course but it cemented the fact that the next destination should be warm and Sunny.
In February of 2005 we met up in DisneyWorld for the GU:4 and had the time of our lives.
The following year we went back to the cold and opted to have the GU in Boston, MA. This was the biggest GU we ever had, the group getting so large we overtook an entire bed and breakfast.
The following year we all met up in Nashville for a GU that Paul did not attend. At this point the gatherings were more about friendships with each other than just about meeting Paul.
There was some downtime in between the next events as members of our group got married, got divorced, had kids, had surgeries, etc...
We would not meet up again for a few years when we decided to visit DisneyWorld again. Again, this particular GU was larger than the others and ultimately led to folks going off on their own and doing their own things. We began referring to this event as the Fractured Unification, or the F-U.
A couple years ago a few members of the board met in New York for the International Thriller Writers convention to hang out with Paul. There was a mix of legacy members and new folk and though not an official GU, since Lisa and I were present we decided this was close enough to be canon. Maybe a .5U..that seems like a good name for it.
When is the Next GU
It has been a few years since we have had an official event, but the time is now. We decided to have a Grand Unification in March of 2015 at some place warm and fun. We opted for Sin City itself, Las Vegas, as our gathering point. The GU:LV will be held April 16-20. We have chosen the Monte Carlo resort as our headquarters due to central location on the strip as well as affordability compared to other mid-tier properties.
Will Paul Be There?
Paul is scheduled to attend. I don't know why he insists on agreeing to hang out with us, but he is gracious and a friend and we love the guy. We just can't let him know that or our years of tormenting the guy on here and on Facebook will all be for nothing.
We do our best to allow newcomers to the group to have as much access to Paul as they want. We have known him for years and are sort of over him at this point. New members to the group get seating next to him at restaurants and events while the rest of us look on and reflect upon how we used to be just like you.
I Want to Meet Paul, But I Don't Care About "The Regulars". Is This Still Okay?
Absolutely. We will do our best to make you feel welcomed and allow you to spend time with Paul. We will go above and beyond to ensure that you get your books signed and questions answered. If after all of that you, decide that you want nothing to do with the rest of the group, you are by no means obligated to spend time with us.
Honestly, we (the legacy members of this board) want to meet you and hang out with you, but we have almost 20 years of history with each other. We have seen many incarnations of this forum, we remember the Kade Cole board that preceded it and the mailing list before that. We know what it means when someone says "The Red and Black forum".
There will be tons of inside jokes being tossed about: "Larnyx", "Rabid dog", "Elevator Button", "Curb Jump", and "Indian A. Law", you may feel overwhelmed and left out.
So, you are not obligated to hang out with us outside of the GU activities. We won't be upset of angry. but we most likely will talk about you behind your back.
What Activities Do You Have Planned?
It is Vegas! The possibilities are endless. There are tons of restaurants from which to choose, casinos as far as the eye can see, nightclubs and bars, live theater, bars, comedy shows, bars, strip clubs, bars, and bars.
The resort at which we are staying is home to the Blue Man Group theater, so we will do that one night. Several of us want to take in a showing of "Evil Dead: The Musical", but to be honest, as of right now...we are sort of just playing it by ear. We will finalize plans in a few weeks.
I Want to Go!
Excellent! We are glad to have you. We have a facebook group set up. If you want to be added to the group and you are on facebook simply let us know on this thread or feel free to email me (Tony Harrington) at harri3601@gmail.com Use "GU" as the subject line. You can also email me for more details. We will be putting together a distribution group email for the GU in the next few weeks.
Any questions? Feel free to ask below and we will answer as soon as possible.
The grand unification: Las vegas - DaveStrorm - 02-02-2015
So it's not April 16 - 19 per Paul's "Where I'll Be - 2015" post?
The grand unification: Las vegas - Tony H - 02-03-2015
DaveStrorm Wrote:So it's not April 16 - 19 per Paul's "Where I'll Be - 2015" post?
It is April. Sorry about that.
I was looking at old emails to put together the dates and forgot that we moved it to April to accommodate some folks. I have corrected the dates in the description.
The grand unification: Las vegas - cobalt - 02-03-2015
Hmmmm. Might be able to do this if I get in enough hours for clinical at the VA. I'll even drag the husband along.
The grand unification: Las vegas - Tony H - 02-04-2015
cobalt Wrote:Hmmmm. Might be able to do this if I get in enough hours for clinical at the VA. I'll even drag the husband along.
You need to make this happen! I will add you to the facebook group.
The grand unification: Las vegas - Jamo - 02-04-2015
Don't you all wanna come to Germany? I would prefer that :-D
The grand unification: Las vegas - Tony H - 02-04-2015
Jamo Wrote:Don't you all wanna come to Germany? I would prefer that :-D
I would like to visit Germany very much. We will have to consider a GU in a foreign land.
The grand unification: Las vegas - Scott Miller - 02-05-2015
That is within driving distance for me...hmmm, will have to ponder on it.
The grand unification: Las vegas - Tony H - 02-08-2015
Scott Miller Wrote:That is within driving distance for me...hmmm, will have to ponder on it.
Yes you shall good sir!
The grand unification: Las vegas - Damin J. Toell - 02-09-2015
The capitalization in the subject line of this thread is killing me.