Your Weekly Get Up & Go Has Been Updated

    So glad for the David Morse’s tinkling of the piano keys as this reporter was running down the steps having overslept, stopping to grab paper towels from the bathroom (having forgotten her tablet of yellow paper) and fearing to have missed some important introductions and business! 

     Having missed nothing relating to visiting Rotarians except the last name of Tina, a Rotation from Berkeley, who is making the rounds of morning Rotary clubs in her evaluation of establishing our District’s next newest sunrise Club in Berkeley.  Also visiting was Julia Larson, our area’s Assistant Governor (AG) extraordinaire.  Seems no other visitors were gracing our group. 

     Announcements were fast and furious beginning with Chuck Snipes plugging again for our fundraiser Trivia Night just around the corner on March 12^th.  Seems they aren’t limiting it to those cleaver and intelligent minds in that they’ll also take anyone who just wants to play and have fun.  Rose Cholewinski popped up to encourage us to get our calendars marked for May 21^st and the Rotary and Ribs BarBQ.  I’m sure assignments will begin soon.  Meaghan Likes, not to be out done, donned her crab cap and gave a plug for her husband Jeff’s Kiwanis’s Club Annual Crab Feed this coming Friday the 12^th.  Tim Daleiden then rose to the occasion to enlist skiers and non-skiers alike to join him in the Annual Reno Rotary Ski Event and Fund Raiser on Friday, March 11 at Northstar.  Then “They” announced the need for a “third person” for our Global Grant in Nepal.  Suspect you would speak with Brian Sway or Susanne Rockwell if needing more info.  Andrew Newman reminded all the Downtown business owners of the DDBA gathering at Vinny’s Wine Bar….I got so wrapped in the Wine Bar location that I didn’t get the date.  Then our Pres Gary reminded us of our upcoming District Conference to be held in our background at the Yolo Fair Grounds April 1-3rd.  This is a great opportunity to come and join the fun and meet other Rotarians throughout our District from Weed to Berkeley and San Ramon!  At $99/person which covers events, activities and food from Friday evening through breakfast on Sunday.  A great deal!  There will be a variety of 1-2 hours shifts to lend a hand.  Let Pres Gary know of your interest to explore opportunities! Chuck Snipes was up again and inviting all to join him and a group of Humphrey Scholars at Yolo Brewery on Industrial in W. Sac for a brew fest!

     New members soon to be Paul Harris fellows (donors to the Rotary International Foundation) from last week were recognized and given “magical matching coins”….in that the Club will match whatever donation you make to the RI Foundation.  In addition Bill Kopper was recognized for his second $1000- donation and Lori Raineri for her first.  Way to support Rotary and get a tax deduction!  A real Win-Win.

     Of course you should be suspecting the entrance of the Sergeants about now and waaala, up stepped Larry Olsen who wasted no time in gathering money for our coffers be stinging our newest member John Morgan out of $5 for being a new member!  Susanne Rockwell was boasting about her delightfully clean and sparkly windows thanks to Jeff Likes Clean Windows…yup, you guessed it, MRS. Likes (Meaghan) paid the fine.  Jay Brookman was thanking First Northern Bank and Jeff Adamski for printing their Veteran’s  Breakfast For Heroes flyers and encouraged all to join them on Saturday, March 13^th at the Vets Memorial.  Now, I’m not sure but Nancy Storm got hit for $2.  Rose was delighted to cough up a bit just to have Kira King back within our fold.  Seems the Youmans/Cholewinski households know how to run business as they have both won Businesses of the Year (Hallmark and Swim America, respectively).  Clay Brandow is gushingly happy to introduce, by proxy, his new grandson Zephyr Clay weighing in at 6lb6oz.

     Larry tried to go after anyone with tickets to the Super Bowl and was tackled but unfazed as he quickly hit Larry Greene for being from Carolina since no one was admitting to being from Colorado.  Then Sarg Larry was looking to see if anyone sitting at Skunk Island would admit having benefitted for the Saturday Respite program we heard about last week.  No takers.  Dick McCapes did admit as to the importance of exercise as we age and when you get a look at his trainer, one hopes his heart is strong enough J.  Jim Smith admitted to wanting to tag along.  There was no real justification, explanation or defense but Tom Read, Bruce Wolk, Dick Morrissey and Mitch Mysliwiec were called upon to address “New York values”.  Of course Mack Walker got hit for trying to defend “no values” in Texas which came as no surprise to the group.

     Our Speaker of the day, Matthias Gruber a cognitive neuroscientist from UCD enthralled us with his study and findings on Your Brain and Curiosity.  He started out by asking the group a trivia question to test our curiosity. The question was, “Where do “square tress” grow.” He peaked our curiosity while beginning to share his theory that curiosity stimulates the brain.

    Albert Einstein has been quoted as saying “I have no special talents.  I am merely passionately curious”.   Given this and other observations Dr. Gruber’s theory revolves around the brain’s excitement and curiosity when being asked a question.  Having looked deeply into the brain using radiography, they have seen the activity of the hippocampus and midbrain and dopamine circuit.  His team is making correlations to the brain excitement of curiosity and learning.  Most interesting and concise presentation leaving lots of time for the Rotarians whose brains awoke and had lots of questions.  Yes those at Skunk Island wanted to know if this curiosity can slow the onset of Alzheimer’s.  Also a concern is what the affect is of instant, on-line access has in tempering the imagination and curiosity of our youth.  So Dr. Gruber closed trying to explain the myth of “curiosity killed the cat” and value of “Curious George”.

  The pot for Draw of The Day was a whopping $493 but alas Rose whose number was drawn managed to pull the King of Hearts.  Ah well off to next week.