[G.J.Knight]

I'm not hearing a no to the the pinata idea so thats good.

[Joinee Smith]

GJ Michelle P, on 10 Dec 2008, 10:14 PM, said:

Following on with comments about the march and why people might not do it:

It seems to have turned into 'kids' running around willy nilly with stupid signs, attacking people with hugs (whether the recipient wants them or not).
Without wanting to sound like someone's grandma, frankly it's a bit embarrassing and distasteful. I'm not above embarrassing myself, it happens all too frequently, but tripping over my feet is one thing, being part of a crazed crowd is something else altogether. I liked when it was more handing out of cards and gifts, having a quick chat with someone who's interested in what we're doing. From what I've witnessed, it's become more of an opportunity for 'wackiness' and "Look at me! Look at MEEEEEE!!!!" attention-seeking rather than simply an exercise in fun and doing something nice for others.

I'm certainly not a 'run off to the pub to drink' person. Maybe a 'run off to the pub so I can talk to my friends a bit more' person, which is understandable given I travel nearly 5000 miles for the weekend. Last year, when I did exactly that, it made me incredibly happy. That said, I used to enjoy the march until it became something completely different.

If others like it, that's awesome. We should all have a day that makes us happy.

Having been on every march since K2, I'd have to disagree with many of the points you've made here. I'd don't think it's turned into anything like you're suggesting. This years certainly wasn't like that. I find the march to be one of the most enjoybale parts of Karmageddon, if not of the entire year. It really rejeuvantes my enthusiam for Join Me and RAOK's and I think more old timers should give it a go.



Jason

[GJ Dandy David]

The Oxford Circus bit was more like what Michelle is describing because we were able to stand there for ages, and Hannah had the Join Me flyers and people were genuinely interested and that was particularly nice.
I enjoyed the whole march though.

[PJ Stevie G]

Joinee Smith, on 10 Dec 2008, 11:21 PM, said:

Having been on every march since K2, I'd have to disagree with many of the points you've made here. I'd don't think it's turned into anything like you're suggesting. This years certainly wasn't like that. I find the march to be one of the most enjoybale parts of Karmageddon, if not of the entire year. It really rejeuvantes my enthusiam for Join Me and RAOK's and I think more old timers should give it a go.



Jason

I agree 100%.

Well, ok, this has only been my 3rd march, but I don't think singing along with carollers singing for charity, giving sweets and presents to street performers or showing a bit of happiness and kindness to fellow human beings, whether by a hug or not is attention seeking or crazed at all. I'd also like to point out that no-one I've witnessed has attacked someone with a hug. I for one always ask if they'd like one.

And the stupid signs? Well, each to their own really. Is that really hurting anybody? The worst you get is some variation of free hugs, and I don't find that embarrassing.

It's doing nice things for people and if we get to have fun doing so on the way, so much the better. Wackiness doesn't come into it; people are still doing the nice things.

Michelle's post seems to have touched a nerve with me. Sorry if I come off a bit strong with this.

[Poohbah (Gsq)]

I totally agree that this year it didn't seem wacky or "look at meeeeeeeeeeeeeee" at all. It was pretty relaxed, everyone was just having fun, and we didn't seem to be annoying anyone. I didn't even hand out sweets (I gave mine to Amanda to hand out, coz she'd almost run out). I just had my sign and a smile and waited for people to come to me for a hug. I don't even see it as a "let's spread the word of Join Me"... if people really really want to know what we're up to then I'll tell them, but the best times were when people would just walk up to me, give me a massive hug, and then walk away again, with neither of us having needed to say a word. It was really touching. (No pun intended).

With the roads closed and the street performers out, everyone's expecting a bit of madness anyway. But then, what's more attention seeking - someone smiley giving you a bar of chocolate, wishing you a nice day, and then walking off.... or two men on a pennyfarthing going 'PIP PIP!!!' and honking their horns at you? (no euphemism intended)

I don't in any way mean this to sound like I'm saying 'your opinion is wrong' to you Michelle, so I hope it doesn't come across that way. Perhaps other bigger marches in previous years have been more in-yer-face. (I was at them, I just can't remember..!) My above rambling is simply putting forth my view of this year's march. I really really loved it

[Captain K]

Silver Poohbah, on 11 Dec 2008, 01:15 AM, said:

With the roads closed and the street performers out, everyone's expecting a bit of madness anyway.

I particularly love this about recent Karmageddons. I hope we can continue to coincide with the Regent Street closure. It makes people so much more open and ready to engage with unusual things like the present-giving, the signs offering free hugs, and everything else we get up to.

[Chez]

G.J.Knight, on 10 Dec 2008, 10:51 PM, said:

Either way as long as it was kept to a poster and some card board cutouts like this year it would be fine. Although we could dress you up in a henchman pinata costume and beat you with festive sticks if you like?

