Attending: Rob Turer, Karen Jordan, Erin Jordan, Richard Karsh, Kent Bloom, Mem Morman, Terry Adams, Joe Sokola, Jack Heneghan, Robin Robyn Montgomery, Ted Monogue, James Yakura the younger, Ben Yakura the even younger, Rick Ayers.
A pool was opened with the time that Cary would arrive. We had bids for 832, 837, 842, 847, 857, and 903. No one won.
Richard the president called the meeting to order at 8:21pm. Vice-president Joe reports that for vice we have apple monkey bread. Treasurer Ted says that he will do quarterly detailed reports unless there is something major. We have $5917.72 at the moment. About $1300 is set aside for COSine. We will pay the Jordans for the storage unit and Terry for last year’s Fourth of July party. Secretary Mem says she posted the May minutes. Jack reported for the Trustees “Nyah”.
Book List:
The book committee reported the following schedule:
Halfway Human by Carolyn Gilman for June
Dancer of the Sixth by Michelle Shirey Crean for July (on the fourth with a BBQ)
Replay by Ken Grimwood in August
The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford in September
City of Diamond by Jane Emerson in October
book and movie for Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle in November
and in December (second Friday) we will do the Hugo winning novel
and January will be a Nathan Lowell book.
Mem reported that the committee to repair the by-laws had no activity.
Terry asked for approval of the COSine budget. Budget was unanimously approved at $9490. She was instructed to report/ask permission for any spending over 10% higher for any line item. Karen is going to contact the Science Foundation to help us find a science guest. Robin is working on the website but it is not live yet. Ben Yakura is now in charge of the techy legos workshop.
The photo committee has nothing new to report. There are lots of photos in Dropbox.
Old Business: The club will provide the meat dishes for our July BBQ. People should bring a dish to share – side dish or dessert. A sign up list was circulated. Come as early as 2 or so and we will eat around six.
New Business: None
Announcements: Joe says that the May issue of Smithsonian is an SF issue and it mentions Jordin Kare. Joe is re-watching Sliders on TV – the commentary had a nice Heinlein reference. Mem says that there will be a Mythcon in Colorado Springs at the end of July 2015. Mem and Kent are going to Worldcon in London. Jack is going to Worldcon and then Eurocon in Dublin. Ted told people that the rates for MileHiCon go up in the next week or so. Mem and Kent are going to LOScon and SMOFcon in LA. Jack may go to Bubonicon in August in Albuquerque.
Meeting adjourned as 9:00pm.
Our book for tonight is Halfway Human by Carolyn Ives Gilman. Kent felt that it read like it was written 20 years before the publication in 1998. It was her only novel. Jack thought the ending was a deus ex machina. The story is about a planet where children are not human – they are sexless “protos” most of whom eventually mature into males and females. Some however remain as “neuters” or “blands”, a working underclass who live in virtual slavery while supporting the lifestyle of the “real” humans. Robyn says that nothing is resolved and that at the end of the book people are still really jerks. Gilman was nominated for a Nebula for the novella “The Honeycrafters” in 1992. Ted says that Gilson published Isles of the Forsaken (2011) and a sequel Ison of the Isles. We tended to feel that Gilson drew on Left Hand of Darkness. Kent and Jack didn’t like it. Robyn thought it was okay. Mem liked it but hasn’t finished it yet. Jack’s problem was that it wasn’t a very compelling book because it just restated themes from other books.