Calendar of Events

TO LIST YOUR EVENT – Length limit: 120 words. Submit items to the Calendar Editor at . Items must be received by the deadline listed in the calendar to guarantee inclusion. Items must include host’s name, date and time, location, and applicable codes (above), and should also include phone (including area code) or e-mail address. Notices are published on a space-available basis subject to the discretion of the Calendar Editor. The policy for inclusion in the calendar is based on the SFRM bylaws.

CODES – ACW all children welcome; BYOB bring your own beverage; CO clothing optional; C/D cat/dog at residence; FE fictitious event; FFE fragrance-free event; FFO finger food only; LCR light carpet rules (no red wine or other staining substances; can also mean no shoes); MO members only; NC no children; NPC, PC no public calendar, public calendar; NMPCW new members, prospects, and candidates welcome; NS, S, S/NS, SO no smoking, smoking, provisions for both, smoking outside; NXM not exclusively Mensa event; RSE regularly scheduled event; WBC well behaved children; WCD, WCE, WCI, WCP wheelchairs difficult, easy, impossible, possible; RSEs are reprinted verbatim unless an update is received by the deadline for the issue in which a change is requested.

WEB CALENDAR POLICY – Our policy is not to list events on the Web calendar unless requested to do so by inclusion of the “PC” (“public calendar”) code. If the PC code is not included, your event will default to NPC (no public calendar) and will not be included in the Web calendar. Home addresses (and directions to same) are not listed on the Web, but city and contact information such as telephone and e-mail are unless requested otherwise.

MEETUP – SFRM maintains a MeetUp group for events announced on short notice. See meetup.com/SFMensa

CHILDREN UNDER 18 – Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

GIFTED YOUTH PROGRAM EVENTS: sfmensa.org/gifted-youth-program/gy-events/

WEEKLY EVENT

Every Sunday

4p SPR (Sex, Politics, and Religion) Revival. Sex, Politics, and Religion – everything you are not supposed to discuss at the dinner table. This is for those people who would like to participate in a group that fosters considered, civil discussions, that is open regarding subject matter, i.e., this is not for those who want to “shock somebody” or “troll”. Optionally brown bag for those who would like to pay homage to SPR’s history as a San Francisco dinner/restaurant discussion group. This is a Zoom event: Meeting ID: 996 5500 8587, Passcode: 279931. Hosted by James Monschke. PC (RSE Su)

End of July

22 – Wednesday

5:30p Trivia Night at the Patriot House gastropub in San Francisco. The contest is free, starts at 6p, and lasts about 2 hours, but please arrive about 5:30p, so that we don’t lose the table that I’ve reserved. If you’re a member of our SFRM Meetup group, RSVP on Meetup if you’re planning on coming, so that I can be sure to reserve a large enough table. If you’re not a member of our SFRM Meetup group, RSVP by e-mailing host Barry Krasner at bwkbwk/a/t/pacbell.net. Guests are allowed, so be sure to include the number of guests that you’re bringing when you RSVP. If you RSVP “Yes”, then find that you can’t attend after all, please change your RSVP to “No” so that we’re not wondering whether you’re still coming or not. The Patriot House is located in Embarcadero Center #2, on the 3rd (top) floor. Enter from Sacramento St. between Front St. and Davis St. Take the inside escalator to the 2nd floor, then turn right twice and follow the sign to the stairs to the 3rd floor. The restaurant is near the top of those stairs. You’ll recognize our group by the Mensa logo that I will have on top of our table. If in doubt, ask the wait staff for “The Mensa Group”. PC, NC, NS, NMPCW (RSE 4 W)

23 – Thursday

11:45a South Bay Lunch. See July 9. (RSE 2,4 Th)

25 – Saturday

10a Who Is Government Discussion. We will be reading Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis (editor), one chapter per week. Come to the discussion with your questions and observations. This is pretty low-key. Expect to learn something and to have fun. Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading The Canary by Michael Lewis. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Sa)

