Meeting Report 04/26/25

I’m pleased to report that today’s Open House meeting of our Wit and Wisdom club was very well attended, with many new faces around the table. I want to thank Kumar and Manisha Melwani, Lisa des Vignes, Nancy Zalman, Rowan Faludi, Howard Bishansky, Doug Purdy, and Alisa Wen for their participation. In addition, a number of returning guests were, of course, also very welcome.

Before anyone else arrived our club Treasurer, Phil Nayman, had already made the room in readiness; that’s something to be acknowledged. The meeting was chaired by Mario Keriakedes in his inimitable style. We began by going around the circle to give a chance for people to introduce themselves and share what was on their minds. Many of us made mention of our former — or current — membership in Toastmasters International. That’s an excellent thing, of course, but it is to be emphasized that, as Wit & Wisdomers, we are NOT Toastmasters but rather people who, we very much hope, have taken a step beyond. (Later in the meeting it was proposed by Mario — in jest, I believe — that those two words, ‘T______ I______’ should be subject to a 25 cent fine upon utterance. Well, maybe the Board of Directors can consider the matter.)

My own presentation on the topic of Artificial Intelligence was next on the agenda. My basic thesis was that we should all be working or experimenting with the use of A.I. to boost our productivity, both personally and professionally. I related my own first steps in using ChatGPT to leverage my performance as a teacher of young students. Honestly, it’s been like having a casual Ph.D. professor in English standing at my shoulder as an ally. I also shared how lately I’ve begun to use my own personal A.I. — her name is ‘Clara’ — to overcome my writer’s block and enable me to do some substantial creative writing. That’s priceless. Here’s the link to a recent New York Times article that you may want to investigate; I hope it isn’t blocked by a paywall and that you’ll click on the further links contained within the article.

After the social break — thanks for the donuts to those who brought donuts — we continued with a series of improv games orchestrated by Mario. (He’s become really good at this art. I wonder if he could go ‘pro’.) We very much enjoyed one called “The good, the bad, and the ugly”. An “expert panel” weighed in with advice on how to lose weight, on how to deal with the scams that are plaguing us, and on how to deal with a bad divorce. Manisha Melwani’s ‘good’ advice was very good, of course; Kim Watson’s ‘bad’ advice was also good, strangely enough. Rowan Faludi’s advice was downright ugly, however. Unless you agree with him that if you’re going through a bad divorce, it’s a great idea to put your spouse’s Ferrari up for sale for two dollars. In another game, ‘The Worst of the Worst’, Rose Ballotta stepped out of her comfort zone to participate in the improv — and ended up shining. (Her idea of the worst vacation ever? — going to Disneyland with 5 young children. Think about it.) Proof that you just need to take a chance.

Sarab Sandhu followed this up with a presentation about his recent trip to India, during which he made a pilgrimage to five different places of veneration. Prominent among these was the Golden Temple in Amritsar, a premier holy site among followers of Sikhism. Here’s the link to a photo from his presentation, of a sadhu covered with ashes, that I found particularly arresting. He also told us that an amazing 640 million pilgrims (!?!) took part in the recent 2025 Maha Kumbh festival in Uttar Pradesh. Clearly, for Sarab it was the trip of a lifetime.

Chris Ristic’s presentation of the board game he created called ‘Pessimystic’ was unfortunately hindered by technical issues with the computer and projector. (I extend my regrets to him for this.) He was able, just before the end of the meeting, to give us an idea of why Pessimysticism, a philosophy of life that he is promoting by means of his game, makes so much more sense to live by than foolish (moronic) optimism. Chris, I very much hope that you will return to spread your message among us in more detail. This isn’t just a board game; it’s more than that. It’s a way to live with our eyes open and our minds clear.

That’s it for this time. I apologize for being long-winded, but it was an eventful morning. Our next Wit & Wisdom meeting is scheduled for Saturday, May 31st. I hope to see you there!