We have a full schedule of social activities each month, ranging from lunches and happy hours to games nights, discussion groups, trivia, and our Speakers Forum.
All events are open to all Mensa members, and to guests who accompany Mensa members. Events in public places (restaurants, theaters, etc.) are also open to prospective members. RSVPs are not required, except as noted.
The calendar of activities in the Oracle (our monthly newsletter) may include additional events that are open only to Mensa members and their guests. To view the Calendar in the Oracle, please visit American Mensa’s local group newsletters webpage. Have your Mensa log-in info (email address and password) ready.
Once a week, we send an Email Blast — “This Week in OC Mensa” — that lists the activities for the next seven days to each member with an email address on file with American Mensa.
Mensa members: You can schedule your own activity or get-together in next month’s calendar by submitting a Calendar entry to our Calendar Editor at: calendar@ocmensa.org
Note: To protect the privacy of our hosts, home addresses, personal email addresses, and phone numbers are not listed on this website. Current members of Orange County Mensa can access this information in the current Oracle newsletter or the weekly eBlast.
Saturday, December 27
2:00 – 4:00 PM Books with Bite Book (LA and OC Group)
Good books pack a punch; great books are life changing. We’re after both. Join your smart friends and share ideas, friendship, and laughter. We’ll be reading one book each month, alternating between topical, insightful, and mentally engaging non-fiction with deep, powerful, and compelling fiction. Something for everyone. This group is open to LA and Orange County Mensa members so you’ll meet new friends. We will start with Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman. Come for the ocean breezes, great food, and micro brews, stay for the intimate friendships. We’ll meet on the 4th Saturday of each month to allow a month to read the book.
Location: Belmont Brewing Company (Beach front view) 25 39th Place, Long Beach
Contact: Please RSVP to Jennifer Minette
Saturday, January 3
No Open House this month.
Sunday, January 4
3:00 PM OCM Board Meeting – Zoom
The Board is meeting to handle the business of Orange County Mensa. This meeting will be via Zoom and all OC Mensa members are welcome to attend. You can attend on a computer, smart phone, or tablet. If you prefer, you can listen in on a landline phone. If you plan to attend, RSVP to Greg De Hoogh to receive the login information/link for joining the meeting.
Contact: Greg De Hoogh, OCM President
Wednesday, January 7
12:30 PM LuncH with a Capital H
Join us for sandwiches and conversation and maybe a beer. New year, same nonsense. Look for us at the round big table (if we get it).
Location: Hollingshead’s Deli, 368 S. Main St., Orange. Behind Victory Diner. North of the 22 Fwy, south of Chapman. Look for Deli sign in the corner of a small shopping center.
Contact: John Olsen
Thursday, January 8
12:00 Noon First Thursday Lunch – On 2nd Thursday
Please join us at Cafe Rose Express. Typical full lunches priced from about $8 to $25. Fresh salads & pastries. Full lunch menu with daily specials. We’re welcoming, good natured and friendly. If the weather is nice, we may be outside in the shade. Look for the M on a yellow background. Moved to 2nd Thursday this month only due to New Years Day holiday
Location: Cafe Rose Express, 1570 Scenic Ave., Costa Mesa, 949-478-8777.
Contact: John Kerr
Saturday, January 10
2:30 PM Virtual Presentation: M-Wisely
Topic: Why Everyone Should Read Science Fiction
Speaker: Robert J. Sawyer
Science fiction is not what you think. Since the dawn of the genre, SF has been at the forefront of social-justice debates. If you suppose you know what science fiction is all about because you’ve seen Star Wars, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning bestselling author Robert J. Sawyer who will show that Star Wars isn’t science fiction, and introduce you to real SF, a profound mode of SF.
This is a Zoom meeting. Please register:
https://space-talk.link/JAN
You will receive a confirmation email with the login info.
Sunday, January 11
10:30 AM Atheists United Orange Co., Second Sunday Meeting
The conversation is enjoyable and unstructured among like-minded friends. We order brunch from the menu. We are open to the public, free parking at the hotel. An RSVP is appreciated but not necessary.
Location: The restaurant inside the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 4545 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach. (The cross street is Birch, near the airport).
Contact: Joyce Farmer, 949-494-1780 (home), joy.farmer555@gmail.com; or David Doss, 714-264-4750 (cell).
Monday, January 12
10:00 PM Calendar and Oracle Deadlines
Submit February 2026 calendar entries to the Calendar Editor.
