Theme Party Inspiration: Hawaiian Luau

25 Jan

The Hawaiian Luau theme party has a special place in my heart, because it is the party that started my family’s theme party tradition twelve years ago. I’m also a little bit obsessed with Hawaii, but who isn’t?

I started a Pinterest board for Hawaiian Luau inspiration. It includes ideas for drinks:

Food:

The setting:

And even how to do your nails:

Check out the rest of the images on Pinterest. I hope you get inspired.

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I hate school (but I love learning)

21 Jan

by Flickr user Mark Brannan

Okay, to be fair, I don’t actually hate school, but I am pretty glad that I’m done with it.

I don’t love learning in a traditional classroom environment because it feels like an arbitrary rule about the way we’re supposed to learn. This makes me feel un-free, and freedom is the feeling I want the most, as I mentioned in a recent post about travel.

As someone who has had a 9-5 job for my entire adult life, any time I’m doing something outside of that routine, whether it’s as mundane as running errands on a Tuesday afternoon, or taking three days off to go to Las Vegas, or even just being outside in the middle of the night, I feel awake. Not just in the literal sense, but in the “Oh, right, I’m a person who moves through this world, and I’m free to do whatever I want” kind of way. For me, it’s so easy to forget that I actually can exercise some control over all of the small moments that make up my day. Once I remember that, I can extrapolate and take some responsibility for the larger direction of my life as well.

What does all this have to do with school and learning? Well, I’ve found that intentionally setting out to learn something outside of a formal school context is incredibly liberating. And it’s a surefire way to create that “awake” feeling. That sense of agency and presence in my own life. It lets me know that I’m here.

Here are some of my favorite resources for getting your learn on:

In Real Life:

  • Ignite is an event that occurs in different cities all over the world where speakers present on a wide range of topics following a defined fast-paced and engaging format. I’ve been to a few Ignite events and they’re always a blast.
  • I’ve mentioned Skillshare before on this blog. It’s a “community marketplace to learn anything from anyone.”  I love Skillshare because it promotes the democratization of education.
  • The Brooklyn Brainery is similar to Skillshare, and offers awesome classes (like the DNA class I took) but it’s specific to New York. Perhaps there’s something similar where you live!

On the Interwebs:

  • Khan Academy is on a mission to make education accessible to everyone. With nearly 3,000 free videos covering academic subjects ranging from physics to art history to economics, it’s like having a university level education at your fingertips (kind of).
  • MIT’s Open Courseware platform allows you to access world class educational resources from one of the best schools on the planet. (Lots of schools offer an open courseware platform, but MIT’s is my favorite.)
  • Codecademy is an easy, fun way to learn how to program websites. It’s highly interactive so you start learning immediately, and it’s social so you can learn right along with your friends (if you find that motivating). Right now you can learn Javascript, and lessons for Ruby and Python are in the works (those are all programming languages).
  • Bonus! Check out this mammoth list of 12 Dozen Places to Educate Yourself Online for Free from Marc and Angel Hack Life.

What are you favorite ways to learn new tricks?

(Post-script on checking my own privilege: There is so much implied privilege in this blog posting, I don’t even know how I could address it all. I just want to acknowledge that I know how fortunate I am to have received a good education, how lucky I am to have a steady job, and how luxurious it is to think about “freedom” in this way. Noted!)

 

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I Made It Myself: Milkshakes, Donuts, etc.

19 Jan

I’ve been making lots of things!

First, Julia and I made milkshakes with a fancy milkshake maker!

Raspberry!

Chocolate!

(Thanks, Julia, for the awesome photos and milkshake support.)

Then, Marjorie, Jess, Justine and I made a gazillion gluten-free donuts!

Marjorie is pleased with the donuts.

Fancypants.

Other things I’ve been making recently include illustrated instructions for solving a Rubik’s Cube, new friends, mistakes, and a mess.

Also, my niece is coming to visit me soon, and I want to make something with her – either food or crafts. Any ideas?

 

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Five Unexpected Benefits of Travel

14 Jan

Additional benefit: photos like this one.

