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Ray's The Steaks Dinner, Mon Dec 5th, 7 PM


hillvalley

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if we get to 39 slots , then should we take singles only?  perhaps.

Yes.

And again, I will encourage people who have "won" multiple selections to attend events to sit on their hands next time so that others may attend future events.

hillvalley, and anyone else who may organize an event, are, of course, guaranteed places.

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We are ready to figure out the lottery. It will be done in three parts.

1. I'll post the list of who is attending, who many seats they have requested and their number.

2. Rocks will get a randomly generated list of numbers from the number generater website above.

3. I will go through and figure out who has made it to the dinner and then the order of the waitlist.

The first part:

1. Shogun 1

2. mbk 2

3. hannah 2

4. zoramargolis 1

5. jm chen 2

6. stephenb 1

7. bookluvinbabe 2

8. vandyhoo 2

9. Camille-Beau 2

10. crescentfresh 2

11. squidsdc 2

12. silentbob 1

13. heather 1

14. DanielK 2

15. banco 2

16. pete 2

17. Scott Johnson 1

18. lackadaisi 2

19. barbara 2

20. corndog 2

21. buckinghamilton 2

22. brr 2

23. NotQuickDraw 2

24. MODWOP 2

25. woodleygirl 2

26. Jacques Gastreaux 2

27. capital icebox 2

28. nadya 2

29. DC in DC 2

30. JPW 2

31. giant shrimp 2

32. babka 2

33. crachers 2

34. ustreetguy 2

35. nashman1975 2

36. connave 1

37. kanishka 2

38. gnatharobed 2

39. johnb 2

40. starfish 1

41. cjsadler 2

42. sam 1

43. chica grace 1

44. kitkatpaddywak 1

45. bilrus 1

46. eoksala 2

47. principia 2

48. bougouni 1

49. MMM 2

50. mktye 2

51. LittleWing 2

52. eating out 2

53. holdtheline 2

54. twinkerlin 1

55. hm212 2

56. lizzie 1

57. David M. 2

58. BlackSheep 2

59. otello 2

60. AlexC 2

61. RaisaB 2

62. Al Dente 2

63. hey brookie 2

64. Cooter 2

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OK, I'm biased because I suggested the generating random numbers idea (and you really should use this page on the site, so your list doesn't have repeats), but I'm certainly fine with you generating the list, and then posting the results.

This is what I'll be using, and I'll do it early afternoon. It looks like we have 64 candidates, so I'll plug in 1 and 64, perform one run of the generator, and cut-and-paste the results here. Do I need witnesses or do you guys trust me? :lol:

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No, Arthur Anderson is the outside auditors for DR.com.

I used to work for Arthur Andersen (with an "e" not an "o"). Swear!

Okay, there are no dissents, so I will run that random-number sequence generating program right now and post the results here in about 45 seconds

Here goes...

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Okay, so the attendees are:

HillValley 2

7. bookluvinbabe 2

11. squidsdc 2

50. mktye 2

55. hm212 2

44. kitkatpaddywak 1

53. holdtheline 2

13. heather 1

27. capital icebox 2

10. crescentfresh 2

46. eoksala 2

33. crachers 2

37. kanishka 2

38. gnatharobed 2

24. MODWOP 2

62. Al Dente 2

63. hey brookie 2

28. nadya 2

12. silentbob 1

17. Scott Johnson 1

2. mbk 2

26. Jacques Gastreaux 2

And that makes 40.

First 10 on the waiting list are:

41. cjsadler 2

30. JPW 2

1. Shogun 1

6. stephenb 1

35. nashman1975 2

61. RaisaB 2

I wish there was a way for everyone to come.

And I guess I owe Barbara a drink since she came in dead last. :lol:

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I feel like an executioner.  :lol:

A whole lot of discerning, hungry people will get to enjoy a wonderful dinner, deserving wine bottles will be drunk dry, a worthy charity will benefit, and many lobsters, cattle, and key limes will give their lives for the cause. What's to be sad about?

