Official Minutes – HVBS Meeting on Wednesday, October 4, 2006
On this foggy Fall morning PC Wiz brought the Northern Three Wise Men to an eagerly anticipated HVBS meeting, visiting our old venue at the Hoffman House in Kingston after a three year lapse and the return of our Sage, Geronimo. Arriving at 11:21 AM with Geronimo coming into view a moment later, members congratulated Geronimo on his and Associate Member Kay's successful journey to Greece. Entering the premises we encountered our gracious hostess, Ginny, who warmly greeted our group, remembering our past visits. Selecting a suitable corner table Deliberator ascertained our waitress name was Amy. PC Wiz asked Amy to take a photo of our group and we then ordered our first round of libations. Geronimo, who usually has a diet soda, stunned us by ordering a beer - likely a remnant of his trip (with pointed questions about the quantity of the Greek brandy Metaxa he drank).
The bulk of our meeting was, of course, devoted to Geronimo's epic journey. Shadow inquired if he had taken advantage of the wheel-chair service: Geronimo said he had not since they would be last off the plane at its destination. They flew with Delta Airlines; to Shadow's question of why not go via the Greek airline Geronimo pointed out that they are more expensive. He was surprised at the security conditions both going and coming - "zipping" through customs. The weather was good but very hot. Concerning their return, PC Wiz asked about filling out customs forms on the plane; Geronimo, admitting he forgot to list some items, headed for the sign "Nothing to declare" and they again zipped out of the building.
They had a fascinating four day island tour, including Santorini (with a bus to the town on top). There were six ships in the harbor, with eight scheduled the next day. The town has "lots of shops and churches". Some churches are the size of homes since church property is not taxed! The tour ship (they had a deluxe cabin with a view) was enjoyable but Geronimo found the food "poor". The cabin was quite compact, with the shower (tub) too narrow to sit in comfortably (Shadow helpfully commented: don't take a bath!). They also found the itinerary too hectic with insufficient time at each stop. Incidentally, Geronimo, after climbing most of the mountains of Greece, managed to injure his operated-on foot not once, but twice (cuts and a sprained ankle). His doctor put him on anti-inflammatory medication and an anti-biotic (Shadow asked if he was also on steroids). About their visit to the Greek taverna (as mentioned in his greeting card), Geronimo mentioned that the waiters all spoke some English. Being diverted to a less desirable table he engaged the waiter with a pithy remark in Greek while going to the designated table. On further visits they were treated like members of the family! Since the taverna had a small band, Deliberator asked if Geronimo had volunteered to play the mandolin (one of his unreported artistic skills). He said "no".
Geronimo
also visited his mother and father's birthplace - his father's home being in a dilapidated state and his mother's still being lived in. Expanding on the details of the trip, he stated that the population of Greece is approximately 11 million - with 1/2 the population residing in Athens. Geronimo carried two memory cards and took a grand total of 395 photos! We have been promised a CD (probably using MS Picture-It software with titles and sound) in the future. To PC Wiz's question of what lenses he had purchased Geronimo, after consulting son Dan, bought one lens in addition to the 18-55 mm. coming with the camera, a 55-250 mm. zoom. He admitted the outfit is a bit heavy but is very pleased with the photos and camera.
To Shadow's question, Geronimo's brother's condo is still on the market. When he tried to get a reverse mortgage on the property it was refused. The bank found out the Homeowner's Association had emptied the fund for maintenance; the future liability causing the bank to turn it down. PC Wiz raised the agenda item concerning spam. He is receiving about two a day - blocking the senders which does no good since they continually change their addresses. Geronimo is receiving about 27 a day and is seriously considering changing his e-mail address - the only real solution (as long as it lasts). He also mentioned a "conflict" with the Norton SystemWorks program; Deliberator, Shadow and PC Wiz strongly recommended the free AVG anti-virus program they use. Deliberator has a problem with his floppy drive - the system evidently can't find the drive. PC Wiz had no solution and Geronimo suggested professional help, perhaps the "Geek Squad" listing (recommended in PC World magazine) in the phone book. Geronimo opined his TV set is "going" and is thinking of buying a new set. PC Wiz advised him to consider "digital" since the TV stations are going to convert soon; otherwise he will have to get a converter box. At this point Deliberator revealed he had recently bought two new TV's which are "HD compatible" - requiring some kind of adapter.
In current events (and the price of oil) Shadow mentioned his Hess station has two pumps for cash with the rest for credit cards at 5 cents a gallon extra. Of course we realize the credit card companies charge about 3% (or 7 1/2 cents on $2.50 gas) and this comes out of the profits. Shadow asked Geronimo how much gasoline cost in Greece and the reply was "about $4.50 to $5.00 a gallon". To PC Wiz's question concerning round-abouts (small traffic circles being built in Malta) our knowledgeable members replied in the negative - a poor idea. Geronimo stated, with Shadow's assent, that the State and Towns no longer employ engineers to make these decisions; they now have "planners" that have no idea what they are doing. As PC Wiz implied, Geronimo mentioned that nearby developments are complaining because tractor trailers cannot negotiate the round-abouts and are using other routes. Shadow expounded at some length on the short comings of the Medicare D prescription plan while Geronimo proposed limits on political spending - with a suggested solution of equal amounts of public financing for each candidate. PC Wiz admitted that the McCain-Feingold reforms have turned out to be meaningless.
In our Sports Spotlight section Shadow reminded the group that we had not committed ourselves to predictions for the Giants this season. The poll results: Shadow: 8-8 (not making the playoffs), Deliberator: 10-6, Geronimo: 9-7, with PC Wiz also postulating 9-7. Geronimo felt the win against Philadelphia was a "fluke"; presently standing at 1-2, we shall see. In the baseball playoffs Deliberator admitted to staying up to the end of the opening Yankee - Detroit game (only Yankee win); seeing Derek Jeter go 5 for 5; tying the record (only done 5 times before) for most hits in a post-season game. The game was pitched by Chien-Ming Wang - 19 game winner in the regular season. Deliberator opined that Torre was pulling the pitchers too soon. Shadow gave Robinson Cano and Gary Sheffield credit for their performance considering they have been out a lot.
Waitress Amy
appeared to take our coffee orders and PC Wiz was the only member opting for dessert: a rice pudding which appeared in an edible shell, very light and fluffy. HVBS Official Scheduler Deliberator proposed Wednesday November 15, 2006 for the date of our seventh meeting this year (date OK'd by Shadow and PC Wiz), location to be determined by Deliberator. As we left we talked to Hostess Ginny on the busy patio. A truly memorable HVBS meeting was now history.
Thanks to Shadow (our Official "nit" picker), Deliberator and Geronimo for scrutinizing the minutes.
