November 28 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: Gratitude around COVID-19. What have you learned? See December 5. (RSE Su)

7p Channing Club. See December 26. (RSE 4 Su)

29 – Monday

8p Monterey County Mensa Monthly Meeting. MCM holds a monthly Zoom meeting on the last Monday of the month. This is a standing event, and we send out the link to our members the night before. We will plan presentations, speakers, and games nights via this online platform, so watch your e-mail for regular updates. If you wish to participate send e-mail to MCM LocSec Heidi Van der Veer at LocSec/a/t/monterey.us.mensa.org. PC (RSE last M)

December 1 – Wednesday

6p Livewired Book Discussion: One chapter a week. We’re reading Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain by David Eagleman one chapter a week. In Livewired, you will surf the leading edge of neuroscience atop the anecdotes and metaphors that have made David Eagleman one of the best scientific translators of our generation. Covering decades of research to the present day, Livewired also presents new discoveries from Eagleman’s own laboratory, from synesthesia to dreaming to wearable neurotech devices that revolutionize how we think about the senses. This week we’re reading Chapter 8, Balancing on the Edge of Change. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Mickie Winkler and Maria Gomez. PC (RSE W)

2 – Thursday

6p The Network of Time Book Discussion: One chapter a week. We’re reading The Network of Time: Understanding Time & Reality through Philosophy, History and Physics by Alon Halperin one chapter a week. Whether you know nothing about the subject or are a professor of physics, Alon Halperin will tell you exactly what you need to know: from philosophical questions about the perception of reality, time travel, determinism, and free choice to the mysteries rooted in quantum theory, up to the complexity theory, and the strikingly fresh insights it gives rise to regarding us and the entire world. This week we’re reading Chapter 11, Nothing but Net – Network Theory. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Larry Iwasaki and Maria Gomez. PC (RSE Th)

4 – Saturday

11:30a SFRM Fall Picnic. Come join us at May Nissen Community Park at 685 Rincon Ave., Livermore 94551, for our fall picnic. At this family-friendly event, running until about 1:30p, people can relax over sandwiches, pumpkin pie and various beverages while enjoying our great fall weather in a socially distanced setting. This event is sponsored by SFRM so it is free for members, their guests, and their kids. RSVP at www.meetup.com/SFMensa/events/280792731/ or contact tiggr0272/a/t/hotmail.com. Please feel free to contact host Katie To at tiggr0272/a/t/hotmail.com if you have any questions. PC

6p Start The Month Right. At Elna and Adrian Tymes’ home in Mountain View. Come celebrate the 41st 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. We provide the main dish; you bring salad, bread, or dessert to share and YOB. $1 donation requested. No reservations needed. Info (650) 969-6650. Guests of Mensans must be accompanied by the member. Masks optional. PC, SO, WBC, WCD, C/D (RSE 1 Sat)

5 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: Sports. In case you were wondering, the cafe discussions have so far been lively, interesting, and you always come away with something to think about in the week to come. Drop in and stay for as long as you like. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. PC (RSE Su)

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 – Monday

6p Online Board Games. Come explore some board games that can be played on the Web. If you’re new, please create an 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

7 – Tuesday

5:30p Tuesday Tipplers. Due to the surge in COVID cases we have decided to meet on Zoom again. If you are not on our e-mail list please let me know and we will send you a link. Carole Taylor, caroleptaylor/a/t/sbcglobal.net or (415) 472-1207. 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 – Wednesday

6p Livewired Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading Chapter 9, Why Is It Harder to Teach Old Dogs New Tricks? See December 1. (RSE W) 

9 – Thursday

11:45a South Bay Lunch. Meet at Scrambl’z, 5055 Almaden Expressway, San Jose 95118 (near Hwys. 85 & 87), (408) 269-2900. Voted one of the best breakfast restaurants around. Extensive menu online at www.scramblzalmaden.com. Sandra Anderson, (408) 997-3187. PC, NMPCW, WCE (RSE 2,4 Th)

6p The Network of Time Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading Chapter 12, The End of Time and its Rebirth? – Julian Barbour and Lee Smolin. See December 2. (RSE Th)