YAY!

[Au³ Joinee Jamie]

G.J.Knight, on 10 Dec 2008, 10:51 PM, said:

Well if you want to be a pedantic little #!$& this K just gone could be called K7 as there was a K2.5.5 one christmas instead of a proper Karmageddon. So it would technically be 6 years and no theme.

Either way as long as it was kept to a poster and some card board cutouts like this year it would be fine. Although we could dress you up in a henchman pinata costume and beat you with festive sticks if you like?

Maybe you could shut up and let people correct you. "There was a christmas one" obviously 2.5 isnt a different year to k2 so it is 6 years. When did it become ok to just randomly abuse people, suggesting it's ok to abuse people just because they're not the you. David made a valid point, just let him have it graciously without being offensive.

Obviously you're being sarcastic, but I think david's put up with enough little 'nearly too harsh' digs round here. I'm certainly fed up of reading them.

Grow up.

[Joinee WEG]

The march was AWESOME. End of.

[PJ Hannah B-R]

Joinee Jamie, on 11 Dec 2008, 08:01 AM, said:

obviously 2.5 isnt a different year to k2 so it is 6 years.

Yeah it was... Pikey organised K 2.5.5.5 recurring because Danny didn't have time to organise a third. after that joinees routinely organised it, but K 2.5.5.5.5 was definitely a separate year to K2 and K3.


I quite agree that a subtle theme is fine, but if it's too in your face it would be annoying.

[SJ cDave]

Silver Stalker Stevie G, on 11 Dec 2008, 12:23 AM, said:

And the stupid signs? Well, each to their own really. Is that really hurting anybody? The worst you get is some variation of free hugs, and I don't find that embarrassing.

Once you've run out of cards / chocolate / origami, how else do you RaoK people?

I've had daft signs for the last two years, and loved them.

John's "Cheer if you have shoes" was brilliant. It made people laugh coz it was so daft. And cheer because they had shoes.

The really daft signs do make a good percentage of the people who read them happier. Which is the whole point.

[GJ Peck]

GJ Hannah B-R, on 11 Dec 2008, 11:33 AM, said:

Yeah it was... Pikey organised K 2.5.5.5 recurring because Danny didn't have time to organise a third. after that joinees routinely organised it, but K 2.5.5.5.5 was definitely a separate year to K2 and K3.


I quite agree that a subtle theme is fine, but if it's too in your face it would be annoying.

I agree completely with everything Hannah just said (except that it was Pikey and Chris who organised it together, and it was splendid!), and yes, this one just gone was the 7th K.


H.

xx.

[Captain K]

GJ Peck, on 11 Dec 2008, 11:03 AM, said:

I agree completely with everything Hannah just said (except that it was Pikey and Chris who organised it together, and it was splendid!), and yes, this one just gone was the 7th K.

Wait, now I'm confused. Are we not counting one of 2.5 (a.k.a. JMJ, but definitely known as 2.5 as well) and 2.5.5.5' then? If we did, wouldn't it be 8 we had had?

[GJ Peck]

Captain K, on 11 Dec 2008, 01:46 PM, said:

Wait, now I'm confused. Are we not counting one of 2.5 (a.k.a. JMJ, but definitely known as 2.5 as well) and 2.5.5.5' then? If we did, wouldn't it be 8 we had had?

Technically, it would be yes.

I was just counting the 'Big Christmas Meets', and thinking that this last one was the 7th one of those, regardless of what they're called, but yep - JMJ was also called K2.5, so I suppose that's a Karmageddon too.


H.

xx.

[Captain K]

GJ Peck, on 11 Dec 2008, 11:49 AM, said:

I was just counting the 'Big Christmas Meets', and thinking that this last one was the 7th one of those, regardless of what they're called, but yep - JMJ was also called K2.5, so I suppose that's a Karmageddon too.

Aha! I suppose I'm just prejudiced in favour of including JMJ in all calculations of everything good because it was my first meet!

[Gold Joinee Mhairi]

Captain K, on 11 Dec 2008, 11:52 AM, said:

Aha! I suppose I'm just prejudiced in favour of including JMJ in all calculations of everything good because it was my first meet!

pfft...newbie!

[Captain K]

Gold Joinee Mhairi, on 11 Dec 2008, 12:07 PM, said:

pfft...newbie!

I know! It's ever so strange when you put it all on a timeline. I'd just like to flail around in my defence and say that I'd been a Joinee for ages before that, but just hadn't come to anything!

I have to thank Suzi being completely Suzi-like, and SiVar making a very wise suggestion, for me to finally make it to a meet, at which I met 250 of the nicest people you could hope to. And restoring my faith in human nature just a little bit...

