IMA Begins

The first IMA meeting of the season went pretty well, I’d say. I got there very early (kind of by accident – I wasn’t sure where the place was and didn’t want to get lost) and had plenty of time to set up. I was thrown somewhat of a curveball in that the organizer of the venue neglected to inform me that I’d be collecting dinner choices while collecting money and checking people in. It was a little chaotic during the big rushes of people but I managed. We usually have family-style dinners so some people were thrown off by having a choice. I nicely requested that next time we have a venue where members are required to choose between two or three entrees that we mention that in the newsletter so they can tell me their choice when they RSVP. That way I avoid the evil eyes of the impatient waitresses.

The meeting was at Pullman’s, a new place out by the river. It is owned by the same people who own Good Company, the location of our rehearsal dinner, so a lot of the food is similar including the yummy garlic mashed potatoes. I didn’t attend the PD session – I was busy with some administrative stuff and wanted to stay in the room by my cashbox since I had started collecting money early before the speaker showed up. I spent a good half hour alone in the room, watching beach volleyball in the bar through the door. I was able to get out from behind my table for a bit and sell some raffle tickets before dinner began. I ate quickly as usual and got my cash reconciled before the after-dinner speaker began so I didn’t have to be rude. The after-dinner session was much more of a Q&A, interactive thing than we’ve had before. The mayor and the director of the Appleton Downtown were there to talk about projects currently in the works for downtown and around the Fox River. It was interesting to see what’s coming in the future and what people are concerned about. We learned that they’ll be tearing down the College Street Bridge in May of next year and it will be out for almost two years. Yikes. That will create some challenges. Luckily I don’t go that way very often (I generally use 441 or another route) but it will still be an interesting time. They’ll be putting in a roundabout at the end of the bridge and I can’t wait to see how inept people are at maneuvering through it. Roundabouts are not rocket science, yet people around here can’t seem to figure them out.

The speakers went a bit long but it was good to see everyone so engaged in the topic. Not like the tax update presentations in November where everyone is falling asleep. :) Our chapter meeting was pretty short – all we had were some announcements and my two raffles. The board meeting was another story. It went on and on. I suppose we got some good stuff done (a lot of it was treasurer related and some educational fund requests) but it seemed tedious. After we adjourned I gathered up all my stuff, stopped at Walgreens to pick up my prescription (only cost me $8!!) and went home. *big sigh*

We have a second meeting this month – a lunch meeting next Wednesday. This is completely uncharted territory for the chapter and no one is sure what to expect. I’ll be taking about 1 ½ hours off from work for it since I have to be there before anyone else to take their money. We’ll see how it goes. So far the RSVP list isn’t too impressive – just 13 – but they still have some time to sign up.

It looks to be the start of a good program year.