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LocSec Lowdown
Volume 33, Issue 3 April 2016
Hello, fellow Peaksters! It must be spring in Colorado – I went golfing on Monday and two days later – a late spring, road-closing, full blown blizzard. Then, we ended up cancelling Ultimate Saturday Supper the last Saturday in March due to snow! And, of course, through all of this, my daffodils were just coming up. Poor little things – I’ll have to see if they survived after the snow melts away, which, given this area, should be in a day or two! But, the coun-try girl in me can’t help but think it’s really good to get the moisture, especially these heavy, wet spring snows. I can do without the wind, though. I grew up high in the Montana moun-tains and the little, narrow canyon where the house was got virtually no wind. A mere 12 miles away, down in the Jefferson Valley, how-ever, the wind rarely stopped! Aw, well, into each life – and, really, a little bliz-zard at times helps us appreciate both the nicer days and the pleasures of staying inside warm and safe! And, now spring is here (even with snow) and our outdoors and gardening season begins! Now, on to Mensa business … Our Plains & Peaks Mensa group had a very busy March – but before I talk about that, let’s back up to February. February’s Ultimate Satur-day Supper was at the Steakhouse at Flying Horse. Definitely a “splurge” dinner – very pricey – but if there’s a very special evening coming up and you want a fantastic dinner, that’s the place to go. BTW – if you like escar-gots – they were wonderful! Thanks, Al, for arranging this very special USS for us! Our March GITBP was at Phantom Canyon, which recently updated their décor, menu and beer list! We had an excellent turn-out and enjoyed sharing appetizers and tasting their new brews! Also in March, an event that actually turned out to be quite fun and entertaining – Grammar for Mensans! Led by Susan Creager, who I’m sure cringes at all my errors; we re-viewed some excellent examples of the most
common mistakes in usage and grammar. Thanks, Susan, for presenting this program! Coming up in April – Sean’s scouted out a new brewery for us to visit for April’s GITBP and based on Brian’s recommendation, the Ex-Comm is going out for Vietnamese food! We’re also travelling a little bit east to Frankie’s Too in Falcon for BurgerQuest and then we’re bringing back to the calendar a warm weather favorite – Mini-Golf! Yeah!! For some indoor fun – there’s Scrabble®, Trivial Pursuits and a Mix & Mingle on our calendar, too! And, as is our custom, we finish up the month with USS at one of Colora-do Springs new eateries, Red Gravy! Watch the Mensa calendar in May for a new summer event – we’re going to be hitting the great outdoors each month with a relatively easy, family- friendly hike at a local park, recrea-tion area, or open space. We’re starting off with a “stroll” around Red Rocks Canyon Open Space, which is right off of Highway 24. It is not too strenuous (level to gently rolling), very scenic with ample parking, and allows leashed dogs (with two trails allowing off-leash). After hiking, we can visit one of the nearby local es-tablishments for a late lunch. Sound like a plan? Okay, then, let’s grab our camel-backs and go! Watch the May calendar for date and details. Attention Mensa golfers! If you want to go golfing, please let me know and we’ll set up a date! I have some twofer coupons for various golf courses in the area and of course, you can’t beat our beautiful city course, Patty Jewett, for the views! As I’ve said before, I’m not a good golfer (not even mediocre) – but I love the game! FYI – I try to remember to take photos at our Mensa events and put them on our Facebook page. If you’re a Facebooker, check out our page (which has calendar items, too). It’s a closed group so only our Plains & Peaks mem-bers can see what is there and you must be add-
http://www.plainsandpeaks.us.mensa.org/
The Newsletter of Plains and Peaks Mensa, Southern Colorado
In This Issue
What’s Up In Our Region…………….2
Plains and Peaks Officers…….........2
Cryptogram.………………….....…...…..2
Plains & Peaks Patter.....................3
Mensa-versaries............................3
Trivia………………………………...….…...3
Birthdays……….….………..............…..3
BurgerQuest 2016………….….………..3
April Events……....……..…….............4
April Calendar………………...…….......5
Welcome & Farewell…………….…….5
Trivia/Cryptogram Answers…….....5
ed by an admin. Request to join and then check out some of our event photos! Gosh – that’s about all I can think of for now. I do want to add that I really treasure all my Men-sa friends – I am so glad I’ve gotten to know so many of you through this organization. I joined Mensa just for this reason – develop new friend-ships! Thanks, my Mensa peeps, for being there and taking such an active part in our group! Hope to see you soon at a Mensa event!
