FAQ Answers to all your STBE questions

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What's a Sugar Twin? According to legend (or Ginger's mom), Sugar Twins are people who have the same birthday or birthdays within a day of each other. Mike's birthday is August 21, and Ginger's is August 22, thus they are Sugar Twins.

Why do you guys go to Vegas every year? Why not? We've activated our Sugar Twin powers in Vegas every year since 2001 and see no reason to stop now!

Why do you guys stay downtown? It's cheaper and there are less douchebags than on the strip.

How do you guys keep the prices so low? We plan ahead...and are not afraid to invoke the "low price guarantee" offered by various travel sites. Also see previous question.

Why do you guys plan so far in advance? We used to send out the official evite 2 months in advance to give people time to arrange for transportation and time off work (sometimes our birthdays fall on weekdays, and on weekend dates, we prefer to fly home on Mondays to avoid the mess that is Sunday at McCarran). Some people complained that 2 months was not enough time, so we took that excuse away by giving a 4 month heads up. You'll get a reminder at 3 months, 2 months, and then every two weeks leading up to STBE. There may be an occasional email RE: theme night polls and new hotel information in between those time periods.

Why do you guys do theme nights? And do I have to dress up? Because it's funny. Anyone can wander around Vegas with an oversized novelty drink container, but how many do it while dressed up like Red Hat Ladies? No, you don't have to dress up, but you'd feel pretty silly walking around with us if you weren't dressed up. It's not like you know anyone in Vegas, live a little!

Is Binh a real person? What kind of question is that? Of course she's a real person! We don't go around advertising imaginary people! Binh has become the top draw on our most recent STBE trips! Why? Because she's so fun! Don't believe us? Go to STBE and find out! She made her triumphant return after a few years in Madagascar with the Peace Corps in 2014.

How do I get one of those stbe.org email addresses? Anyone who has gone to 3 STBE events (Halfway STBE is now an eligible event) is eligible to receive an stbe.org email address. It should also be noted that Ginger and Mike are not above bribery.

What is the Bermond Rule? The Bermond Rule (now known as the Robert Bermond Rule) simply states that anyone who has RSVP'd "yes" as of one month before STBE is responsible for their share of the hotel rooms that have already been booked. Please make sure you read the evite (and this website) carefully before committing to go on the trip. Don't RSVP "yes" because you think the Sugar Twins will be mad if you say no. "Maybe" is weak sauce and, while totally acceptable as a temporary response while you check your schedule, finances, or whatever else, it's not cool to leave us hanging for a few months while we're trying to make hotel reservations. Just say no if you can't go. Maybe is totally worse than no.

*As of June 27, 2009, the name of the rule is now the "Robert Bermond Rule" at the request of Andrew "Shooter" Bermond. We were trying to avoid totally identifying the person who flaked on us a week before the trip (citing the "these dates suck my left nutt [sic]" excuse), and then disappeared on another STBE (causing us to file a missing persons report). But, we can see how this rule could be mistakenly interpreted as being named after other people with the same last name. For the record, Shooter and Amber Bermond are not responsible for this rule. If someone can come up with a better name, you know where to find us.

At this point, the rule is kind of irrelevant since we no longer book rooms for the group. In the past, Mike and Ginger would book a few rooms for the group, but it started becoming a hassle, and since  we're grown-ups we can be in charge of booking our own rooms. However, if you make an arrangement with someone  to stay in their room, you should expect to be held responsible for your portion of the room if you back out without proper notice. Ginger will call the hotel ahead of time and let them know that we would like our rooms to be on the same floor.  Handy tip: for a free refrigerator, let the front desk know ahead of time that you will need a refrigerator for your medication.

You guys scare me, can I bring a friend? Of course! Just make sure they can handle the brand of fun we have. If your friends demand fancy hotel rooms and lots of expensive night club action, it's probably best to leave them at home. If they're into having a lot of fun for not a lot of money and aren't afraid to make fools of themselves, then add them to the evite! Use your best judgment, we don't want stick-in-the-muds or hoity-toities ruining our fun.

How do I end up on probation? Get so drunk that hotel security has to break into your room (and cut the chain off the door) to get in, and you'll come pretty close to being banned. Behaviors we will not tolerate: if you are lucky enough to be in your 20's, don't make old jokes about the rest of us; don't go missing and force us to call security or worse, the police in an attempt to track you down; don't get so drunk that you end up in the ER with some sort of injury; DO NOT end up in jail. If you have exhibited any of these behaviors in the past (regardless of whether it was an STBE trip or not), consider yourself on probation and in need of a sober chaperone - we aren't babysitters. Also, said chaperone must meet the criteria in the "Can I bring a friend?" rule above.

What does probation entail? If you are notified of being on probation, you will need someone to sponsor you and act as your chaperone. An STBE reveler in good standing will have to guarantee that your behavior will not ruin the trip for everyone else or otherwise cause an inconvenience that could have easily been avoided. You will be responsible for coordinating your own hotel accommodations, as you won't find many STBE revelers in good standing willing to put up with out of control drunks.

How do I get invited to one of these things? While it may seem like an open invite, it really isn't, as we like to maintain a positive, fun balance. If you find yourself on the STBE Evite, it's because Ginger and Mike or one of their trusted invited guests invited you. If you are not on the STBE Evite but are made aware of it by tweets and facebook posts in the months leading up to STBE, you may ask to be added to the Evite. In some circumstances, you may find that you were not placed on the initial Evite due to previous "no" replies or because we simply forgot; in other circumstances, you may find that you were left off the Evite because we feel that even though we are a boisterous, fun-loving group, you might be a bit too much. Or you could be some total stranger to just about everyone on the trip and we wouldn't know what to do with you, especially if you look dreadful in flats.

How do I get banned? We'll tolerate a lot, but we will not tolerate harassment of any kind. If you make unwanted sexual advances and make someone feel uncomfortable, you will likely no longer find yourself on the invite list. This does not fall under "boisterous" behavior. If someone tells me or anyone on the Bay Area STBE Committee that you made them uncomfortable, you get the ax. Drunkenness is not an excuse.