Author: Phill Goldman

PayPal and Venmo and Post (Oh Myyyy!)

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Now there are more and more options for paying for things these days, and we're doing our best to allow as many as we can.    Log in to the web page for details about each.

  • Cash is classic, checks are just as good.  You can hand them over or mail them in.  Address information is visible when you log in.
  • PayPal started as a payment clearing house for buying things on the Internet, like stuff on Ebay.  You can use your PayPal account if you have one.
  • PayPal is also our clearing house for credit cards.  They've branched out now to being more of a full service merchant service, so they take credit cards, bank transfers, and a host of other services.
  • Venmo is strictly person to person, using mobile device apps to keep it simple and well-protected.  You'll need to have a Venmo account of your own to send money to us that way.

The Nokomis is set to use all of these.  Log in to see our contact info.

More inside...

A New Year, a few New Spins

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With the start of a New Year, let's try some new ways to do some traditional after-meeting events.  Here's two that are coming almost right away.

Scavenger Hunt - We've done a few of them, hunting around the Mall of America for the answers to cryptic clues.  In January we'll spin it just a little differently.  After the regular business meeting, I'll send you all an email with the clues, and the answers should be something you have at home. Don't worry, we're not gonna make you take a picture with a mannequin (who has that?) but we might ask for a picture of one. We'll keep it to half an hour to find as many things as you can, and we'll do a quick grade online.  Care to try? Come to the January meeting

Beer Tasting Rabble- For 5 years in a row we headed out to new brew places on the road to try new places and new flavors.  We've also brought them together for tasting contest - so here's the spin.  At the February meeting I'll ask for who wants to participate.  We'll need to know how many at that time so we know how many households need beer samples.  Yep, we're gonna do it at home.  Sometime in late February I'll drive around and pick up all the samples and 'obscure' them from view with paint or something.  They'll be numbered so we can all try and grade them at the same time.  Just think: Lots of samples to taste, and no possibility of having too much to drive.  Interested?  Come to the February meeting to find out how it all works.

I expect we'll still be at home in March and just about ready to chew the furniture.  A little distraction might help, and with luck we'll all be together sometime in the summer.

Cheers

Phill Goldman

Next Meeting: One Week Later than you’d Expect

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Are you expecting information about a Zoom meeting on the 12th of September?  Well, you'd be the only one there.  We moved the meeting from the 12th to the 19th before we knew bowling would be impossible.  The bowling ended but the move remained.

Be sure to tune in to the September 19th meeting for a few big items

  • The Board proposes a calendar for the upcoming 12-14 months, see what's on it and propose fun stuff if you can!
  • Hear about the Blood Drive and when the next ones might be
  • Did someone say Discovery Season 3?
  • No Bowling
  • Lower Decks and Trek Yet to Come.

More? You bet.  Be sure to mark your tricorders with the right date and time.

We only wish 2020 was hindsight.

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I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I'm ready to start a new year and put 2020 in the rear view mirror.  Let's start having some fun.  A couple of months ago I'd asked you for ideas we can do online as a group, assuming we still need to meet with some spacing.   Which one of these seem like they might be fun?

  • Online scavenger hunt - fill a list of items from stuff you have right there at home (note: Living in a Target store might be cheating).
  • ZOOM Murder Mystery - everyone has roles to play, hints and info to give.  It uses the best of Zoom to let the group play out the mystery, and breakout rooms for those 'private' conversations.
  • Comedy Shows - there are some great shows online for a fraction of the in-person prices - we pick one and all attend remotely.  I saw one that lets you bring a group that are 'sitting together' in a breakout group at the show.  I attended one with dozens of attendees visible and hundreds on the attendee list.
  • Take a virtual tour of someplace we could never go as a group - The Grand Canyon, Philadephia Museum of Art - let's see what we can find

Got more ideas?  I've seen virtual bowling, watching baseball games as a group - time for some creativity!!!  We'll talk at the next meeting!

Movie Night – Outdoor-Safe on August 22nd

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star-trek-movie-night-600x520The Backyard Movie Night is coming This Month!