10 – Friday

6:30p M Weisley’s Café. Ever wanted to hang out with all the space pilots at Mos Eisley’s Café (Star Wars 1977)? Unfortunately Tatooine is rather a long commute just for a Happy Hour so we wisely located M Weisley’s in hyperspace where it can easily be accessed instantly by Zoom. No matter where in the universe you are located, you will not experience any light speed delays in your communications. So now you can experience all the ambience of our seedy cantina crowded with numerous alien races in our virtual meet up. All aliens and humans are welcome at M Weisley’s. Mix up your favorite beverage, gather up some munchies and join in our out-of-this-world Happy Hour. To attend as an alien visit Snap Camera snapcamera.snapchat.com and download their software. Choose from hundreds of available avatars which will move and act with your movements in video conference. If you’re creative, you can use their software to create your own avatar. Or of course you could do it the old-fashioned way and actually put on a costume. Please RSVP on Meetup for the Zoom Link. Hosted by Judy Unger, junger2040/a/t/gmail.com. PC (RSE 2 F)

GenX Food and Movie Night is cancelled for December. PC (RSE 2 F)

11 – Saturday

4p Big Ideas Reading Group: Explaining Humans (the UK version) by Camilla Pang. You can read An Outsider’s Guide to Humans (the US version), the same book. (NOTE: We are meeting online via Zoom. E-mail host Chris Boyd as below if you might want to be included in the online meeting or to be updated on any changes in venue.) From the Royal Society – Through a set of scientific principles, this book examines life’s everyday interactions including: decisions and the route we take to make them, conflict and how we can avoid it, relationships and how we establish them, and etiquette and how we conform to it. Explaining Humans is an original and incisive exploration of human nature and the strangeness of social norms, written from the outside looking in. Pang’s unique perspective of the world, in turn, tells us so much about ourselves – about who we are and why we do it – and is a fascinating guide on how to lead a more connected, happier life. For January 8 on Zoom: Until the End of Time by Brian Greene. 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)

12 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: Citizenship obligations vs. rights. See December 5. (RSE Su)

13 – Monday

Monday Munchers is cancelled for December. PC (RSE 2 M)

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 3rd floor, then turn right. 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 discounted dinners from 4p until 6p, with the kitchen closing at 8p and the bar closing at 9p. 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. Don’t forget that you must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and be able to prove it, in order to be inside of any public venue in San Francisco that serves food or drinks, including this venue. PC, NC, NS, NMPCW (RSE 2 M)

14 – Tuesday

6:45p Puzzled Pint. (NOTE: If Game Control has not chosen a pub, this will instead be a virtual event on Zoom. Contact Karl as below for instructions on how to connect.) 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; it’s almost always either Sunnyvale or Mountain View, near Central Expressway. PC, NMPCW, NS, NXM (RSE 2 Tu)

15 – Wednesday

6p Livewired Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading Chapter 10, Remember When. See December 1. (RSE W) 

7p Italian Palo Alto Dining. Terún, at 448 California Ave., Palo Alto 94306, offers pizza and other Italian specialties. It gets good reviews. Good food. Good conversation. To reserve, contact Susan at (650) 714-4972 or susan.heimlich/a/t/gmail.com by Monday, December 13. Be sure to get a confirmation. Please bring cash. For last minute changes, call/text phone (650) 714-4972. PC, NMPCW 

16 – Thursday

5:55p Berkeley-Oakland Restaurant Group (BORG). Assimilate delicious food and interesting conversation at a good restaurant somewhere in the central East Bay. Please mask up when not eating and/or drinking. Limited seating. E-mail or call ahead for the location on or after December 12. RSVP by 5:55p on December 15. Fully vaccinated attendees only, please. Cathy Roha, catroha/a/t/gmail.com, (510) 207-2345. PC

6p The Network of Time Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading Chapter 13, R-E-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N – The Advancement of Scientific Knowledge. See December 2. (RSE Th)

17 – Friday

5p Pub Trek. Join us for the resurrection of Pub Trek, where we can sample new beers at brew pubs, breweries, or tap houses each month. This month’s event is at the recently opened reinvention/collaboration at Uproar Brewing, 439 S. First St., San Jose 95113, (408) 673-2266, www.uproarbrewing.com/. Located in the SoFA district of downtown San Jose, Uproar Brewing is an independent brewery and gastropub. Partnering with LVL (thelvlup.com/), they have a variety of cabinet, pinball, and other games for you to enjoy. Please check Meetup for any updates: www.meetup.com/SFMensa/events. RSVP and/or contact Rosemary Greenlaw with any questions or suggestions for future events at (408) 206-4905 or rbgreenlaw/a/t/gmail.com. PC, NMPCW, NXM, SO (RSE 3 F)