~Sandy
Page 2 PlainsPeaking
Plains and Peaks Mensa Officers
Sandy Halby (LocSec/President) 6066 Del Rey Dr. Colorado Springs, CO 80918 719-528-5483 [email protected] Chris Cooper (2nd Vice Pres. for Membership) 1105 Bowstring Rd. Monument, CO 80132-8595 (719-646-4456)
[email protected] George Cooper (treasurer) 1105 Bowstring Rd. Monument, CO 80132-8595
719-646-4456 Srikant Mantravadi (Gifted Youth Coordinator) 6433 Jules Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80923 (719) 352-5074 [email protected] Betsy Ogan (PlainsPeaking Editor) 1061 Hummingbird Ct. Colorado Springs, CO 80921 719-481-1199 [email protected] Windy Adoretti (Webmaster) 1465 Stella Dr. Colorado Springs, CO 80921 719-201-4743
[email protected] Al Ackerson (Past President) 5102 Galley Road, #430AW Colorado Springs, CO 80915 719-465-3747 [email protected]
Cryptogram
“EQ'GQ IYYJT EXQSXQG EQ HLFDQ
YG FYS, TY EQ OCKXS
LT EQJJ HLFDQ.”
~WLVLFQTQ VGYNQGB
What’s Up In Our Region
Greg Kontz
Regional Vice Chair
Heartland Region 7 RVC7 – LocSec 07/585
North Dakota
701-290-0743
Hi guys – Highlights from March 19th board meeting:
The board appointed a Parliamentarian – Jason Seiler.
An Election Committee Chair was appointed - Megan Edwards.
A Culture Quest Coordinator was appointed – Sean Cannon.
There was a presentation/update on the new AMS software system
– Trevor will be the manager of the transition team.
There was discussion regarding ways to encourage members to run
for office.
The Name and Logo ad hoc Committee will soon issue a statement
regarding expression of opinion when speaking as an official part of Mensa.
A motion to terminate the Board Effects software contract was de-
feated.
The RVCs currently receive $2000 per year discretionary funding.
There will be another $1000 added – mainly for distribution to Local Groups. This is a pilot program. Since I have not been traveling, I have typically been donating my $2000 to LGs anyway. The difference in this additional $1000 is that there will be a little more of a proce-dure and some feedback needed. Sounds like a good idea. There will also be up to $4000 for Leadership Development Workshops (4 each) at the Local Group level.
The updated Strategic Plan was approved.
Responsibility for guidebooks was moved from Communications
Committee to Leadership Committee.
The main testing program for membership will change to the RAIT –
sometime this year. It has been the MAT for many years.
If your Local Group wants to fund a renewal membership fee for
someone – holler. Same goes for wanting funding for a Local Group event – like an RG. I’ve already had a few renewals go through. There’s room for more, but the request must come from the LocSec. Get my neck brace off in 3 weeks – really looking forward to that - gonna seem real strange without it. Thanks again for the encourage-ment and good thoughts sent my way these last few months – much appreciated.
Later – Greg
FEBRUARY’S SCRABBLE AT THE HALBY’S: A month late in writing a report regarding Scrabble afternoon at Sandy's and Mike’s home but it’s not because a great time was not had. As usual the Halby’s offered tasty snacks and beverag-es. Conversations were enjoyable. Players were Al, Chris, George and Sandy. Spot and the two Newfies wanted to play but Sandy said “No”. Three games were played with
Al winning two (212 points and 157 points) and George winning one (173). Twice “Bingos” were played; Sandy with “Twirlers” giving her 72 points and Al with “Winsome” giving him 68 points. You’re missing out on a lot of fun if you’re not attending. MARCH’S POKER/GAME NIGHT AT THE COOPERS: Poker and Mexican Train were played and much loud fun was had. The Coopers put out hot and cold snacks. Thank you to Nancy for bringing stuffed pro-sciutto and to Linda for bringing a Lemon Cheese Cake. Doug, George, Larry, Mark and Sandy played Poker. The “big” winners were Sandy and Mark. Chris, Janet, Linda, Nancy and Robin played Mexican Train. Nancy won that game. Such a great game. We actually played it the correct way. Chris kept knocking the dice over so Robin promised to make her some racks. Plenty of snickering over that. Come out and play. You’re missing a great time. HELP WANTED! Do you have a Media or Publicity background? Maybe that’s something you’d like to try? If so, consider helping Plains & Peaks Mensa with Admissions Testing publicity! We’re looking to increase our testing numbers and really need a hand with the publicity – ideas, contacts, someone to take this particular bull by the horns and wrestle around with it! And, bonus – this would look good on your resume or annual job appraisal! If you’re interested, contact Sandy at [email protected]!
