Excerpts from the December 1999 MIND

Moving the November MINDBending to distant Plainfield occasioned some trepidation, but we needn't have worried: willing workers numbered eleven, including four not seen in recent months. For those of you too young to remember the New Years with the Washburnes, this event, in conjunction with Russ's Birthday, was like Old Times.

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This is the last time you'll have to see the Y2K Bug on these pages. I thought it would be cute (as an idea, not aesthetically), but at least it was different.

Whatever happens with the real bug, we can be sure that after January 1, their parties behind them, everybody will be willing to admit that 2000 is still part of the 20th Century and join us purists in anticipating the actual Millennium.

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Speaking of calendrical demarcations, the radio today (8 November) has been chattering about the upcoming 10th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Like so many other watershed events, it seems to have failed of its promise. The undereducated "Osties" (East Germans) are having trouble keeping up with the capitalists of the former West Germany. Menawhile, their former overlords, the Russians, have a couple of years to go on their first decade of experimental democracy and by all accounts it's been something less than an Eden on the steppes.

Well, I took delivery of my new Mensa Register today. Prompt delivery: six business days. It's not the perfect-bound text of its predecessors; the AMC opted for the considerably cheaper plastic binder assembly, but the data is there. I recommend keeping yours in some sort of rigid holder (one of those metal magazine organizers would be just the ticket) otherwise loose and missing pages will result from extended use.

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Next month's our Regional Gathering. I realize most of you aren't RG junkies, but one's own local group RG is the one to catch if you don't like the commitment of a whole weekend. You can pop in for a Friday evening (at reduced Registration rates), party 'til dawn and slip back home to sleep in your own bed. The hotel's not too keen on that practice, but we've got plenty of out-of-towners to keep them happy. Of course, if you wished to enjoy the comforts of a private washroom and a mid-party shower, that's good too.

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No one should have trouble finding the Holiday Party this year, as we're holding it in the Riley Towers Monthly Meeting site.

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'Tis the season, so here's wishing all of you festive holiday doings and a glorious Y2K.

Step One: Calm down.

Too many people have made too much money playing on the insecurity of the masses. I don't have anything to sell, so here's some free counsel on why Y2K will not be as bad as some believe.

Think for a moment. A list of issues, in descending order of importance, might be: water, heat, sewer service, electricity, food and money. The first four can be addressed as one group. The last two are easy to take care of by yourself.

As a former staff member of the Indiana Regulatory Commission (IURC), I know that one important tenet of the relationship between the utility companies and our state government can be summarized as follows: "Here's the cash you asked for to ensure that there will be no problems. Now, make sure that there are none." The IURC's commissioners are appointed by the Governor, who can ultimately suffer from any bad IURC decisions. Rest assured that comparisons of the states on Y2K readiness after the fact will be published, and no one will want to be at the bottom of that list. Indianapolis Water Company, Indianapolis Power and Light and Citizens Gas have all called upon the IURC and left with checks in hand.

A second reason for calm actually stems from our overly litigious society. Utilities have become, at least by perception, essential life-or-death services. No utility company could withstand a class-action lawsuit in which it could be found to have been ill-prepared for an event with so much advance notice.

Lastly, items you may already have in your home to help you withstand the loss of these services, at least in the short run, are: bottled water, a bathtub filled up on December 31, heavy clothes, blankets, a full tank of gas in your car, garbage bags, chlorine bleach and flashlights.

Hopefully, your subcortex (survival brain) feels at least a little better now. To help your limbic area (emotional brain) feel more at ease, pay your rent or mortgage early, keep copies of all your financial statements (a good idea anyway, Y2K or not), and get some cash if you feel you must ($500 should be more than enough).

Now that those two sections of your brain have been taken care of, let's move on to your neocortex (thinking brain). You, and only you, can decide the unique characteristics of your individual situation which need to be addressed further. With your basic survival and emotional needs having been met, this shouldn't be too difficult. I can't help you here. You're on your own, but you are more than capable of taking care of this.

There will be glitches and hiccups, but we will be okay, with just a modicum of preparation. After it is all over and we have survived, I wish we could publicly censure those who predicted the end of our world as we know it, and made money on people's fear by doing it.