Activities Bulletin
January 2018

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 groups 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/Monday

• 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.

2/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.

4/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.

6/Saturday

• Saturday Movie Matinée Movie/Dining 1:20 PM/~3:15 PM.

  What?

  Coco - Another Pixar masterpiece. It sits comfortably with Toy Story 3, Finding Dory, and Inside Out as one of the best Pixar films this decade.
  Of every Pixar film that deals with family, memory, and loss, ask, “Is there sufficient reason for the tears that will inevitably run down my face by the end?” Yes, thanks in no small part to the ingenious use of De La Cruz’s hit song, “Remember Me.”
  Runtime: 1 hrs 45 min.

  When?

  1:20 PM Matinée - RSVP and we’ll try to save you a seat, if possible, and look out for you. Or better yet, come early and help us grab a row of seats — we try for the first row in the upper section. We’ll go in as soon as the theater is cleaned and open.

  Where?

  Elk Grove Village Cinema at 1050 Arlington Heights Rd. in Elk Grove Village.

  Afterwards?

  Late lunch/early dinner at ~3:15 PM Good Tequila’s Mexican Grill, located nearby at 950 Elk Grove Town Center in Elk Grove (very short walk from theater entrance).

  RSVP?

  Always appreciated, especially if you’re dining with us, since then Peggy can let the restaurant know how many places to set or inform you if the venue changes. Contact/RSVP to Peggy P., the SIG coördinator directly or via Chicago Mensa Meetup. Last-minute deciders warmly welcome.

  For Saturday Movie Matinée notifications, updates, and all the details, sign up for the SNF emails.
  Event Not in ChiMe!!

Northern Exposure

10/Wednesday

• Northern Exposure 7 PM. Leave winter behind and dine under the electric palm trees of Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant. Delicious authentic Mexican cuisine, homemade daily with the freshest ingredients. Try one of the popular grilled fajitas, taco dinners or thirst quenching margaritas. Voted #1 for the Best Mexican Cuisine for three years in a row! Conveniently located at 26228 IL-83 in Mundelein, on Route 83 northwest of north Diamond Lake Rd. 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.
  Venue Change!!

• 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 .

11/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.

12/Friday

AGOG 2016

• A Gathering of Gamers (AGOG) 7 PM. Join us for a relaxing weekend of games and hospitality at the Westin North Shore Hotel1, 601 North Milwaukee Ave. in Wheeling. Bigger than a house party, smaller than an RG; just hundreds of Chicago Area Mensa’s games, plenty of tables, and well over a hundred friendly, albeit competitive, players. At AGOG, you can play all your favorite board and card games, including Euro/German games as well as party games and classics, or bring your own to share with friends. There are also social deduction games planned. Food and non-alcoholic beverages are provided throughout the weekend. Plus the fee includes access to Saturday’s Monthly Gathering. Contact our Chairs to help setup and enjoy the Volunteer dinner. If you haven’t preregistered, you can register at the door. Please post on the or e‑mail our Chairs regarding questions or concerns you have about anything other than registration.

• 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 email 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 9th, at Ruth R.’s home in Winnetka, with selections by Mary G. Contact Joe D., the SIG coördinator, for general information. This event is usually held on the second Friday of the month.
  Annual Hiatus!!

13/Saturday

AGOG 2015

• A Gathering of Gamers (AGOG) continues. Join the fun and attend the long weekend gathering of just games all day through Sunday afternoon at the Westin North Shore Hotel, 601 North Milwaukee Ave. in Wheeling! All the games we have at WeeM and more, because folks like you bring their own to share. There are also social deduction games planned. We provide food, non-alcoholic beverages, and all the games you want for a reasonable price. Plus the fee includes access to today’s Monthly Gathering. If you haven’t preregistered, you can register at the door.

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. RSVP by one week prior (Saturday, January 6th) 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!

• Monthly Gathering
  Our January Monthly Gathering will be held at 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 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.
  * * * * *
  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. If you need a little inspiration, see the latest issue of ChiMe for our Editor’s list of monthly themes.

  Program Topic: Getting Away With Murder: Social Deduction Games for New Players
  Stephen Rider will be presenting. There was no write-up for the January ChiMe so no additional information is available.

