Open-Reading-Group No. 2, Elections and Picnic

[open-reading-group at o-r-g.com]

No. 2, Elections and Picnic

Forwarded by Larissa Harris
MIT Center for Advanced Visual Studies
http://cavs.mit.edu

--

It is said that a year after his summoning he returned from the Golden
Cloud to take up once again the gauntlet of weather, to oppose the mass of
toolage and the professors who have ordered it so. His followers had
prayed for his return, though their prayers were sin. Prayers should not
trouble one who is surrounded by countless science fiction books, no
matter the circumstances of his presence. The members of MITSFS prayed,
however, that he who likes watermelons should come again among them. The
Twilight Zine is said to have written...

	He who has hacked Skynet
	who is independent of root,
	whose meetings are endless-
	bingful and free-
	his path is unknowable
	as that of books not found in Inventory
				--- Twilight Zine(85)

His followers called him Cumulonimbustratus and said he was a god. He
preferred to drop the Cumulo- and the -tratus, however, and called himself
Nimbus. He never actually claimed to be a god. But then, he never claimed
not to be a god.  Being a raincloud, he couldn't talk.

Therefore, there was a mystery about him.

It was the season of finals....

"Hail, Lord of Rain!" It was the Lord High Embezzler who spoke these
words.

His eyes blinked. They did not focus. Nowhere in the Star Chamber was
there any movement.

"Hail, Cumulonimbustratus!" said the Skinner.

The eyes stared ahead, unseeing.

"Hiya, Nimbus," said the Onseck.

The forehead creased slightly, the eyes squinted, fell upon the
Onseck, moved on to the others.

"Where...?" he asked, in a whisper.

"The MIT Science Fiction Library," answered the Embezzler.

He shut his eyes and held them tightly closed, wrinkles forming at
their corners. A grin of pain made his mouth a bow, his teeth the
arrows, clenched.

"Are you truly he whom we have named?" asked the Skinner

He did not answer.

"Are you he who grants MITSFS a Picnic free from rain?"

The mouth slackened.

"Are you he who loved virgin watermelons?"

The eyes flickered. A faint smile came and went across the lips.

"It is he," said the Skinner; then, "Will you smile upon the Picnic?"

He seemed lost in thought, for a while.

"We will sacrifice yet another watermelon," reminded the Onseck.

"Perhaps," Nimbus said, then "Perhaps, I will. In the past, I have helped
you, there, at the Blue Hills. You tossed around your Gavel. You hiked up
the hill. You threw frisbees. You smashed up coconuts. You ate free food.
Lots and lots of free food."

"But...You will have changed," Nimbus added.

"Well, yes, of course. The
			     	ANNUAL ELECTIONS
will take place at 5:30 on
				FRIDAY MAY 19TH

Shortly beforehand we meet at the Library; then we travel together to the
sacred Star Chamber where new officers will be chosen.""And we thank you,"
said the Skinner.

"And the Picnic?"

"It will take place on Saturday the 20th of May. Attendees will gather at
the Library by 10:00," the LHE stated. "Unless... your lordship, should
you vex us with rain, we shall feast within the Student Center instead.

"I shall... consider."

"Well, then, if you need directions," said the High Embezzler, "here":

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Directions:

     Starting from campus, head south on Mass Ave and get onto I-93 South.
(Multiple options accomplish this; the recommended route is to stay on
Mass Ave for 2 miles and enter I-93 via a left turn onto Melnea Cass
Blvd.)  Go south on I-93 for about 15 miles, depending on where you got
on.  Route 3 splits off at around 10 miles, so be sure to stay on I-93
there.

     You now seek Route/Highway 138 North, a.k.a. Washington St, at Exit
2B. Exit there and go north 0.9 miles, passing just one street, on your
right (variously called Hillside, Blue Hill River, or Royall).  The very
first thing you'll come to is a parking lot on your right.  Park!  The
picnic is up on the slopes from the south end of the lot, centered around
a big tree.

                |                /--\
                |               /----\
           Mass |       --------      --------
           Ave. |       |      | |||| |  MIT |
                |       |      | |||| |      |
----------------+-------------------------------------------------------------
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^|^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^|^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^|^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
----------------+-------------------------------------------------------------
                |
                |
                |          Melnea Cass Blvd.
                +---------------------------------------+
                                                        |
                                                        |   I-93
                                                        | Southeast
                                                        | Expressway
                                                        |
                |---|                                   |
         -      |   |   PICNIC parking lot              |
         |      |---|                                   |
         |      |                                       |
       0.9mi    +-------------------                    |
         |      |   Hillside St. /                     / \
         |      |   Blue Hill River / Royall          /   \
         |      |                                    /     \
         -      +-----------------------------------/       \
     Route 128N | Exit 2B                 I-93            Route 3
 Washington St. | Milton
                |


 ************************************************************************
 *                                                                      *
 * Drivers should let us know how many people they can take, passengers *
 * should let us know they need seats, and everyone planning to come    *
 * should tell us so that we know how much food to get and whether to   *
 * rent an extra vehicle. Send email to picniccomm at mit.edu or sign up   *
 * on the Library door.                                                 *
 *                                                                      *
 ************************************************************************

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And so it began.