Group Meetings [link to schedule] (usually twice per week)
Tuesday 9:30 am: Eat bagels and drink juice.
Friday 4:30 pm: Drink beers and eat chips & salsa. When we feel "classy," we have wine and cheese.

After 2nd-Year Student Seminar [link to schedule] (Gathering after a group member "passes" the second year seminar)
The organizer: The last person to pass either the Oral Exam or the Student Seminar.
What to do: Organizer collects some $$ from all group members to buy food, beer, wine champagne, cheeses, and whatever else the money can buy.

After Oral Exam Celebration (Similar to the one above)
The organizer: The last person to pass either the Oral Exam or the Student Seminar.
What to do: Organizer collects some $$ from all group members to buy food, beer, wine champagne, cheeses, and whatever else the money can buy.

WINE TASTING!!! (Once per quarter. This is the group's FAVORITE!)
The organizer: Anyone who volunteers, usually Tinh.
What to do: Get people to chip in some $$. Buy the wines (usually from LA Wine Company), get some cheeses. Open the wine bottles and start the tasting! Cut the cheese, and start eating!!

Pre-departure of a Beloved Group Member (Going out to lunch, or to Miguel's house)
The organizer: Anyone who volunteers.
What to do: Make reservations at the restaurant, buy a card for everyone to sign, A ND do this behind the person's back!!

High Tea (NEW! once every month... ?)
The organizer: Everyone!
What to do: Bring snacks, such as pastries, and tea. Everyone gets together for a relaxing period of time.
Brief history: The tradition of High Tea goes back many years to the late 1700's. In England at that time there were two main meals daily, Breakfast and Dinner. Dinner was served very late in the evening, so it was a very long time between meals. The Duchess of Bedford(1788-1861) complained about a "sinking feeling" in the late afternoon. Afternoon tea was her invention to keep her going until dinner. She would invite friends to join her for tea at 5p.m. Other hostesses quickly copied her idea. Food at tea included such things as thin crustless sandwiches, shrimp or fish pate, toasted breads with jams and regional pastries such as scones and crumpets. The emphasis was on presentation and conversation.
British / English High Tea traditionally consists of freshly baked scones and crumpets served with Devonshire cream and Country preserves, afternoon tea sandwiches, assorted pastries, traditional English trifle (WHATHEVER THAT IS), and Tea (or coffee)
source: some website
In our group, the spread may be a lot less lavish than described above.

Chemical Inventory (Every now and then, very rare)
The organizer: Miguel
What to do: Show up on a Saturday (this is the difficult part), clean up the labs, report all chemicals available in the labs, and post the list on the web for easier group access. This one is not a lot of fun, except for the pizza and beer around lunch time!

Welcoming (a) New Member(s) (Going out to lunch, during a group meeting, or going to Miguel's house)
The organizer: Anyone who volunteers.
What to do: Varies, but it revolves around the idea of "eating and drinking together."

"Group Restaurants" (This is just a list of the places we go)
Royal Star (dim sum, Chinese), Acapulco's (Mexican food), The Cheesecake Factory (mostly American, great cheesecake), New India Grill (Indian food), Guelaguetza (Oaxan food, southern Mexico), Versaille's (Cuban food), Bay Cities Deli (Italian food, 310-395-8279), Link, menu.