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The FOGHORN
ROTARY CLUB OF HALF MOON BAY
January 6, 2022
Club Social - Kicking Off the New Year - "Getting To Know You"
Article by Stacy Trevenon
The meeting of Jan. 6 was a virtual one, and President Joe set the tone with greetings sent earlier on Jan. 4 via our website via Club Runner: “Welcome to 2022 and the renewal of our hopes and dreams for a better world! Our first meeting this Thursday the 6th will be a Zoom Social with the title of, “Is It the Truth?”
The notice continued: “I am asking all attendees to be prepared to tell us three facts about themselves; two factual and one fabricated. We will then try to identify the red herring. This is an ice-breaker game called ‘two truths and a lie’ which can be both fun and revealing. Please don’t be shy and be prepared to stump your club mates.” Oh boy, did they ever. Manning the virtual controls, Joe said he would compile the results by percentage and share them that way.
But first, Joe gave a brief recap of club business and a look ahead. The first board meeting of the year was held Monday, Jan. 3, and at it a consensus was reached to hold off club meetings in person for another month due to the prevailing uncertainties around Covid. Ginger reported that three new Little Libraries were installed in Frenchman’s Creek, and all survived the rain with only a little damage. Plans are coming together for our club’s joint dinner with the clubs of Pacifica and Millbrae, with a date set for Feb. 11 at the senior center in Half Moon Bay. Candidates are being sought for board directors in Membership, Community Service and Youth Service, in Krystlyn’s year. Club members were urged to sign up for Every Rotarian Every Year, to put our club in the running for the Best Club award. In his Social Meeting announcement, Joe asked that members “please step up to make our club thrive; Service Above Self!”
A look ahead: the club’s Jan. 13 meeting will feature a presentation on Membership led by Mitone Griffiths, District 5150 Membership Chair; and the Jan. 20 meeting will feature a botanical presentation by Janis Moody, who will be introduced by Susan Kealey.
What followed was the game at the heart of the social: President Joe went down the list of Rotarians present and asked each to list two truths and a lie. It was set up so that the poll format would appear on everyone’s computer screen. Each member would list three facts about themselves – two that were true, and one that was a fib – and then members were asked to “vote” by indicating the fact they thought was the lie. President Joe compiled the results by percentages, and then the Rotarian on the hot seat was to reveal which fact was the fib – all the while, bearing in mind the Four-Way Test.
Sean McPhetridge said that in college he had majored in philosophy, had attended grad school at Harvard, he had spent 5 years in prison. Out of listeners’ choices for the not-true fact, eight percent picked the first one, 15 percent voted for the second and 77 percent voted for the third – which turned out to be the lie.
Liz Schuck said 1) she used to ride a Harley, 2) she attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and 3) she earned a doctorate at Pepperdine in 1990. Of the audience picking the lie, 31 percent chose the first, 41 percent chose the second and 23 percent chose the third. Liz said the lie was *****.
EJ Dieterle said that 1) he one took up skydiving, 2) he once took up heleskiing, and 3) he loves music and had in turn taken up the guitar and the accordion. The percentages identifying the lie were 57 percent for No. 1, 14 percent for No. 2 and 29 percent for No. 3. The lie was No. 3: EJ began his involvement with music by playing in an oompah band, took up the clarinet next, played at weddings and came to the accordion last.
Ginger Minoletti said that 1) husband Paul was six years younger than she, 2) she too used to ride a motorcycle, and 3) she was born in Michigan. Of the listeners, 50 percent thought No. 1 was the lie, eight percent chose No. 2 and 42 percent chose No. 3. Ginger said No. 3 was the lie – she was born in Pennsylvania.
Kevin O’Brien said that 1) he too once rode a motorcycle – onto a stage; 2) he had been an all-star pitcher, and 3) he had played three instruments in an orchestra: saxophone, cymbals and oboe. Everyone backed the first fact, 43 percent the second and 57 the third. Kevin revealed that No. 2 was the lie.
Rosi Fontana: 1) she was born in Texas, 2) she almost became a nun, and 3) she loved rap music. Twenty percent opted for No. 1 as the lie, 27 percent chose No. 2 and 53 percent picked the third. Rosi said the first two were true but laughingly declared that No. 3 was the lie!
Ralph Ely said 1) he has been a licensed ham radio operator for 65 years, 2) at age 18 he got a basketball scholarship to Ball State University in Indiana and 3) he had spent time spearfishing for ling cod in the 1970s and 80s. Thirteen percent picked fact 1 as the lie, 60 percent picked 2) and 27 percent picked 3). The lie? No. 2.
Susan Kealey said she 1) had attended a Led Zeppelin concert in Golden Gate Park, 2) had once gone canoeing on an Amazon River tributary at night, and 3) had gone salmon fishing in Alaska. Thirty-three percent picked 1) as the lie, 27 percent picked 2) and 40 percent picked No. 3. Those 40 percent had the right instincts.
