Activities Bulletin
January 2019

If you’ve joined Chicago Mensa Meetup, also check out the Calendar, which may have additional events posted that are not in the January ChiMe. (And if you haven’t, please consider signing up for this great tool — an active Mensa number will be requested to verify your Mensa membership before you can be added to our CAM Meetup group.) Meetup will have the same RSVP contact information that is on our website and in ChiMe. On Meetup, even though events may have an RSVP option, a few CAM event coördinators are not members of Meetup. You may RSVP there to let other CAM Meetup members know you are attending, to easily add the event info to your calendar, and to set up notifications for the events, but you should always contact the CAM event coördinator as specified.

In addition to the events listed below (which includes all those listed in ChiMe and usually all those listed on Meetup), some area groups and the youth-related groups have their own closed Facebook group where they may publish events which are not included on our website. Contact South Suburban Coördinator Jeudi or Southwest Area Group (SwAG) Coördinators Kevin and Steve for information on how to join their respective Facebook group. Contact Gifted Youth Coördinators Stacey/Stephen or the Teen Coördinator to join their Facebook groups.

1/Tuesday

• ChiMe Activity Bulletin and Advertising Deadlines. Last day for these submissions to the February ChiMe.

• ChiMe Editorial Deadline. Last day for editorial submissions to the February ChiMe. Please submit original articles, insights, puzzles, brain teasers, or short poems. Your fellow Chicago Area Mensans would love to hear from you.

• New Year Day Luncheon 11:30 AM. January 1st is the day after the big celebrations, and this luncheon will probably be a quieter experience. Join us at the Bakers Square at 3649 N. Harlem Ave. in Chicago. In addition to the varied and tasty food, this low-key get-together should appeal to those Mensans who are either new to the Chicago area or who just want some stimulating conversation before going on to other activities. Please RSVP via Meetup. If your Meetup messaging is blocked, you will not be able to attend since you must be able to receive a confirmation message letting you know if you’re among the first ten to have RSVP’d.
  Learn more & RSVP @ Chicago Mensa Meetup.
  Meetup Event not in ChiMe!!

• Downtown Lunch Cancelled. Happy New Year! Join us next week for lunch at Petro’s Restaurant located at Randolph and LaSalle (160 N. LaSalle St. in Chicago). This event recurs on alternating Tuesdays and Thursdays.
  Cancelled Due to Holiday!!

3/Thursday

• Southeast Side Mensa Social (SEMinalS) 7 PM. Mensa dinner at Cocula South Chicago located at 8847 S. Commercial Ave. in Chicago. We will probably be in the back room near the windows nearest Commercial Ave. I [Carol] will try to display a flag of some kind. For more information, contact Carol M. (her contact information can also be found in January ChiMe). This event will recur on the first Thursday of the month.

4/Friday

• Annual Gathering (AG) Rate Increase Alert! Today was the last day to register before the next rate increase. See the AML 2019 AG website for details about the “Mensa Rising” AG held Wednesday, July 3rd through Sunday, July 7th in Phoenix, Arizona. Online registration ends on Saturday, June 15th. Enter to win a trip for two to the AG. Hot place. Cool people. And register nowfor the Colloquium presented on Tuesday, July 2nd, where the topic is “Privacy in the 21st Century: Mystery or Myth?”

9/Wednesday

Northern Exposure

• Northern Exposure 7 PM. Please join us for an Italian dinner at Café Pomigliano, a 23 year institution located at 160 E. Cook Ave. in Libertyville. Please RSVP (no later than 10 AM) to our North Suburban Coördinator Michael B., so he can reserve a big enough table; also let him know if you need to cancel, even if it’s last minute (by texting), so the restaurant can change the seating and doesn’t wait until everyone shows up to take orders.

10/Thursday

• Downtown Lunch 1 PM. Join us for lunch at Petro’s Restaurant located at Randolph and LaSalle (160 N. LaSalle St. in Chicago). To confirm the location and for reservations, contact event coördinator Gene E. before 11 AM.

11/Friday

• Rockford Mensa Dinner 6:30 PM. Join Dave and other Rockford-area Mensans for dinner at Kuma’s Asian Bistro, 420 E. State St. in Rockford (a few blocks east of the river between 1st and 2nd Streets). For more information or to get on our e‑mail list, contact Dave L. the Rockford Area Coördinator.

