poltr1 | The clubs I've been in.....then and now......

Back in the middle of January,

ohi posted a question about clubs in her Blatherings page, and asked which clubs people belong (and belonged) to.

For as long as I can remember, I've always belonged to clubs and organizations. I found it a great way to meet people with a common interest, and to feel that I actually belong in a group of people. Sometimes, I was lucky enough to make friends with the people I met from clubs.

Some folks would look as this list and ask, "Why were/are you in so many clubs?" My response to that question is, "Because one club cannot satisfy all my interests." I like to talk about -- and listen about -- a wide variety of topics. If my website had an open weblog, the credo would be, "From aardvarks to zymurgy...and everything in between. And no sacred cows."

With some clubs, the only topics of discussion that are allowed are the "safe" ones -- the ones everyone in the group knows about. If an unsafe or unknown topic is brought up, the rest of the group responds with silence and puzzled looks. Also, if I was in only one club, I'd feel that I was one-dimensional, or that people would judge me as one-dimensional. I love lobbing a topic out to left field and having someone return or reognize it.

The clubs I remember being in in elementary school:

A Cub Scout pack (stayed in through Webelos)

The clubs I remember being in in junior high:

The Math Club
The Art Club (my specialty was cartooning, although I wasn't very good at it)
A Boy Scout troop

The clubs I remember being in in high school:

Games club (the wargamers in the group were ticked off at those of us who played Cosmic Encounter and not Panzer Blitz)
Comedy Workshop (a comedy acting group)
the school musicals (was in the pit orchestra every year except for my freshman year)
the school marching band (was in all 4 years and got a letter)
the school concert wind ensemble (was in all 4 years)
the school jazz ensemble (3rd string piano player)
the Math team (3 years; through which I got my other letter)
the school's team for "It's Academic" (a TV quiz show featuring high school students, it's also called Hi-Q in some areas; I was on the team my senior year only).
National Honor Society (although the only real "benefit" I remember was getting a pin)
A Boy Scout troop (the same one from junior high; made it to Eagle)
An Explorer post (sponsored by the local Chevrolet engine plant)

The clubs I remember being in in college:

Delta Chi Fraternity
A student chapter of the IEEE Computer Society
A student chapter of the ACM (which I helped form)
A student member of the IEEE
DECUS (Digital Equipment Computer Users' Society)
Les Amis Fencing Club
The Galaxy Club (a general SF/fantasy club)
Buffalo Time Council (a Doctor Who club)
The SCA (in for two years)

The clubs I joined after being out on my own:

Starward Bound (an SF/fantasy club)
DECUS
Greater Dayton Chapter of the ACM
Mensa (I qualified; why the hell not?)
Toastmasters International
Dayton Mens' Council
The Mankind Project (sponsors of the New Warrior Training Adventure)
A church choir
The USS Bismarck (a local "ship" of Starfleet Command; an international Star Trek club)
Dayton Microcomputer Association

Since dating and marrying my wife, I've pulled back from a lot from my club activities. Part of the reason is that I no longer need to go out and look for a life partner -- I already have one. I'm only active in one of them now (MKP), and marginally active in the two SF clubs. Maybe I'm getting old and hermetic in my old age, but I really enjoy the time I get to spend at home with my family. Or I'm just "clubbed out".

I've also been wondering about the depth of friendship I have with the members of these clubs, especially if the only contact I have with them are at club events, functions, or conventions. Example: what type of friendship can I have with a person whom I see only once a year? Are these true friends, casual friends, or merely acquaintances? It doesn't sound like a very deep relationship to me. More often than not, I have to call and make the first move, instead of people calling me. It makes me wonder if I'm truly welcome in these clubs, or if my presence in them is merely tolerated.