Bill Johnston said his favorite breakfast was Trader Joe’s ultra chocolate ice cream with added choc sauce, that he was an only child, and that he and his partner Austin discovered that they had distant relatives who were married to each other. Of the listeners, 13 percent named Choice 1 as the lie, 80 percent named Choice 2 and 7 percent named Choice 3. Choice 3 was the lie.
John Evans’ three statements were that his first job was selling encyclopedias door-to-door, he worked in a piano and organ store, and he had once done some coaching for some Russian folks. No. 3 was the fib.
Sean Engmann’s facts were that 1) he has attended seven Super Bowls, 2) he professionally sold his first house on his wedding day, and 3) that he was “eighty-sixxed” from somewhere in Las Vegas. Fifty-three percent of the listeners chose No. 1 as the lie, 13 percent chose No. 2 and 33 percent chose No. 3, and it turned out that No. 2 was the lie, which brought a sigh of relief from the listeners – I mean, who wants to work on your wedding day??
Ed Daniels’ three facts were 2) that he was a pilot, 2) that he had gone bungee jumping in New Zealand, and 3) that he had worked for the U.N. Of the listeners, 31 percent gave the thumbs-up for No. 1 as the lie, 15 percent for No. 2 and 54 percent for No. 3. Turns out No. 2 was the lie.
Warren Barmore said that 1) he used to ride a motorcycle until he crashed in Yellowstone, 2) he had studied recreation and parks management at Chico State, and 3) he loves the Filipino dish “balut” that features a half-developed chicken egg. No. 3 was the lie. Fortunately!
Paul Wrubel said that 1) he had attended Stanford University, earning two degrees with straight As, 2) legally he had four legal mothers; and 3) he had married Peter Pan. No. 1 was the fib (though such academic distinction is not hard to believe). As to Peter Pan, that was entirely true – but the context was a theatrical production his wife was in, as a teen.
Stacy Trevenon noted that she had drawn her “two truths and a lie” from her background as a writer and journalist. She said 1) she completed her first novel at age 14, 2) she studied journalism at Stanford University, and 3) this summer she earned her MFA degree (from Fairfield University in Connecticut) by sitting in front of her laptop computer screen. No. 2 was the fib --- for fun, she had taken some Stanford University Continuing Education courses in creative writing for young readers, but never journalism classes. In fact, she’d never studied journalism – she’d just done it.
Rose Serdy said she’d 1) traveled to more than 30 countries; 2) had studied ballet for 15 years; and 3) had studied classical voice for one year. Of the listeners, 36 percent thought No. 1 was the lie, 45 percent picked No. 2 and 18 percent picked No. 3. Rose agreed with those who picked No. 2.
Dave Dickson said that l1) that he'd been a psychology major, that he regretted voting for Nixon in 1972, and that on a dare he'd once pulled a fire alarm. For Dave, 25 percent voted No. 1 for the fib; 67 percent chose No. 2 and eight percent chose No. 3. The fib was #2.
Steve Wilson said that 1) done church missionary work in Russia East Africa and Southeast Asia; 2) as a undergraduate he had worked as a fry cook and as a Fuller Brush salesman, and 3) he had been active in radical political work in the six years between 1969-1975. Eight percent of the listeners picked No. 1 as the lie, 58 percent picked No. 2 and 33 percent picked No. 3. Steve ‘fessed up that the lie had been that he’d not been in Southeast Asia – but he was, after all, a “pretty good Fuller Brush man.”
Krystlyn Giedt said that 1) she’d grown up playing the violin, 2) she was very shy growing up, and 3) she’d grown up among five siblings. Of the listeners, 23 percent picked No. 1 as the fib, 8 percent picked No. 2 and 69 percent picked No. 3. Krystlyn said that No. 1 was the fib – growing up, she had played the saxophone.
President Joe said that 1) he had studied at the College of San Mateo; 2) he had attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, because he had been born in that area; and 3) he had earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in biological science at the University of California, Berkeley. Ten percent picked No. 1 as the lie; 70 percent thought it was No. 2 and 20 percent opted for No. 3. Joe said that No. 2 was the lie.
There was a lot of laughter during the game, but when it was over, announcements followed. The idea was discussed for a joint meeting with the Pacifica and Millbrae Rotary Clubs in February, if the schedule can be worked out with the Senior Center. President Joe urged club members to step up to make that a good, well-attended meeting.
Future meetings were mentioned – the Jan. 13 meeting will feature a presentation on membership, from our own Mitone Griffiths; the Jan. 20 meeting will feature a botanical presentation by Janis Moody, who will be introduced by Susan Kealey.
President Joe happily looked upon this meeting as a successful means by which Rotarians can get to better know their fellow club members.