Happy New Year
The fifteenth in a series of twenty-four

I am riding shotgun as a friend drives. The convertible top is down allowing the sun to warm us and the wind to blow through our hair. Lively jazz is playing through the car's sound system and the conversation is upbeat and lively. The four of us are coming home from the shore where we had spent the weekend celebrating the conclusion of another summer and the beginning of fall. The air is humid since it has rained for the past several days, and the temperature is in the nineties. The highway is crowded with vehicles of all sizes. Kids are making faces at the people in other cars and luggage can be seen in every available place including tied to roof and/or trunk racks.

School is the central focus for many families, making the beginning of September the beginning of a physiological New Year. For Delaware Valley Mensa (DVM), with the start of September, there has been an upsurge of activities. New Special Interest Groups (SIG) have sprouted like spring flowers after a gentle rain. Each shows signs of capturing a steady following. In Center City, a Let's Eat Out SIG had a modest but successful evening at the Spaghetti Warehouse. A Movie Night SIG has also appeared in the Northern area of DVM-land as well as in Center City. The SInGles SIG has again appeared in the Main Line. These promise to be important opportunities for members to spend time with one another. My thanks and blessings go out to each of you who have spent time and energy putting these activities together. We are looking forward to others sponsoring activities. Almost anything can be done, from bowling to sailing, from pot luck socials to a weekend away, and under minimal, published guidelines, DVM may even cover the cost of the activity. Don't be shy, say HI and make something happen.

Contrary to popular opinion and past history, the survey was very successful. Marketers will tell you that a return of one or two percent is a successful endeavor. As I write this, I am not sure as to the actual percentage of returned surveys but it was well above anticipation. The wealth of information will provide the Executive Committee (ExComm) a road map for future direction. Thank you for taking the time to fill out the form and put it in the mail. It just proves to me that the membership is really interested in seeing DVM succeed. My congratulations to Donald Baldino, who won the $50 Grand Prize.

A surprising finding is that a very large percentage of members actually read my column. Who would have thought, not I? Quite frankly, I thought I was the only one who reads it. Moreover, to be perfectly honest, since I write it, I do not even read it in publication. I want to take this opportunity and thank you for taking the time to read "Herding Cats". It makes the effort of putting some cohesion to my thoughts, worth while. Thank you!

The big news for October is that DVM's Regional Gathering (RG) Liberty Bell XIV, "Mensans Just Want to Have Fun", is at hand. We, that is, the Regional Gathering Committee, are working diligently to put the finishing touches to the 12th annual RG. Dr. Weingarten has spearheaded what promises to be the best RG yet. I hope you will take this opportunity to expand your horizons and partake in the festivities. Every indication is that this will be a wildly successful gathering, creating a benchmark for years to come. I will not go into detail here, you can read about it in greater detail in the article section of Proteus, as I am sure you have in previous publications of Proteus. However, I will tell you this, I plan to be there each and every day. (I hope that does not scare anyone off.)

The torch is passing from the interim editors to our new Editor. It is with great pleasure that I announce that Daniel Glennon, who has been an ExComm member since the election, is taking over the reigns of your publication. He follows in the footstep of many excellent and talented editors. I have every confidence that he will raise the bar to new heights. Thank you Dr. Weingarten and Michelle Masterfano, for filling in over the past several months, your efforts have been greatly appreciated.

What else? Well, let me see. Oh, now I remember, we have a new Program Chairperson. Steve Kaess has taken over the responsibilities of providing speakers for the General Membership Meetings. He is full of wonderful and energetic ideas and is a welcome addition to the ExComm. He shows every promise to continue the high quality of speakers that DVM has come to expect over the years. I would normally thank the past Program Chairperson at this time. He has served for over five and a half years in that capacity and has had a series of wonderful and interesting speakers. However, at this time, I think I will not say any more, since I do not want to sound as if I am tooting my own horn. Steve begins providing speakers with the December meeting. Please come out and see what interesting topics are being presented.

Speaking of the General Membership Meeting, the yearlong experiment of moving the location from the four corners of DVM-land, has concluded with mixed results. On one hand, the attendance has been down slightly. On the other, we have had many new faces in attendance. For September, October, November and December, we will be meeting at a fixed location. The ExComm has been split in trying to come up with a location that will fit the needs of such a diversely located population. I consider the new location to be a wonderful compromise between a central location and one more convenient to the burbs. We will be meeting at the Lankenau Hospital, just off City Line Avenue on Rt. 30. This location is just 5 minutes off Rt. 76 and has ample parking. It is even accessible by public carrier. Please read about the meeting in the article specifically written about the speakers. I hope you will attend this meeting, it promises to be right up Mensan's alley.

Well, I think that is about it for this month. Since there are so many of you that read this column, I am sure that if I did forget anything, I will hear about it. So, until next month, see you at the RG.

PS We are looking for a Treasurer. If you have bookkeeping experience, you too can be on the Ex-Comm and help define what direction your chapter is headed. Please give it some thought.