Ok... I just got back to my room, which is across the street from the Crown & Anchor, which is where we went after the event.

Can't post all about it now, but I will say that it was A W E S O M E.

The convention itself was fascinating -- the content was incredible. Videos, information, pictures, Big Red, stickers.... All the presenters pretty much knocked everyone's socks off.

The convention hall was pretty much ideal, I'd say. The air was a bit stuffy in the afternoon, but whatever. Not a big deal. The layout and facilities were great.

I videotaped a bunch of stuff, but not everything due to copyright concerns. I should have some great video and pictures to post, as should others. Give me a couple/few days.

Oh, and toward the end of the convention, something awful happened. It was terrible. It was just awful. So terrible and heartless. Why?

Then, the Crown and Anchor. What a crowd. It was really a great experience meeting these people. Tomorrow, Dr. Gilly invited us to visit his lab, believe it or not. So the events aren't over yet!

Erich Orser and Melissa are incredible people for doing all they did on this. Too many thank-yous to dole out right now, though. Plenty of thank-yous are due.

To everyone reading this who couldn't be there -- you were missed!!!

Jared, A rabid squid, monty, cthulhu77, erich orser, melissa, righty, wm gilly, fujisawi sake, rona, cephkid, chrono war, pipsquek, kimberly haas, shepmoon, squidman, purple tentacle.... were all among the TONMO.com community members on hand. Who am I missing?

Thanks for the first report, Tony! Glad it went so well.

Wish you had time to say more and can't wait until you post some of the photos and videos.

Nancy

TONMO prom king and queen!

He came!!!
So sorry I missed cthulhu! He must come to the next Tonmocom, too.

Nancy

I'm glad you all had a great time. Cthulhu came too? I hope you got his autograph; that's quite rare, it'll go for a wad on e-Bay!

Look forward to the pics.

I'm glad everything's going well... Someone better send me a free shirt :heee:

Oh, and toward the end of the convention, something awful happened. It was terrible. It was just awful. So terrible and heartless. Why?

Eh? What's this about?

It was great to meet you all. I wish I could have stuck around for diner but I had to get back up to Santa Cruz. Thanks for an informative and all around swell time.

joel,

Thats about the Prom King showing up!

Mighty Cthulhu will be displeased with you! May you be the last of his followers to be eaten!


:D

He came!!!
So sorry I missed cthulhu! He must come to the next Tonmocom, too.

Nancy

I was right about the trap laid by Cthulhu acolytes! I warned ye all!

I'm glad everything's going well... Someone better send me a free shirt :heee:
Sure thing! Just replace the word "free" with "paid for", and we'll set you right up. :wink:

Oh, and toward the end of the convention, something awful happened. It was terrible. It was just awful. So terrible and heartless. Why?

So what happened??? Was it the arrival of the GC Himself?, I must say, he looks bigger on TV :confused:

Wow, wow, and more wow...that is how it went !!! The footage of feeding Humbolt's...walking baby cuttles...amazing, all.

Just woke up after the trip back, what a *&**** drive that was, but will try to post some pics soon.

Tony and Company put on a first class show, and it was one fun time !!! I thought that the people here on Tonmo were cool just from the posts and emails, but in person they are even greater !!! To those of you who didn't make it, we really missed you, and everyone was talked about in great detail. Were your ears burning???
greg

I had a great time, and so did the three who came along with me. If I were wearing socks, they would most certainly have been knocked off. I wish I could have stuck around for drinks at the Crown and Anchor, not to mention that Hopkins tour, but I had to be at a wedding in Rancho Palos Verdes at 10 o'clock the next morning and we figured we had better get going.

We passed the time on the drive back to Santa Barbara by discussing what we would do with a cuttlefish tank, an ROV, an AUV, an HD video camera, the $13,000 laser plotter sitting in the MBARI hallway, a 30-foot deep swimming pool with windows, and a giant Cthulhu costume. We basically decided we're really gonna need all of that stuff.

Many thanks to Melissa, Tony, Erich, and anyone else who helped organize this. Also, many thanks to all of the presenters. Great stuff!

Boy, do I hate my camcorder. I have a bunch of video, but the filesize does not compress and the files are enormous. i.e., 1.5 gigabytes for a 3-minute clip!) There's no way I can post that. Am researching this, hope to resolve.

That was interesting, watching the technophiles working on the dig stuff for the talks...you guys have a lot of bells and whistles!!!! Especially Melissa...jeez !!!! green with envy,
greg

Ok, I was going to originally put this up as a post, but it got too long, so now it's an article --

Here's my account (with pics!)

