Here's hoping that everyone survived the holidays in reasonably good shape, and are ready to tackle yet another year of exciting SDVSA activities!

At the general meeting on December 10, we had twelve members in attendance -- some faces we hadn't seen for a long time, such as Alan Miller, Ken Monson and Jim Algert. Alan just sold his ES, and showed up in his trusty 544, and Ken had been working on his brand new house. Jim shared some puzzling problems with the overdrive on his ES during our tech session at the end of the meeting. We also got an updated membership list, and it appears that we currently have 54 associates. There are some of you that need to renew your active status, so take a moment to check your due date, which appears on the address label of your latest 1800 NEWS, and, please, send your $15 check at once to Kurt Sievert or Bob Skoog at the addresses listed in the box at the bottom of page 3. (On this subject; for those of you that are not members of the National V SA, you really should join, not just for the insurance, but also for all the good information that will be available to you in their S.E.ES publication. Applications should be in your SDVSA membership "kits"). Bob Skoog's 50/50 raffle was won by Ric von Neumann, who, unfortunately, was not in attendance to gather up his gargantuan winnings of $28, so that money goes back in the pot for YOU to win -- if you attend the meetings, that is. Aside from the details of the Christmas Party, there was further discussion of the 1998 events schedule, the latest version of which also appears on page 3. We have also acquired several video tapes that can be checked out to members for a month with a refundable deposit of $25. 

There are six episodes of the 1800 in action with "The Saint", as well as a complete tape of the History Channel's story on the Volvo company. As predicted, the SDVSA Christmas party was a great success. We had 17 members with great families in attendance, for a grand total of 35 jolly souls. Well deserved "Thank Yous" go to Ric and Libby von Neumann for their impeccable hosting and good cheer! Russ' game of naming Christmas songs from verbose clues had everyone in stitches, and there were prizes for the first three places. Betty Houston had every title right, except one that was disputed! Way to go, Betty! By the way, Betty volunteered to host the 1998 SDVSA Yule Fest at the Houston house, and we thank her for eliminating that dilemma from next year's agenda. The White Elephant gift exchange brought many laughs, and it again demonstrated the imagination of our members. We also collected lots of stuffed animals for the kids in the care of Linda Vista Leaders (page 4). Your editor was humbled by the First Annual Sir Thomas Crapper Award for his work on 1800 NEWS, and is deeply appreciative of all the thought (hmm) and work by Bob Skoog and Ric von Neumann.

Our first event of 1998 is the dinner meeting at the New Kim Tar Oriental Restaurant. For details and a map, just turn the page. Please, make it as successful as last year's first event, by coming out and supporting YOUR club!

The latest info on California's new smog regulations and the implementation of the Smog II program starts on page 5 with a copy of the San Diego Union-Tribune article published on 4 January. The full text of SB42 is now available at our SDVSA meetings.