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
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.
WEEKLY EVENTS
Every Thursday
12:30p Mountain View Lunch Bunch. We meet at Sweet Tomatoes, 1040 Grant Rd., 94040 (at the corner of Oak Lane). From El Camino Real and Grant Rd., turn south on Grant, take the first right on Oak Lane and the first left into the parking lot. Look for us at the far end of the restaurant. Claire Taylor, (650) 917-9363. PC, NMPCW (RSE Th)
Every Saturday
6p Imaginative Geniuses. Relax in a secluded southeast Napa Valley house with warm, friendly people. A free BBQ dinner is served and a hot tub is provided. Located 15-18 minutes from I-80 and CA-12, 40-60 minutes from Berkeley. Parties usually go on until 10p or later. See www.ImaginativeGenius.com for more information. For address and directions, and to RSVP, contact host Steven Kays at Mensa/a/t/StevenKays.com or (707) 422-2565. PC, NMPCW, C/D, NS, NXM (RSE Sa)
End of July
July 29 – Sunday
5p The Kelly Park Big Band. See August 26. (RSE last Su)
31 – Tuesday
11:30a Lunch in Walnut Creek at California Pizza Kitchen, located at 1325 South Main St., 94596 (west side of street, between Botelho Dr. and Newell Ave.) A full variety of food is available; pizza is only one of many choices on their four-page menu. Enter their free parking garage on the right side of the restaurant’s entrance. If possible, RSVP so I can try to have the proper size table arranged for us. You are welcome to invite others, family members, or friends that you would like to include. Questions? Ken Evans (925) 935-8148 or evansken/a/t/aol.com. PC, NMPCW
August 1-7
August 1 – Wednesday
11:30a Math Lovers’ Lunch. Chef’s Chinese Food, 233 El Cerrito Plaza, El Cerrito 94530 (close to the El Cerrito Plaza BART station), (510) 525-8737. A table will be reserved. All adults who enjoy discussing mathematics (at any level) are welcome. Our discussions are wide-ranging and are not confined to mathematical subjects. Please try to come at 11:30a sharp, but come anyway if, for some reason, you may be a few minutes late. Kevin Langdon, (510) 524-0345, kevin.langdon/a/t/polymath-systems.com. PC, NS, NMPCW, NXM, WCE (RSE 1 W)
3 – Friday
6p Movies That Matter. Coco (2017). Rescheduled from July 20. One of my favorites that I’m looking forward to seeing again. I’ve shown several wonderful Pixar films, and this one may be the best. It is visually stunning (some shots contain over 4 million elements) with characters you like getting to know. The story line begins with what seem to be simple truisms, but soon the complex characters turn the truisms on their heads. It’s a beautiful film, both literally and figuratively. To add to your enjoyment, it is an ode to Mexican culture at a time when some want to turn Mexicans into villains. Oscar for Best Animated Film. Join us for an evening of pizza, picture, and a chance for thoughtful discussion. Pizza 6p, film 6:45p. Movies are shown on a 58″ plasma TV. For pizza, let us know your preference, meat or veggie, at (510) 451-3009 or daniel/a/t/joyfulharmony.org. Hosted by Daniel Neumayer and Gwendolyn Rothman, Harmony Center for the Joyful Spirit. Map and directions: www.joyfulharmony.org/contact. PC, NS, NXM (RSE 1,3 F)
6:30p First Friday in Danville returns. We’ll be at Luna Loca in Danville, a good Mexican restaurant in “The Livery” shopping center on San Ramon Valley Blvd. with good food, good prices, and good drinks. It’s pretty easy to get to: From I-680, take the Sycamore Valley Rd. exit, turn right on San Ramon Valley Blvd., and then take the first left (there’s a light) and Luna Loca will be on your right. Check their website at www.lunalocadanville.com for more information. I’ll make a reservation based on how many I think are coming, but please let me know if you’re thinking of attending so I can change the reservation. Call Donna Jadis at (925) 978-0690 or e-mail donna/a/t/mooseworks.org for more info. (RSE 1 F)
4 – Saturday