Thanks for the great account! It sounds like it was a terrific convention, and I'm green with envy. :cthulhu: Big Red is awesome! :notworth:
Sorseress

Thanks for the run down totally TOTALLY jealous!!!

J

Tony, could you please try to find a picture of me in that video that is just a little MORE GOOFY looking?? :roll: Thanks for posting the video, I haven't had a chance to look at it yet, and probably won't, but I'll be glad to tell everyone about it.

Tony, could you please try to find a picture of me in that video that is just a little MORE GOOFY looking?? :roll: Thanks for posting the video, I haven't had a chance to look at it yet, and probably won't, but I'll be glad to tell everyone about it.
Hmm... that turned out to be a tough challenge! Having failed, I've replaced the pic with one with a decidedly smaller goof-factor. :mrgreen:

I'm not sure the guy from MAOS ever told us his name. I'm sure Melissa and Erich know who he is, but I don't remember hearing his name. Could it be Geoff Von Saltza?

http://www.maos.montereyhigh.com/teachers/vonsaltza/vonsaltza.html

Sort of looks like him doesn't it?

I liked the mini-ROV constructed out of PVC pipes in the video he showed us. I think I'm gonna try and make one.

Thanks PT, yep, that's him. He was very helpful to us throughout planning. Although his kids bailed on him, he was very kind to give us his time and speak about the school and their programs. I'll update the summary!

That sounds like a good time, shame I couldnt be there but nice one for havin the beer for us Tony!!

Local news coverage

http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/issues/Issue.08-04-2005/opinion/Article.squidfry

Hmm... that turned out to be a tough challenge! Having failed, I've replaced the pic with one with a decidedly smaller goof-factor. :mrgreen:

:beer:

Cheers Tony.

Here's what I've neglected to say - what I neglected to do when the last of us were doing a short series of toasts at the Crown and Anchor on Saturday night; this ought to have been done immediately upon our (fashionably late) arrival:

Sure, Melissa and I did a lot of organizational footwork getting Tonmocon I together for Monterey this year. Sure, everybody who managed to make the sometimes long journey deserves a round of thanks, as does everybody who makes this community the wonderful place it is who weren't able to make the trip. Sure, special thanks to Tintenfisch (and apologies to Steve) for the hours of cruel amusement that wandering Neil Diamond clipping has provided!

But the biggest round of thanks ought to go to the person who decided to turn his website into a place where all of us could come to communicate with one another, to talk of our beloved cephalopods, find out some of the latest scientific research, offer tips on keeping them happy and healthy in our homes; to often digress far from our main topics - for better and for worse - to obsess about things silly as well as serious and learn a little bit more about one another; to forge personal bonds that have uplifted us in triumph and united us in tragedy - all under the webbing of the big Tonmo octopus.

So even a little late, I offer a belated toast to Tony Morelli. Thank you so much for ultimately making all of this possible for the cephalopod enthusiast community at large, for always giving us a place where we can drop in and feel welcome.

Cheers! :cheers:

Right on Erich!

I was floored to hear how TONMO actually became a ceph site. Completely floored in a good way - been giggling about it since. Thanks so much Tony - I know my efforts in the ceph world would be much smaller if it were not for TONMO.

:D

Cheers Erich and all! :glass: Thank you very much indeed!

This past weekend has reminded me that I need to prioritize TONMO.com and our community offerings. The product roadmap I presented only scratches the surface of ways we can make our home here better (I do promise to post that powerpoint presentation here sometime soon, FWIW).

I had some Chinese food today, and my fortune cookie read, "Be more direct. You can usually accomplish more this way." Such good advice. I am taking it to heart!

I was floored to hear how TONMO actually became a ceph site. Completely floored in a good way - been giggling about it since.

Yeah, I was sort of relieved with the story of how TONMO became what it is, actually. Somehow, i don't think an oncology conference in Monterey last weekend would have been quite as fun.

special thanks to Tintenfisch (and apologies to Steve) for the hours of cruel amusement that wandering Neil Diamond clipping has provided!
:twisted:

Indeed, :glass: to our fearless leader, and yes, the birth of TONMO is a great story. Incidentally, where did the link to that centipede story on your old site go, Tony? That was great. :lol:

whats the story on the berth then?

Well, looks like a great convention...

Maybe next time I won't be quite so skint for cash and make it to wherever we go... bagpipes were an unexpected touch LOL

So is there going to be a second TONMOcon? I was so bummed that I missed this one!

Keeping fingers crossed for the East coast next year!!!!! Sure wish I too could have been there! You guys really did a fantastic job! Patiently waiting for more pics and info!!!!

And :welcome: Squid Queen!!

