The Magazine of New Orleans Mensa Information and Entertainment
Yes, it’s hot in New Orleans, but that doesn’t stop the events here. This month, we have the Essence Festival, Tales of the Cocktail, Bastille Day, and Festigals. One of my favorites runs July 8-10: San Fermin, or the Running of the Bulls, which is exactly like the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, if the bulls were replaced with roller derby girls with viking helmets and whiffle bats. This year marks the 10th anniversary. In recent years, there have been around 18,000 runners and about 350 roller derby girls, coming from all over the U.S. and Canada.
Groupwise, we’re making progress on the RG this December. We already have some registrants! We’re also looking at setting up a testing session soon.
Our Gifted Children Coordinator, Gerry Ward, has been busy. She is hosting our Star Wars movie series - there’s an article and pictures as well. She is also finding out when and where our talented young members are performing on different stages. And on top of that, she is planning a Talent / Art festival. We don’t have a date yet, so start thinking about what you would like to do and contact her at gward231@gmail.com .
Let’s go Zephyrs!
New Orleans Mensa is having a Regional Gathering in 2016 !
Dates: December 9 - 11, 2016
So I was visiting a friend of mine out in west Texas. And when I walked in he was helping his son with his homework.
It was a vocabulary quiz so my friend would say the word and his son would have to give the meaning. The kid was bright, but he was getting mixed up on some of the words and giving the wrong answers. And they must have been going at it awhile since the son looked tired and aggravated.
My friend said “apocalypse” and his son got it wrong. My friend told his son, “Come on, this is the last word in our list we have to go over. Don’t you want to get a perfect 100 on your test tomorrow?”
And the kid replied, “Come on dad, I’m tired. So what if I don't know what apocalypse means!?...”
“...It's not the end of the world!”
Still on a Summer Break. Stay cool my friends.
At our last Star Wars movie, Summer brought a light saber, and the battle was on!
Luke Skywalker (Parker) fights Darth Vader (Morgan).
Darth Vader has the light saber now!
Who won ?
You should have been there. I won’t tell.
This is my 13th column, meaning that my first year as your Regional Vice Chair is coming to a close. At this time last year, I had just received the results of the election and was trying to piece together a working schedule of when I needed to be places and know things and find the time to read up on those things I did not already know about.
Since that time, I have had the pleasure of visiting 10 out of the 15 local groups within Region 6. During the election, I stated that, if elected, it was my intention to visit all 15 groups in the two-year term. I’m ahead of the curve at this point, which is good as I will be going further afield in the next year to reach Arkansas Mensa, Eastern Oklahoma Mensa, New Mexico Mensa and Paso del Norte Mensa. I’ve already got New Orleans Mensa on my calendar, as they will be hosting the December 2016 AMC meeting in conjunction with their RG.
One of the things that I most enjoy about visiting all of y’all is the variety to be found among different groups. Local groups tend to have distinct personalities, which leads to a variety of events. As I recently told one of the Region 6 LocSecs, what I do when I travel depends on what the group is seeking. I’m flexible on planning and perfectly happy to adjust to whatever a group comes up with. Some groups prefer to have more formal speaker sessions, while others find success in regular dining events. Personally, I always enjoy hosting museum meet ups. On my most recent trip to Central Oklahoma Mensa, the group attended a glassblowing demonstration, with the two pieces created at the demonstration being given to the winners of a drawing.
I would encourage all of you to reach out to other local Mensa groups when you travel. Whether you utilize one of the many Mensa Facebook groups or look up the contact information of an officer on the national website, spending some time with other local groups is a great way to not only make new friends but also get ideas that can be taken back to your own group at home.
A great time to meet other Mensans is at the Annual Gathering, held this year June 29 – July 3 in San Diego, CA. I will be hosting a Region 6 Meet and Greet on June 30 at 6:00 p.m. I hope that if you attend the AG, you will come out and meet everyone!
As always, I ask that if you have any questions, concerns, or general comments, please let me know. I have created a simple online form where members can offer feedback on any topic, both by name or anonymously. You can find this form at http://tinyurl.com/AML-R6-Feedback. Of course, if you prefer, you can always contact me via email at rvc6@us.mensa.org.
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