The Between Years Break begins, with no regular meetings scheduled until January 6. The BBRC will observe Christmas by taking Friday, December 23 off (Christmas Adam) and will take the following Friday, December 30, as part of the New Year’s holiday.

Regular meetings begin anew in the brand new year on Friday, January 6, 2006. Because of Glendale’s annual renovation break, our meeting place will be closed on the 6th. Therefore, the club will transfer its meeting to Bellevue’s Rock Bottom beginning at 7:00 a.m. The Rock Bottom’s Brewmaster is our featured speaker.

The next week, the BBRC board resumes its Second Tuesday of the Month meetings on Tuesday, January 10, 2006 at Glendale. And, our Glendale Country Club meetings resume on Friday, January 13th.

The end of Rotary’s Second Quarter is on December 31. There are no further meetings for members who haven’t paid their dues. If you plan on taking care of your account prior to the quarter’s end, then you must send your remittance to the BBRC, PO Box 3003, Bellevue WA, 98009-3003 no later than Wednesday, December 28. Your remittance must reach our PO Box no later than 9:00 a.m. on Friday, December 30th. At that point, your balance will be carried forward into the next quarter.

Third Quarter billing will be put in the mail on Monday, January 2, 2006.

Sayoko Kuwahara, 12/4
Kim Shrader, 12/5
Steve Vincent, 12/6
Peter Powell, 12/7
Dick Clarke, 12/9
John Sheeran, 12/20
Steve Szirmai, 12/23
Don Deasy, 12/27

Cary Kopczynski, 12 yrs
Wayne McCaulley, 9 yrs
Terry Peterson, 7 yrs
Will Einstein, 6 yrs
Larry May, 6 yrs
Carlene Buty, 5 yrs
Mitch Freedman,
inducted December 2!

How to Contact Exchange Student Stefi Baltierra
Mike Ralph, who is involved with Stefi’s contact with Rotarians, has recommended direct contact with Stefi to get on her calendar. She is comfortable taking calls from Rotarians and figuring out whether her schedule will allow her to participate. You can email Stefi directly to make plans. She is currently staying with Bellevue Rotarian Kim Wold in Newport Shores.

What had become a holiday tradition is scheduled again for Saturday, December 24, and die-hard BBRC golfers will gather at Mt. Si Golf Course for Golfing with the Elves!

The frost may just be breaking up by the 9:20 am tee time! Norm Johnson says there’ll be “HBR’s at the turn and you can play 9 or 18 holes – your choice!” Contact Norm Johnson (Ph 206-979-9400) for more information about this Rain-or-shine event, with “good fellowship, clear fairways, slow greens and MEGA FUN!”
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Raffle Has Life of its Own

Raffle Chair and President-elect Jim Zidar was asked to recap the BBRC’s successful raffle, but he demurred by saying, “Donations are scattered about and members seem to be finding last-minute contributions that are destined for the raffle. We’ll have a final figure in January.” The last word was a raffle producing over $112,000. Stay tuned for details.
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THIS WEEK'S EDITOR
John Mix

THIS WEEK'S PHOTOGRAPHER
Jim Kindsvater

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into
an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave
them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat, have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Remember, life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, "WOO HOO! What a ride!"