Road Bikes

**Our February novel is: Julia by Sandra Newman** **This month is a classic, dystopian, fiction, literary fiction, women’s fiction, and science fiction novel. The book is 394 pages in print and 14 hours and 20 minutes on audiobook.** **An imaginative, feminist, and brilliantly relevant-to-today retelling of Orwell’s 1984, from the point of view of Winston Smith’s lover, Julia, by critically acclaimed novelist Sandra Newman.** Julia Worthing is a mechanic, working in the Fiction Department at the Ministry of Truth. It’s 1984, and Britain (now called Airstrip One) has long been absorbed into the larger trans-Atlantic nation of Oceania. Oceania has been at war for as long as anyone can remember, and is ruled by an ultra-totalitarian Party, whose leader is a quasi-mythical figure called Big Brother. In short, everything about this world is as it is in Orwell’s 1984. All her life, Julia has known only Oceania, and, until she meets Winston Smith, she has never imagined anything else. She is an ideal citizen: cheerfully cynical, always ready with a bribe, piously repeating every political slogan while believing in nothing. She routinely breaks the rules, but also collaborates with the regime when necessary. Everyone likes Julia. Then one day she finds herself walking toward Winston Smith in a corridor and impulsively slips him a note, setting in motion the devastating, unforgettable events of the classic story. Julia takes us on a surprising journey through Orwell’s now-iconic dystopia, with twists that reveal unexpected sides not only to Julia, but to other familiar figures in the 1984 universe. This unique perspective lays bare our own world in haunting and provocative ways, just as the original did almost seventy-five years ago.

Please join us the 3rd Wednesday of each month to learn more about the Columbus Ski Club and what we have to offer. Pizza, wings and a variety of appetizers provided. We are a non-profit organization founded in 1958 with over 800 members. The club has grown beyond the single mission of providing members with not only quality skiing events but also year round social and sport activities. Our gatherings are an opportunity for members and non-members to interact and learn about the many activities offered such as euchre, billiards, volleyball, pickleball, tennis, bowling, golf & softball leagues along with ski and non-ski trips. Our members also plan group activities such as visits to wine tastings, bike trips, comedy clubs, concerts, plays and local sports games, etc. CSC membership is not required to belong to the Meetup group. Membership is required in order to participate in most club activities (CSC member). However, anyone (21 and over) is welcome at our meeting gatherings which consist of checking out our current activities and socializing. The annual dues for club membership are $35 with the membership year from September 1st – August 31st. [https://www.columbusskiclub.org/content.aspx?page_id=60&club_id=686961](https://www.columbusskiclub.org/content.aspx?page_id=60&club_id=686961)

**I’m planning future book club meetups and would love your input. Please choose your top three from the list below—your picks will help decide what we read next!** **Book Options** *The Hong Kong Widow* – Kristen Loesch *American Spy* – Lauren Wilkinson *God of the Woods* – Liz Moore *Listen for the Lie* – Amy Tintera *The Swallows* – Lisa Lutz *The Drowning Kind* – Jennifer McMahon *The Eights* – Joanna Miller *The Quiet Librarian* – Allen Eskens Thanks so much for sharing your pick! Please **reply in the comments** with your top three. I can’t wait to see which books rise to the top and to discuss them together at our next meetups.

As you may or may not know--I didn't until late last year--Aristotle wrote extensively on "friendship" in the Nicomachean Ethics. After 69 years the concept of friendship still creates questions and uncertainty. I had close friends in high school and for a few years after high school but our interests diverged and people moved all over the country so it was hard to maintain connections. * So if I/you haven't talked with a friend for several years, are you still friends? Are we friends who meet at Drunken Philosophy or Omnipresent Atheists? * Can you be friends with someone with whom you have virulently divergent political views? Sartre and Camus could not. * Aristotle regarded friendship as essential to a good life, not merely an added "bonus." Do you agree? * In the Nicomachean Ethics (Books VIII and IX), he claims that wealth and power are meaningless without friends. Trump has wealth and power but seems to have no real friends, but wealth and power seem meaningful to him in perverted ways. Can you have meaning in your life without friends? * Do men and women view and maintain friendships in different ways? * Aristotle categorizes friendship into three types, based on what forms the bond: * **Utility**: Based on mutual benefit, but this type is fragile and ends when the usefulness ceases. * **Pleasure**: Based on shared enjoyment (e.g., humor, hobbies). Common among youth but fades as interests change. * **Virtue (The "Complete" Friendship)**: Based on mutual respect for each other's character and goodness. You wish good for the other for their sake, not yours. * **Key Principles of "True" (Virtuous) Friendship:** * **Permanence**: Virtuous friendships last a lifetime whereas those based on utility and pleasure are fleeting. * **Reciprocity**: Requires mutual goodwill; secret or unreciprocated affection does not qualify. * **The "Second Self"**: A true friend is "another self"—their virtue helps you understand and improve yourself. * **Time and Intimacy**: Deep ("complete") friendships are few, built on time and shared experiences. * **Self-Love and Friendship:** * Good friendship starts with being a friend to yourself. * They distinguish shallow egoism (chasing honors) from real self-love (pursuing virtue). * A virtuous person’s pleasant self-company allows them to be a stable, good friend to others. * Aristotle argues that one's social circle ultimately reflects one's character—a view with striking relevance today. Well--the Drunken Philosophy social circle certainly reflects good character!

