By Mark Huchenreuther, Far West Regional Vice Chairman
Questions from the Mensa Retest?
As I write this month's column I am also working on the final exams for the four sections of the two classes I am teaching at Cal Poly. Officially this is "dead week", the week before finals and it is not a bad name for it. One of my classes is an activity class, so the final is given on the last day of class rather than during finals week. The other class is a regular class, so that final is next week. This is also the period when students are signing up for next quarter's classes, and that will affect what I will teach next quarter, depending on demand for what I am teaching now.
It is somewhat ironic that Mensa members are in a similar mode at this time. The Personal Data Questionnaire is being revised and will be mailed out to everyone shortly. The good news is that it is not a Mensa Retest or some sort of final exam, but rather a chance for you to tell about yourself and your interests. That data will go into the next membership listing and into the database that some local groups request and use for such things as reporting birthdays, join date anniversaries, and even activity interests.
April is also the beginning of our membership year, and associated with that are a number of questions. First and foremost is the matter of renewal. Have you sent in your membership renewal? I hope you have and that you will not become one of our lapsed members. It's one bill that is easy to put off. No one will show up to repossess anything if you fail to pay, although it might be said that your local group will repossess your extended family. So please take the time to mail in your renewal.
I mentioned that it is the Mensa new year, yet it was nearly four months ago when I published a list of resolutions in this column. Have you fulfilled any of those yet? Have you come up with an inspiration for a new event? Do you have a desire to volunteer to fill a position in your local group, or on a gathering committee? Do you realize how little time that may actually take, how it will give you a much-needed feeling of accomplishment, and how grateful your fellow members will be?
Did you go to the LA RG? You missed a good one if you didn't, but others are coming up, including both the American AG in Cincinnati and the Canadian AG in Vancouver. Before that is the San Diego RG, followed shortly thereafter by Mind Games in Phoenix. After the AGs comes the Orange County RG. Have you tried a gathering yet? It was the definitive event for me, one that really got me into the thick of Mensa.
At the LA RG I may have broken my old record for session attendance at an RG. I still need to order one of those books from the people who talked about how to write a book in two weeks, and follow up on some other things I attended. And I need to publicly thank Bill Taylor for his always-appreciated homemade mead, an annual contribution he makes to the LA RG.
See you soon.