I met with the BoBs last night. It’s a weekly meeting. Nothing is called to order. There is no roll call. There is beer and conversation.

BoB – Brains on Beer – is an informal group of retired engineers, scientists, professors and doctors. We meet every Wednesday at 5:00 PM at Northwest Pizza & Pasta in Ashland. Most arrive five or ten till so we can get right to the business of drinking beer. I’ve been a member for about five years, having met the founder at an annual gala to support SOU’s Schneider Art Museum. At 59, I’m the youngest by ten years.

The beer is divided into the dark side and the light side. Pitchers for each side are purchased. The light side will buy an ale or IPA while the dark side (including me) go for stouts. It’s all good, though, we throw money in the pot, and it’s all paid for from there, regardless of how much or which you drank. To highlight special times, a member usually buys the beer for the night, and sometimes pizza. I’ll buy next month to celebrate my birthday.

Everyone needs a BoB group for release. We encourage one another as health issues are encountered and losses are mourned, and discuss technology, art and politics. Several were NASA engineers and scientists. Those projects are very long term, like one just reached the edge of the solar system last year, so we toasted that. Another vented that Space X crashed during its latest landing attempt. He’s a contractor on the project, so he takes it personally.

We’ve been trying to encourage children to embrace STEM. Several members volunteer at Science Works but we also invite science and math teachers and organizations in to tell us their needs and problems, and donate money, and sometimes time, to help. Last night, we decided to donate $1,000 to provide Science Works memberships to needy families, more or less an annual thing with us. That will permit fifteen families to come to Science Works who otherwise may not have made it. We also donated $500 to sponsor two children taking Science Works Academy courses.

Books and politics occupy us. We’re all left leaning people, although some are only about five degrees to the left. All are vocally anti-Trump. We’re surprised and dismayed he’s the apparent Republican nominee. Meanwhile, a few are Bernie supporters. Most of the others support Hillary. Local politics and plays going on with the local Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Cabaret are debated, but very few movies are brought up, unless it’s the Oscar season.

We only meet an hour because we don’t want to overdo it, but an hour is a good time length to meet with friends, have a beer, and do a little venting and commiserating. We’re always open to new members, so come on by, if you come to town.

Your first visit is on us.