by Travis Hardin
A RED insulated cup with the likeness of a festively-dressed Maryland crab on it, and a ragged, marked-up program: These are the material artifacts I brought back from Maryland Mensa's APRIL FOOLing AROUND RG in Baltimore. But it wasn't about material things, was it? The RG as I experienced it was about fun and frolic, hugs and hi-jinx, touching and talking, laughing and lascivious leering, ease and excitement. And about food, drink, speakers, and chocolate. (All hail Her Chocolate Majesty, Carol Sullivan!)
Sharon pleased me by appointing me a hugging judge. At Sunday brunch awards, the judges were compelled by the "hug attitude" pervading the weekend to award FOUR honors: To Bill Todd and Inge Davis of MM, and to Casey Costley and Paul Vogel of MWM. We all won, for to have hugged is to have won.
Meandering, and sometimes flitting, I found myself in Jenny Foster's massage workshop where I fooled with some fingers; got fooled by a professional practical joker, Tom Antion, was lured by the prospect of sailing with Mensan C. W. Wilson and friends to the British Virgin Islands in November, danced with some wild women, including Charlotte Hardy, and formed a conga line behind Casey Mashburn and crashed the chocolate orgy.
What I didn't attend, I heard about. Take Sara Bull's cooperative games. At one point, it is said, Sara asked those who had had sex in the last twenty-four hours to change seats. I have your names. I also have the names of those who should have changed seats, but didn't. From you wild people I will accept submissions for my disreputable Sado-Masochistic Moanings, whose material sometimes get mixed in with South Mountain Meanderings.
For mysterious reasons I am reminded at this point that Mensan Heather Preston was wed to fellow astronomer Derek Buzasi on May 11. (The inseparable pair presented "Fooling with the Future" at the RG.) Join me in hearty congratulations and best wishes.
We who enjoyed the RG also congratulate and thank the generals who planned and executed it, who acted often as their own privates, sweating in the heat of the kitchen to serve the army of participants. I refer to RG Chair Sharon Hasty and husband Ed Fountain; Ann Luoma; Charles Karow; Carol Sullivan; and Carol Baldwin. Thank you. You were wonderful.