RG Update |
Our incomparable RG Committee will start setting up at the Days Inn at 3 p.m. on Friday, January 15th. We will start the festivities at 4 p.m. with three very interactive, original, challenging Ice Breakers led by Robin Asaki from the Registration desk. You can have until Saturday at 5 pm to turn them in.
Then at 6 pm, we will have dinner followed by an appearance by Phoenix’ own Sheriff Joe Arpaio, so be there. He is such a great speaker, so do what you have to do to BE THERE. We hope Sheriff Joe will stay for the marguerita party afterwards. Non-drinkers, you may want to Build Your Own Sundae at that time, all in the Hospitality Suite. After that, the "Mensa Soup" hot tub crowd may try to squeeze out Mike Wozniak’s fabulous live concert, which precedes them. Don’t let them! Be sure to get some sleep beforehand, because we are going to tantalize you with a choice of three different speakers for each time slot. Lunch and dinner will be served in the dining room, plus all the food and drink you may desire in the Hospitality Suite around the clock, and I have requested special attention to low calorie fare. Robert Andrews will not only be manning the Internet/Games room, but throughout the RG will be taking digital photos for you to send over the Internet and take home on disk.
Carol Young suggested the name for this year’s RG and I loved it immediately. To me the title, taken from the movie The Full Monty, suggests total dedication and commitment to a group effort. Isn’t that what an RG is to Mensans? Don’t we just give it our all? It is not only the Herculean efforts of the RG committee, but also the attitudes of the attendees. Those who throw themselves into the swing of it find themselves being totally transformed into other-worldly, carefree, happy people. The whole experience is so remarkably free of worry and concern, it just flows, taking on a life of its own. Afterward, we can then go back to our personal concerns in the real world, with new perspective and insight, more able to ‘dispatch them with dispatch’. You don’t want to miss such a great opportunity!
To be totally immersed in the warm and fuzzy milieu of the RG experience though, we really must stay at the hotel, cutting off most contact with the outside world. I have done it both ways many times, and believe me, there is no comparison. We have made it easier for you to do just that this year than ever before. The rooms with two queen size beds and a kitchenette are only $69. Four single people can share one room, which amounts to about fifty bucks each for the whole four day weekend. The hotel serves a continental breakfast to their guests, and the RG will serve lunch and dinner each day in the dining room. The hospitality suite is open 24 hours a day with all the food and drink you may desire. The total cost per person comes down to only about a hundred dollars, and children are half price at Registration. If you still think you can’t afford it, have a yard sale or sell some old jewelry and antiques. They are just burdens, believe me. You won’t be sorry.
We still need some volunteers, so perhaps one of these appeals to you: Security will enjoy having the volunteer services of members who would like to patrol the premises in exchange for Mensaquid. Shifts are 8 hours and you must have your own cellphone. Call Ken Brown, 967 4241, to sign up. We will also pay Mensaquid for home-baked cookies (deliver to the Hospitality crew) and Speaker Shepherds, who just make sure the speaker gets where he or she is supposed to be (call Meg Kelleher, 277 6026, to volunteer). We will also need several strong and willing folk to transport all the food and equipment from north and north-east Phoenix on Friday afternoon, prior to our 3 o’clock set up time. If you can help, call Alan Gore at 863 9648 (near I-17 & Thunderbird) or Paul Nowak 971 5111 (near Bell & 40th Street). Your help will be REALLY, REALLY appreciated. Also, if you would like to bring in books you don’t intend to read again to exchange for others, please do. Leftover books will be donated to Mensa’s own Project Inkslinger, which was started after those terrible floods destroyed so many rural libraries down south.
Our Hospitality Suite is honored to have the committee services of not only our familiar friends from years past, Ursula Gore and Pete Costantino, but this year, Ursula’s friend from the Scottsdale Culinary Arts Institute, Jenny Ewing, who will grace us with her expertise. We will have more than ample, rich gastronomical pleasures. The menus sound scrumptious, and the buffet meals will be served in the dining room. I have also requested special attention to low calorie fare, including vegetarian alternatives. This is going to be some RG!