• Poetry Discussion. We are taking our usual month off this January. The poetry meetings will resume on Friday, February 8th. Contact Joe D., the SIG coördinator, for general information about this SIG. This event is usually held on the second Friday of the month.
  Annual Hiatus!!

• AGOG Hotel Rate Increase Alert! If you haven’t booked your room, you’ve missed your chance to book a hotel room at the AGOG discount rate of .

12/Saturday

SwAG Session

• SwAG Session 4 PM. Join the Southwest Area Group for its next monthly, laid-back time together with food and talk of any imaginable topic. We meet at Kevin’s home (aka SwAG HQ) on Windstone Dr. in Plainfield. If possible, please bring a small dish to share. No pets — and please do not ask if an exception can be made. End time is 11 PM promptly. RSVP by one week prior (Saturday, January 5th) is required. Kevin B.’s contact information is on our website. SwAG also has their own Facebook group; contact the Southwest Area Coördinators to find out how to join. We’ve been meeting on the second Saturday of the month. Hope to see you there!

13/Sunday

• Futures & Fantasies 2:15 PM. F&F will discuss Blackfish City, by Sam J. Miller. The discussion will take place in Conference Room G on the 3rd floor of the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake Street in Oak Park. Water, soda and light snacks acceptable. Parking available under the building. For additional information about this SIG, contact Steve M., the SIG coördinator. F&F usually meets on the second Sunday of most months.

• 
  Ethnic Dining

  Ethnic Dining: Korean 6 PM. Join us for Korean Barbecue buffet at the Jang Choong Dong Korean Restaurant, 9078 W. Golf Road in Niles. One non-Mensan guest may accompany each member at the GOBS-subsidized cost of $20, but additional guests will be charged the full price of $40. More details on Meetup or see the article in January ChiMe. Reservations are requested by Wednesday, January 11th; attendance is limited. Contact Carey S. directly and include 1) your full name, 2) the names of any guests, and 3) the guest’s Mensa membership status. If you don’t receive a confirmation e‑mail, try again. If you need to cancel, let Carey know ASAP since your fellow Mensans may be waitlisted and would love your spot. Please try to avoid cancelling in the last 24 hours, but if you must, contact Carey by mobile phone, which you may also use if you are lost or will be late. If possible, text first, then call, as he may not hear it ring. For Ethnic Dining notifications, updates, and all the details, sign up for the Ethnic Dining E‑Mails.

15/Tuesday

• Downtown Lunch 1 PM. Join us for lunch at Petro’s Restaurant located at Randolph and LaSalle (160 N. LaSalle St. in Chicago). To confirm the location and for reservations, contact event coördinator Gene E. before 11 AM.

• 
  WSW Dinner

  Near West-Southwest (WSW) Mensans Dinner 6:30 PM. This month, we enjoy dining at the Buck’s Pit Stop located at 6501 Kane Ave. in Hodgkins. Spouses, dates, and significant others are also welcome. Reservations are appreciated. Please contact Jay V. so he can give the restaurant an accurate headcount. This event usually recurs on the third Tuesday of the month.

• CultureQuest® Registration. On Sunday, April 28th, at 3 PM CDT, all across the country, all at the same time, teams of Mensans participate in a 90-minute-long contest of general trivia administered by American Mensa. Prizes will be awarded to the twenty teams with the highest scores! Today was the first day you can submit your team registration information to American Mensa. The registration deadline is Sunday, March 31st (just over a week from today (Saturday)). CAM teams may apply for GOBS funds to cover the team registration fee. Team captains should read the GOBS instructions and fill out the online application form.

16/Wednesday

• Mensa Testing 6 PM. Location just west of State & Ontario St. in Chicago. You must preregister and prepay — very limited seating. Parking is very expensive; public transit strongly recommended! Latecomers and anyone without an reserved spot will not be admitted. If you are or someone you know is interested in joining Mensa, see our Testing Information for contact details and additional dates/locations. Mensa members, forward your AML Mensa September e‑mail with your unique Mensa Voucher Program (MVP) Code now to an interested non-member so s/he can preregister and take a future test or submit qualifying prior evidence for free. Recipients of an MVP code, you have until the end of this month to use your MVP code. Want to know more? Visit the American Mensa website.
  Event Not in ChiMe!!