Volume 33, Issue 3 Page 3
Plains & Peaks Patter William Kubida April 3 Jan Caffey April 8 James Ramsey April 13 Bill Ebersohl April 18 Jessica Senia April 20 Julie Armstrong April 21 Eric Burton April 21 Lisa Bartilotta April 22 Vera A Cartwright April 22 Chris Ridge April 27 Ty Hadley April 28 Diana M Bayette April 29 Bill Kirkley April 29
NOTE: If your birthday isn’t here, it’s prob-ably because that information is marked “non-releasable” on our rosters. To check your personal information release status, please contact American Mensa (1-800-66-MENSA) or www.us.mensa.org and under Member Resources, select the PDQ sec-tion.
Trivia by RC Timm Fun, Facts & Foolery
1. What is the "Pacific Pole of Inaccessibility"? 2. To whom do we owe the honor of patenting the accordion? 3. You see lighting and 5 seconds later hear thunder, how close is the lightning? 4. Who said: "The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year"? 5. On April 1st, 2015, you could buy what Whopper-related product for 5,000 Yen ($41)? 6. What is the cardiologist's diet? 7. What play was Abraham Lincoln watching when he was fatally shot on April 14th? 8. Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Myanmar celebrate what on April 13th? 9. What is April's birthstone? 10. What instrument is celebrated in April?
Bonus quote: "Everyone seems normal until you get to know them."
Mensa-versaries Jan Caffey Blanton Combs Jeffrey D Cowley Rick A Laurenzi Montgomery A Lee Mark Maynard Kerrie A Meyler
Ria Paradkar Jarvis D Ryals MD Mark Kevin Sarlo PE Stephen Jerome Sicinski Deborah Rohrmann Smith Freda A Thompson
BurgerQuest 2016-3: King’s Chef Diner On March 13th, ten burger-lovers from Plains & Peaks decided to try out the King’s Chef Diner, which was voted the Gazette’s “Best of the Springs” in 2012, 2013, and 2014. It’s across E. Bijou Street from the south-east corner of Acacia Park. A few things were different about this place – for starters, no credit cards. Then there’s a “fenced-off” area in which to wait when no empty tables are available right away. To pass the time, there’s a stack of reading material to browse through, something for everyone, including a great collection of Dilbert books! It wasn’t much after 1:00 PM when we got our table for eight (your host had arrived almost half an hour early and gotten on the list) and were seated. Then two more questors appeared, and things got a little cozy. Not always bad! We squeezed in Al, Brian, Chris, Doug, George, J.J., Linda, Mike, Sandy, and Wayne (who had just returned from the hospital – a big, pleasant surprise for all of us). Results with 5.0 the best:
Burgers 4.0,
Sides 4.0,
Service 3.5,
Value for Money 3.0
Cleanliness 3.5.
Ambiance came in at 2.5, where one star means Very Casual and five stars means Classy.
Lots of comments:
“Not much for show; crowded and noisy, but hamburger steak was good (if over-oniony) and fries were OK. Didn’t like the salad.”
“Noisy. Burger could only be made med-well. Good, though.” “Super popular: good choice.” “Open-faced chili-cheese burger (still
technically a Burger) was delicious and not overly spicy.” “It was a little noisy. Accommodated us coming late.”
“Noisy! Seemed $$ for the amount of food, fries were extra.”
“Did not cook to order.” “Really good burger!! Very noisy!!”
“Cash only, no beers”. On April 10, the quest continues at Frankie’s Two, a sports bar on the north-east side of the Springs. Head for 7376 McLaughlin Road, (Woodmen & Meridi-an), Falcon, CO 80831. Frankie’s Too has placed in the BEST RESTAURANT and BEST BAR categories (the Gazette’s Best of the Springs) for 2011 - 2014. They have an interesting website at http://www.frankiestoo.com/. While you’re there, be sure to visit the “Gallery” (pictures of the various burgers on the menu), and the “Frankie” tab for a picture of Frankie and history of his eater-ies. Al Ackerson will be guest host, as George won’t be able to attend that day. Be sure to bring the cookie crumblers; lots of the pictures in the other parts of the Gallery have young-‘uns having a great time. Remember, BurgerQuest is a kid-friendly event.