[PJ Hannah B-R]

K 2.5.5.5.5 was my first Only I was only at the "sit at Steve and Paola's and eat pizza" bit on the Sunday

[Captain K]

GJ Hannah B-R, on 11 Dec 2008, 12:38 PM, said:

K 2.5.5.5.5 was my first Only I was only at the "sit at Steve and Paola's and eat pizza" bit on the Sunday

I remember you turning up there (although I couldn't have told you the occasion!) You looked ever so classy with a trilby on, I seem to remember. I was also under the impression that you must be Steve's new girlfriend!

[PJ Hannah B-R]

Captain K, on 11 Dec 2008, 12:53 PM, said:

I remember you turning up there (although I couldn't have told you the occasion!) You looked ever so classy with a trilby on, I seem to remember. I was also under the impression that you must be Steve's new girlfriend!

Nope, just loitering at a stranger's house prior to my Academy audition

[Gold Joinee Mhairi]

was i there? was that the first time i met you Han, and you had an audition or was that a different time?

yoink. posting at the same time-ness...you are me.

[Gaz]

I'm glad someone's cleared that up, because I was pretty sure I'd been a joinee for nearly 8 years rather than 7 when Danny said it was 7 years next year.

Then again I put my age down as 32 on a form the other day and I'm 34 next year, so I'm probably just going senile.

[Captain K]

Gaz, on 11 Dec 2008, 12:56 PM, said:

Then again I put my age down as 32 on a form the other day and I'm 34 next year, so I'm probably just going senile.

Nah, it's all the rage to never age.

Richard Hammond's been 38 for 4 years now...

[G.J.Knight]

Joinee Jamie, on 11 Dec 2008, 09:01 AM, said:

Maybe you could shut up and let people correct you. "There was a christmas one" obviously 2.5 isnt a different year to k2 so it is 6 years. When did it become ok to just randomly abuse people, suggesting it's ok to abuse people just because they're not the you. David made a valid point, just let him have it graciously without being offensive.

Obviously you're being sarcastic, but I think david's put up with enough little 'nearly too harsh' digs round here. I'm certainly fed up of reading them.

Grow up.

Maybe you could just shut up and let him correct himself. Honestly it's really rather patronising to him to have you replying.

Perhaps you could think of his feelings before posting again, how insensitive of you.

[Neil Diamond]

Maybe we could get back to the subject of the thread!

[G.J.Knight]

I liked the cocktail list

[PSi Brake]

Ah, I've missed Chris...

[HJCotW Spacemonkey]

MoT

[Joinee Ems]

Captain K, on 10 Dec 2008, 11:01 PM, said:

Whoa. The pedants are revolting!

I like the very, very minimal tinkering with the theme. It's Karmageddon. That's the theme. That, and Christmas.

That's the idea. It's mainly so I can put a picture on the signage and badges. And so I can threaten to throw my printer out of the window at least three times a day in the run up. And so I can buy a Bond-girl-esque dress to wear (like I need an excuse).

[Worm]

Pussy Galore!

[Harpo]

Papa Si Brake, on 9 Dec 2008, 05:22 PM, said:

• Do you have any marvellous ideas for the next Karmageddon?
Short of seeing whether we can get our own Join Me representatives dressed up and on stilts and unicycles, and let the people come to us, nope.

I like this idea a lot. Let's all learn one or t'other in plenty of time for K7. I'm guessing stilts are cheaper than unicycles.

I once met some people doing a sponsored walk from Scotland to London. On stilts. One of them had learned to stiltwalk especially for it. It took him two weeks to learn.

Perhaps we could also do a sponsored stiltwalk - although of course this is a totally separate idea..........

[SJ heulwen]

Emily - the venue was ace! Loads of space, but didn't feel empty. I didn't have to queue for the toilet once which as always good I found the drinks a liiiittle expensive, but then i'm used to cardiff prices, or man-in-a-box at the Cock for London prices.
I missed the auction as I was out to dinner and the raffle (I always seem to miss the raffle - I bet i've won loads of times but had the tickets redrawn), and only did half the march as Sean, Neil & myself went to check that no-one had turned up to Golden Square.
In the whole it was an awesome day - so very well organised and so so so good to hang out with new & old friends thanks for organising it!
I'd like to echo the idea of a timing list on the wall so I don't miss the raffle being drawn etc as a slight improvement.
Oh, and as for the subject of the march - it always seemed a lot more organised & official when we had proper signs that danny had brought rather than hurried signs made of a4 paper & a felt tip pen (not that there's anything wrong with that, i just like it to look like we're all there as a team, or indeed a collective). Maybe for next time everyone could chip in to get matching banners printed up, and have a selection of the si brake flyers of old to hand out with the chocolates/pressies.