6p Start The Month Right. It’s barbecue time! At Elna and Adrian Tymes’ home in Mountain View. Come celebrate the 38th year and longest running monthly social event in all of American Mensa (at Elna’s home every month since 1981)! Potluck dinner, unstructured socializing, games, and talk. Bring bread, salad, or dessert to share, and YOB; hamburgers and hot dogs available or bring your own meat to grill. $1 donation requested. No reservations needed. Info (650) 969-6650. Guests of Mensans must be accompanied by the member. PC, SO, WBC, WCD, C/D (RSE 1 Sa)
5 – Sunday
4p Albany Hill Hike returns. Join us for a one-hour scenic and historic hike up and around Albany Hill 94706. 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. Seven tenths of a mile from 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)
7 – Tuesday
6p Tuesday Tipplers. We meet at San Rafael Joe’s, 931 4th St., San Rafael 94901. Join us for drinks and conversation in the bar at 6p and stay for dinner at 7p. Park on the street or in the city garage at Lootens Pl. and 3rd St. (the restaurant has a back door to the garage). Carole Taylor, caroleptaylor/a/t/sbcglobal.net or (415) 454-9453. 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. (RSE Tu after 1 Sa)
August 8-14
8 – Wednesday
6:17p Berkeley-Oakland Restaurant Group (BORG). Assimilate delicious food and interesting conversation at a good restaurant somewhere in the central East Bay. E-mail or call ahead for the location. Reservation deadline is 6p on Tuesday, August 7, by e-mail or phone so we have a table large enough for everyone. Well-behaved non-Mensans welcome. Please bring cash. Cathy Roha, catroha/a/t/gmail.com, (510) 845-1833. PC, NMPCW (RSE 2 W)
9 – Thursday
11:45a South Bay Lunch. Meet at The Original Hick’ry Pit, 980 E. Campbell Ave., Campbell 95008. Their phone is (408) 371-2400. Menu and other info are online at www.hickrypit.com/campbell. Sandra Anderson, (408) 621-1273. PC, NMPCW, WCE (RSE 2,4 Th)
10 – Friday
5p Delta Happy Hour Hunters. Celebrate the end of the work week and relax with friendly conversation, happy hour food, and drinks. If you can’t make it at 5p, just let us know you’re coming; we’ll be waiting for you. This month we will meet at BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, 2365 Sand Creek Rd., Brentwood 94513. Look for our “Welcome Owl”. Call Judy at (714) 356-4873 or Bernie at (714) 356-4868 for more info. PC, NC (RSE 2 F)
6:30p Mid-Month Mex (MMMex) returns. We meet, eat, and rest our feet at Tito’s, 15508 E. 14th St., San Leandro 94578, 1500’ NE of the exact geographic center of the Bay Area. Twixt 580 and 880, and close to Bay Fair BART, this is where Mensans meet in the middle and go “MMM!” Come for the Mensans and the margaritas (or just for the Mensans), along with a marvelous Mexican meal after 7p. Co-hosted by Hank Stephenson, hank888/a/t/earthlink.net or (415) 793-0300 cell, and Peter Midnight. Come see why Tito’s has been there for more than 60 years, directly across E. 14th St. from Bayfair Center. We’ll see you at Tito’s! No pets. PC, WCE, NMPCW, NC, SO, NXM (RSE 2 F)
7p GenX Food and Movie Night. Join us for dinner at 7p at a South of Market restaurant (to be determined) in San Francisco, followed by a movie at a local theater. As ever, all ages are welcome. The only requirement is the manners your mother taught you, and that includes RSVPs. To get the restaurant information, contact Cathy at (415) 730-5711 or mulfordc/a/t/alumni.princeton.edu. PC, NMPCW (RSE 2 F)
11 – Saturday
4p Big Ideas Reading Group: The Retreat of Western Liberalism by Edward Luce. What is the future of Western liberal democracy? How did it get into its current mess, and how will those origins shape its forthcoming evolution? Luce offers a wake-up call to elites, urging them to focus on the real struggles of America’s middle class before we all lose freedom and democracy. We are meeting this month at Kepler’s, 1010 El Camino Real (at Ravenswood Ave.), Menlo Park 94025. Free parking below. For September 15, also at Kepler’s: Life Unfolding: How the Human Body Creates Itself by Jamie A. Davies. We have a list of books read at www.bigideasreadinggroup.com/BIRG2.html. For questions and directions please contact Chris Boyd at snoboyd/a/t/sbcglobal.net. PC, NMPCW, NXM (RSE 2 Sa)