This is one of the few events we can host outdoors and stay safe from the scourge.  Mary's agreed to host a socially spaced event outdoors in front of Storage Bay 3 (the shed) so we can get together at least once in six months.  We'll do the Star Trek movie set starting at 7PM, and host the food using the best party subs Jersey Mike's has (thanks Emma and Harrison).

The event will only take place if the weather is good, there isn't a good option to move indoors if it rains.  We'll make the call on the day before the event.  If we have to cancel due to weather we'll fully refund the money you paid.

With just over a month remaining, it's time to reserve your place at the event and pre-pay.  The link below is for PayPal, or you can send checks to Pam and she'll hold them until the night of the event.  We are looking into Venmo, but we're not quite there yet.

It's been a long time since we went virtual, let's have some in-person fun.

 

Ok, what now ….

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That's it, that's the question.  What now. We've been having to cancel way too many fun things and it doesn't seem to let up.

Let's find a new rut to be in.  So, I know we've all asked for new things to do, but what about doing old activities in new ways?  How about an online bowling tournament?  Simultaneous beer tasting?  What about we all go to different movies together? Overnight camp out in each other's living room via Zoom?

I don't know how to do any of these, but I'd bet you do. Let's take this crazy pandemic to the next level.  I don't want it beat us, I want to see how we can re-dig our own rut.

Next meeting, let's take it up higher, schedule something even the pandemic can't cancel.  Starting with the August meeting, let's share your best Limerick.  And the heck with being perfect, just have fun with it.

Lower Decks raise the Fun

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The Star Trek franchise enters a Rick and Morty-like universe in the new trailer for Star Trek: Lower Decks, an animated comedy series heading to CBS All Access this summer.

The show, developed by Rick and Morty vet Mike McMahan, “focuses on the support crew serving on one of Starfleet’s least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, in 2380. Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford and Tendi have to keep up with their duties and their social lives, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies.”

Unlike every Star Trek series that proceeded it, Lower Decks puts the emphasis on humor, with the cartoon set up as a class comedy between the “bridge crew” — the main focus of every Star Trek series — and the workers in the “lower decks” of the spaceship.

The voice cast for Lower Decks features Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, Eugene Cordero, Dawnn Lewis and Jerry O’Connell. The first episode of Season 1 premieres August 6th, with the remainder of the 10-episode first season to follow every Thursday after that.

Preview?  Here's one.

Thanks to Rolling Stone for the article.

Plan for a Virtual Picnic on the 13th

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The City of Bloomington has cancelled all park and facility reservations for the month of June due to the virus.  Their judgement was that the facilities are unsuitable for social distancing at the capacities that people stated on their contracts for rental.  Although I think we could have pulled it off with the number that would actually arrive, it's certain the city would be stretched to keep the facilities clean and sanitary.

Stay tuned over the next week for how we picnic in different places together.

  • Phill

June Picnic Still has a Location

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Our June Anniversary Picnic is currently set for Bloomington Park's West Bush Lake Picnic Shelter #1.  As of this writing the shelter is still available to us.

The City of Bloomington is doing sort of rolling cancellations, not wanting to cancel when things could be open.  Phill spoke to the parks director today, mostly because he answered the phone himself.  They meet to discuss this twice a month, and right now our date is still listed as open. May was completely canned at their last meeting including Memorial Day weekend.

By our meeting this weekend our best info is we are still on, so a discussion of how we do it is on the agenda for the May General Membership meeting this weekend.  The City’s next discussion is set for May 15th and we will post updates here when we hear anything.

 

Discovery Season 3

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The wait for Star Trek: Discovery season 3 has been extended somewhat. Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the series has reportedly been delayed until later in the year. But, fear not Stark Trek fans, as there's still plenty to learn about the upcoming season, which will take us boldly beyond where Star Trek has ever been before as we jump 930 years into the future – a period in the Star Trek timeline that has so far remained unexplored.

What hints do you see in the trailer?  Certainly Burnham spends time alone enough to grow out her hair, and she finds the crew (eventually).  What else do you see?