John Vine meeting, speaking of composting... 

So, I was a minute late this morning and signed-on at 6:41AM.  Hedy Kaveh and Tony Woodall were there to greet me. We were joined in very short order by President Craig Adams.  Our speaker, John Vine, joined us bright and early at the stroke of 7:00AM.  Of course, John is logged-on from central London, about a half mile from Parliament, where the time is 3:00PM.  This morning’s pre-meeting conversation devolved into a discussion on the ability to compost bodies.  Not just parts, the whole body.  We assured John we were simply speaking theoretically.  Although, Recology can compost bodies, if there ever was a need.       

After last week’s 7:23AM start, President Craig directed Bert Hill to move the starting time back to 7:20AM, so Bert commenced banging our artillery shell exactly at that time. President Craig then called GGBC Zoom meeting number forty-seven, or GGBC meeting 3,648 to order.  Our Zoom meeting pattern remains unchanged.  We started with only twenty-two participants, but by the time we finished our self-introductions, we had forty-three.  Again, a massive number joined in the last five minutes.  Who was the last participant to log-on?  Rich Corriea at 9:03AM.   

The Board was busy at their meeting on Monday and conducted a vote on every remaining approved application for membership.  So, we welcomed five new members this morning; Derek Arden, Tim Durkin, Randall Reeder, Rich Wank and Brian Wagner, who was initially listed as Brian Wilson.  We also confirmed that Mike Rocco, as the CEO of the MMC, should be admitted as a member.  Mike did mention as a Marine Aviator, his call sign was “Bad Finger”.  That’s what I heard anyway.  Mike can confirm, correct or deny during his “New Kids” presentation.                 

We had four guests this morning.  Hosted by Patricia Fripp were Elaine Lung and “Frippette” Linda Shively.  President Craig hosted first time GGBC visitor, mortgage broker Mark Robbins.  Betty Taisch’s guest was frequent GGBC visitor James Stuart from Fidelity National Title Company.     

There were no excuses requested for this morning.   

This week’s virtual Zoom background highlights: President Craig went back to the mountains of Colorado.  Although, at Monday’s GGBC Broad meeting he was using Julia Child’s kitchen.  Our Son of Kansas City, Reg Young was wearing his Super Bowl LIV sweatshirt while sitting on the deck at one of the four restaurants at his Puerto Vallarta timeshare resort, Garza Blanca.  Tony Woodall traded Antonio White’s official GGBC “Wood Carving” background for Zoom’s Pool with Palm Trees.  Patricia Fripp switched to Antonio’s original background, “Classic Banner”, with a twist.  Her outfit and hat matched her background.  Susan Roane mentioned she’s wearing her GGBC pin with a matching scarf.  And today is the first time since March that Susan is wearing pants with a zipper.  Jim Prost took a number of Antonio’sbackgrounds and created a background collage.  

Since today is my actual SamTrans Board meeting, with the public in attendance, I thought I’d break with my historical subjects and go with a current background.  So, today we have SamTrans #725, the first of ten fully electrically powered buses.  It’s built by Proterra, which is headquartered in Burlingame and is a model Catalyst E2.  Our next order will be for the new Model ZX5MAX which can travel 330 miles on a single charge.  And Bert Hill’s thumbnail is now a picture of….. Bert Hill.    

It appears the membership has for the most part solved their computer problems.  Although Christine Torrington did have three Zoom sessions open while trying to cure her video problem.  No, I did not count Christine as three attendees, only one. 

I’m not trying to be a nitpicker, but I will be.  It was mentioned more than once by more than one member that John Vine is our first international speaker.  I don’t think so.  I put him at number four.  Jin Ishikawa from Nagasaki was number one and Derek Arden was number two and three.  

Last week Ray Siotto requested an excuse so he could take Lisa golfing for her birthday.  Upon his return this morning, he was asked by Rickey Wilson who won?  Ray didn’t really answer.  This prompted Hedy Kaveh to mention his new home in Hillsborough has a putting green.  Hedy is not the only GGBC member with a putting green.  Fellow 

Hillsborough resident Sidney Mobell has a putting green too.  Ray says he has one in his dining room. 