BurgerQuest 2016
Tuesday, April 19th, 6:00pm: Trivial Pursuits. We’re playing Show-down, a 6-stage trivia contest featuring a wide variety of topics, at Buffalo Wild Wings, 2905 Geyser Drive (at I-25 and Lake, next to Out-back Steaks and Tinseltown) – they claim to have 45 players and Wi-Fi so everybody should be able to play! We’re drinking some adult bev-erages (if you want to) and noshing on wings and other Buffalo Wild Wings specialty foods like burgers and sand-wiches! The actual game starts at 6:30pm, but if you want a game player you probably should get there earlier! Call or e-mail Al (719-465-3747, [email protected]) to let him know you’ll be there! Sunday, April 24th, 5pm: Mensa Mix & Mingle! Or is it Mensa Mingle & Mix? Whatever!! Married, single, Gen-X, new member, long time member, Hell’s M, shy, outgoing, whatever – you’re all invited to no-host cocktails and drinks at the Stratton Lobby Bar, located in the Mining Exchange Hotel (8 South Nevada). Good conversation, excel-lent company, a drink or two – relax and get to know some of your fellow Mensans! If you’ve not been to a Mensa event, this is just the one you need to attend to break the ice! See you there! Thursday, April 28th, 8pm: RSVP for USS! Give Al a call to reserve a spot at USS this coming Saturday when we visit the Red Gravy! You can call or e-mail Al at 719-465-3747 or [email protected] Saturday, April 30th, 6pm: Ultimate Saturday Supper! Mmmm! Gra-vy! Well, not really, Red Gravy at 23 S. Tejon is actually a sort of St. Louis Italian restaurant. Try the Imo's Pizza, an oblong, square-sliced pizza with slightly sweet house red sauce, pan-cetta and two fried eggs, over easy, all on a cracker-thin house made crust. Or order it with Italian sausage, Provel with goat cheese and red sauce with garlic-infused olive oil. Or give the butternut ravioli a shot. This squash-filled pasta comes in a brown butter sauce with sage and baking spice with citrus zest inside the pasta pistachio gremolata to add color and crunch. For appetizers, do gnocco fritto, or fried dumplings, house pizza dough fried, wrapped in prosciutto and topped with sweet peppers. Dunk them in the accompanying white bean hummus, a stupid-awesome bean dip with indulgent garlic flavor, sans raw-veg burn. There's plenty more on the menu so call or e-mail Al (465-3747, [email protected]) to reserve your seat. Advance Notice: Thursday, May 5th, 6pm: ExComm Meeting & Din-ner. Gettin’ ready for summer and checking out the “Q” in town! Let’s visit Bird Dog BBQ (their north location) at 1645 Briargate Pkwy, Suite 243, in Colorado Springs. Bird Dog gets great reviews from locals and visitors! Please let Sandy know you’ll be there by RSVP'ing to [email protected] or call 719-528-5483 Advance Notice: Friday, May 6th, 5pm: Give In To Beer Pressure. The march of new Colorado Springs breweries continues! This one nearly slipped by us. Cogstone Brewing is now the newest brewery in town, and it should hold that title until this summer. Cogstone is at 3858 Village Seven Road, near N. Carefree and Academy (another brewery in the NE part of town!) ***NOTE*** June GITBP will be "Members Choice" decided by informal poll. Let Sean know your favorite place so far. Final choice will be listed in the May newsletter. If you have an idea or new pub for Give In To Beer Pressure, let Sean know! By email:[email protected], by cell: (719) 651-6706.