Submit February 2026 Oracle entries (articles & photos) to the Oracle Editor.
Thursday, January 15
5:00 PM SCIHH (South County Indoor Happy Hour)
We’re changing the venue and continuing indoors for the winter. The always interesting conversation follows wherever it leads, no set topic. We’ll provide the beer, wine, and water. Bring a snack to share if you’re so inclined, but don’t feel obligated.
Location: Laguna Beach
Contact: Joyce Farmer.
Saturday, January 17
2:00 PM – 4:30 PM The Mensa Algonquin Round Table
Are you interested in meeting friends on a deeper intellectual and emotional level? Are you yearning for deep discussions, intimate connections, and philosophical humor? Have you always fantasized about sitting at the famous Algonquin Round Table with brilliant and funny friends? We’ll meet at the ocean. This group is open to LA and Orange County Mensa members so you’ll meet new friends. Come for the ocean breezes, great food, and microbrews, stay for the intimate friendships. We’ll meet on the 3rd Saturday of each month. This is a collaborative group (LA and OC Mensa).
Location: Belmont Brewing Company (Beach front view) 25 39th Place, Long Beach
Contact: Please RSVP to Jennifer
Sunday, January 18
2:30 PM Virtual Presentation: San Francisco Regional Mensa
Topic: Plants Misbehaving
Speaker: Sandy Masuo
Once upon a time, “weird” referred to the supernatural—anything eerie, fantastic, or mysterious. Today, most plants are viewed as anything but. They are conventionally perceived as passive organisms that serve us as ornamental components of gardens and homes or crops that yield food, textiles, medicines, and shelter. But even the most demure, thoroughly domesticated plant is capable of magical behaviors, and nature abounds with truly strange plants that defy our expectations of “vegetation.” Discover some of these weird and wonderful denizens of the plant kingdom.
Sandy Masuo is an editor, educator, author, and conservationist. She currently serves as the botanical content specialist at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Prior to that she was the associate editor in the Los Angeles Zoo publications division for 18 years.
This is a Zoom meeting.
Please register:
https://livepresentation.link/JAN
You will receive a confirmation email with the login information.
Tuesday, January 20
6:30 PM Book Chat
Join us for January’s Book Chat. This month we will be discussing a book suggested by Dr. Meg Sulzen, Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley.
Location: Tustin.
Contact: Questions and comments can be directed to Karon Roberts.
Wednesday, January 21
1:00 PM South of the Border
Join us south of the border (the border being the El Toro Y) for a south-county lunch. RSVP not required. Look for the black-and-yellow “M” sign on the table.
Location this month: Minato Sushi, 23505 El Toro Road, Lake Forest.
Directions: Exit I-5 at El Toro Road, go inland (East) 1/2 mile, and turn left on Raymond Way. The restaurant is on the northwest corner of El Toro and Raymond.
Contact: Tom Streeter.
Saturday, January 24
2:00 – 4:30 PM Books with Bite Book Club
Good books pack a punch; great books are life changing. We’re after both. Join your smart friends and share ideas, friendship, and laughter. We’ll be reading one book each month, alternating between topical, insightful, and mentally engaging non-fiction with deep, powerful, and compelling fiction. Something for everyone. This group is open to LA and Orange County Mensa members so you’ll meet new friends. This month we’ll be discussing Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka. Come for the ocean breezes, great food, and microbrews, stay for the intimate friendships. We’ll meet on the 4th Saturday of each month to allow a month to read the book. This is a collaborative group (LA and OC Mensa).
Location: Belmont Brewing Company (Beach front view) 25 39th Place, Long Beach
Contact: Please RSVP to Jennifer.
Sunday, January 25
10:30 AM Brunch Buddies
Join us for brunch! This month we’re off to Almuerzo Café. Please note: Brunch time can often mean wait times. Please RSVP for this event no later than 48 hours before so we know who to wait for before getting a table/reservation.
Location: Almuerzo Café. 15761 Tustin Village Way, Tustin
Contact: Valerie Spear or John Olsen.
Wednesday, January 28
12:35 PM (almost) FREE LUNCH
As I write this, I’m hoping it’s chilly and that pho will be the perfect lunch. Either way, join us at My Pho for pho and other Vietnamese specialties that aren’t soup.
Location: My Pho, 3426 E. Chapman Ave, Orange
Contact: John Olsen.