We'll catch the next one.

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I'm going to work on something for the people who got shut out of this.  Not sure what yet.

Don,

I really think they should get first priority in whatever event comes next.

I also think that the winners of this lottery should stand aside for the next event to give others first dibs and/or volunteer to go straight to the wait list.

Jennifer

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Don,

I really think they should get first priority in whatever event comes next.

I also think that the winners of this lottery should stand aside for the next event to give others first dibs and/or volunteer to go straight to the wait list.

Jennifer

It's hard enough administering a simple lottery. I'm sure Hillvalley is just rubbing her hands in anticipation of massaging such a system.

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Craig wants me to tell all of you that since I'm the goat, YOU ALL OWE ME A DRINK!!! :lol:

Why am I envisioning a fine-vintage-wine version of a suicide? :(

It's hard enough administering a simple lottery.  I'm sure Hillvalley is just rubbing her hands in anticipation of massaging such a system.

I think Jennifer's idea is that the people who get to go to this event don't put their names in for the next one. Or they can, but they're automatically bumped to a second, separate drawing for any leftover slots after everyone else has had first crack?

Of course, we could always turn it into a restaurant version of 'Let's Make A Deal'... Gee, do I want to take the dinner at Ray's, or do I hold out for whatever's behind door #2? :P

Edited by Principia
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Don,

I really think they should get first priority in whatever event comes next.

I also think that the winners of this lottery should stand aside for the next event to give others first dibs and/or volunteer to go straight to the wait list.

Jennifer

You could create two lotteries for the next event. Let's say there are 40 seats at the next event. You could run a lottery for half of those seats using just the names on the waitlist from this event. Those who don't win are then added a general lottery for the remaining 20 seats. This way, those who get shut out are given a higher probability than the general population of winning and you don't fill up a new event with the waitlist of a previous one.

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...This way, those who get shut out are given a higher probability than the general population of winning and you don't fill up a new event with the waitlist of a previous one.

But that's assuming that the people on this event's waitlist can go or want to go to the next one, blah, blah, blah. You can see where this would quickly turn into a total pain in the keister.

I'm thinking DR might have meant that he'd try to organize something else for the same night, since by definition anyone who's asked for a slot at Ray's would be free to attend?

Edited by Principia
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As one of The Ray's The Steaks Dinner Six (Excluding guests, obviously), I don't think we need to make a huge deal of this. It'll just complicate The System. Specifically, it'll complicate The System I may throw together for next time, if They want me to. :lol:

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Don and I discussed these issues before deciding on how we would set up the lottery for this event. He decided that everyone would have an equal chance, regardless of how many events they have attended.

It is up to those who have attended previous events or have an extra spot to decide if they want to give up their spot.

There is no way we are going to please everyone with each event and as I have said before I am not going to try. We used the system Don felt was fair.

To those who did not get in, I'm sorry. Don owes you a drink.

Edited by hillvalley
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I didn't make the cut on this one, and I feel no need for preference for the next one or some consolation prize.

It's random. My odds are the same as everyone else's. It's perfectly fair. When I buy a lottery ticket and lose, I don't expect a preference the next time over people who won a few bucks in the previous drawing.

If you didn't make this one, put your name in for the next one. If you miss that one too, put your name in for the next one. The odds will eventually catch up with you.

There are plenty of HH events, $20 Tuesdays, dim sum gatherings, and other smaller group dinners that people can attend. Far more than any of us have time and money for.

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To those who did not get in, I'm sorry.  Don owes you a drink.

I don't know about that. If anybody is to blame, it's the random number generator site guy and his so-called "Random Number Generator", if it can so be called. Timings and distances between disk head seeks can be predicted! Thread scheduling is practically clockwork these days, and don't even get me started about background radiation and atmospheric pressure variations. Hell, I built a Microbarograph for a science fair back in High School at some point. Granted, it didn't WORK.....

Anyway, The Universe totally screwed me on this one...Don's not the one at fault!

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You can see where this would quickly turn into a total pain in the keister.

