Though of course the outcome lies in your hands, not mine, I wanted to say I’m having second thoughts about a statement I made in one of my first 2010 posts, that I won’t seek another term as WSBC delegate. As many of you know, I became a dad between my first conference and my second, and this year’s trip left my wife, who works full time, to care for Joe alone.
This consideration is the big one, but there’s also the fact that in both years, the conference has brought up all sorts of strong feelings for me. As well, especially this year, I seemed to be on the losing side of most votes, which is not only intellectually frustrating, but also led to some of those strong feelings, such as feeling isolated and out of step. More than once, I’ve concluded that perhaps this venue just isn’t right for me. Nothing says that is has to be, or that I must do all forms of service that exist.
I’ll do the usual things: pray, consult with my sponsor, etc., and see where I land. But as in so much of existence, what’s right for me isn’t as clear as I might have previously thought.

The room my California roomie and I shared was on the fifth floor, which was much better than 8, which I was on last year. This is a factor when it’s time for a conference session and the elevator is stopping at every floor on its way down. Especially heading down, walking five stories is nothing.

So anyway, in the stairwell, there are signs painted at every level: Arrows pointed upward, emblazoned with the word “ROOF.”

I just think that’s funny.

Yesterday I reported speculation that Bob F. of Toronto would be elected chairman, and he was. He is in the last year of his GST term, and he will spend it at the center chair. (Well, you know, figuratively; I’m sure he’ll get up from time to time.)

Cheryl T. and Vicki W. are first and second vice chairwomen, respectively. Joe L. is treasurer.

Today’s informed speculation is that the Youth in OA committee assignment was the least desired among trustees, who are allowed to state their first, second, and third preferences before the chair makes the assignments. Again, it’s not that these people, or anyone else, are against reaching out to young people. The issue is that significant, possibly insurmountable, hurdles make even tepid accomplishment unlikely, but the fellowship will now devote financial and sweat equity that might have gone to other goals.

If you read this blog last year, you know that making literature and other communications of OA multilingual was practically the official theme of the conference. The effort to be more multi-culti continued to gather this year in several ways, such as making it possible for non-English-speaking service groups to opt out from receiving volumes of printed material, such as the conference report, in a language that no one reads.

Another way was in the booming announcements by volunteer door monitor John A. that voting is about to begin. His announcements this morning were in a panoply of languages, of which I recognized only French.

Delegates were given a demonstration of webcasting Friday morning, and we were then asked to give feedback on how the technology might affect our conduct of business in the future.

There were/are lots of options: We could do audio and video, supported by two cameras in the conference room, at a cost quoted between $12,000 and $14,000 for the entire week. We could pay half of that if we used one camera, fixed in wide angle at the back of the room. We could offer audio only.

In feedback, I suggested that we go for two tiers, making audio (except for the video we of documents on the projectors in each front corner of the room) available to anyone who’d like to listen in, and making audio, video and voting ability available to accredited delegates who’ve been vetted beforehand and provided with passwords.

It might be just the thing to expand participation from the farther-flung reaches.

It’s a very nice day today, a bit breezy and overcast, especially for what’s normal for this area.

But a couple of days ago, gusts topped 80 mph, making reasonable, seasonable temperatures feel a lot colder. There were many reports of damage, and the mountains to the east all but disappeared in the haze of dust.

Between Facebook and news from other delegates, I heard that very strong winds were blowing simultaneously in San Francisco, LA, New York, and Boston.

It doesn’t affect us materially in Metrowest Intergroup, since we’ve been served by the estimable Steve M., now chairman of the group, as webmaster pioneer for several years, but it’s worth mentioning anyway:

OA intergroups can go to oagroups.org and find guidance and templates for IG web pages. Free web hosting is also available.

Though the conference work has ended, a few matters remain open.

As I type, the new board is meeting. At their last board meeting are Craig R. from Region 5, Charles A. from Region 8, Di C. from Region 10, and general-service trustee Dodie Hawkins. At their first meeting are Gerri H. of Region 8 and GST Barbara B.

One of the first orders of business will be to select a new chairman for the next two-year term. Someone whom I judged to be in a position to have insight suggested that Bob F. of Toronto is likely to be elected. That’s just speculation, of course. After that has been determined, the chair will assign trustees to committees.

At 3:30, the committees will meet for an hour, guided by the new delegate and trustee cochairs, to set their courses for the next year. This includes, of course, the new youth-in-OA committee.

As I noted earlier, regions 1, 5, and 10 have no trustees right now. Anyone wishing to fill those slots should apply to the World Service Office before July 1. One does not need to live in a region to represent it, but especially in the case of Region 10 (Australia and New Zealand), it might be a tad difficult.

* This is an electing-the-pope reference. Look it up if you don’t get it.

Last year, I wrote a post about being mystified and appalled by the green-dot ceremony, in which all the first-year delegates are brought to the front of the room for recognition, from the point of view of the green-dot. I said I didn’t get the falderol, which included standing ovation, whoops, hollers, pom-pom shaking, scarf-waving, and honest-to-goodness tears. Last year, I was looking out toward the delegates; this year, my vantage included Kayla, who choked up while waxing poetic about the amazing job the green dots had done.

Again, I say, puh-leaze. We are adults who gathered in conference to determine questions facing the body. We haven’t been heroic, we haven’t scaled mountains, we haven’t discovered anything. We discussed, often past the point of sense or necessity, and we voted. It’s useful and valuable. But standing Os? Tears?

Someone who read the post last year assured me I’d understand by the end of this year’s conference. But I’m starting to think he might have been mistaken. Oh, btw: I was a green-dot mentor this year, and my “ward” was at the front as well. I don’t think he got it either, but I’ll check in with him on that tonight, at the banquet.

It is an unkind term, but since I’m not relating it to any individual, I’m going to use it: “microphone whore.” Some delegates just gotta get up to speak, to the extent that a couple people I know take wry tally to see who will get up there the most.

I grant that one person’s “too much” is another’s “just enough,” but still: During the GST balloting yesterday, we used the same forms for all three rounds, which meant that names of people no longer involved in the contest were on the ballot sheets. Not only had the results of who was in and who was out just been stated, but large screens in two corners of the room had the non-competing names X’ed out.

Still, someone went to the mike to ask the chairwoman to instruct delegates to strike out the names before voting.

For the third round, another name was removed from consideration. This person again went to the mike to ask the chairwoman to instruct delegates to strike the names of those not eligible.

These are just examples, not the totality.