Well, it was another great meeting of the W&W Social Club today. I think we really lived up to our name! Guests there were in plenty, and I hope I don’t inadvertently leave anyone off of this list. A big W&W welcome to: Penny Batey (an old friend and charter member of the club who needs no introduction); Len and Sue Philipp; Lou Santonato and Maria Marasco (two friends from my community exercise group), and my son, Eric Emin Wood. I’m leaving off of this list the names Ray and Talynne Spiteri, because they arrived as guests but left as intended members. Welcome to the roster, Ray and Talynne!
As usual, we went around the circle to get the meeting started. Interesting info always comes out. Rose Ballotta has discovered a new trick in the kitchen: she uses cake mix with some added eggs to bake cookies in the oven anymore. (Maybe you should talk to her first before trying it.) Karen Walters was right on; she’s had a ‘meh’ week, she said, and so she had nothing to talk about. (–Some of the rest of us should try that strategy.) Mohammed Eslami watches too much TV, and indulges in too much screen time altogether. (Ditto, Mohammed; and ditto for all the rest of us.) Samir Stasi is busy already doing his tax planning for 2026. (Why are we not surprised? If we were as smart as Samir, we’d be doing the same. Tip: Why not join Samir’s ‘Dollars and Sense’ special interest group?) Phil Nayman is about to have a lot of shoveling to do, the next time it snows. (The kicker? — he’s not even living at the place anymore!) Ray Spiteri has recently undergone a not-so-welcome double hernia operation. (Ouch! We feel your pain, Ray. Feel better soon!) Eric Emin Wood is more than 50% of the way through writing his debut novel, to be titled The Five Shards of Kaijim. (He’s already written over 100,000 words. That’s impressive!) Sarab Sandhu was advising us to get on board with AI; his own engine of choice is Grok. (I concur with him; absolutely.)
The next item on the agenda was given over to planning for our upcoming Debate Event #2, scheduled for December 11th at the YRP. The anticipated topic of argument: “Be it resolved that boiled eggs are better than fried eggs.” Well, obviously, it’s going to be up to us to decide this world-shaking controversy once and for all. We have quite a few debaters stepping up to the plate this time; among them are: Mario, Samir, Sarah, Andrew, Ray, Len, and Nabil. (These numbers don’t work. We’ll have to have two teams of three, I expect.) Vasu has volunteered to act as moderator. More news on this front to come soon.
After this I took centre-stage to talk about my upcoming story release, a satire titled The Clown King. I was inspired to write the story recently during a weekend spent holed up in a small room at a resort in Muskoka. As to the target of my satire I will reveal no names; except to hint that it is the current president of a country whose name begins with the initials U.S.A. I’ve been working diligently on completing all the tasks involved in completing and honing the story for the past several weeks, with the target date for its launch on the internet set for January 1st. I was privileged to receive some excellent feedback from members and guests around the table. Sue Philipp’s comments in particular have inspired me to put a reading of the story on my website (also forthcoming) when it launches. Attached below is a screenshot of the story’s cover page.
After the social break, Karen Walters did a bang-up job with our ‘Fun Activity’. She was inspired by a comedy sketch from many years ago by George Carlin to create a “Stuff Challenge” for us. We went around the circle describing some of the things that are cluttering up our homes for no really good reason. And boy, did we have a lot of ‘stuff’ to talk about! A recurring theme was papers, bills, books, boxes from years ago; stuffed in cabinets or cupboards filled with the CRAP — Ray called it by the name it deserves — that is burdening our lives. Y’know what?? — Just get rid it! Throw it out! You’ll be none the poorer. Well done, Karen! And well done Len Philipp, who won the little contest by describing a pair of gloves that has been haunting his life for many years.
The final item on the agenda was filled by Mohammed Eslami, who gave us a thoughtful presentation titled Let’s Rethink Retirement. Many retirement homes are sad and miserable places, filled with people who are merely waiting to die. Mohammed has a very different vision, that of a dynamic and engaging place where retirees can continue to live in dignity, engaging with others and expanding their horizons. (Here’s a link to his notes.) But Mohammed doesn’t just talk: he’s a builder. He has an application right now before the town council of Orillia to build his dream seniors residence in the central area, and he expects to have a shovel in the ground by mid-year 2026. As for the cost to live there, with all the amenities he envisions — he assured us that it will be affordable to the average person.
Some housekeeping notes to end this much-too-long meeting report: Manisha Melwani is on the point of starting up a new special interest group that she’s tentatively calling the “Your Spiritual Journey” group. For those who don’t know her, Manisha is an author and spiritual practitioner who sets high standards for everything she does. This sounds like it’ll be a great opportunity for us to get a value-added bonus to our club membership. Let Manisha know you’re interested in participating by contacting her directly. You may also want to explore her website.
Are you interested in history and current events? Contact Vasu so that he can add your name to the group. Are you interested in financial planning? Contact Samir. Are you interested in an evening of cards and games? Contact myself.
Membership in Wit & Wisdom has clear benefits, and the many paragraphs above prove it.
I hope to see you at our next meeting on Thursday, December 11th, at the York Regional Police station.