Saturday, July 23, 2011

ICS - Update July 23, 2011, Those lazy hazy crazy days of Summer!

Hot enough for you? I know that's a rhetorical question actually. 100+ degrees should be enough for anyone not lucky enough to have a pool or be at the beach! It's an old cliche, but to me it's the humidity. When you can't sit under a tree and read your kindle or a good book of  zombie stories (which is what I'm reading right now) without dripping on the display or the page, it's the humidity. Let me assure everyone that I will  get to the Hall early before the next meeting to turn on the A/C.

And the next meeting is PIZZA NIGHT!! Yes, our annual pizza night that is open to all members and guests. And to top it off, we'll be having MARY BLACKSTOCK showing that iconic film, THE EXORCIST!

Also I think we'll have time to see if anyone ventured forth with pocketfuls of cash and the mighty Cards of Plastic to see SHORE LEAVE! Plus there was some 2nd part of a movie finale that opened a short time back involving some young wizard who likes to play with evil destructive forces that I imagine one or two of our members have seen... 

Let's all be thankful that it wasn't this way LAST month when we had our outdoor JAWS screening! BTW, I left out a big "thank you" to GARY SVEHLA, whom I understand brought us the super-duper speakers. Thanks, Gary!


Speaking of books, for us antiquarians who still enjoy a good book, it comes as sad news that BORDERS Book Store is closing its doors. The longtime bookstore chain suffered from mismanagement and being slow on the technology curve (think Kindle and Nook). I went there early on Friday morning- good thing I did; I hear lines are like at Christmas now. I always liked BORDERS. The had a very nice history and poli sci section, a great Comic Book Trade Paperback section, and a good performing arts section. Plus they had a bohemian atmosphere that B&N doesn't have, except for maybe their Starbucks section. Anyway, I picked up a little of this and a little that- ok $100 worth of stuff. Unfortunately, they had taken all of their PCs out, so trying to find if something was in stock was hit or miss.

This is actually an excellent example of Tom Woodward's presentation on economics. Who says you don't learn something practical at an ICS Meeting? Here is the classic clip that Tom showed from "Other People's Money" that describes BORDERS' situation exactly: 


Larry the Liquidator

It's time to take the wraps off our new website!
The AMAZING CHARLIE WITTIG (written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby) has done a great job with getting us a website set up in the first place.




However, our Chazz has been pulled in so many directions he wasn't always able to keep up with it.  A while back JUDY PENTZ, RICK ARNOLD and BETSY CHILDS came to the board and asked about trying to use the internet to publicize the club. They then offered to handle the website. And what a job they've done! You have got to give it a look-see. Just click the link to be whisked away to see it! And let us know what you think of it.

 ICS Page

So remember to attend the next meeting, after all:

Gee, I wonder what this linkee goes to?

Hendo

Thursday, July 7, 2011

ICS Update - July 7, 2011

Greetings! I hope that everyone had an enjoyable July 4th holiday!

I must admit I had doubts. We'd been kicking around the idea of showing a movie outside for awhile, but I didn't think it would be dark enough. Plus there was the problem of mosquitoes and other bugs, as anyone who has ventured to the Bengies can tell you. But everyone was so enthusiastic over the idea. So it was decided to give it a try.

Well, thanks to Charlie (again), we had the dangest outdoor screen you could imagine. It was huge. And what's more- it worked perfectly! Wherever you got it Chazz, I suggest a ***** rating! Thanks to assistance from John Ward, Courtney Spies and Skip Phillips, it was up with a minimum of hassle.


After that, Courtney gave yours truly a hand with bringing out the beverages. And thanks to all the members who brought citronella candles, I for one, was only bitten once! I hope everyone else fared as well. And afterwards John, Skip, Courtney and I helped take it down and put it in it's convenient carrying case made of rich corinthian leather. And a big thank you to Nina, who before every meeting goes to the store to buy food and drinks.

And what a classic movie to see for a summer night- the first blockbuster- JAWS. After 36 years, it's still almost a perfect film IMHO.


And even though they won't be reading this, I'd like to thank the nearby camping Scouts who lent us their powerful LED flashlights when we took it all down. The one detail we overlooked!

So how do we top this? Why by having our Annual Pizza Night in July! And that night we will be having Marvelous Mary Blackstock doing that classic fright flick- THE EXORCIST! That will be on Saturday, July 30.

Just a reminder that SHORE LEAVE is going on this weekend. For more details, just go to: Shore Leave. And bring money. Lots of money. Lots and lots of money. Today's cons aren't cheap, and you're going to have to pay to get that matching set of Gary Lockwood and Sally Kellerman autographs (that's still one of my favorite episodes). And if you're there, talk up the ICS to anyone who seems interested and won't think you're some kind of stalker for doing so!

Til next time!

Hendo