Greetings!

2009 is finally upon us, and I'm ready to ring in the new year with our first meeting of the new year. To remind everyone, we've switched things up for this month (and this month only) to the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month. Therefore, this coming Thursday, Jan. 8th will be our first meeting of the month. We do not have a room reserved this week, so we'll meet in the main portion of the establishment.

I would like to thank Tom for hosting the last meeting - as usual, the man is amazing. While I'm on the subject, I'd also like to thank Tom for founding our group this past summer - he's given many of us an avenue to meet with like-minded individuals and share good food and conversation.

If you're on this mailing list but haven't had the opportunity to check out a meeting, now's the perfect time to do so! Put it on your list of New Year's Resolutions, if you must! If you've been to a meeting or two but haven't come in a while, WE MISS YOU! Come on back!

I hope to see a lot of new (as well as old) faces on Thursday!

Hello Everyone!

As I was driving around the county today for my usual business-related stops, I couldn't help but notice how nice the mountain tops looked with a dusting of the first real snow of the season. Looking at such a beautiful spectacle reminded me that I'm flying back East on Thursday for the Holidays. While I'm gone, Tom will be resuming his post as our group host for this week's meeting. We have a room reserved - it's the one next to the Sports Arena (closest to the back of the building.

It just occurred to me that the first Thursday in January happens to be New Year's Day! Since I'm sure many of us will be busy that week with other obligations (family, etc.), I'm thinking we should change the schedule for January (and only January) to the 2nd and 4th Thursday, especially since there is a 5th Thursday that month. If anyone has an objection with this change, please let me know. If not, let's plan accordingly!

I hope each and every one of you have a safe and happy Holiday season - and always remember, if you intend to drink liberally, make sure you have a designated driver!

Cheers,

Andrew

Hi everyone,

This is just a reminder that we'll be meeting Thursday night (Dec. 4), 6 PM at Cataldo's as usual. Tom reserved the Sports Arena area for us (if you walk in the front door, hang a left and we'll be in the room closest to the front of the building). Speaking of the room reservations, a few members mentioned they'd be willing to chip in a few dollars to help cover the continual reservations - it's a $40 deposit - so if 4 people were willing to pitch in $10 each, or 8 people $5 each, we can insure that we'll continue to have a space reserved when possible. If you're interested in pitching in, shoot me a response back, that way I can keep tabs on who's money will be going towards the deposit.

I hope to see some fresh faces tomorrow. If you've been wanting to come to a meeting but haven't yet done so, now is a great time! We won't bite!

I'm looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow!

Thanks,

Andrew

Hi Everyone,

So this is my first official email as the new "chapter host" of the Bakersfield chapter of Drinking Liberally. First off - I'd like to apologize for not being able to get out an email about last week's meeting - the transition between Tom and I wasn't complete and neither of us had access to the server so that we could send a message. Second - if you've been to a meeting and I haven't yet met you, please accept my sincere apologies!

Anyway, we've been having regular meetings for a number of months, and after speaking with some of the members last week, it's apparent that there is an interest to explore some new ideas for our meetings. Since we are an all-inclusive group, I thought it'd be a great idea to hear what everyone thinks about the group thus-so-far. Therefore, I'd like to ask each of you to respond to this email answering a few quick questions so that I can gauge where we're currently at:

1) Name
2) How long you've been coming to Drinking Liberally
3) If you haven't been to a meeting yet but are on this mailing list, is there a specific reason you haven't made it yet?
4) How you found out about Drinking Liberally
5) Do you think that our group has been friendly to potential and new members? If you have only been to one or two meetings, do you feel like we have done a good job of making you feel welcome?
6) Would you be interested in having an occasional round-table discussion on specific subjects in addition to our current style of informal discussion?
7) Please do not hesitate to add any additional thoughts or comments on what you'd like to see us do in the future.

Our next meeting is Thursday, December 4th - same time and place as always. As an FYI - I will not be at our meeting on Dec. 18th - I'll be arriving via plane in Orlando for a few days before departing to PA for a week for the Holidays. If you would be interested in filling in as Host for that evening, please let me know.

Unless I speak to any of you beforehand, have an excellent Thanksgiving - enjoy the bountiful meal that will be in front of you, and if you plan on having a drink, please do so liberally, but only if you have a designated driver or happen to be hosting the festivities at your home! My in-laws are hosting this year, but I'll be cooking one of the Turkey's, as well as making my Great-Grandmother's famous meatballs (they are to die for). Of course, this Saturday I'll be concentrating on my 'Noles as the host the Florida Gators.

Thanks everyone!

Andrew

Hey Folks,

Over the next couple of months, I'm going to be stepping down from leadership of the group and handing it off to Andrew. I'll still be around and DL will always be here but I'm headed in a decidedly more partisan direction.

Thanks for everything and for now we'll keep doing things as we always have.

I love you guys. You're like my bestest friends evah!

Tom

PS We don't have the Sports Arena for the next meeting, so we'll be in the main room.