In case I haven’t mentioned it recently, I really love to travel. Of course, there are lots of great reasons to travel, and plenty of life-changing benefits. You get first-hand experience with people and places you’d only read about before, you learn patience and flexibility, and you get a fresh perspective on your own life. Each time I’ve traveled abroad, I’ve expected to get all of that. But there have also been surprising and unexpected rewards. Here are five benefits of traveling that I wasn’t counting on:

  1. You get good stories. Hands down my best stories come from my travel experiences. They make great fodder for first dates, parties, job interviews, etc. I love listening to other people’s stories, and it’s nice to have a few of my own in my back pocket.
  2. You have a memory of yourself being brave that you can draw upon during stressful times. If I have to do something scary like give a presentation or drive a car (these are the things that are scary for me), it’s useful to remember that I’ve been completely lost in the Dominican Republic, I’ve been stranded in the Italian countryside, and I’ve jumped out of a plane. Whatever it is I’m facing, I’m pretty sure I’ll get through it.
  3. You have a source of great gifts for friends and family. I’ve written about how I am an inconsistent gift-giver. One trick for no-fail gifting is to bring back awesome souvenirs from your travels. Now I pretty much plan to buy gifts when I travel, and don’t worry about it otherwise. Sweet!
  4. The world really does feel like your oyster. I’ve found that the more I travel, the more I want to travel. I think the feeling I crave more than anything is freedom, and travel provides an endless supply of it.
  5. It feels like an accomplishment. I’ll admit that traveling is difficult for me. It’s often hard for me to eat well when I’m abroad (much of the world isn’t yet gluten-free-friendly). It’s hard for me to be out of my regular routine, to not speak the local language, and to not know where I’m going. It’s really hard for me to not have alone time. But all of these things are the reason why when I come home from a travel experience, I feel like I’ve accomplished something.

What are your unexpected benefits from traveling?

p.s. My current top five destinations are:

  1. Antarctica
  2. India
  3. Finland
  4. New Zealand
  5. Vietnam

In Your Dreams Scavenger Hunt

11 Jan

by Flickr user romanlily

I rarely remember my dreams, which is a total bummer since I’m sure I could learn a lot from my subconscious (I think of my subconscious as a wiser, more zen, and better-looking version of my conscious self). And I’ve never been into the standard one-size-fits-all interpretations of dreams. You know, like those books that say if you dream your teeth are falling out, it means you’re worried about money. I do, however, think dreams would make a kick-ass scavenger hunt theme!

Here’s how it could be done:

Part I: Since dreams are all about interpretation, I would just start with a list of common dreams, and let the scavenger hunt teams interpret them however they like. For example, if one of the common dreams was, “You’re being chased,” one team might take video footage of a dog chasing a squirrel, another team might take a photo of a Chase bank, and another might act out a chase scene from a movie (that last team would get the most points).

Here are some common dreams to get you started:

  • You’re being chased
  • Your teeth fall out
  • You’re flying
  • You’re falling
  • You’re taking a test
  • You’re naked in front of people
  • You’re late for something very important
  • You’re lost

Part II: What kind of dream scavenger hunt would it be if you didn’t call upon people to recount their own dreams? At the start of the hunt, ask everyone to write down the details of a recent dream. They should write as much as they can remember; the more detail, the more fun it’ll be. Better yet, have them write down their dreams in advance of the hunt. Then, randomly assign a dream to each team, making sure that no one gets their own dream. The challenge will be to recreate or find as many details of the dream as possible and document them in some way.

How would you do a dream-themed scavenger hunt?

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Art

8 Jan

I’ve been thinking a lot about art recently. I’ve never been much of an artist, unless you count stick figures, but I have a lot of ideas for art and design projects that I wish I could do. Isn’t it so frustrating to have plenty of ideas but not the necessary skills to execute them? After thinking long and hard about this problem, I’ve come up with this two-step plan for overcoming my lack of natural artistic talent:

  1. Ask for help.
  2. Do it anyway.

What do you think?