18/Friday

2017 Pride Parade

• Rainbow SIG Social 7 PM. SIG member Jorge Alexander C. and his husband Ethan J. are hosting a social and Pride Parade planning meeting in their home on the northside of Chicago (near Irving Park & Lakeshore Dr.). BYOB and plan on bringing a snack to share. Parking is hard to find. Try using a parking app to find deals and book ahead. Contact Jim C. by Tuesday, January 15th.

19/Saturday

• Conservatives Lunch 11:30 AM. Join other members of the Mensan cell of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy for lunch and “secret planning” at The Patio, 2780 S. Highland Ave. in Lombard. The Patio is on the NW corner of Butterfield and Highland, but you can enter only from Highland. Look for our reserved section in the northeast corner of the restaurant. RSVPs appreciated. Open to non-Mensans; bring a conservative friend. For more info, contact Jim Z. the event coördinator.

• Beverly Area Saturday Salon (B.A.S.S.) ~Noon. Spontaneous conversation in far SSW Chicago, approximate vicinity of 103rd St. & Western Ave. Please contact Rick E. the Beverly Area Coördinator, for this month’s location and the exact time as well as more information; if e‑mailing, put “BASS” in the subject line. Usually recurs on the 3rd Saturday of the month, about midday.

• Chinese on Saturdays 6 PM. We meet at Lao Sze Chuan House, 1331 Ogden Ave. in Downers Grove. Come for good food, good conversation, and occasionally some slightly warped humor. RSVP by 2 PM Saturday via e‑mail, Meetup, or phone. For those using the phone or whose Meetup messaging is blocked, provide a way you can be contacted about any last-minute changes to the event. For e‑mail or phone RSVPs, Walt L.’s contact information can be found on our website or in the January ChiMe.

• South Bend Mensa Dinner 6 PM. Contact Gary L., the South Bend Area Coördinator of Fort Wayne, Indiana Mensa, for location information. His contact information is available here on our website or in the January ChiMe.

20/Sunday

• 
  W-Sub Sundays

  West Suburban Sundays Noon. Join us for Sunday lunch in the southwest suburbs at the Major Restaurant at 301 W. Ogden Ave. in Westmont. The restaurant has a large variety of breakfast, lunch, and brunch items, reasonably priced. Please contact John or Betty N., the West Suburban Coördinators, by 2 PM on Saturday, January 19th and let them know if you are coming. Their contact information is also in the January ChiMe. This event recurs on the third Sunday of the month.

21/Monday

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day

23/Wednesday

• Cheddar Curtain Area Dinner 7 PM. It’s South-of-the-Border, north of the border! Please join us for our monthly Mexican feast, bringing together Mensans from both sides of the IL/WI state line. We’ll meet at Iguana Wana Mexican Grill & Tequila Bar located at 9080 76th St. in Pleasant Prairie, WI (a couple minutes east of Exit 344/US-50 on I-94). Please RSVP via e‑mail by 10 AM the morning of the dinner so I [Janice] can reserve us a big enough table. This event recurs on the fourth Wednesday.

24/Thursday

• Downtown Lunch 1 PM. Join us for lunch at Petro’s Restaurant located at Randolph and LaSalle (160 N. LaSalle St. in Chicago). To confirm the location and for reservations, contact event coördinator Gene E. before 11 AM.

25/Friday

• Leadership Workshop 8:30 AM. Chicago Area Mensa will be hosting a Leadership Development Workshop (LDW) at the Westin North Shore Hotel located at 601 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wheeling. If you’ve ever wanted to take on more of a leadership role in Mensa or get a more “behind the scenes” view of what goes into making events happen, click/tap here to get all the details about this terrific event, featuring a special keynote speaker. The skills taught can be applied to roles within Mensa as well as to your career or other interests.

Our next Monthly Gathering is on March 23rd.
The March Monthly Gathering will be held at the
Benedictine University,
5700 College Rd., Lisle, IL 60532

The locations of the MGs vary.