Carol

The buzz at the convention was "TONMOCON II in Florida"... :sun:

:periscop:

Whoo hoo! Florida! Cephs and people with no teeth! :D

Tony, what about a biyearly convention? :D

I hope you don't mean semi-annual! :shock: :bugout:

Even better - QUARTERLY!

:smile: I certainly can't say I wouldn't enjoy it... I think Melissa and Erich are in TONMO-event-planning hibernation at the moment (I know I am)... I also took a bit of a bath at this one (was worth every penny, for sure)... but I'll know better for next time!

By all accounts (certainly by my own), this event exceeded expectations... with one under our belt, the next one should be all the better!

man, sounds like I missed a great time indeed, I'll definitely have to book some vacation time for the next one, cause I don't want to miss it!

Florida?! Oh no! You mean I missed out on the West Coast con? Drat!!

Just wait until you hear the plans that we are making...
"bwaaaahaaaahaaahaaaa" (evil laugh)

Florida is very doable.....Jess would be thrilled....

I am definitely in Tonmocon hibernation at the moment, but yes, Florida sounds great for the next one! A few of us Western types will be making that trip...

a couple of years is going to go by really quick...

Its also more feasible for the likes of us UK'ers. Better start a TONNOcon II jar!

...Florida sounds great for the next one! A few of us Western types will be making that trip...

You wanna move it even farther away from :oshea: and :twisted:? How about someplace like Pitcairn Island? Man, we could own that place. Heck, WK alone could probably take care of most of the ~46 inhabitants. I'll bring the beer.

I think we should have it in Tonga.

:D

Heck, WK alone could probably take care of most of the ~46 inhabitants. I'll bring the beer.

and i had been so well behaved lately.... oh well que sera sera...

What about following the East Coast Tonmocon with one in Hawaii? What are holiday rates between NZ, AUS, HK and Hawaii? I know we can get some great deals from over here.

I was also rather fancying Tonmocon Tenerife!

Course you could all come down under :grin:

J

You wanna move it even farther away from :oshea: and :twisted:...

...and Jean? (And all those other :kiwiflag:s.)

:oops:

I still feel that the fairest thing to do would be to inconvenience everybody equally.

How about Tonmocon Mongolia? I'll rent the yurt!

I still feel that the fairest thing to do would be to inconvenience everybody equally.

How about Tonmocon Mongolia? I'll rent the yurt!

Now there's an idea......the mongolian steppes....yak milk for brekkie...the only mode of transport Preswalski horses and yaks, yak milk for lunch.......and ...............yak milk for dinner. For those who prefer it goats milk will be available!

J

I think Mongolia is a good idea. :) We should totally pull for that one! ... Except that Mongolia... Isn't really close to the ocean....

I think Mongolia is a good idea. :) We should totally pull for that one! ... Except that Mongolia... Isn't really close to the ocean....

True but we might get lucky and spot the rare outer mongolian steppes cuttlefish Sepia yaksii mongolensis which would be right up there with seeing the tree octopus and the NZ Rainforest Nautilus :grin:

J

True but we might get lucky and spot the rare outer mongolian steppes cuttlefish Sepia yaksii mongolensis which would be right up there with seeing the tree octopus and the NZ Rainforest Nautilus :grin:

J

Oh, touche, Jean! :wink: I forgot about that cuttlefish... Those are the ones that live in yak milk, right?

They actually scurry along just behind the yaks, blending in with the wild grasses of the steppe, then leap up to beak-suckle when they sense a yak is lactating. Very similar to our North American milk snakes, which do the same thing with cows. Cthulhu77 can back me up on that one!

then leap up to beak-suckle when they sense a yak is lactating.


'beak-suckle'????

Bloik! :yuck:

"beak-suckling" sounds a lot more uncomfortable than it really is. I can attest to that. :oops:

"beak-suckling" sounds a lot more uncomfortable than it really is. I can attest to that. :oops:

:shock:

Yikes! I think I've stumbled into the wrong type of forum.

How could I forget? I hang my head in deepest of shame. I'm so glad Jean and Erich are here to correct my [many] mistakes. Thank you, from the deepest part of my heart! :lol:

Always happy to help!

Oh by the way Erich I believe there is a sub species of the Mongolian Cuttlefish that feeds only on yurts. It's thought that this has come about since the wild yak went on the endangered species list............just goes to show how adaptable cephs are! But I'd hazard that human skin would be more tasty so we should remember to take our cuttlefish repellent!

J

"beak-suckling" sounds a lot more uncomfortable than it really is. I can attest to that. :oops:

errrrrrrrr and you know this HOW? :shock: :oops: :shock:

J

Uhhh... not quite sure I really want to know the answer to that one...

Hey, everybody! How about that Tonmocon I up in Monterey!