Hey all! Let's meet at the new sports bar, [Thirsty's Pub](https://www.thirstyscolumbus.com/italianvillage) , located in Italian Village on 4th Street! You'll be able to find us at a table with CAC flyers. **Adress**: 944 N 4th St, Columbus, OH 43201

Let's go to Alum Creek and hike parts of the Heritage Freedom Trail and the Multipurpose trail. The terrain will be both traditional hiking trail and Multipurpose trail. We'll hike about 3.7 miles at an 18-20 minute pace; faster paces are always welcome. Optional lunch following at Rusty Bucket on Polaris Parkway

Join Neurospicy Columbus at the Stauff's for coffee and then a stroll through the Book Loft nearby! This will be a friendly chat for like minded individuals with Autism and/or ADHD (or somewhere on the Neurodiverse Spectra).

Meet at Wolfe Park parking lot by tennis courts. We willl walk along Alum Creek trail, through Jeffrey Mansion Park then along Bexley neighborhood and back. Optional lunch at Trolley District.

Let's gather for lunch at Carfagna's followed by an optional stop in Carfagna's Market to check out the tastes and smells of Italy. Carfagna's address is 1440 Gemini Pl, Columbus, OH 43240

This meeting will be an open discussion about the book "an Immense World" by Ed Yong

Hike approx 4.0 miles at approx. 18 minute mile pace. Meet in front of the Nature Center.

Always an overachiever, David Bayer didn't settle for being Number Two in just about anything. Whether a runaway entrepreneurial success as a teenager, the leading online director for Ducati with over $70 million in sales, or as an early mid-life crisis overachiever with at least three wildly self-destructive behavioral addictions, whatever David did, he did it wholeheartedly. Not surprisingly then, when it came to facing his failures and determining his next course of action, David sought health and healing with the same full-strength effort he had previously used to bring about his own ruination. Seeking to learn from the best of the best, David's pursuit of tangible, practical, actual change from the mind and emotions, outward, brought a new passion--that of encouraging others to learn from his mistakes and to be able to strive after and achieve healing and success in their own lives. We are reading *A Changed Mind*, by David Bayer, and can't wait to enjoy the group discussion on **Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 6:30 pm**, at **True Food Kitchen, Easton Town Center**. Come join us! Get your tickets on [EventBrite](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-changed-mind-columbus-ohio-tickets-1978437853879)! Check us out on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/events/1390625182655746)!

[Social Softball 2026 - Calendar - Columbus Ski Club](https://www.columbusskiclub.org/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=686961&item_id=2871538&actr=3) CSC Softball is a competitive but friendly co-ed league. This is CSC’s largest activity with over 200 participants. Each team typically consists of 6 men and 6 women players. Some teams also have a Non-Playing Assistant (NPA) who helps keep score and organize cookouts. **2026 Regular Season:** Thursdays April 30th - July 30th 6:15pm/7:15pm \*No games the week of July 4th\* **End of Season Tournament:** August 8th-August 9th (All Day) \*5 Game Min., 7 Game Max\* **Location:** Anheuser Busch Fields 4990 Olentangy River Rd, Columbus, OH 43214 **Ratings Clinic:** March 14th or March 21st 10:30am - 11:30am @ Busch Fields \*All New Players must attend 1 of the clinics\* **Team Accouncements:** April 3rd 6:00pm @ Coaches Bar & Grill **Team Practice Dates:** April 16th & April 23rd **Fees:** Coach/Player - $72 Sponsor - $310 Non Playing Assistant/Party Coordinator/Base Coach - $25