Belated Self-Congratulations

I've been keeping this blog up fairly reliably for over four years! Even I am a little amazed that I have that much to say about Mensa. To my knowledge, this is one of only two such topical blogs, so I'm rather proud and hope that I've been able to contribute to the general open discussion so many members claim to want. I have several thoughts percolating into essays now... I'm just waiting until this horrid cold lets go of me so I can breathe for ten minutes at a time.

I Remember

The kids had just gotten to school- kindergarten, and I was at home, alone,  when Matt called to tell me to turn on the TV, someone had flown a second plane into a second building in New York.... and that there was no way this was a coincidence (we, like everyone else, assumed the first plane was an accident). I spent the rest of the day, glued, watching in horror with the rest of the country, unable to believe what I was seeing and hearing.

At one point, I did call the school to see if they needed any assistance... I figured they might be closing and sending kids home, but they stayed open.

Matt works about 4 miles away, at Fermi National Laboratory — high energy physics. They do pure science and have no classified secrets or weapons, but still it was not an unreasonable target in a world where reason seemed to have disappeared.

When the kids finally got home, they walked in and right away I called them for a "double cuddle" (two perfect children in my lap at one time—nothing better in the world)... and then I just broke down, sobbing. Sobbing for them, for the world they would be living in. For the loss. For the unknown.

I don't know how much they understood. Some bad men stole some planes and blew up buildings because they don't like how Americans live and how we believe. Of course it's far more complex than that, but how does one explain to a 5 year old?

It will be interesting to see what they say today, as we watch a bit of the  coverage and...

   ...remember.

(And yes, they really did hold hands on the way to school. It looks adorable, but the truth is that they were making sure neither of them got there "first")

AMC meeting in Arlington, TX

It's strange to not be at the AMC meeting, but the Facebook status updates of some of the board members are quite revealing.

HalloweeM 36

As a member of Chicago Area Mensa, I'd like to personally invite you to enjoy our Regional Gathering, HalloWeeM, from October 27-30 in Wheeling, IL.  WeeM (as we tend to call it) is four full days filled with programs, gaming, food, and beverages for all ages as well as hundreds of friends you haven't met yet!
 We have traditional events that happen every year, like:
* Thursday night pig roast
* Friday night pun-filled costume contest  (the theme this year is Spooky Scary WeeM!)
* Pretentious Drinking and Desserts on Saturday night
* Live bands and dancing
* Poker tournament (just for fun and pride, no real money involved)

We also have gaming going 24 hours a day, using our incredibly huge game collection (one of the largest collections in the midwest!). There are programs, including lectures, forums, and interactive sessions.  And, of course, there's hospitality, with our famous soda machines keeping you hydrated, a chilled salad bar, and several hot meals throughout the weekend.

Our hotel, the Westin in Wheeling, IL is only a couple of years old and thus shiny and new-feeling, surrounded by fun restaurants, with lots of space for our hospitality, gaming, and programs.  At only $126 per night if you book by October 1st, the hotel is an incredible bargain for the Chicago area! HalloWeeM is really a great value, too, at just $85 for four full days, including meals!  You can register and book your hotel at our website.

If you want to add even more fun to your HalloweeM, volunteering will put you right in the middle of the action.  By being a volunteer, you'll be entered in a raffle for a great prize, and you'll receive a highly collectible WeeM pin! The design is different every year!  If you'd like to volunteer, contact our volunteer chair.

Or, perhaps you have a great product that Mensans would love?  HalloweeM is the best opportunity to sell your wares or get the word out about your business, by signing up for a vendor table.  Your products will get visibility to hundreds of Mensans!  Contact our vendor coordinator  for details!

HalloweeM is also a great time to indoctrinate--err, I mean, introduce--your non-Mensan friends to the group.  While registration rates are slightly higher for non-members, the difference is provided back to them as a coupon for the Mensa test, so it's a perfect opportunity to bring them to the dark side (where we have smart cookies).

Make sure to book hotel soon, as the block tends to fill up early. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me here or e-mail the event chairs at .  We're also on Facebook (search for HalloWeeM) and Twitter (@ChicagoMensa).  We hope to see you at WeeM!

Tiny Change for the Better--Bravo!

One of the recommendations from the Governance task Force last fall was to open national-level volunteer positions to all members, including those not already known to the AMC folks. This would mean writing up good descriptions of the task to be done and the skills necessary to to the job well and then advertising far and wide.

I was very pleased to see that concept actually used recently when John Recht sent out the call for an LDW Chair. He specified who the person would be working with, what the goals of the committee are, what responsibilities would be, and what special skills are being sought.

I suspect there will be some new highly qualified and enthusiastic people dipping their toes into the national waters, which can only improve the organization, regardless of who is ultimately chosen.

Bravo, John!

Local Groups Will Remain Strapped

The fall AMC agenda is out. Looks like the AMC is going to not consider increasing funding to Local Groups who could use it to improve their services to members. To say I am disappointed is an understatement, but it seems that members chose to elect representatives who do not care for the plight of members at the local level. 

Ah well, I tried. In retrospect, I would have been wiser to simply take the ~$600 I paid out of my own pocket to print those reports and distribute it to groups myself.

Live and learn. Local Groups will just have to make do with the 2007 funding levels.