January Meeting Minutes and Summary

January Meeting Minutes

The January meeting was great!  It was above zero when we got there, and only 6 below when we left - what a delight!  It was a particular pleasure to see the Fullers from USA Central Station and also Mr Fuchs from the same, as well as Ken Stemig from ELR - plus the regular regulars and special guest speaker Brian Johnson from Security Sales Group!

Brian really delivered on the education with a fast-paced, content heavy review of the latest HES strikes, Adams Rite (two-way latches OMG!) and Securitron (wireless power transfer - not even kidding).

The next meeting will be Wednesday, February 5 when we welcome Dan Johnson from Compex.

Next Meeting January 8, 2014

Regular meetings are generally held the first Wednesday of every month - but not if it's New Year's Day!

So mark your calendars - Wednesday, January 8 at O'Gara's in St Paul.

Our education presenter will be Brian Johnson, topic yet to be determined.

December 2013 Meeting Overview

Last night's meeting was a real treat for a select few!  It was great to see Brad, Denny, Kathy, Dana, Alan, Pat, Sandy, Bob from USA Central Station, special guest Nate from Allegion and ....drum roll ... what a suprise to be joined by Gene from Lab, Major & Jet!

Which - the latter takes the prize for long-distance haul seeing as he's in from Chicago.  Wow!

The meeting was conducted at even more blinding speed than usual due to the lack of attendance - which, just to be straight - if you didn't make it (and, statistically speaking, you did not) - no one is going to judge you poorly.  It was just brutal out there.  The folks who did make it were most certainly intrepid, committed, and skilled at winter vehicle navigation, hear, hear! But we also maybe suffered a touch of poor risk assessment.

More after the break - including the education summary from Nate Spitz with ALLEGION (what?):

Meeting tonight! That's right, even with the weather!

I'm leaving now - and I've heard one other person promise to attempt.

We're in the back room this time, so if you don't see the usual suspects in the usual spot, keep looking!

*Click here for location and details*

Nate Spitz is on the schedule to present updates from Ingersoll Rand Allegion for the education portion of the meeting.  

November meeting re-cap and minutes

The November meeting was modestly attended - in particular we missed our regular Sargent at Arms as well as our Hospitality Chair - our waitress, Deb, specifically inquired after the "cookie lady" so just so you know, Rosemarie, you are a little bit famous now.

The meeting was brief but effective and, in keeping with the previously noted trend, uncontentious. 

Matters of note:

Dana only has 2 people signed up for the Education weekend. There's going to be an introductory masterkey class and an in-depth safe certification prep class - but only if we get participants. The registration forms are on the website (click the tab above for the Learning Curve).

Mike Sullivan may organize another prison tour at Oak Park Heights. There's no date yet as interest is still being guaged so if you think you would like to attend let us know (for now you can drop a line to mnaloa(at)gmail).  This is a rare opportunity to see detention hardware in the field and learn about the job of a locksmith at a supermax prison facility.  In the past the tour has been conducted on a Saturday and pre-registration is required (you must supply your name, birthdate and drivers license number).

The education presentation was very good, as usual, with Mark Lundblad delivering quite a lot of information very efficiently - summarized below the break.

Reminder! Meeting this Wednesday, November 6, 6 pm, O'Gara's Bar & Grill, St Paul, MN

*Particulars*

Come to the meeting!  Stay for the education!  Mark Lundblad is doing a slide show presentation on antique lock tools (and will probably have a few actual items on hand).  It's going to be great!

Friday, November 1 Door Knob of the Day

The whole wide world awaits you.

There's that thing with door knobs that if you stare up at one long enough, it will open.  Dogs and cats know it - it's really their only recourse if there is no pet-flap - they must be furry little Yuri Gellars, willing the knob to turn, turn, turn until it does! Never mind there always seems to be a person attached to one side or the other when this happens - we should count our blessings that they leave the spoons alone.

There are no dogs or cats in this house - but there are 2 little boys.  They figured out door knobs as soon as they could reach them, but haven't got the keyed deadbolt yet - so this particular door knob is still the recipient of a certain daily dividend of longing gazes.

It's good to get down in front of a door knob now and then to recall that time in our lives when this was an obstacle that was nigh insurmountable*.

On the floor in front of a door knob is also a really great place to review - what's out there?

Grass, rocks, bugs, dirt, adventure, sun, sky, weather, traffic, swingsets, lawn mowers, sheep, lawn darts, danger, dog poop, bocce, holes, thorns, parties, skateboards, bonfires, rain, trees, lakes, Slow Construction Zones, steep hills, ragweed, flora, fauna, fowl, wind, wastewater treatment faclilities, bus stops, rainbows, shopping malls, oceans, airplanes, elephants, ducks, puddles, sidewalks, ditches, ball fields, fences, butterflies, florists, cemetaries, drug stores, potholes, potheads, train tracks, thickets, rabbits, valets, schools, hi-rises, underground bunkers, ice rinks, manhole covers, nematodes, sunsets, corn fields, waterfalls, speed traps, alpine slides, neonatal intensive care units, pigeons, sewers, stars, escalators, hot dog vendors, squirrels, strange smells, lightning, shrubberies, post boxes, curbs, herons, moss, bakeries, libraries, continents, antilock brakes, street lamps, manatees, rugby pitches, precipitous drops, roses, circuses, planets, geese, gravel, tulips, stop lights, happly little trees, cess pools, parking lots, operas, laundromats, toll booths, hammocks, mountains.

Sometimes, sitting on the floor looking up at the door knob is a really great place to be.



*Before we became locksmiths, hah!