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June 1991 SOUTH MOUNTAIN MEANDERINGS

by Travis Hardin

Coming from Berryville, Virginia to sit at the table with Mensans for the first time since he joined six years ago, Bob Pidgeon was welcomed by the eleven others at May's SMM gathering at the Frederick Pizza Hut, warmly enough, we trust, to keep him interested. If, as I maintain, you get points for age, Bob scores high. I told him I passed my Mensa test at age 47 when I was depressed. He countered that he passed his Mensa test at age 61, six months after his wife's death. Six years have passed, so he has even more points! Welcome to our midst, Bob, and may you find reward in Mensa.

Anjel Scarborough glided in with bi-lingual husband Stuart, and her guest Andrea St. John, her sister from Huntington Beach, California. Our Phearless Liter and Hell's Mensan Carol Baldwin was her usual active self. Regulars Greg Pacek, Jan Carey, Bill and Jan Todd (with super-baby Rachel), Travis Hardin, Reisterstown's own Steven Dean, and Ellicott City's lifetime Mensan Fred Davis rounded out the elite gathering. Bill Todd was capable of showing up after taking final exams at Western Maryland College. Practice teaching lies ahead, then some lucky elementary school will be enriched by the genius of Bill Todd.

The Scarboroughs' infamous Night of the Living Computer Nerds on May 11 turned into dawn and no hardware, software, or bodies remained unaccounted for. Greg Pacek had brought his aristocratic Mac, which we discovered could not successfully breed with the common IBM species. Two IBM specimens were linked together for a rousing interactive WWI fighting aces game, in which, alas, Stuart gunned down Rosemary McDermott's little Fokker.

Carol came armed with a huge slide rule dangling from her belt, while Bill Todd exhibited a magnificent 10-pen nerd-pack. Your reporter dressed as himself and was adjudged nerdy enough. A big nerdy "Thank you" to the Scarboroughs and their other guests for a fun party.

Traveling back in time, we recall the May third Prospect Coffee House in Hagerstown where some half-dozen previously-named South Mountaineers were delighted by the Philadelphia's talented Juan Avila, and Maryland's own satirical l-l-l-liberals and music makers Jimmy and Alvis Pheromone. (Is that really their name?) After the show, we were drawn to a favorite Bavarian resturant, the Smankerl Stube, for some genuine German beer. To the fuzz: Greg had a soda.

Remember, if you want to invite some Mensans to your favorite activity, write it up and transmit it to our 1991-92 calendar editor, Sharon Hasty. Thanks a million, Jenny Foster, for your witty calendars.