I might be there, assuming i can get over my fear of meeting strangers. Been hoping for a San Diego group for a while now!
How strong is your fear of meeting strangers? Is there anything we can do or commit to that would make this easier for you?
I have certainly improved in this area over the years but still have bouts of anxiety when meeting new people. My biggest fear is that I will be an outlier at the meetup; I'm relatively young (24), have very little schooling with no degree and very little experience in group situations. I don't think it will be a huge problem though, as I'm sure there will be a huge overlap in our interests, such as cognitive science (my long term career goal), economics, game theory etc.
I don't think it will be a huge problem though, as I'm sure there will be a huge overlap in our interests, such as cognitive science (my long term career goal), economics, game theory etc.
This is definitely aligned with the group's interests.
Your age is pretty close to median age for past meetups, and there tends to be a wide range of education levels. I expect you will fit in just fine.
I'll be there! If someone lives close but needs a ride, PM me. Possibly helpful knowledge would be that the meetup is happening at a location that can be walked to from the SDSU trolley station in about 15 minutes.
We're holding what I believe is the first San Diego meetup on Sunday, July 31st starting at 1pm at the K&B Wine Cellars near San Diego State University:
6380 Del Cerro Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92120
The phone number for the place is 619-286-0884. This is one of a number of places along a strip that's attached to a grocery store of sorts. It's something like a coffee house only with beer, wine, & liquor instead of coffee. (Underage attendees should be fine; you just won't be able to get alcohol. There's food and some non-alcoholic drinks if you like.) We're meeting in a semi-hidden room in the far back. When you walk in, go as straight as you can while staying close to the left wall.
This will be an introductory meeting so that those in the San Diego area can meet one another. We'll talk about what we want to get out of these meetups and hammer out some specific plans for how to accomplish that. From some initial conversations, it sounds like we'll have monthly meetups, though that stands a fair chance of changing depending on what we discuss here.
Feel free to bring friends, significant others, or anyone else who's interested in rationality. Also, give some thought to what you'd like out of these meetups. It doesn't have to be profound; camaraderie or "I don't know" are fine answers. But if you give it a bit of thought ahead of time, you might find it easier to envision and articulate more precisely what it is that you'd like to see these meetups become.
I should also mention that this location has a projector setup, so if there's something you'd like to share PowerPoint style, feel free to bring that. I haven't gotten details from the restaurant as yet about how to use the projector setup (e.g. is it transparencies or a laptop hookup?), but I'll edit in that clarification once I get it.
Let me know if you have any questions. Also, if you could either reply here or give me a quick PM to let me know you're coming, that would be helpful. That way I can let the place know how many to set the space up for.
ETA: I should add that I do have some material on practical uses of mindfulness that I'm quite willing to offer. I've been teaching this stuff for about seven years now. But I don't want to say that that's definitely what this meeting will be about since I want to find out what everyone is looking to gain from these first.
ETA #2: Also, please, PLEASE don't bring smokers. My wife is coming, and she's asthmatic in a way that reacts severely to cigarette smoke even if it's lingering on others' clothing. If someone shows up with a lot of smoke on them, my wife and I will have to leave right away. I doubt this will be an issue with this group, but it's significant enough to be worth making explicit. Thanks!