During our discussion as to who should be prioritized for COVID vaccinations, I am of the opinion that transit workers should be moved up in the tiers.  Bus operators have a  high and continual exposure throughout their shifts.  And that’s not just transit bus operators, school bus operators too.  Tony Woodall has a family member who contracted COVID while riding on a school bus with her child.  Hedy Kaveh would like to see airline and airport workers included too.         

Joel Panzer offered his condolences to FBI veterans Marty Mijalski and Bill Buchanan for the two agents killed in the line of duty in Florida yesterday.   

Speaking of Bill Buchanan, Betty Taisch mentioned she sold a house in Bill’s Mill Valley neighborhood.   

There were a couple of tiny visitors at Steve Shain’s house.  The two grandkids, one at nine months the other at twenty-six months.

Even though Hugh Tuck is in Truckee, he did let me know while he was buying donuts at Royal Donuts in Burlingame, across the street from the Caltrain Station, a Bullet Train passed with all of one passenger aboard.  Pre-COVID there would have been 660 passengers on that train.    

A book recommendation from Rickey Wilson: Eleanor.  A biography of Eleanor Roosevelt.  During WWII, Mrs. Roosevelt visited the island in the Pacific where Rickey’s Mom was stationed as a nurse.  Rickey’s Mom was tasked with guiding Mrs. Roosevelt through the hospital so she could visit with the wounded.  During her tour, the name and address of each of the wounded was collected by Mrs. Roosevelt’s staff, so that she could write a personal letter to each of their families.  

In honor of their inaugurations, Sidney Mobell sent both our new President and Vice President an autographed copy of his book. 

Alan Garber has a beef with new member and past speaker, Steven Campbell.  Garber worked really hard to ingrain the vision into his brain of his winning the big lottery.  It didn’t work.  Steven says your vision must be something that’s realistic.  Garber finally got onto the schedule for getting his COVID shot.  March 6th, but then the County cancelled the appointment because Garber isn’t over 75.  You actually have to be over 75, not just look like you’re over 75.  

Not trying to make Garber feel worse, but Bill Buchanan got his COVID shot in Walnut Creek.  Not Claire though. 

It looks like Tom Kowalski’s trip to Portugal with those young sailors is cancelled.  COVID is running rampant in Portugal and their numbers are way up across the board. 

Since COVID has decimated her business, Anastasia Lipske filed for unemployment.  Things are different in Oregon when compared to California though.  It’s very easy to work with the folks there.      

While tooling around in Modesto, Gary McKinsey was taken aback by a bunch of guys working in a field wearing haz mat suits.  Not to worry.  They were beekeepers.                  

Marty Mijalski was feeling bad about his circus friend, the human cannonball.  He just got fired.  

There’s going to be six more weeks of Winter in France.  Rich Wank says the French groundhog came out of his burrow and saw his chateau.     

Reg Young says there are no member birthdays for yet another week.  But I won’t let a week go by without any birthdays.  Sunday would have been the 100th birthday of Carol Channing, who grew up in San Francisco and graduated from Lowell High School.  Monday was the birthday of one of the GGBC’s most beloved departed members, Darrell “Red” Starr.  While here at the GGBC, Red would always introduce himself as working for Morris Guralnick Associates, naval architects.  But Red was one of the most accomplished athletes at the U. S. Coast Guard Academy.  If you’re ever in New London, make sure to visit the Academy’s Athletics Hall of Fame to see what I mean.  And yesterday was the 108th Birthday of the Mother of all Train Stations, New York’s Grand Central.    

I’d also like to acknowledge the passing on Monday of both Hal Holbrook, AKA Mark Twain, at the age of 95 and Captain Sir Tom Moore, at the age of 100.  Captain Sir Tom was challenged by members of his family to walk the length of his driveway and his Son-in-Law said he’d pay him one pound per lap.  Captain Sir Tom hoped to raise a thousand pounds for the health professionals who cared for him after he broke his hip.  His laps went viral and he ended up raising 33 million pounds, which is about $40 million, from all over the world.                

Pete