M Con

Today I tried some new qigong-like exercises and heard a new perspective on Tai Chi. I picked up parenting tips from an educator whose six kids all have doctorates. I learned about a new-fangled Japanese healing therapy that uses infrared frequencies. And I got an awesome lesson on tropical storms from one of the nation’s hurricane hunters.

And that’s just a taste of what the Mensa World Gathering is all about.

Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect from my first convention. I’m never been to my local chapter events and only recently joined.

Still, this international event was coming to my backyard and I would have been a fool to miss it entirely. (Or as they would say in Mensa, maybe I should retest.)

Overall, the program has to be one of the most random lists I have ever seen. My experience with conventions has been limited to environmental groups and journalism, but with a group like Mensa, you could have a talk on almost anything.

And the program reflects that, but I guess that works because you have 2,000+ people in attendance.

Even the bad speakers today had something to offer, since it’s rare to get a chance to sample such diverse topics.

The social aspect of the group is interesting, too, which is centered around the Hospitality Suite (really more like an auditorium for a gathering this size). My only complaint was that it offered a lot of junk food. You’d think we’d be eating smarter than this (though I understand that it was rules by The Mouse that Ate Orlando that set restrictions on the chow).

I think the ultimate in randomness though was meeting a man wearing a T-shirt with this hilarious logo.

After I complimented him on the shirt, he said more people had gotten the joke at this gathering than other public places. Then we discussed one of those raging Harry Potter debates: Is Snape good or bad?