Conversation with London Mensans 8 AM. Join a video chat with our kin from across the big pond in London at 2 PM BDT. I [Carey] participated previously, along with a few other CAM members, and had a very nice chat with some of our “siblings” in the London area. RSVP (via Meetup preferred) to local host Carey S. to receive the Zoom sign-in information. The London host is Ian David Moseley.
Virtual Event!!

NNW Dinner: Mexican 6 PM. Dinner will be at Hacienda El Sombrero lo­cated at 1100 S. Elmhurst Rd. in Mount Prospect (in a strip mall on the west side of Elmhurst Rd. (IL RT 83), just south of Golf Rd.). This is a GOBS-subsidized event where ½ the total cost (including tax plus a 20% tip, rounded up to the nearest dollar) of a CAM member’s, and up to one guest’s, dinner will be covered for a maximum of fifteen people — for a maximum subsidy of $20/person; cash (no coins) or PayPal only for your portion. RSVP (and get more details) on Meetup, but if not on Meetup, email Ken L.. Email RSVPs will receive a response from Ken.

Conversation with London Mensans 8 AM. See Thursday, May 2nd.
Virtual Event!!

Zoom Lunch 1 PM. Perhaps the longest running Mensa event anywhere, Chicago’s Zoom Lunch (formerly known as the Downtown Lunch) is held every week, alternating between Tuesday and Thursday. Join us for conversation, laughs, and attempts to define words you’ll never use again. The Zoom id is 836 1178 6315 and the passcode is 190710; it is also included as part of your host Jon G.’s contact information if you prefer a link. Questions? Contact Jon via email or call/text him. You may also RSVP via Meetup. We’d love to have you join us!
Virtual Event!!

Rock­ford Mensa Dinner 6:30 PM. Join Dave and other Rockford-Area Mensans for dinner at The Great Wall lo­cated at 4228 E. State St. in Rockford (lo­cated just west of Alpine on the north side of State). To RSVP , for more information, or to get on our email list, contact Dave L., our Rockford-Area Coördinator. RSVP required in case of cancellation, time, or venue change. Do not RSVP via Meetup since Dave is not a member. This event is usually recurs on the second Friday of the month.

Poetry Dis­cus­sion 7:30 PM. Our poetry group is using Zoom for meetings. Please send a poem or two to Joe D. by Friday, May 10th. Interested persons who are not currently members of the poetry group can contact Joe D. , and he will email the poems to be discussed. Contact Bill K. for the Zoom links or any help you might need. Do NOT RSVP via Meetup. This event is usually held on the evening of the second Friday of the month.
Virtual Event!!

Zoom Lunch 1 PM. See Thursday, May 9th.

Northern Ex­po­sure Dinner 6:45 PM. Polar bears paddling around your pool? Then you should have dinner with us. Join us at Ristorante Bottaio, in Libertyville for some of the best Italian food around. The address is 946 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Libertyville This restaurant is on a busy stretch of Milwaukee Ave., and has little or no street parking nearby. It is valet parking only. (The service is complimentary, although tips are appreciated.) Please RSVP on Meetup or via Janice’s email, jesser@chicago.us.mensa.org  , so she can reserve a big enough table.

Conversation with London Mensans 8 AM. See Thursday, May 2nd.
Virtual Event!!

Central Indiana Mensa OMG! held today through Sunday, May 19th, at the Versailles State Park at 1387 U.S. 50 East in Versailles, Indiana. An outdoor excursion to a group of cabins in the woods. Reasonably described as “camping-lite,” the Outdoor Mensa Gathering (or OMG!) is a trip to the great outdoors of Indiana, with a campfire, hiking, board games, card games, guided discussions, and other activities. You get food, lodging, scenery, and more. For additional details and regisration rates, see their flyer or visit the Mensa of Indiana website,

Animae Central (ACen) held today through Sunday, May 19th at the Donald E. Stephens (DES) Convention Center at 5555 N. River Rd. in Rosemont and at the Hyatt O’Hare. See the special guests and performers. For more information, visit their website.

