Hey there, I'd be happy to answer your questions.
Unfortunately Suzanne (our prez) must have overlooked your email. Or maybe she added you to her list to invite. The catch is that there was no meeting last week. Every now and then we'll have a thursday without a meeting, in this case it was so everyone could watch the VP debates (politics heavily influence our actions and abilities as an organization, afterall!)
1. There is no processing required, we just need your AIM name so we can invite you to the meeting (or if you have Pidgin you can just join in if you know the room name...) If for some reason you don't get an invite (sometimes we miss folks), then feel free to shoot any of us an instant message via AIM asking for an invite. Most of the NASC Board members should have their AIM names attached to their account here on TF.
Suzanne's AIM is plantakiss, mine is yenyenj. You can feel free to add us, and shoot us a message if we fail to invite you.
The whole AIM chat room thing is kinda... meh. I'm always on the lookout for a new/better venue, one where people can join in without needing an invite, etc. Got an idea or two to look in to.
2. Membership is separate from attending meetings. Anyone can attend a meeting, and we'll often ask for opinions and input. Membership can be obtained by signing up via the website and is a separate matter. Memberships expire a year after you initially sign up, to reiterate, you can attend the meetings without being a member.
But being a member you get the extra perks of seed bank access, early showing of the newsletter, etc.
Please let me know if you've got any other questions. If they're specific, feel free to PM me, or if they're general, posting them here would be fine.