...September General Meeting...

One of us has GOT to bring a camera next time!

As just exclaimed, the absence of a camera was unfortunate. Now, there’s no visual documentation of Alex’s violently competitive Bring-This-Item-To-Me ice breaker game, no chronicling of the speaker from the Silicon Valley AIDS Walk Coalition, and no evidence of the ubiquitous presidential handshake between Elvis and our featured guest speaker, Mr. Morgan. To those who missed the meeting, all you’ll remember is that it was a rainy Saturday. Too bad, but I’ll do my best to summarize what you missed.

So what game was Alex making us play? You really had to be there. First, the room was split into two groups. We were given a vague reading of the rules – an item would be called out; it was each respective team’s job to provide the item. Simple enough, right? Not when rules were created spontaneously! Who carries their passport with them? Who notifies their roommate – also on one of the teams – to bring a textbook to the meeting? Who suggests that said roommate get the textbook out of their backpack and uses it to score points? The answer to all of these questions is Alex. We’ll be sure to keep a strong eye on him during all future ice breakers….

On to more important business…

By now I hope you’ve heard of the Silicon Valley AIDS Walk Coalition. Why? For one, this alumni chapter has a team set up for you join. The purpose of the Walk is to raise money for local organizations to use for HIV/AIDS education, awareness, and prevention programs that directly serve residents of the Silicon Valley. Speaker Ray Mueller shared the history of the walk as well as the organization that runs it. As of this writing, Alumni Chapter President Elvis Kibiti has raised the most amount money for the team. But don’t give up yet…there is still PLENTY of time left to beat him! The Walk is on Sunday, October 21st, 2007. Get started.

Ever thought about using your engineering degree for something outside of the corporate world? Guest Speaker Mr. Morgan shared his personal story of his transition from a traditional engineering job (the desk, the cubicle, the long hours…) to a community service job that utilized his experience and background. He is now a happy educator at Evergreen Valley College. You never know when school will come calling your name!

Reminder: AIDS Walk – Register or donate. Those are the two options.

...September Power Lunch...

Looking for a great start to your month? Well then, check out our monthly First Friday Power Lunches!! Here’s a recap of our last outing:

For our September gathering, a beautiful sunny Friday afternoon greeted the NSBE alumni guests at Athena Grill, a Greek-cuisine restaurant located in Santa Clara. The lack of parking in close proximity to the restaurant was the first clue about the massive popularity held by this lunchtime Greek eatery. (Let’s all pretend that it being the ONLY restaurant on the street wasn’t a factor....)

Our illustrious Social Coordinator had enough foresight to secure a reservation, but the group still had to squeeze through the several-people-deep line to get to our table. Once seated, and after a bit of a delay due to miscommunication, plates of Hummus and other delicious Greek delicacies wafted their scents from the table. Here’s a helpful tip for future gatherings: if you ARRIVE early, you EAT early!

By the way, who can explain what Skordaliá tastes like? How about the (presumably) yummy Meltizanosaláta? No one? Hm. Hummus is easy – I can figure that one out on my own. The following can be forwarded to the owner: How about menus with pictures?

Please come out and join us for the next NSBE Alumni adventure in eating. The next Power Lunch will be on October 5th. Visit the NSBE-AE-SVC website more information.