Conserv­atives Lunch 11:30 AM. Join other members of the Mensan cell of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy for lunch and civilized un-PC conversation. No forbidden questions, no unchallengeable answers. This lunch happens on the third Saturday every month, but the location changes and can’t always be determined in time to make the ChiMe schedule. The venue will be The Patio, 2780 S. Highland Ave. in Lombard (NW corner of Butterfield and Highland, but you can enter only from Highland). RSVP by emailing Jim Z. the event coör­di­na­tor. You may also RSVP via Meetup. Open to non-Mensans; bring a curious friend.

Beverly Area Saturday Salon (B.A.S.S.) ~Noon. Spontaneous conversation in far SSW Chicago, approx­i­mate vicinity of 107th 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 emailing, put “BASS” in the subject line. This event usually recurs on the 3rd Saturday of the month, about midday.

Monthly Gath­ering
The location of our May Month­ly Gath­ering is the Rolling Mead­ows Com­mu­ni­ty Center
3705 Pheasant Dr. in Rolling Meadows.

Games and hos­pi­tal­ity are in the spacious auditorium, with overflow space in the lobby. The speaker event is in the Card Room. A Parents-Kids Play Room is available after the Mensa Test. Park in the NW lot behind the building and use Entrance K (near inner corner). Please note that we have this venue only until midnight, so plan accordingly. 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 (major credit cards accepted). Members, RSVP via Meetup to let your friends know you’re going to be there.

Monthly Gathering

The CAM Executive Committee has allocated GOBS funds to be used for the reimbursement of either or Uber ridesharing services from/to the Arlington Park METRA station. Details are on our Monthly Gathering page.
* * * * *
Volunteer
Get involved! Hone your leadership, organizational, or web skills. We’re looking for vol­un­teers to fill some of the open po­sitions listed both near the back of ChiMe or on the List of Officers. Try your hand as the Gifted Youth Coördinator, a co-Program Officer, a website designer, or a MG Hospitality Volunteer. You can view the job descriptions and the required qualifications for all the open positions and ones you may be interested in. Or consider supervising the children at the MG for some extra cash.
* * * * *
Express Yourself
Write an ar­ticle, submit a photo, or create a puzzle for ChiMe; see our Submission Guidelines for contact information and deadlines. Host your own event or your own virtual event using Discord!

SFRM: Many Modes of Mind 4:30 PM. Science fiction often describes our meetings with other intelligent species many times a universal communicator or an assumption of a common language bypasses the need to explain communication. In the real world we will have to establish a way to communicate even if we have no commonality to serve as a basis.

• What senses could be used to communicate, one of the five we have or something we can’t even imagine.
• Coiled there be no form of communication because there is no need? A hive mind or a colony creature like a jellyfish, Perhaps what appears to be a discrete creature actually parts of one being with no more necessity to communicate than you do when you move a limb.

Our panel consists of four current science fiction writers who will discuss multiple possibilities in the realm of communication with beings sharing our world and those that we may meet in our future explorations. Please register early. To register, visit San Francisco Regional Mensa (SFRM)’s registration signup for this event. For more details, visit the SFRM Zoom RSVPs group on Facebook.
Virtual Event!!

Irish Mensa Lecture and Discussion: The Maths of Board Games 1 PM. Irish Mensa meets virtually on the third Monday of each month at 7 PM Irish Time; a discussion then follows the lecture.

Why are there chess Grandmasters, but not Grandmasters of noughts and crosses (otherwise known as tic-tac-toe)? It is because chess is “harder” — but what do we really mean by that? Answering that question leads us to develop the idea of mathematical complexity, which is a measure of how ‘big’ a game is. We’ll look at the complexity of popular games, and ask: what is the hardest game of all time?

