1. After a flawless trip, Shadow brought the Northern Group to the Hoffman House at 11:20 AM. Geronimo, displaying his fine skill at split-second timing, arrived at 11:27 AM. PC Wiz gave Geronimo his 50^th Anniversary DVD's. The bag was labeled "Another Year Gone to Hell": apropos for some other occasion. Upon entering the premises, we were greeted by Hostess Ginny and HVBS Official Waitress Erin who were sitting at the bar. Our waitress for this session was Nancy, who escorted us to our inside corner table - re-arranged since our last meeting to a slanted position. Erin came over to our table to chat and inquire if we were a week early, surprisingly remembering our original schedule.
2. Nancy took our order for beverages, mentioning they now also offered lemonade. Members quickly decided to stick with adult beverages: Killian's Red for Geronimo and PC Wiz, a Heineken for Shadow and a request from Deliberator of what other beers were available. After she finished her list, Deliberator noted that she had not mentioned Sam Adams. Not available, she thought, but checked and found they were back in stock - which Deliberator then ordered. It seems the brewery had a problem with incorrect bottles; some of them had chipped in capping with possible glass in the bottles so the entire production had been scrapped. While we were waiting Shadow told us of the drink called "Arnie Palmer". He explained, a true story, that Arnold Palmer had mixed half lemonade and half tea to make a delicious drink which will forever be called an "Arnie Palmer". We did not ask if Hoffman House was familiar with the drink.
3. After toasting best wishes for Associate Member Kay in her upcoming operation, our discussion began with comments on the primary contests which have been much in the news. Shadow thought Obama's campaign harmed by his association with William Ayers, former Weatherman Underground bomber, and Reverend Wright with his "God Damn America" rant. PC Wiz has concluded Obama and his wife are radicals of the left. Deliberator, with a choice between Hillary and Barack, said he is considering not voting for any candidate although he has not made up his mind yet. He also agreed that Senator McCain "has a shot" in carrying New York if Obama is nominated. Geronimo made the facetious comment "it's all Bush's fault" with the Iraq war and the economy problems. Referring to the "Economic Stimulus Tax Rebate", Shadow said he has decided how to spend the money - with their daily increases, pay for food and gasoline. Deliberator could not determine how much he would receive after reading the letter: most likely $300 or $600 a person. Geronimo pointed out there is an income limitation on the payments.
4. Geronimo mentioned a recent issue of Hudson Valley Magazine which had a article about Kingston. The British burned 300 buildings in Kingston, then the capital of New York, on October 16, 1777. The Hoffman House was built in 1679, bought by an English soldier, Edward Whittaker, and was severely damaged in the October raid. Geronimo then asked Shadow when their trip to Virginia will occur. Shadow said it will be from May 2 to May 9. Deliberator, speaking about grandson Ryan, said the young man is uncertain where to continue his education, considering even Schenectady Community College - although they do not have a bowling program. He recently attended an Intercollegiate NCAA bowling tournament in Wichita KS, coming in second in individual honors. Geronimo informed us that son Dan, expecting a son soon, had approached his CEO about a position more suitable to his education and experience. The holding company is considering offering him a position that could be located almost anywhere (the ultimate firm being the electronics giant Philips of Holland). Members commented that things are very different today than in the past when children mostly stayed near their parents - in today's world they are scattered everywhere. Geronimo raised an interesting fact concerning Dan and Chaco's son: the child will have dual American and Japanese citizenship and may have a Japanese given name - and that Japanese custom is to have no middle names! (Dan suggested Zeus or Thor as suitable names, quickly rejected by the prospective mother).
5. In our political segment Geronimo was very impressed with an appearance on TV of Ben Stein, who is Jewish and said he has no problem with Christmas symbols and celebrations. PC Wiz mentioned that he subscribes to "The American Spectator" magazine which has a monthly column by Stein (a trained economist whose father was Herbert Stein, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to President Nixon). When Geronimo raised the issue of Governor Paterson's $150 charitable deduction of used clothing Shadow went to the $15 million of unexplained income of Bill and Hillary Clinton in their revealed income. PC Wiz said he understood it was probably from Bill's representing the Kingdom of Dubai as a lobbyist - they do not want to bring this to more public notice. HVBS members agreed that Mayor Bloomberg was a distinct possibility running for governor. PC Wiz inferred that Attorney General Cuomo, investigating lawyers on school employee lists for State pensions (and increasing State aid) also had his eyes on becoming governor. Regarding Senator McCain's proposal to stop the Federal 18.4c gasoline tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day, members were gloomy that the high cost of fuel would "bring down the economy". Geronimo, holding to the speed limit on the Thruway, was passed by every SUV, gas-guzzlers all. Concerning the use of premium fuel (20c higher, usually), Geronimo said he had studied the costs and found it costs him about $75 extra a year - certainly nominal.
6. Geronimo replied to PC Wiz's question on his new DVD player. Instead of purchasing a BluRay HD player he opted to buy a non-HD player until the competition with HD-DVD was settled and prices come down. He informed us that there is a HD program "Sunrise Earth" that goes to scenic spots and, for 45 minutes, quietly watches the sun rise in picture-perfect HD. Geronimo also brought up the subject of slow booting of his computer. PC Wiz has also noticed the same slow booting and blamed it on the updated larger versions of ZoneAlarm.
7. On sports Shadow, calling himself a "die hard" NASCAR fan, said the owners are making a mockery of the sport with their changes - even entertainment shows before the race. He said stock in Speedway Motorsports has declined, reflecting smaller audiences at the races. Geronimo, calling himself a sports fan from way back, said he "loves the game of basketball" but is finding the quality of play in pro-games is down. Deliberator retorted that he does not follow the NBA but finds the college games interesting. On baseball, Shadow found the performance of Mike Mussina "terrible" and that the Yankees had bad pitching and batting - so far. Geronimo concluded "no pitching" and zeroed in on Jason Giambi (no hits and can't field). Deliberator summed up the consensus by stating that he doesn't expect the Yankees to do anything this year. Geronimo opined that team chemistry appeared to be working for the New York Rangers and asked if they could "go all the way". Shadow said yes, if the goalie concentrates on his game.
8. Waitress Nancy brought us our coffees, neglecting to ask about desserts. This saved at least PC Wiz a lot of calories! Geronimo raised the question of a free lunch for birthday members with Shadow's being celebrated last October. PC Wiz's had been missed (no meeting in January or February) and Deliberator was next. To make it more complicated, Geronimo wanted to pick up the cost of PC Wiz's lunch in gratitude for making him some DVD's. Therefore, Geronimo proposed paying 2/3 of the bill and Shadow 1/3. Shadow, managing to corner the bill, calculated the damages. Deliberator's opinion was that the arranged split was not exactly correct. Geronimo said he knew it was not exact but he had proposed the split and stood by his decision. Thereupon, Deliberator proposed Wednesday June 4^th 2008 (backup date June 11^th) for our next HVBS meeting. It was approved and we adjourned.
9. In the parking lot Geronimo admired Shadow's Dodge - gleaming in the sunlight. His chrome wheels were spotless and Shadow related his problem with cleaning them, a difficult process. Finding his remaining two chemical wipes dried out he ended up trying fine steel-wool Brillo pads. They did a great job. Very dissatisfied with the current Chrysler styling for a new car Shadow quipped he was considering an Acura like Geronimo's. Can't go wrong said Geronimo. Deliberator said he is still considering a Buick Lucerne.

Thanks to Deliberator and Geronimo for their corrections.

HVBS Official Scribe Laureate PC Wiz