Major props to hillvalley and Rocks (and, of course Michael Landrum) for planning an event that so many members were enthused about and for being so fair and impartial about the selection process. The lottery worked like a charm and seems to me that going forward will make the most sense with the least amount of stress for them or anybody else who would like to help plan something like this. Edited by crackers
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I'm gonna go stomp into my corner and sulk.

Or find a friendly lawyer somewhere.

Or see if hillvalley's willing to let us losers paypal $15 towards Coaching for College, since that's why Landrum generously offered the dinner in the first place, and then go use the other $30 to buy a really, really nice bottle of wine....

Edited by babka
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Don and I discussed these issues before deciding on how we would set up the lottery for this event.  He decided that everyone would have an equal chance, regardless of how many events they have attended.

It is up to those who have attended previous events or have an extra spot to decide if they want to give up their spot.

Are winning lottery numbers marketable? I could set up an exchange ...

How much is a winning dinner number worth, in the standard currency, "Rockwells"?

:lol:

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Outside of the lottery system, I am going to make available one seat to the winner of the following contest:

The winner will be whoever can jam a duck call up his ass lubelessly and, by flatulent emissions, make a sound most approximating the sound a wine-swilling, restaurant-swindling, character-assasinating, cheap piece of shit would make if it were trying unsuccessfully to sound like a human being.

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I didn't make the cut on this one, and I feel no need for preference for the next one or some consolation prize.

Ditto (from someone who won't be attending by virtue of the lottery). I think they current system it is the only practical and fair approach; afterall, Hillvalley and Don have other responsibilities and trying to creat an elaborate system seems like a nightmare.

I'll try again the next dinner; it's no big deal - I'm just happy be involved with this group to have a chance to take part in these events.

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Major props to hillvalley and Rocks (and, of course Michael Landrum) for planning an event that so many members were enthused about and for being so fair and impartial about the selection process.  The lottery worked like a charm and seems to me that going forward will make the most sense with the least amount of stress for them or anybody else who would like to help plan something like this.

Thank You. For those that did get into this event we should voluntarily hold our names out of the next big event lottery in order to give those that did not a better chance for the next event.

No big issues or name blocks for Hill Valley to worry about, just common courtesy for the membership.

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I think what made this event so popular and what complicates the "just put your name in for the next one and hope for the best" approach is COST. I have had numerous opportunities and invitations to attend special, private dinners at wonderful restaurants that I have had to pass on because of the COST. This one was reasonable, and so I had hoped to go. The meals that are surely sublime, but end up costing $125 or $150 (or more) per person, with wine/corkage and tip are not in my budget. In order that the system as designed ends up with any approximation of fairness, more dinners should be included at the price point of this Ray's the Steaks meal.

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Don and I are very conscious about the cost of these dinners. We were thrilled when we found out the price Chef Landrum would be charging because we knew that many people who could not afford the two previous dinners might be able to afford this one. That being said, when a chef offers to put together a meal with a high price point just for us, we are not going to turn it down.

In order to keep it fair we were not going to tell anyone that because you could afford the last dinner you don't get to come to this one. It is up to the individual to make that decision. I will point out that there are people who have attended the previous two dinners who did not enter their name in this one.

Besides the high end dinners there are a number of different organized events, such as $20 Dollar Tuesdays, tastings at Cheestique, tomato sauce tastings, and our biannual picnics that have a lower price point. I make a point of making sure these types of events occur so that everyone, regardless of money, can attend.

If you have a connection with a chef who would be able to put together a dinner at a lower price point please let me know. I would love to work with them.

Other than that, I'm sticking with my usual, can't please all of ya all the time :lol:

Edited by hillvalley
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I have a couple of clarifications about the menu and other items.

First, it's crab bisque, not lobster bisque. My mouth is still watering at the idea.

Second, if you have any food allergies, special needs, etc. please let me know. I will work with the chef when we are closer to the dinner to make sure they are taken care of. For now just bother me with these issues.

Thanks!

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