Friday, April 1st, 5pm: Give In To Beer Pressure. We’re visiting anoth-er one of the newest breweries here in Colorado Springs - so new that
we had to move the February GITBP because they were not up and running in time! Anyway, we’re vis-iting the Whistle Pig Brewing Company, 1840 Domin-ion Way, near Academy Blvd and Dublin Blvd. Re-member, if you have an idea or new pub for Give In To Beer Pressure, let Sean know! By email:
[email protected], by cell: (719) 651-6706. Tuesday, April 5th, 8pm: RSVP for ExComm Meeting & Dinner. Please let Sandy know you’ll be at the ExComm Meeting & Dinner on Wednesday at The Saigon Cafe. You can call Sandy at 719-528-5483 or e-mail [email protected]. Thursday, April 7th, 6pm: ExComm Meeting & Dinner. Brian H. tells me The Saigon Café is the best Vietnamese food in Colorado Springs, Let’s check it out and see if Brian’s review is right! The Saigon Café is at 20 East Colorado Avenue (between Cascade and Nevada) and bills itself as cooking with nothing but “fresh vegetables, herbs and meats in authentic Vietnamese style.” Let’s check it out! Please let Sandy know you’ll be there by RSVPing to [email protected] or call 719-528-5483 Saturday, April 9th, 6pm: RSVP for BurgerQuest 2016-04 at Frankie’s Too! Reply “yes” as soon as you can, but no later than 6pm today, April 9th, for tomorrow’s BurgerQuest! And be sure to reply to Al since he’s the substitute host in April: reach him at 719-465-3747 (be sure to leave a message) or by e-mail at [email protected]. If we ex-pect a big crowd, we need to let Frankie’s Too know. Forgot to reply? Show up anyway. Sunday, April 10th, 1pm: BurgerQuest at Frankie’s Too. We had a
great time when BQ last visited a sports bar. With football just a pleasant memory, let’s try again with perhaps smaller crowds. We’re heading out to Falcon to Frankie’s Too – at the corner of Wood-man Road and Meridian (7376 McLaughlin Rd, to be exact!). Be sure to bring the ankle biters, Burg-
erQuest is a kid-friendly event. Wednesday, April 13th, 6:30 pm: Mini-Golf! We’re going golfing! Mini-Golfing that is! Meet up at the Adventure Miniature Golf, 6550 Corporate Drive in Colorado Springs, just off Woodman and I-25. This is a family event - everybody is welcome, especially the kids! Cost for 18 challenging holes is $5 for adults, $4 for kids and seniors! Winner will be de-clared the Plains & Peaks Mini-golf Champion … and can keep that title until the next time we go mini-golfing! Sunday, April 17th, 2pm: Scrabble®! Meet at Sandy’s house, 6066 Del
Rey Drive (near Flintridge and Dublin, call 528-5483 or email [email protected] for directions) for an afternoon of just-for-fun Scrabble®. Sodas, wine and snacks provided. Adults only, please! Allergy alert – cats and dogs!
PlainsPeaking
April Events
Page 4
APRIL
Volume 33, Issue 3 Page 5
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1
5:00 PM
Give In To
Beer Pressure @
Whistle Pig
Brewing Company
2
3
4
5
RSVP
For ExComm
Meeting/Dinner
6
7
6:00 PM
ExComm
Meeting/Dinner
@ Saigon Cafe
8
9
RSVP
For
BurgerQuest
10
1:00 PM
BurgerQuest
@
Frankie’s Too
11
12
6:30 PM
Mini-Golf @
Adventure
Miniature Golf
13
14
15
16
17
2:00 PM
Scrabble®
@ Sandy’s
18
19
6:00 PM
Trivial Pursuits
@
Buffalo Wild Wings
20
21
22 23
24
5:00 PM
Mensa, Mix
& Mingle @
Stratton Lobby Bar
25 26 27 28
RSVP
For
Ultimate Saturday
Supper
29 30
6:00 PM
Ultimate Saturday
Supper @
Red Gravy
WELCOME BACK: Marykatherine Moran and Jeanette Schroeder, both who are rejoining our group. Hello, and welcome to you again! FINAL FAREWELLS: Nancy Freeman, who passed away in early March. Nancy owned the Adam’s Apple bar in Colorado Springs and hosted sever-al Mensa events there. While the bar always kept her busy, she came to as many events as she could. RIP Nancy.
Carol Peterson, who also passed away in March. Carol was a long-time mem-ber of Plains & Peaks before moving away a few years ago. Carol had brain cancer and died peacefully among family and friends.
Welcome
&
Farewell
Trivia 1. He's a European immigrant to a Pacific island who refuses to grant any interviews. It's really the point in the ocean farthest from land in any direc-tion. 2. Cyrill Demien, 1829, is it his joke on us? 3. Too darn close, at one mile 4. Mark Twain 5. As an April Fools’ Day promotion, Burger King decided to sell a whopper-scented cologne in Japan. 6. If it tastes good, spit it out. 7. Our American Cousin 8. New Years 9. Diamond 10. International Trombone Week is held this month.
Cryptogram “We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.” ~Japanese Proverb
Answers to Trivia/Cryptogram
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Mensa® is an international organization made up of people who have
scored in the top 2% on standardized IQ tests. Mensa is non-profit and
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