7p East Bay Game Night. Join us for fun and games in North Oakland! We’re playing word games, card games, board games, all kinds of fast-action social games (not long strategy games). Please bring a snack to share. The fun is in Oakland near Piedmont Ave. and Pleasant Valley Ave. No RSVP needed; just show up at 7p (when I unlock the door) or later. We have about 15 to 25 people every month, most of whom do not RSVP. For more information or directions, contact Alan at alan.winson/a/t/gmail.com or (510) 653-2685 (voice only). Please pull forward to park four cars in my driveway. Free street parking is available in the neighborhood; don’t give up! SUPER-SPREADER EVENT NOTICE: If you haven’t kept up your vaccinations, or don’t feel well or may have COVID, a cold, or anything else contagious, please stay home and join us next month! Children 12 and up are welcome. PC, NMPCW, NS, WCP (RSE last Sa)

August 1-7

August 1 – Saturday

10a Who Is Government Discussion. We will be reading Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis (editor), one chapter per week. Come to the discussion with your questions and observations. This is pretty low-key. Expect to learn something and to have fun. Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading The Sentinel by Casey Cep. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Sa)

6p Online Board Games. Come explore some board games that can be played on the Web. If you’re new, please create a (free) account at boardgamearena.com and follow the setup instructions. We’ll meet online with Zoom to establish voice contact, and then we’ll decide on a game to try out. RSVP on the Meetup calendar, if possible, otherwise contact Karl Heuer at puzzles/a/t/sfmensa.org or (650) 648-3594. PC, NMPCW, ACW (RSE 1 Sa, 3 M)

2 – Sunday

4p Albany Hill Hike. Join us for a one-hour scenic and historic hike up and around Albany Hill. The trail is steep in spots, but the views are expansive. Special bonus: We have scheduled the Sather Tower Solar Beacon to shine directly upon us as we arrive at the top of the hill. Meet under Pacific East Mall Jumbotron just behind the bus stop on the east side of Pierce St. between Central Ave. in El Cerrito and Washington Ave. in Albany. Free parking is available in the mall lot, which is seven tenths of a mile from the El Cerrito Plaza BART station. Please contact Roberta Maguire to make sure she is in town at robertamaguire/a/t/hotmail.com or (510) 292-6370. PC, ACW, NMPCW, NS, WCI, NXM (RSE 1 Su)

4 – Tuesday

5p Tuesday Tipplers will meet at San Rafael Joe’s, 931 4th St., San Rafael 94901, at 5p for drinks in the bar and then move on to dinner in the dining room after an hour. Park on the street or in the city garage behind the restaurant. If you have questions e-mail Ed Sabrack at edsabrack/a/t/comcast.net or call (415) 472-3725. PC (RSE 1 Tu)

Intelligencer Deadline. Deadline for calendar events, advertising, members’ free ads, and all other content. See above for information on submitting events. PC (RSE Tu after 1 Sa)

August 8-14

8 – Saturday

10a Who Is Government Discussion. We will be reading Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis (editor), one chapter per week. Come to the discussion with your questions and observations. This is pretty low-key. Expect to learn something and to have fun. Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading The Searchers by Dave Eggers. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Sa)

2:30p M-Wisely’s Café provides thought-provoking presentations to intelligent beings throughout the galaxy. The presentations focus on space science, speculative science, and science fiction. This month’s topic is To-Space, Through-Space with Dr. Harold “Sonny” White. On Zoom. How will we travel through space? Can we reach beyond the solar system? The talk explores the perennial time-distance problem of human space exploration beyond Mars and to identify a few propulsion approaches we might utilize to send humans to all the worlds in our solar system and reach out across the vast distances between stars. The spacecraft architectures highlighted in the talk are nuclear electric propulsion (known physics, known engineering), fusion propulsion (known physics, unknown engineering), and finally space warps (unknown physics, unknown engineering). Please register at space-talk.link/AUG. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with the login information. PC (RSE 2 Sa)

4p Big Ideas Reading Group. The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI by Dr. Fei-Fei Li. On Zoom. Wired called Dr. Li “one of a tiny group of scientists – a group perhaps small enough to fit around a kitchen table – who are responsible for AI’s recent remarkable advances.” The Worlds I See is a story of science in the first person, documenting one of the century’s defining moments from the inside. It provides a riveting story of a scientist at work and a thrillingly clear explanation of what artificial intelligence actually is – and how it came to be. For September 12 on Teams: When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows by Steven Pinker. We have a list of books read at www.bigideasreadinggroup.com/BIRG2.html. For questions and invitations to our Zoom meetings please contact Chris Boyd at snoboyd/a/t/sbcglobal.net. PC, NMPCW, NXM (RSE 2 Sa)