Professor Sarah Hart is the first woman Professor of Geometry at Gresham College, and was appointed in 2020. She is Professor Emerita of Mathematics at Birkbeck, University of London. She studied at Oxford and Manchester, gaining her PhD in 2000. Postdoctoral research and teaching followed, including a prestigious Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Fellowship, before she was appointed to a lectureship at Birkbeck in 2004. She became Professor of Mathematics there in 2013, and served in various management roles including as Head of Mathematics and Statistics, Assistant Dean, and Programme Director for the MSc Mathematics.

For the full write-up and to join, visit the American Mensa event. One does not have to register for the event — simply click on the Zoom link at the appropriate date and time.
Virtual Event!!

Break­fast in Mount Pros­pect 10 AM. Breakfast or lunch and conversation at Jelly Café lo­cated at 1784 W. Golf Rd. in Mount Pros­pect (northwest corner of Golf Rd. and Busse Hwy.), featuring a large and diverse menu. Dining might be indoors or outdoors, depending on conditions. Sepa­rate checks are available. Use Meetup, but if not on Meetup, RSVP to Ken L. via email. If you RSVP by email, your reservation is not confirmed until you receive a confirmation email.

Conversation with London Mensans 8 AM. See Thursday, May 2nd.
Virtual Event!!

Zoom Lunch 1 PM. See Thursday, May 9th.

Dinner Out West: Let’s Fly Away 6:30 PM. If we get a good table, we can be “just sittin’ out here watching airplanes” during our dinner. DOW this month is at Pilot Pete’s, located at 905 W. Irving Park Rd. in Schaumburg. This is a GOBS-subsidized event. GOBS will cover ½ of your meal cost, including tax and tip (rounded up to the nearest dollar), up to a maximum subsidy of $20, for each CAM member and their guest. Cash, Zelle, or PayPal for your portion. Limit 20 people. Reservations are required so Beth knows how big of a table to reserve. RSVP via Meetup (preferred) or directly to Beth W. no later than Monday, May 20th.

Mensa Cares: Land & Waterways 2 PM. This month, naturalist and educator Karen Jensen will lead us as we walk along the Des Plaines River in the Lake County Forest Preserve. We will be participants in an open data citizen science project. The Marine Debris Tracker app helps to answer the question of what the different types and amounts of debris are in order that we may prevent such debris from happening.

Karen will instruct us in what and how we will do what we will do, but this will involve walking on the forest preserve trails. Wear comfortable shoes, clothing and your citizen scientist hat (the winner of the best hat gets big kudos from Karen!). Also, bring a well charged phone, water and snacks to carry along with you. You will download the Marine Debris Tracker App and Karen will assign us our group (Chicago Area Mensa) by which we will track what we find. Some participants may want to only record what is found and some may want to pick up debris — that is up to you (bring gloves, we will provide the debris bags).

The location is Edward L. Ryerson Welcome Center, 21950 Riverwoods Rd. in Riverwoods. The entrance is on Riverwoods Road between Half Day Road (Route 22) and Deerfield Road, just west of Interstate 94. Signs to the Welcome Center will be easy to see and follow. For more details, see the May ChiMe. If you have any questions or you wish to RSVP , email our Community Services Coördinator Jean D. .

Theodore Talk: Rags To Bebop: The Swinging Sounds Of Kansas City 2:30 PM. Fueled by riffs and powered by tight ensemble work, Kansas City jazz first rolled across the nation in the 1930s. The list of musicians who worked and made their home in Kansas City during the golden age of jazz represent a veritable Who’s Who of Jazz: Count Basie, Mary Lou Williams, Lester Young, Bennie Moten, Walter Page, Jay McShann, Joe Turner, Pete Johnson, Julia Lee, Harlan Leonard, Andy Kirk, and Kansas City’s most infamous son — Charlie “Bird” Parker.

See the full write-up and find contact info on the American Mensa Events website. Even if you can’t attend the live Talk, as long as you register you will receive a link to a recording of the event. Closed captioning enabled.
Virtual Event!!

Zoom Lunch 1 PM. See Thursday, May 9th.

Conversation with London Mensans 8 AM. See Thursday, May 2nd.
Virtual Event!!