18 – Saturday

5p SFRM Holiday Potluck. Come to SFRM’s grand holiday bash.  This event will be held in the fabulous Diamond Heights neighborhood of San Francisco overlooking the gorgeous San Francisco skyline and will run until about 9p. Please bring your favorite hors d’oeuvres for our finger food potluck and help us celebrate the season with drinks and plenty of good company. Mensans, family, and close friends are welcome. Capacity is limited to 50 so an RSVP is required.  RSVP via Meetup (www.meetup.com/SFMensa/events/282149806) or send email to Katie at tiggr0272/a/t/hotmail.com. Please indicate which potluck item(s) you plan to bring to help us manage the menu variety and let Katie know if you can help with setup before the party or cleanup afterwards. PC, NS, WCE, WBC

7p Teton Tea. Teton Tea Parties are folk-singing parties going back to the 1950s. We welcome both traditional folk singing and singer/songwriters. Our meetings are currently on Zoom. Join the Zoom meeting: us02web.zoom.us/j/6912937135?pwd=WVlpMEs1SCs0c1FoZk5seUhoREVaZz09. Meeting ID: 691 293 7135. Password: berkeley. Hosted by Kevin Langdon, kevinlangdon86/a/t/yahoo.com. PC (RSE 3 Sa)

19 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: Grown ups. See December 5. (RSE Su)

2p Speaker Series: “SAVE THE FROGS! – Translating Science Into Action.” Join SAVE THE FROGS! founder Dr. Kerry Kriger for an enlightening discussion on amphibian conservation in the 21st century. In the presentation Dr. Kriger will provide an introduction to the natural history of amphibians, the threats they face, why amphibians are important and worth saving, and ways ordinary citizens can make extraordinary contributions to the betterment of the planet for frogs and humans alike. Dr. Kriger will answer any questions you have about amphibians, environmental conservation, and achieving excellence in your environmental career. The presentation features many of Dr. Kriger’s photos of amphibians from around the world, and there will be a question and answer session following the presentation. Hosted by Pia Smith. This is a Zoom meeting; see Meetup for login details. PC

22 – Wednesday

Brainstormer Trivia Night is cancelled for December. PC (RSE last W)

6p Livewired Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading Chapter 11, The Wolf and the Mars Rover. See December 1. (RSE W) 

23 – Thursday

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

The Network of Time Book Discussion is not meeting this week. (RSE Th)

24 – Friday

6:30p Virtual Happy Hour. Mix up your favorite beverage. Bring out some happy-hour munchies and join us for a virtual relaxing time. Please RSVP on Meetup for the Zoom Link. Hosted by Judy Unger, junger2040/a/t/gmail.com. PC (RSE 4 F)

25 – Saturday

6p Online Board Games. See December 6.

26 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: TBD. See December 5. (RSE Su)

7p Channing Club is a wide-ranging discussion group which has been meeting, in one form or another, for over half a century. There are no assigned topics; we discuss whatever is on participants’ minds. Our meetings are currently on Zoom. Join the Zoom meeting: us02web.zoom.us/j/6912937135?pwd=WVlpMEs1SCs0c1FoZk5seUhoREVaZz09. Meeting ID: 691 293 7135. Password: berkeley. Hosted by Kevin Langdon, kevinlangdon86/a/t/yahoo.com. PC (RSE 4 Su)

27 – Monday

Monterey County Mensa Monthly Meeting is cancelled for December, resuming in January. (RSE last M)

29 – Wednesday

6p Livewired Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading Chapter 12, Finding Otzi’s Long-Lost Love. See December 1. (RSE W) 

30 – Thursday

6p The Network of Time Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading Chapter 14, The Paradigm’s Margins – New Insights in the Second Decade of the 21st Century. See December 2. (RSE Th)

2022 January 1 – Saturday

6p Start The Month Right. See December 4. (RSE 1 Sat)

2 – Sunday

12n Cafe Discussion: TBD. See December 5. (RSE Su)

4p Albany Hill Hike. See December 5. (RSE 1 Su)

4 – Tuesday

5:30p Tuesday Tipplers. See December 7. (RSE 1 Tu)

Intelligencer Deadline. See December 7. (RSE Tu after 1 Sa)

6 – Thursday

6p The Network of Time Book Discussion: One chapter a week. This week we’re reading Chapter 15, The Science of Choice – Free Choice in the Network of Time. See December 2. (RSE Th) 

8 – Saturday

4p Big Ideas Reading Group. See December 11. (RSE 2 Sa)