In the meantime, I’ve been seeing some cool art projects around the web recently, and I thought I’d share some of my favorites:

  • The Monster Engine is artist Dave DeVries’ collection of paintings based on children’s drawings. I think they’re fun and sort of scary at the same time. Plus they remind me of a 7-year-old boy I used to tutor who wrote and illustrated a book called “Criminal Sugarpie” that I absolutely love.
  • The Obliteration Room is what happens when you let people put brightly colored sticker dots all over a white room. It feels like a friendly explosion. The artist is Yayoi Kusama.
  • My mom pointed me to the Advanced Style blog which features fun photographs of stylish older people by photographer Ari Seth Cohen. It’s like The Sartorialist for septuagenarians.
  • Photographer Frieke Janssens has put together a bizarre collection of portraits of children smoking (she used chalk and cheese rather than real cigarettes for the portraits). I find it disturbing, not just because of the smoking, but because the children have such adult-like facial expressions and mannerisms.
  •  I freaking love National Geographic‘s list of the best space photographs of 2011. They’re just mind-blowing.

What art has inspired you recently? And how do you close the gap between your own artistic vision and your skillset?

p.s. If you’re looking for some creative inspiration, check out Brain Pickings awesome roundup of activity books for grown-ups. I want everything on the list!

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Attention Portlanders: Want to learn how to solve a Rubik’s Cube?

6 Jan

I just published a Rubik’s Cubing for Beginners class on Skillshare.com. The class will be held in Portland, OR on a date to-be-determined. If you’re interested, please sign up as a “watcher” on the site. And please do share with anyone you know who needs a new party trick.

I’m just trying to do my part to close the knowledge gap.

p.s. The class is free and all attendees will get a piece of Rubik’s Cake.

by Flickr user bunchofpants

 

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What’s Wrong with Bucket Lists?

3 Jan

Note: If you’re looking for what’s wrong with the Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman film The Bucket List, go here.

Bucket Lists are in fashion these days. It seems that since most of us no longer have to hunt and gather our food, we’ve got a lot of extra time for daydreaming about things we want to do before we die. It might also be because we watch a lot of television and are looking for some “real” experiences.

I make a lot of lists, and I’m a pretty goal-oriented person (and I watch a lot of tv), so bucket lists are right up my alley. But so far I’ve avoided creating one. There are a few reasons for this:

  • It strikes me as a kind of morbid concept. Fear of dying before I get to do something isn’t actually motivating to me.
  • It makes you think you still want the things that you used to want. When I was in the 7th grade, I had an assignment to list 50 things I wanted to accomplish in my life. I still have the list, and I can tell you that it is full of stupid. No offense to my 12-year-old self, but what was I thinking? Master the art of tarot? Learn more about vampires? Own 175 hats? If I had spent the last twenty years trying to accomplish the things on that list, I would probably be miserable. I don’t even look that good in hats.
  • Making a list and checking things off of it implies that you can be “done.” This reminds me of my dad’s theory about grades in school. If I would bring home an A, he would say, “That’s ridiculous. Does that mean you couldn’t have done any better?” Good point, dad. There’s no reason to set any arbitrary upper limits for ourselves. In other words, most bucket lists are achievable. Where’s the fun in that?

Having said all that, I really do like lists. So, I’ve decided to make a bucket list, only I’m going to follow this set of rules:

  • For every item, I’ll first think of a reasonable goal. And then I’ll double it. For example, if I think I want to visit 40 countries by the time I’m 40, I’ll double it and shoot for 80.
  • If it ever appears likely I’m going to achieve everything on the list, I’ll add at least a few impossible things.
  • I’ll reserve this list for the really big things that will make me feel wide awake. Smaller things belong on a daily To Do list.
  • I’ll add and remove items at will, so that it’s always an accurate reflection of what I want now.
  • It’s not a Bucket List. It’s a Fail Awesome List. I fully intend to fail, but I expect to fail awesome.

Here are the three items on my list, as of January 2, 2012:

  1. Visit 80 countries by the time I’m 40, including Antarctica
  2. Save somebody’s life
  3. Go into space

If I happen to learn something about vampires along the way, that’d be fine.

