So how would you know if a new event gets posted on the website?

Each day, if a new article or event is posted on the website, we can send you an email with that new content.  So, how do you enable this?  Go to the NSC website, look for the SUBSCRIBE VIA E-MAIL box on the right-hand side.  Enter your email address and hit the “Subscribe” button.  An email will be sent to your mailbox to confirm that you requested the subscription.  Follow the instructions in the email.  There are also instructions for un-subscribing.

So, why would you want to do this versus getting the monthly newsletter?

We’ll still send you the monthly newsletter or monthly email notification as before, but if you want to know when something new is posted, you’ll know within a day if you subscribe.  Eventually, the NSC newsletter will move to this format and we’re going to eliminate the pdf version of the newsletter and the hardcopy.  So, if you want to be ahead of the curve, subscribe electronically.

Date: Saturday  November 13, 2010.  

Time: 11AM-5PM.

Where: Golden Gate Fields Racetrack Turf Club
1100 Eastshore Hwy, Berkeley, CA 94710

Price: $32.00 per person (Limited to 25).

Event price includes a brunch buffet at the Turf Club, valet parking, and Race program. Free Golden Gate umbrella promotion day to every patron, while supplies last.  You must be at least 18 years of age to wager a bet.

Dress Code enforced.  All guests are requested to dress in a smart casual style.  No jeans.  We discourage sweatpants/suits, T-shirts, baseball hats, and thong style shoes.  Guests who arrive in shorts of any style, or tank-tops, or clothing with offensive logos will be denied access.

Sign up quickly.  First 8 people who sign up can get their picture taken in the winners circle with the winning jockey.

Contact: Greg Wong at

Signup Form

Meet: Emeryville City Marina, East Bay
Free parking on left just past Emeryville Sportfishing

When: Sunday, September 26, 2010

Time: 9:30 AM, rolling out at 10:00 AM

Cost: $ 9.00 for Members (NSC/ASBCLA)
$13.00 for Non-Members/Guests

SIGN-UP DEADLINE: September 20, 2010

What to bring: All riders MUST wear a helmet and should carry a pump.  Bikes should be in good condition.  You should bring a water bottle, spare inner tube, patch kit, sunscreen, and snacks to share (optional).  Due to unpredictable weather, a light jacket is suggested for cool weather conditions.

Directions and Information:  We will send information in a separate email.

Help needed: Group leaders and flat-fixers needed in case we split up into multiple groups. No SAG Support but we will be equipped for flats and minor repairs.

RSVP Contacts: Karen Soo, 

Signup Form

Alice Horio & Joel Hayashida

Thirty NSC members and guests enjoyed a fantastic picnic at Cuesta Park in Mountain View.  “Chef” Joel Hayashida barbecued beef, salmon & turkey burgers, link sausages and some terrific asparagus.  They were all mighty good.  Thanks Joel.  My other contributors were Hoyt Nelson who brought some killer chili, Debra Fong who brought delicious fruit salad, Janet Gee who brought chocolate cake, cookies, an orange almond salad and a great cucumber-shrimp salad.  We believe this was some of the best  food in recent club events.

Just before lunch, Morgan Hua (our new president) conducted a very very very short General Meeting.  Everyone really enjoyed the burgers, salads and deserts.  After lunch, some of us went to play bocce ball in the park’s sand courts.  Rod Ngai and Janet Gee were an awesome team and Greg Wong, thinking as usual, had a strategy for winning.  Bev Lee and I just had a good time.  Thanks to Hoyt Nelson for bringing his bocce ball set and organizing the game.  Thanks to all the others who volunteered to make this a great relaxing and enjoyable event.

For this month:
A census taker asks a mother for the number & ages of her children. She says “I have 3 and when I multiply all their ages, I get 36. When I add their ages, I get the # of the house next door.” The census taker says “I saw the house # next door is 13, but I need more information.” The mother says “OK, My eldest is upstairs asleep.” What are their ages?

Joel has made a number of changes and I plan on continuing his improvements.  Board meetings used to take five hours and I used to call them Bored Meetings.  Joel was able to cut down the board meetings to less than two hours.  This year, I’ve decided to eliminate the monthly board meetings and use electronic communication as a method for club business.  We have already passed the 2010-2011 budget, voted in Karen Soo as a Board Member, and approved Karen’s Oakland Pixar event.  (Actually, Karen Soo did get write-in votes, but the Board certified the election before she accepted the position, so the Board had to vote her in separately).

In an effort to not cancel any of our bus trips, due to lack of sign ups, we gave a special discount to first time bus riders.  We approached BAC (www.bac.org) and told them of this special discount.  The result was we didn’t cancel any of our bus trips, and a good number of people who tried our bus trips came back for again — at our member price.  (Thank you, Monterey Ski and Social Club. www.montereyski.org Hope to see you guys and gals this ski season).  The only issue was that some members thought it wasn’t fair that they had to pay more for their seat than a non-member.  To help rectify this, the Board voted to give a non-transferable, $20 credit for a single 2011 weekend bus trip to every 2010-2011 NSC member.

This year, I also do not want to cancel any of our ski trips.  For those who don’t know, NSC is a non-profit volunteer organization.  All of our trips are below cost.  We subsidize all of our trips from fund raisers like Nikkei Matsuri and we try to price all of our trips at cost minus the subsidy.  But if we don’t fill the bus, we lose even more money due to the fixed cost of the bus.  We can do this for a while, but not indefinitely.

By looking at past membership numbers and buses that went, I discovered that about 20% of the membership goes on each bus trip.  Last year, there were 116 members, that’s 23 people, so not enough to fill our 42 seat bus.  The best way to fill our buses is to increase our membership back to about 200.  But before that happens, we need to fill our buses with co-workers, friends, and other ski clubs.  Through experience, we found that people who go on our trips enjoy them and eventually become members.

This year, we will again approach BAC with a first time bus rider discount.  Also, once we get our ski schedule nailed down in the next month or so, I’d like our members who have access to their work bulletin boards (electronic and/or physical) to post our ski trips.

I will also not post a monthly message, but only post on a as-needed basis.

See you at a summer event or better yet, on one of our ski trips.  If you’re a member, take advantage of our member rates and your one time $20 credit for a single 2011 weekend bus trip.  If this member promotion is successful, we may continue doing this every year.