13 – Monday
11:30a Monday Munchers. Rising up from the old Ethnic Dinner, a lunch group in Marin dedicated to trying different restaurants. This month we will visit Perry’s at 234 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur 94939, (415) 927-1877, www.perryssf.com/location/larkspur/. RSVP by Thursday, August 9, to Elizabeth Calaway at elizterrycalaway/a/t/aol.com. PC (RSE 2 M)
5:30p 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 3rd floor, then turn right. Look for the Mensa logo on our table or ask one of the waitresses to find us. Starting at 5:30p, but arrive when you can and leave when you’re ready. We will be there for several hours. They have a Happy Hour until 6p, which resumes 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)
August 15-21
15 – Wednesday
6:30p Mensa Testing in Palo Alto. See www.sfmensa.org/how-to-join-mensa/ for information. PC
7:30p GenX South Bay Pub Quiz. Join us at Katie Bloom’s, 369 East Campbell Ave., Campbell 95008. The quiz starts at 7:30p, but come early to secure a table and have some dinner. RSVP helpful but not required. Corey Coughlin, (408) 499-9491 or coreyjc/a/t/comcast.net. PC, NMPCW, NXM, WCP (RSE W after 2 F)
8p Mensa Dinner at the World Science Fiction Convention. Join us the evening before Worldcon begins at the San Jose Hilton’s Affinity Restaurant & Bar, 300 Almaden Blvd., San Jose 95110, (408) 287-2100. For more information call or text Andrew Dyer at (818) 554-5126 or e-mail andrewdyer/a/t/earthlink.net. Other events are possible including another dinner on Monday, August 20. Let Andrew know if you wish to be notified. PC
16 – Thursday
5p Monthly Gathering: hosted by Pub Trek. Join us for a combined Pub Trek and Monthly Gathering at Gordon Biersch Brewing Company, 357 East Taylor St., San Jose 95112, (408) 792-1537. We will start with their outdoor Taylor Street Night+Market event, held in the parking lot behind the brewery. Note that parking is scare nearby, but it is only a few blocks away from the Civic Center Light Rail stop. A private tour, with tastings/samples has been arranged to start promptly at 6p (and the open-air event with beer, music, food trucks, etc., will continue before, during, and after the tour). RVSP for the brewery tour on MeetUp ( www.meetup.com/SFMensa/events/jrlbmpyxlbvb/) and/or contact Rosemary Greenlaw at (408) 206-4905 or rbgreenlaw/a/t/gmail.com. Limited to the first 25 (minimum age is 18 for this tour). We will resume Pub Trek in October, after a one-month hiatus during a planned trip to Munich’s Oktoberfest for September. PC, NMPCW, NXM, SO (RSE 3 Th)
17 – Friday
6p Movies That Matter. RBG (2018). The Supreme Court justice you need to know. The most outspoken justice on our highest court is far more complicated than I realized. RBG reveals not only her career, but her family and her life. Entertainment Weekly : “RBG is a fierce, funny tribute to the trailblazing justice. It is an unapologetic valentine to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but a sharp and spiky one too – a celebration of the scrunchie-wearing octogenarian not just as a pop-culture folk hero and millennial meme but as a wife, a warrior, and a true iconoclast, famed for her fierce legal mind and the cutting wit of her dissenting opinions.” Join us for an evening of pizza, picture, and a chance for thoughtful discussion. Pizza 6p, film 6:45p. Movies are shown on a 58″ plasma TV. For pizza, let us know your preference, meat or veggie, at (510) 451-3009 or daniel/a/t/joyfulharmony.org. Hosted by Daniel Neumayer and Gwendolyn Rothman, Harmony Center for the Joyful Spirit. Map and directions: www.joyfulharmony.org/contact. PC, NS, NXM (RSE 1,3 F)
7p Movie Night in Orinda. The title of the movie is to be determined. Please phone or e-mail me within a week or two of the 3rd Friday. Or I will e-mail you and provide the name and details of the movie that we will be seeing. Come about 7p and we’ll start the movie at 7:30p. Enjoy an evening with Mensa friends, other friends, or family members that you would like to invite. We’ll socialize both before the movie and during intermission. Please bring something to share. It is not a dinner, but salads are welcome, as are hors d’oeuvres, fruit, dessert, and light-colored beverages (no chips). Please reserve your seat with Mary Bradshaw, (925) 376-0762 or MaryBradsh/a/t/aol.com. Your suggestions for NEW, recently released, or soon to be available movies are appreciated for our future choices. PC, NMPCW