10 – Monday

4p San Francisco Pub Get-Together. Stop by after work or, if you don’t work downtown, just come anyway. All Mensans and their guests are welcome, provided that they are at least 21, at Patriot House in 2 Embarcadero Center (Sacramento St. between Front St. and Davis St.), SF 94111. Take the inside escalator to the 2nd floor, turn right twice, and then follow the sign to the stairs to the 3rd floor. The restaurant’s entrance is near the top of those stairs on the 3rd floor. Look for the Mensa logo on our table or ask one of the waitresses to find us. Starting at 4p, but arrive when you can and leave when you’re ready. We will be there for several hours. They have a Happy Hour from 4p until 6p, with the kitchen closing at 9p and the bar closing at 10p. RSVP preferred on Mensa’s Meetup site at www.meetup.com/SFMensa, less preferred by e-mail to Barry Krasner at bwkbwk/a/t/pacbell.net. If you find that you can’t come after RSVPing “Yes”, please change your RSVP to “No” before the event takes place. PC, NC, NS, NMPCW (RSE 2 M)

11 – Tuesday

5:30p Apt To In Aptos Mensa Bar Group is held at Sevy’s Bar + Kitchen at Seacliff Inn, 7500 Old Dominion Court, Aptos 95003, www.seacliffinn.com/santa-cruz-restaurants on the second Tuesday of the month, running until about 7:30p. Come join Central Coast Mensans: Forget last month’s feces and anticipate this month’s blindsides. T(R)oast past friends, find new ones, and introduce current ones, all while contemplating how it all defaults to QM scaled. Courtesy e-mail to host Stew Gibson at LooseId/a/t/ix.netcom.com with subject “Sevy” for restaurant head count is appreciated, but not required. Tip 20% on the bill, with separate checks. PC, NMPCW (RSE 2 Tu)

6:30p Puzzled Pint. Who likes PUZZLES? The kind where part of the game is to figure out what you need to be doing in the first place? Want to do it as part of a team, so you can bounce ideas off each other, and let someone else do the parts that you find uninteresting? This is a monthly event held in the Bay Area (and simultaneously elsewhere in the world), at a convenient pub where we might order food and drink before or during the game. RSVP to Karl Heuer at puzzles/a/t/sfmensa.org or (650) 648-3594 (voice or text) to reserve your spot and learn the address. If Game Control has arranged a pub, it’s probably on Shoreline Blvd. in Mountain View, or downtown San Jose. Otherwise, the event host will select a non-pub location, probably in Campbell. PC, NMPCW, NS, NXM (RSE 2 Tu)

12 – Wednesday

5:30p Lafayette Trivia. Enjoy some delicious fare as we play against local teams in a fun-filled two-hour competition hosted by Head Games Trivia at Headlands Brewery, 3420 Mount Diablo Blvd., Lafayette 94549. An RSVP is required, as teams are limited to six players each. We meet at 5:30p for the 6p start time. Daniel Phillips, umpolung13/a/t/yahoo.com, (304) 975-0066. PC, NS, NMPCW, ACW, WCP, NXM (RSE 2W)

13 – Thursday

11:45a South Bay Lunch. Meet at Bill’s Cafe, 1401 Kooser Rd., San Jose 95118 (off Hwy. 85 at the Camden Ave. exit at the corner of Kooser Rd. and Stanwood Dr. near Blossom Hill Rd.), (408) 264-1900. Cocktails available, large menu (online), friendly fast service, breakfast and lunch, closes at 2p. Sandra Anderson, (408) 997-3187. PC, NMPCW, WCE (RSE 2,4 Th)

12n Thursday Munchers. A lunch group in Marin dedicated to trying different restaurants. This month we will visit Sabor A Mexico, 1559 4th St., San Rafael, (415) 306-9404, www.saboramex.com. RSVP by Monday, August 10, to Elizabeth Calaway at (415) 456-9220 or elizterrycalaway/a/t/aol.com. PC (RSE Th after 2 Tu)

