January 2003

Howes Things
Paws for Reflection
Learning By Doing

Howes Things
LocSec & Editor Carl Howes

Happy 2003!

I am happy to bring you another first time contributor to Momentum. Meg Brodhead has hosted several events and written an article in just four months of membership! Mensa really is what we, the members, make it. What does your Mensa look like?

Paws for Reflection
RVC1 Betsy Burke

Are you planning on making or keeping any New Year's resolutions this year? I've been thinking of this (actually, I often make New Year's resolutions — it's the keeping of them that causes problems).

How about resolving to save money? You can achieve this objective in many ways. If there are two or more members of your household who belong to Mensa remember that you can claim yourself as a Mensa Household and have your dues adjusted accordingly. Of course, there will only be one bulletin and one local newsletter that arrives but remember you're not only saving money you're helping the environment.

You can also save some money by registering for RGs and the AG early. Most groups offer an incentive to get you to register early. Naturally, if you're a walk in you pay full price but in that case you can feel good about yourself as you're helping that group with an increase in its finances.

If you're feeling particularly frugal and if you have some extra cash on hand then you can always take advantage of a life time membership in Mensa. This not only saves you money but you again are helping the environment by no longer having to respond to renewal notices. You do respond to the first reminder, don't you?

How about volunteering your time to help your group in some way? Tom Rankin has already taken up the challenge of becoming Region 1 webmaster. Joe O'Malley and Tom Birchmire were two of the others who volunteered as was Steve M. from New York. Tom was the "lucky" winner as he is a member of Mid-Hudson and he contacted Gerry Riley for information. Thanks Tom and thanks to all the others who volunteered. William Houze of Maine and Jim Fahy of New Hampshire have both come forth with some ideas for Maine and New Hampshire. Please, local officers, don't stop volunteering your time. We couldn't exist without you. If your local group has a fold, staple and mutilate event that's a relatively easy way to help your group. Some groups might call this putting together the newsletter or bundling. Yes, I know bundling has a different meaning in parts of this region!

Why not resolve to win something that brings you honors? Casimer Decusatis became the winner of this year's Copper Black MERF award. He is only the third person so honored. Last year's winner was John Pellegrino and both of these gentlemen are from Region 1.

Become a winner in the top ten list of offers to join Mensa. Boston won for our Region with 22 offers extended while both Connecticut & Western Massachusetts and Greater New York Mensa has 20. Minnesota was first with 53. Thanks to all the proctors who help make this possible.

Why not resolve to do some socializing with Mensans? You can do this by attending an RG or even a local event. New Hampshire has their RG in February and Greater New York Mensa's is in April. If you go to GNYM's RG you can even tell your friends that you're going away to an island for the weekend. Of course, it's up to you whether you tell them you mean Staten Island. If they want to think it's someplace else you don't need to embarrass them by correcting them!

Resolve to develop more healthy eating habits. Try to abstain from all the chocolates at RGs and instead partake of the veggie platters. Resolve to become more physically active. Get up and go to some events, if you do go remember to occasionally use the stairs.

Resolve to be thankful for all that we have. My thanks to everyone who contacts me with their thoughts and problems. I'm thankful that I have this Mensa family. Please resolve to stay warm, healthy, and active in whatever way you can.

Learning By Doing
Meg Brodhead

I do agree with Karl Marx that theory follows praxis, in that a lot of the time I need to be doing something to understand it and from there can figure out how to get it right or at least save it from disaster. Sometimes I need to do it several times.

For example, on October 27 while tootling down Route 63 in Western Mass. to only the second Mensa event I ever hosted, I realized my Momentum listing had been silent on where exactly we would meet at the Book Mill, which (I was reminded as I pulled into one of its parking lots) over the years has transmogrified into quite a busy little complex with entrances at several levels into several buildings. This Mensan pondered. Well, I would do the obvious and stand at the actual bookstore's actual front counter. Then I wondered: Apart from the look in my eye, how would my fellow Mensans know me — those I had never met or didn't know to expect — since adopting a bookish pose in this environment would be more camouflage than high sign? Well then, I would hang around my neck my name tag from the chorus I sing with. But in the event it didn't matter; within a few seconds I was mindlessly piling books into my arms, completely obscuring the name tag.

None of these missteps proved fatal, however, as four of us did manage to use our wits to find each other with some lookout assistance from the fellow who seemed to be running the whole outfit single-handedly. Our sense of mutual congratulation and congeniality in our own company then allowed us to make light of the one misstep that really could have killed the fun: No lunch on the premises, the cafe's website calendar to the contrary and protestations to our friendly lookout to no avail. We made do with tea and crumpets from the sideboard, sitting at a table overlooking the scenic stream that makes the Book Mill what it is and yakking for two or three hours between raids on the stacks. There are just a very few things in life better than spending a Sunday afternoon this way.

I intend to continue planning Mensa events in order to improve both my theory and my practice, and I do recommend to other Mensans using your own imaginations to come up with ways we can have fun together. In the end our visit at the Book Mill proved a different Marx maxim to be wrong: It is possible to relate to people for reasons and rewards other than the cash nexus, even these days.