19 – Sunday
7p Palo Alto Dining at Peking Duck, adjacent to the California Ave. Caltrain station, opposite Molly Stone’s. The address is 151 California Ave., 94306. Dishes include Dumplings, Sizzling Rice Soup, Shrimp and Beef Hunan Style, Spicy Crispy Beef, Garlic Shrimp, Crispy Duck, and of course Peking Duck (which requires 12 days advance order). Join us for good food and good conversation. To reserve, e-mail Susan Heimlich at susan.heimlich/a/t/gmail.com or call/text (650) 714-4972 by Friday, August 17. Be sure to get a confirmation. Please bring cash. For last minute changes, call (650) 714-4972. PC, NMPCW
August 22-31
23 – Thursday
11:45a South Bay Lunch. See August 9. (RSE 2,4 Th)
25 – Saturday
7p East Bay Game Night. Join us for fun and games in the East Bay! We’re playing word games, card games, board games, all kinds of fast-action social games (not long strategy games). Choose from my shelves of games or bring your own fast-action social games. Please also bring a snack to share. The fun is in Oakland. No RSVP needed; just show up at 7p or later. We have about 20 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! PC, NMPCW, NS, WCP (RSE last Sa)
26 – Sunday
5p The Kelly Park Big Band at The Sound Room, 2147 Broadway, Oakland 94612. Led by Mensan/drummer Kelly Park, this 16 piece big band plays original music and arrangements of jazz standards. We’ll stick around after the concert for an informal music conversation, meet some of the band members, have a cocktail, etc. There is a $20 door charge for this event, $10 if you show your Mensa membership card. No RSVP required. PC, NS, WBC, WCP (RSE last Su)
29 – Wednesday
11:30a Lunch in Pleasant Hill at Sweet Tomatoes, 40A Crescent Dr., 94523. It is about two blocks west of I-680 and one block west of Contra Costa Blvd. Come a few minutes earlier for best parking choices. Look for us at a long table that some of us early birds will secure for our group. A yellow “M” sign will be on the table. Enjoy an all-you-can-eat, healthy, delicious lunch. And enjoy a good measure of interesting conversation on any and all subjects, with Mensa friends and other friends and family members that you wish to invite. Most parking on Crescent Dr. is for only one hour, but there are other areas available with longer time limits. There is also a free City-owned multistory garage across from the movie theater. Questions? Daphne Mohr, (510) 654-8318 or dm999/a/t/att.net. PC, NMPCW
5:30p Brainstormer Trivia Night. Come join us at Patriot House Pub, 2 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco 94111 (Sacramento St. between Davis St. and Front St., on the top level, to the right as you step off the escalator). Please arrive between 5:30p and 5:45p. The trivia contest will begin at 6p and will last for about 2 hours. See www.brainstormer.com/venue/498/patriot-house-pub for details. The Patriot House is close to the Financial District and Embarcadero BART/Muni, and parking is validated for the underground garage. They have a wide selection of beers, mixed drinks, non-alcoholic drinks, and food, and a Happy Hour until 6p. Look for the Mensa logo on our table or ask for “Barry and the Mensa Group”. 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, NMPCW, NC, NS, NXM (RSE last W)
FUTURE FLASHES
September 1 – Saturday
6p Start The Month Right. See August 4. (RSE 1 Sat)
2 – Sunday
4p Albany Hill Hike. See August 5. (RSE 1 Su)
4 – Tuesday
6p Tuesday Tipplers. See August 7. (RSE 1 Tu)
Intelligencer Deadline. See August 7. (RSE Tu after 1 Sa)
5 – Wednesday
11:30a Math Lovers’ Lunch. See August 1. (RSE 1 W)
7 – Friday
6p Movies That Matter. See August 3. (RSE 1,3 F)
6:30p First Friday in Danville. See August 3. (RSE 1 F)