Calendar of Events

October 3 – Saturday

10a Race Card Discussion. We will be reading Race Card: How Bluffing About Bias Makes Race Relations Worse by Richard Thompson Ford, 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 Chapter 2: The Wild Card: Racism by Analogy (starting p134). 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)

4 – 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)

6 – 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)

8 – 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)

10 – Saturday

10a Race Card Discussion. We will be reading Race Card: How Bluffing About Bias Makes Race Relations Worse by Richard Thompson Ford, 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 Chapter 3: Calling a Spade a Spade: Defining Discrimination, first half, until p230. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Sa)

4p Big Ideas Reading Group. 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History – and How it Shattered a Nation by Andrew Ross Sorkin. On Teams. With unparalleled access to historical records and newly uncovered documents, New York Times bestselling author Andrew Ross Sorkin takes readers inside the chaos of the crash, behind the scenes of a raging battle between Wall Street and Washington and the larger-than-life characters whose ambition and naïveté in an endless boom led to disaster. This is not just a story about money. 1929 is a tale of power, psychology, and the seductive illusion that this time is different. It’s about disregarded alarm bells, financiers who fell from grace, and skeptics who saw the crash coming – only to be dismissed until it was too late. For November 14 on Teams: Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. We have a list of books read at www.bigideasreadinggroup.com/BIRG2.html. For questions and invitations to our Teams meetings please contact Chris Boyd at snoboyd/a/t/sbcglobal.net. PC, NMPCW, NXM (RSE 2 Sa)

12 – 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)

13 – 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.sevysbarandkitchen.com/ 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)

14 – 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)

15 – Thursday

12n Thursday Munchers. A lunch group in Marin dedicated to trying different restaurants. This month we will visit Sapori Ristorante, 869 4th St., San Rafael 94901, (415) 785-4152, saporimarin.com/. RSVP by Monday, October 12, to Elizabeth Calaway at (415) 456-9220 or elizterrycalaway/a/t/aol.com. PC (RSE Th after 2 Tu)

17 – Saturday

10a Race Card Discussion. We will be reading Race Card: How Bluffing About Bias Makes Race Relations Worse by Richard Thompson Ford, 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 Chapter 3: Calling a Spade a Spade: Defining Discrimination, second half, starting p231. 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)

1p Educational Planning for Gifted Children and Teens. Are public schools obligated to accommodate my gifted child? What is a “gifted-friendly” school? My child is 2e; why won’t his public school give him IEP accommodations? When do we start looking into college? These questions and more will be discussed in this webinar. This virtual event will be on Zoom and is open to all American Mensa members who are parents or guardians, and parents and guardians of Gifted Youth members. The speaker will be Melody Lowman, SFRM Gifted Youth Resource Coordinator. Register for the Zoom session at zoom.us/meeting/register/o-_h8Ja4Q12At19HNPNsWw. PC

18 – Sunday

1:30p High School Robot Games at Woodside High School, 199 Churchill Ave., Woodside 94062. High school student designed and built 125 lb. (57 kg) robots compete to collect and launch balls into hoppers. The first 15 seconds of the 2:30 match are “autonomous,” running only on their internal programming and sensors. For the remaining 2:15 the robot is operated by students with joysticks and controllers. At the beginning and end of the match robots may hoist themselves up a ladder for extra points. The game video may be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fybREErgyM. Two alliances of three robots each compete in each match; teams’ partners in one match will be opponents in another. Spectators are invited to tour the pits to see the robots up close and talk with students. Mensan Gary Koerzendorfer mentors FIRST Robotics Team 2643 “Dark Matter” from Santa Teresa High School in San Jose. The competition runs the evening of Friday, October 16, through Sunday, October 18, with playoffs and championship matches on Sunday at ~1:30p. Exact schedule is TBD and will be updated at www.calgames.org. Attendance and parking are free. PC, NXM, ACW

19 – Monday

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

21 – 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, October 20. Roberta Maguire, robertamaguire/a/t/hotmail.com, (510) 292-6370. PC, NS, NMPCW, ACW (RSE 3 W)

22 – Thursday

11:45a South Bay Lunch. See October 8. (RSE 2,4 Th)

24 – Saturday

10a Race Card Discussion. We will be reading Race Card: How Bluffing About Bias Makes Race Relations Worse by Richard Thompson Ford, 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 Chapter 4: The Clash of Ends: Contested Goals. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Sa)

28 – 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)

29 – Thursday

7p Peninsula Dining enjoys the Thai Tamarind Restaurant at 1316 El Camino Real, Belmont 94002. They are reviewed favorably on several websites. Menu selections include red, yellow, and green curries; spicy basil duck; cashew chicken, pork, or tofu; and sweet and sour fish. You get the idea. Prices are very reasonable. As always, good food and good conversation. To reserve, contact Susan Heimlich at (650) 714-4972 or at susan.heimlich/a/t/gmail.com at least 2 days before the event. As always, space is limited, so call early. For last-minute changes, call (650) 714-4972. PC, NMPCW

31 – Saturday

10a Race Card Discussion. We will be reading Race Card: How Bluffing About Bias Makes Race Relations Worse by Richard Thompson Ford, 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 Chapter 5: Post-Racism: Why the Race Card Is a Crisis of Success. 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)

November 1 – Sunday

4p Albany Hill Hike. See October 4. (RSE 1 Su)

3 – Tuesday

5p Tuesday Tipplers. See October 6. (RSE 1 Tu)

7 – Saturday

10a A Hacker’s Mind Discussion. We will be reading A Hacker’s Mind: How the Powerful Bend Society’s Rules, and How to Bend Them Back by Bruce Schneier, 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 Part 1: Hacking 101. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Sa)

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