or right behind for that matter. but (uh, huh, huh you said but) that doesn't matter as much as this matters:
I've thought a lot about the subject of "get here" in regards the NHC that piggybacks on to the Brewing Networks 5 Year Party (aka BNA5). for some reason we have a love affair with the 5, 10 and 20's of things. the 6 or the 7 isn't as big a deal as the 5th.... the 5th is a big deal. it's a celebration that WE have to do because WE all, and that is all of us, helped make happen. it's as much my party as it is your's as much as it is Justin's, Doc's, JP's and everyone else.
I'm one of the few people besides the cast and crew that's been to every BNA. and you know what? I think that every single version of this party should NOT have been missed by anyone. there are lots of reasons: the beer, the asshatery, the music but mostly it's meeting you guys that made them all the total gas that they've been.
that said, I think that it's important to say that you really should get your ass to Minnesota for this party. if you are sitting at home listening to a feed or watching the video (no promises, I will do it if I'm asked, seriously I will, but I have more to say), the twitter tag #bna5 and the still pictures pouring out of there and it sounds like a better time it's because it is a better time. I know that everyone will have circumstances that will keep them home. but here's the thing.
find a way.
you have about 4 months to save some money. put away $20 a week between now and June which gets you $160. but if you sock away another bill you'd have $320. if that means you have to give something up to do that then do that. less beer, smaller food, bumming smokes, eat at home, no hookers, give up blow. the money that you don't have for the BNA5 is money that you are spending on something else you don't need.
okay, so you can't save because it's already a tight rope. you can raise money another way: garage sale, post crap on eBay, classifieds, craigslist. clean out your dead unused stuff. turn crap into cash. I know this works because I've dumb lucked my way into garage sales. one day I was leaving for a Saturday away when I walked out front to see neighborhood garage sales already in progress. I delayed the plans for a short time, opened the garage door, set out a table and moved it out. I made $1300 in two hours. this was from junk.
eBay and craiglist are different animals but you never know until you list it. it's nearly free. mind the scammers. don't sell to anyone you can't track down easily. don't blow the money you get in PayPal just leave it there instead.
getting there is a trick. but flights aren't expensive right now. there are so many tools to find cheap airfare. I won't list them but it's not as expensive as you think. and this is exactly what the credit card is for so buy it now and you can have it paid for before it's time to go. another way to get there is to fly part way and carpool in with midwesterners who are driving anyway. or you could drive if you live near there. a 12 hour day on the road covers 700-800 miles. distance isn't even an excuse. just pick people up along the way while your at it.
if not going is about money because a hotel room costs a buck ten there are ways of making it cheaper. go in on a room with somebody else(s). it's not like you are going to spend any time in the room anyway. you will pass out there and you will shower there. and that's about it. so what if somebody has to sleep on the floor. it's not like that hasn't been done before. if you get three people going in on the place it becomes $35 a night. which surprisingly looks like a bar tab.
I think about all the people that I met during the NHC 2009 in Oakland. and you know, as tired as I was at the end of the week, as much money as I spent, as hung over as I was, as farts powered by hundreds of different yeasts competing for awesome in my gut imbued the air, it was the overwhelming number people that I got to meet that made sure it was all worth it.
so BN Army it's to all of us to make sure we don't leave anyone behind. everyone who wants to go should be able to with all of our help. if you have a room already consider offering the other bed for half. driving? honk for a carpool.
in any case it's right around the corner. are you in or what?
Bob "G. Bob" Roland