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Ten Simple Ways to Add Some Adventure To Your Life This Weekend

29 Dec

Not all adventures require being upside down. Photo by Flickr user frankenschulz.

Adventure doesn’t always mean climbing a mountain or going bungee jumping. It can simply mean doing something unexpected and out-of-the-ordinary.

Like so:

  1. Make up a new recipe using an ingredient you’ve never used before. Have you ever tried cooking nopales (prickly pear cactus)? How about smoked paprika?
  2. Host a couchsurfer. You provide the couch for an out-of-town guest, and you’ll make a new friend in the process.
  3. Play the “Left Right Forward” game while driving with a friend. The passenger instructs the driver to go left, right, or forward at each intersection until you’re completely lost.
  4. Go without internet for a day and see what happens.
  5. Strike up a conversation with a stranger. Tyler Tervooren at Advanced Riskology has a great article about why it’s important to talk to strangers (if you’re not a kid).
  6. Rearrange your furniture. You’ll gain a whole new perspective, and you’ll be more excited to spend time at home.
  7. Volunteer. Check out Idealist.org or VolunteerMatch.org and find an opportunity that matches your skills and interests.
  8. Sign up to take a free class at Skillshare.com. Better yet, sign up to teach one.
  9. Ask someone out on a date. Or if you’re already in a relationship, make it a friend date.
  10. Make something. I recommend bucket stilts or a flipbook.

Let me know if you try any of these.

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The New Year’s Resolution Challenge

26 Dec

Are you tired of the same boring New Year’s resolutions? Frustrated with annual attempts to “eat more vegetables” and “watch less television”? Are you ready to bring a little more joy to your 2012 New Year’s resolutions?

Everybody’s Invited! can help. The New Year’s Resolution Challenge is designed to help you bring more fun and excitement into your life. You’ll use the three pillars of Everybody’s Invited! (Play, Surprise, and Adventure) to craft resolutions that are sure to inspire and rejuvenate you throughout 2012, and you’ll be rewarded for reaching your goals.

If you want to change your life, read on…

Part 1: Introducing the Three Pillars of Everybody’s Invited!

Pillar #1: Play
Play promotes learning, creativity, and happiness, even in adults. Games and puzzles help to keep a sharp mind, and can put a person in a state of “flow.”

Questions to consider:

  • What was your favorite pastime as a child?
  • When was the last time you were in a state of flow, where you were “fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success” while completing an activity?
  • How can you incorporate more play into your life in 2012?

Pillar #2: Surprise
Surprise can inspire innovation, help get you out of a rut, and even improve relationships. It’s also what makes most jokes funny.

Questions to consider:

  • When were you most positively surprised in your life? How did it feel?
  • When have you surprised yourself by doing something you never thought you could do?
  • How can you add the element of surprise in 2012?

Pillar #3: Adventure
Adventure helps to create a positive self-identity, provides opportunities for getting out of one’s comfort zone, and inspires a sense of accomplishment. It can also make you feel like Indiana Jones.

Questions to consider:

  • When did you last feel brave?
  • When was the last time you were amazed?
  • What will be your Big Adventure in 2012?

Part 2: The Challenge

Spend some time answering the questions above for yourself, and crafting 1-2 resolutions per pillar for the new year. How do you know if you’re making the right resolutions? If you feel a kind of thrill when you say it out loud, you’re doing it right.

Many people fall short of meeting their new year’s resolutions. That’s why I’ve created a New Year’s Resolution Challenge that incorporates three strategies that I believe can help you reach yours:

  1. Write your resolutions down.
  2. Share them with someone else.
  3. Win a prize if you meet your goals.

So, to participate in the challenge, all you need to do is send me your list of resolutions using The Everybody’s Invited! New Year’s Resolution Challenge Form. I’ll email you four times during the year to check in on how you’re doing. At the end of the year, I’ll contact you to see if you’ve met your goals. If you’ve reached all of them, I will send you an awesome prize!

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