  MG Early This Month Due to AGOG!!

14/Sunday

AGOG 2017

• A Gathering of Gamers (AGOG) continues until 3 PM. Join us for a relaxing weekend of games and hospitality at the Westin North Shore Hotel, 601 North Milwaukee Ave. in Wheeling. Bigger than a house party, smaller than an RG; just hundreds of Chicago Area Mensa’s games, plenty of tables, and well over a hundred friendly, albeit competitive, players. At AGOG, you can play all your favorite board and card games, including Euro/German games as well as party games and classics, or bring your own to share with friends. There are also social deduction games planned. Food and non-alcoholic beverages are provided throughout the weekend. Sunday breakfast is included as well. If you haven’t preregistered, you can register at the door. Please post on the or e‑mail our Chairs regarding questions or concerns you have about anything other than registration.

• Futures & Fantasies 2 PM. Too Like the Lightning, by Ada Palmer, will be discussed. The discussion will take place in Conference Room G of the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake Street in Oak Park. Water, soda and light snacks acceptable. For additional information about this SIG, contact Steve M., the SIG coördinator. F&F usually meets on the second Sunday of most odd–numbered months.

15/Monday

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day

16/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 Andreas Family Restaurant located at 7427 W. Roosevelt Rd. in Forest Park. 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.

• CultureRequest® Registration. On Sunday, April 29th, 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 was Saturday, March 31st. We wish our teams the best of luck today!

20/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 at a private residence near 103rd & Western Ave. in far SSW Chicago. 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. 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 email, 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 email 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 Dawn F., the South Bend Area Coördinator of Fort Wayne, Indiana Mensa, for location information. For contact information, see the January ChiMe or our website.

21/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 20th 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.

• ALBAMS Play: Odd Couple 1:45 PM. Performance at the Big Noise Theatre at the Prairie Lakes Community Center located at 515 E. Thacker St. in Des Plaines. There’s a laugh a second in Neil Simon’s hit Broadway play when two suddenly single pals — a sloppy sportswriter and a compulsively tidy news writer — strain their friendship by turning roommates and driving each other crazy! Purchase your own tickets for the 2 PM matinée. RSVP directly to Carey S. or via Meetup.

24/Wednesday

• Mensa Testing 6 PM at 33 W. Ontario St. in Chicago. You must preregister and prepay — limited seating. Parking is very expensive; public transit strongly recommended! Latecomers 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 Voucher now to an interested non-member so s/he can preregister and take this test for free.
  Event Not in ChiMe!!

25/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.

26/Friday

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

• Classics Book Club 8 PM. The meeting is at a home in Lisle. Please contact Elizabeth G. — use “Book Club” in subject line — for this month’s book selection, a list of suggested books for future meetings, and the meeting address. Event will recur on the fourth Friday of the month.

28/Sunday

• 
  Ethnic Dining

  Ethnic Dining: Ecuadorian 6 PM. Join us at the Galapagos Cafe, 3800 W. Lawrence Ave. in Chicago. The cost will be $20, cash only, for a family-style dinner and one simple beverage, including tax and gratuity. They have a cash bar for your purchases. One non-Mensan guest may accompany each member at the GOBS-subsidized cost, but additional guests will be charged the full price, about $30-$35. 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, 3) the guest’s Mensa membership status, and 4) vegetarian meal or not. If you don’t receive a confirmation email, 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 emails. There is a waitlist so if you can’t make it, be sure to notify Carey S. ASAP so someone on that list can go.

30/Tuesday

• 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 email 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 email-list, please send a message to Dave L. the Rockford Area Coördinator. This event is usually scheduled on the last Tuesday of the month.
  Event on Winter Hiatus!!

* * * * *

1 February/Thursday

• ChiMe Editorial 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.

• Northern Exposure: Intelligent Conversation 6 PM. Join our North Suburban Coördinator Michael B. and the ongoing Meetup groups “Libertyville Intelligent Conversation” & “Conversation” for a friendly, low key discussion on the controversial topic of Guns in America. The location is Hansa Coffee Roasters at 755 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Libertyville. Learn more & RSVP on Meetup.
  Meetup Event Not in ChiMe!!

• 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.