Terminology

Winter draws near to the end. It has been a relatively mild winter here in the Hunt Country, so disruption of travel around the Nation’s Capital has been kept to a minimum. I have taken some of the spare time, and perused the events that the groups are planning for their membership, and have seen a wide variety, catering to all facets of the membership, which is a good thing. Remember, if you check the calendar of your local group, and perhaps that of a nearby group, you are bound to find something that interests you. If not, then plan such an event yourself. Your Executive Committee will be eager to accommodate, and the pleasant experience of bringing pleasure to yourself and others is worth the effort. There is very little that Mensa does not have to offer, and industrious or timid members are coming up with new ideas all the time. So, keep your thinking caps on, and share your thoughts and passions with others.

For the future, so far, I am only aware of the firm dates for Central New Jersey’s Snowball XXXI, “Nautical but Nice” in Piscataway, NJ during March 4-6. There has been some concern about the lack of Regional Gatherings for the upcoming year. I know that we had a very successful 2004, and I would like to see the pattern continue into 2005. The policy for submitting RG information for approval has changed, so that one of the options involves submitting the information online at https://secure.us.mensa.org/members/only/gatheringsform.php. So, now submitting the information for publication and approval is even easier then having a good time.

The AMC meeting is in Columbus, Ohio the weekend of March 18-20th, so it is close enough to some of the local groups that attendance would be an option. Please feel free to attend and learn how the American Mensa Officers conduct business, and make efforts to provide you with the best the Mensa has to offer. If you find yourself feeling the need to participate and volunteer, you will be afforded the opportunity.

The amount of Mensa paperwork that can be done online is increasing, so the savings of time and treasury will be seen in the coming year. There is a lot of repositioning insofar as the National Office is concerned, that we are even considering examining how the travel budgets for the AMC are being calculated, with all the electronic media in place, it is becoming less necessary for us to travel.

The dues renewal process is underway, and the deadline, March 31st is drawing near. We have had a consistent record year for 2004-2005, and all concerned would like to see the upswing in membership continue. It is going to be hard to top the publicity efforts, such as “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and the like, but we are trying. As I mentioned online, each and every local group has shown a net gain in membership in the year to year figures, and that is a statistic to be proud of.

So, enjoy your month, April showers are not far behind.