Notes from the Underground

• Meeting Announcements
• Club News
• Upcoming Events
• Website of the Month

January Birthdays

• Dee Beetem - January 30

Prez Mez January 2008 - Dee Beetem

First off, thanks to Steve Dial for having another New Year’s Day Open House. As always, it was a lot of fun. As usual, Erika contributed her Hoppin’ John blackeyed-pea casserole. Along with our regulars, David D’Amico dropped in. He said he’ll be moving back east after he finishes his media degree this spring.

Planning for the New Year’s Events

Revelcon—is coming up fast. Since we won’t be running orphan zines, how about hosting a couple of parties. Let’s do something more entertaining than just chips’n’dips. We can recycle whatever works best for parties at Apollocon.

We need to know:

• Who’s planning to attend Revelcon?
• Who’s getting a room?

Fannish Summer Party—we’re beginning to plan for a party in July to balance Jennifer Hebert’s Christmas party. Some suggestions that have been made:

• Side dish/dessert potluck (we could supply hot dogs, condiments and buns)
• Book/collectibles swap meet
• Publicizing the event through the fannish lists, (Revelcon, Hou-Sf, Ilscifi, etc.)

We need a site! An apartment/condo clubhouse would be ideal (electrical outlets needed!) A kitchen and a pool would be nice but not essential, also grass where we could throw frisbees.

Finally, please inform Margaret or me if you’re willing to volunteer your home for a meeting or video party. Don’t make us hunt you down…

Don’t forget the Yahoo Group for Several Unlimited!

If you find something interesting to do or talk about, you don’t have to wait for the newsletter or a meeting. Post it on the Several Unlimited Yahoo Group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/severalunlimited/

If you’re not a member of the group, it’s free to join, and you get to select how you want the messages delivered to you!

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COSMIC EXPLORATIONS: A Speaker Series, Feb 7

Submitted by Tom Wells

The Lunar & Planetary Institute introduces the following lecture series:

• LPI 40th Anniversary Speaker on February 7th:
  Forming the Planets: What’s New with the Oldest Events in the Solar System with Dr. Bill Bottke
  
• LPI 40th Anniversary Speaker on April 17 th with Dr. Jeff Taylor

Each presentation will begin at 7:30 pm and will be followed by a light reception with the opportunity to meet the speaker. The Cosmic Explorations Speaker Series is free; all adults are welcome.

Location: The Lunar and Planetary Institute, USRA, 3600 Bay Area Blvd, Houston (Entrance via driveway on South side of Middlebrook Dr, just East of Bay Area Blvd. - See Map at http://www.lpi.usra.lpi.areamap.pdf/)

For more information, please call 281-486-2135 or visit:

• http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/lectures/
• http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lpi/seminars/
• http://www.lpi.usra.edu/

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OwlCon XXVII, February 8-10, 2008
Gaming, Fantasy, & Science Fiction Convention

http://www.owlcon.com/

RMC/Ley Student Center, Rice University, Houston, TX

OwlCon is an annual gaming convention at Rice University, Houston, TX, that features table top and live action role playing games, miniatures games and events, historical miniatures, board games, card games, a dealers' room, and more. OwlCon 2k2 gaming events will include RPGA events, official tournaments for Warhammer 40k, Warmaster, Shadowfist, and Mage Knight, Matchbox-scale Car Wars, World of Darkness tabletop games, a Vampire LARP, a Call of Cthulhu LARP, a Crossroads fantasy LARP, and many other games with prizes galore! OwlCon will once again be swarming with official demo folks for various game systems to give you a chance to try some of their great games. We will also have open gaming, an anime room, a TV lounge running movies, some "all nighter" events, and our second annual OwlCon party and costume contest in Valhalla.

For more information write to:
Rice University
Fast Warp MS-526
c /o Office of Student Activities
PO Box 1892
Houston, TX 77251-1892
ATTN. OwlCon

Or send email to owlcon@owlcon.com

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Ikkicon 2, February 8-10, 2008
Japanese Animation and Pop-Culture Convention

http://www.ikkicon.com/

Doubletree Hotel, 6505 IH-35 North, Austin, Texas, USA 78752-4346

Dealers room, cosplay, and more!

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ConDFW, February 22-24, 2008
A Literary Science Fiction & Fantasy Event

http://www.condfw.org/

Radisson Hotel Dallas North, 1981 North Central Expressway, Richardson, TX 75080

• Author GOH: Peter S. Beagle
• Artist GOH: Donato Giancola

The Expected Activities:
Art Show, Autographs, Dealer's Room, Con Suite, Panel Discussions, Gaming, Readings

And the Unexpected:
Cliche Challenge (NEW), 3rd Annual Sci-Fi Spelling Bee, Pro Artist Drawing Competition, Charity Book Swap, Hard Science Panels

For more information, write:
ConDFW
750 South Main-#14
Keller, TX 76248
Or send email to info@condfw.org

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REVELcon 19, March 14-16, 2008
The Little Con with the Texas-Size Heart in Houston

http://www.severalunlimited.com/revelcon/

Revelcon is THE only fan-run relax-a-con/zinefest in the Southwest US. It's a fab weekend of vids, panels, art, zines, merchandise, food and fun! [Note - Revelcon is an adults-only/18-and-over con.]

For further information write:
Revelcon 19
c/o E.D. Pearlman
P.O. Box 130602
Houston, TX 77219-0602
Or send email to mailto:Revelcon2007@gmail.com

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Denvention 3, August 6-10, 2008
66th World Science Fiction Convention, Denver CO

http://www.denvention.org/

• GOH: Lois McMaster Bujold
• Artist GOH: Rick Sternbach
• Toastmaster: Wil McCarthy
• Fan GOH: Tom Whitmore
• Ghost of Honor: Robert A. Heinlein

Five days of programming on hundreds of topics from books to media, from art to costuming, from movies to television to anime, from science fiction to science fact, as well as an art show, masquerades, the Hugo Awards ceremony, dealer's rooms, and much more!

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Websites of the Month