[Channel Open]
[Incoming Transmission from Psi Phi, Office of Communications]

Minutes

(04/18/2001)

Call To Order: 10:04 pm

Attendance:

• Joel Oberdieck (Captain)
• Julie Faas (First Officer)
• David Henderson (Chief of Operations)
• Meg Callender (Grand Nagus)
• Ray Kremer (Constable)
• Kenny Albright (Communications Officer)
• Marisa Bonomo
• Joel Fried
• Chris Johnson
• Chris Kaergard
• Amy Lewis
• Aaron Nevitt
• C. Adam Scott
• Charlie Truong

Minutes: Summarized and approved.

• David and Aaron are conspicuously absent at the start of the meeting. Chris K. senses "a disturbance in the force;" the Captain remarks, "Somebody had to say it."
• Greedo is appointed Acting David until such time as David returns.
• Adam is to be removed from the room.
• David and Aaron arrive at 10:16; David deposes Greedo and reclaims his post.
• Wild applause occurs, followed by statements of "Dave! Dave! Dave!" and "Oh; sorry, Aaron."
• Chaos ensues.
• Charlie arrives at 10:19, and we have 14 people again! Woo-hoo!
• Specific disorder ensues as everyone begins having discussions in small groups. This action normally occurs prior to the meeting, but we were lacking too many key personnel to do so this week, it seems.
• As mention is made of the "nanotech parrot" from last week, Ray lauches into another Monty Python routine. Adam "damns" Ray, and Ray apologizes.

Committee Reports:

• No report.
• It is noted that David is apparently plotting something.

• First off, Adam informs Charlie that he will not pick on him *this* time.
• Adam regales us with the tenets of the capitalist economic system, which he describes as a free-for-all, in which one should make a grab for everything.
• In the spirit of this system, he demands payment before he delivers his report. The First Officer gives him 42 cents [42? The Ultimate Answer?], and Adam gives the report.
• No report.
• It is hereby recorded in the minutes that Julie has started a very, very dangerous precedent by giving Adam money.

Officers' Reports:

• Noted sf author Jeanne Cavelos recently contacted Psi Phi about a six-week workshop she runs every summer at Southern New Hampshire University. The Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop features some of the top writers of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror as guest lecturers. Anyone interested in attending the Summer 2002 workshop can check it out at http://www.sff.net/odyssey/ .
• The Comm Officer reports that apparently, J.R.R. Tolkien's system of dwarf-runes in The Hobbit differs from that in The Lord of the Rings, a discontinuity he finds disconcerting.
• There have been more sightings of "T: Secrets" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, featuring insider information straight from the source, Mr. T. Secrets divulged on the 4 AM repeat shown Friday, April 13th, included the time when Mr. T. tried to pity a fool, who showed him pictures of his family. A warning: "Don't get too close, man. It's hard to pity a fool if you get too close."

• "You're traveling through another dimension. A dimension of secret bases and Badlands plasma storms; a journey into a wondrous land dominated by Cardassians and the Maquis. That's the signpost up ahead -- your next stop, The Demilitarized Zone!"
• Everything's under control.

• The current balance is $387.88.

• No report.

• Tonight's DA QotW is from "The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul":
• "So what do you have to say to that?" "Piffle!" "A good response. I salute you."
• The First Officer also explains an earlier anomaly that forced her to temporarily exit the meeting, regarding a non-straw smoothie dilemma.

• The Captain hates his sink, because it is clogged. Adam counters, stating that he hates the boy band *NSYNC.
• The Captain has acquired another new book, The Dragon Book, and proceeds to read a selection: "Even a goblin is beautiful at eighteen."
• "We get sacks and sacks (well, one) of letters!"
• Mail:
  • Propaganda for the 69% with no DUI's challenge
  • Ads for College Night at the Peoria Chiefs, on the same day as Thirsty Thursday, the $1/beer night. Coincidence?
  • Finally, the Captain is happy because he did not have to deal with Dr. Gill, political science professor.

Old Business:

• There were at least two write-ins for The Shoe in all offices at the runoff election for all-school president, treasurer, and secretary this past week. These votes elicited confused looks from the tallying elections board, as there were no write-in options on the ballots, and so lines and boxes were written in.

New Business:

• The club begins discussion of the end-of-the-semester party. All business dealing with the party will henceforth be known as "Party Business."
• New, different, and inevitably impossible suggestions are made for the location of the party. The Comm Officer is bapped by the Captain for suggesting the surface of the sun, "so we could listen to Smash Mouth."
• It is decided to try and get the U-Hall basement again. Kenny is put in charge of this, as he is the only member that currently lives there.
• Movies are threshed out. Chris J. agrees to take on the responsibility of procuring requested movies. Three graduating seniors get picks: Ray chooses Contact, Meg chooses The Cell, and Adam chooses "I haven't decided yet," later changed to The Nightmare Before Christmas.
• This leaves two slots for at-large movies. Suggestions made are as follows:
  • The Lathe of Heaven
  • Gattaca
  • Pi
  • The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
  • Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
  • The Rocky Horror Picture Show
  • Femalien (by Captain's request)
• Since the club has tons of money, it is decided that we will get both pizzas and Subway subs for the party.
• Nominations for officer positions for next semester are made at this time. It is noted that since three officers are leaving (Joel is stepping down, Meg and Ray are graduating, and we now have six officers), this will be the first time in about two years that any significant change to the power structure will have been made. Everyone prepares for the fun of factions, political infighting, muckraking, mudslinging, coups d'etat, assassination attempts, and of course, gladiatorial combat, complete with the Star Trek Fight Scene theme song. [Da-da-da-da-DA-da-da-DA-da-da-DA-DA...]
• Nominations run as follows:
  • Adam nominates David for David; Aaron seconds. Chris J. nominates Kenny for Kenny. Joel nominates Marisa for "Dave"; Marisa seconds.
  • Carl and Greedo are nominated for First Officer, but these nominations are invalidated, since we want to keep that position open until the fall.
  • On to real nominations: Julie nominates Joel F., hereby known as "Joelish", for Grand Nagus; Joel seconds.
  • Chris nominates Chris for Constable; Aaron seconds.
  • Chris nominates Chris for Constable; Amy seconds. [No, you're not seeing double...]
  • Joel nominates Kenny for Communications Officer; Ray seconds.
  • David nominates himself for Chief of Operations; Julie seconds.
  • Amy nominates Julie for Captain; Meg seconds.
  • Adam nominates Amy for Captain; Julie seconds.
  • Finally, Chris J. nominates the president of the French Club (should any such person exist) for Grand Nagus, but no second is recorded.

Scifi News:

• "Amazing Spider-Man" #30 is now available; the first with JMS as a collaborator, David reports it is "good."
• Also out is "Star Trek: Other Realities", which is a collection of comic books, including DS9 "N-Vector", TOS "All of Me", and NF "Double Time".
• Nana Visitor will be in a few upcoming episodes of Dark Angel, starting next Tuesday, and continuing for approximately 3 weeks.
• Marisa reminds everyone to go and see the [soon-to-be drenched] 24 Hours of Music this weekend in the Olin quad.
• "No Honor" #3, by Fiona Avery, should be out tomorrow.
• "Rising Stars" #14 should be out either tomorrow or a week from today.
• Amy says that Peoria drivers are inept.
• Adam comments on the disturbing trend of increasing parallels between Voyager and the TV sitcom "Mr. Belvedere"; it's all melding into "one very wrong television show."

Adjournment: 11:02 (yoohoo)(Nagus says 11:00)pm