26/Saturday

• Monthly Gathering
  Our January Monthly Gathering will be held the Westin North Shore Hotel
  601 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wheeling.
  There will be a parent-child play room available. This gathering is open to the general public. So if you’re interested in learning more about Chicago Mensa, come join us. There is an admissions fee to help cover costs. Members, RSVP via Meetup to let your friends know you’re going to be there.

  
  Monthly Gathering

  Test:	4 PM.
  Business Meeting:	5 PM.
  Game room opens:	All weekend for AGOG!
  Nominations for local officers:	7:15 PM.
  Program:	7:30 PM.
  Party:	8:30 PM - Midnight.

  The Nominating Committee is looking for qualified candidates to run for the elected positions on the Chicago Area Mensa Board of Directors. If you’re interested or just curious, see Deb J.’s article in the January 2018 ChiMe for details. You can also view the job descriptions and the required qualifications.
  * * * * *
  The Deadline for Nomination Statements is March 1st. Candidates’ statements for publication in the April ChiMe are to be no longer than 500 words and cannot include any boldface, italic, or larger type; they should be sent directly to Stacey. She’d prefer them via e‑mail or you may send your statement on disk to her at home. Her address can be found in the here on our website.
  * * * * *
  Forward your Mensa Voucher Program (MVP) code, that AML e‑mailed you, to a non-member, who may, at no cost, either submit prior evidence before the end of of this month, or preregister for the supervised test held today.
  * * * * *
  Get involved! Chicago Mensa needs you. We’re looking for volunteers to fill some of the open positions listed both in the back of ChiMe or on the List of Officers. Or consider watching the children at the MG for a fee. You can also view the job descriptions and the required qualifications. Or try your hand at writing an article for ChiMe, submitting a photo, or creating a puzzle; see our Submission Guidelines for contact information and deadlines.

  Program Topic: Team Trivia Challenge
  In place of a speaker, we’re excited to present a Team Trivia Challenge. Prizes are expected to be fabulous, or maybe they’ll look a lot like M&Ms®. Bring your knowledge of the obscure and find out! Then feel free to join the over 100 AGOG gamers and battle over sheep or the highest triple word score.
  See the full write-up in the January ChiMe.

27/Sunday

29/Tuesday

• ChiMe Activity Bulletin Deadlines. Last day for these submissions to the March ChiMe.
  Deadline Change This Month!!

• Breakfast in Mt. Prospect 10 AM. Breakfast and conversation at Jelly Cafe located at 1784 W. Golf Rd. in Mt. Prospect. Diverse breakfast menu includes eggs, benedicts, omelettes, scramblers, skillets, french toast, pancakes, crepes, breakfast sandwiches, waffles, oatmeal, etc. Conversation includes … who knows? Attendance is limited. If not on Meetup, RSVP to Ken L. via e‑mail no later than 24 hours before the event. This event will recur on the last Tuesday of the month.

• Downtown Lunch 1 PM. Join us for lunch at Petro’s Restaurant located at Randolph and LaSalle (160 N. LaSalle St. in Chicago). To confirm the location and for reservations, contact event coördinator Gene E. before 11 AM.

• Sterling/Rock Falls/Dixon Dinner Cancelled. The group will be on hiatus until spring. To get on our e‑mail list, please send a message to Dave L. the Rockford Area Coördinator. This event is usually scheduled on the last Tuesday of the month from May through September.
  Event on Winter Hiatus!!

31/Thursday

• Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! 6:45 PM. For those of you who received a confirmation e-mail from Ken L. notifying you that you have tickets, please meet him at at the Chase Bank Auditorium, 10 S. Clark St. in Chicago before 7:15 PM. The recording starts promptly at 7:30 PM. The Auditorium is located on the lower level and the outside entrance is just south of the building on the Dearborn St. side by the CTA Blue Line Monroe Station. You can also access the auditorium from the south lobby (if open) and head to the southeast end of the lower level. All seating is reserved. For more details, see Meetup or visit our Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me page.

* * * * *

1 February/Friday

• ChiMe Editorial and Advertising Deadline. Last day for editorial submissions to the March ChiMe. Please submit original articles, insights, puzzles, brain teasers, or short poems. Your fellow Chicago Area Mensans would love to hear from you.

All February Events