August 15-21

15 – Saturday

10a Who Is Government Discussion. We will be reading Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis (editor), one chapter per week. Come to the discussion with your questions and observations. This is pretty low-key. Expect to learn something and to have fun. Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading The Number by John Lanchester. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Sa)

12n Saturday Sizzle. Meet fellow Mensans for lunch at Sizzler restaurant, 1515 Fitzgerald Dr., Pinole 94564, sizzler.com/locations/sizzler-pinole/. Is their menu only for carnivores? No, they also have a large salad bar. RSVP to Lorna at lornagruber/a/t/yahoo.com by noon the day before so that we can put together a large enough table. Look for a Mensa sign on the table, in case you’re new. PC, NMPCW, NS (RSE 3 Sa)

16 – Sunday

2:30p Speaker Series: The Mummy as Monster: Unraveling a Pop Culture Icon with Foy Scalf. On Zoom. In the 19th century, deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs left a wake proliferating with myths, curses, and kitsch that infected generations with Egyptomania. The search for knowledge simultaneously fueled elaborate fantasies – some of which soon turned into ghoulish horror. The Mummy, a pop culture icon, was born by appropriating Egyptian cultural imagery and blending it with Victorian Gothic. The discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922 fueled the flames as the legend of the mummy’s curse was deemed death on swift wings for those who opened the tomb. Boris Karloff brought such nightmares to the silver screen, establishing a franchise that continues to (mis)influence generations of viewers. This talk begins to unravel the threads of this cultural phenomenon from its ancient inspirations to its sci-fi origins, from pulp fiction to blockbuster releases. Please register at livepresentation.link/AUG. You will receive a confirmation e-mail from Zoom that will contain the link needed to join the presentation. Hosted by Judy Unger, junger2040/a/t/gmail.com. PC

17 – Monday

6p Online Board Games. See August 1. (RSE 1 Sa, 3 M)

19 – Wednesday

5:30p Re-BORG. Berkeley-Oakland Restaurant Group is reborn and revived in honor of the incomparable Cathy Roha, who initiated this event and hosted it for many years. Assimilate delicious food and interesting conversation at a good restaurant somewhere in the central East Bay. Please bring cash. Limited seating. E-mail or call ahead for location up to a week ahead. RSVP by 3p on Tuesday, August 18. Roberta Maguire, robertamaguire/a/t/hotmail.com, (510) 292-6370. PC, NS, NMPCW, ACW (RSE 3 W)

20 – Thursday

7p Peninsula Dining Group returns to a Palo Alto trattoria for Italian cuisine. We’ll be at Caffe Riace, 200 Sheridan Ave., 94306. In the past they had only outside dining with heat lamps. They have added some indoor rooms (which help if weather is inclement). It’s a tad pricey, but with the good food and good conversation, we’ll barely notice. Join us!! To reserve a seat, call/text Susan at (650) 714 4972 or email Susan.Heimlich/a/t/gmail.com by Monday, August 17. Expect a confirmation by the 19th to know your seat is confirmed. Ask for Susan, and please bring cash. PC, NMPCW

August 22-31

22 – Saturday

10a Who Is Government Discussion. We will be reading Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis (editor), one chapter per week. Come to the discussion with your questions and observations. This is pretty low-key. Expect to learn something and to have fun. Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading The Cyber Sleuth by Geraldine Brooks. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Sa)

26 – Wednesday

27 – Thursday

11:45a South Bay Lunch. See August 13. (RSE 2,4 Th)

29 – Saturday

10a Who Is Government Discussion. We will be reading Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis (editor), one chapter per week. Come to the discussion with your questions and observations. This is pretty low-key. Expect to learn something and to have fun. Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading The Equalizer by Sarah Vowell. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Sa)

FUTURE FLASHES

September 1 – Tuesday

5p Tuesday Tipplers. See August 4. (RSE 1 Tu)

5 – Saturday

10a Who Is Government Discussion. We will be reading Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis (editor), one chapter per week. Come to the discussion with your questions and observations. This is pretty low-key. Expect to learn something and to have fun. Join us for one, a few, or all chapters. This week we’re reading The Rookie by W. Kamau Bell. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Sa)