Category Archives: fun

Apr8

big wheels.

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Hundreds join SF Easter fun with annual Bring Your Own Big Wheel race
Hundreds of people lined Vermont Street in San Francisco on Sunday to celebrate the 24th annual Bring Your Own Big Wheels downhill race event.
At the top of Potrero Hill, people climbed into child-sized plastic tricycles and other small-wheeled vehicles to zoom down the curvy street at the annual San Francisco tradition.

Over 600 people registered online, according to Bring Your Own Big Wheels organizer Frog Gilmore, but many more signed up on the day of the race.

Gilmore said she started riding and volunteering at the event when it was originally held on the city’s twistiest tourist byway, Lombard Street, before neighbors started complaining. Ultimately the event was moved to its current location on Vermont Street, which is actually San Francisco’s most crooked street, with hairpin turns and steep drops.

“It started out as just a handful of people in 2000 and then it picked up gradually,” said Gilmore of the daring urban descent. “When it moved here, more and more people started hearing about it, and it spread like wildfire. More and more people really want to do the fun, cool San Francisco thing.”

The city is synonymous with hills. Locals have become all too familiar with long and exhausting uphill walks when traveling across the city. Easter Sunday’s event, however, showed a glimpse of when people decide to buy into their curiosity and ride down the iconic Potrero Hill. Adults and children alike donned colorful costumes and prepared their wheels by decorating them with balloons, bubble machines, and streamers.

Rider and local artist Misstencil wore a papier-mache horse head attached to a baseball hat on her head. She has lived in San Francisco for over 25 years and continues to find joy in the community that has helped her embrace her artistic side.

“I don’t think anybody in San Francisco has had a proper childhood until they come here,” said Misstencil. “It’s a very steep hill but it’s not as dangerous as it seems. Celebrating with so many people in costumes is really the San Francisco spirit.”

Brandon Dodge started attending the event in 2013 after a friend invited him to experience the city’s culture. He now brings his two sons to share in the tradition that has meant so much to him.

Audible “oohs” and cheers sounded as children and adults rode down the hill. The loudest applause echoed through the crowd of hundreds when people who got knocked over got back onto their wheels and continued riding.

“This is the San Francisco we know– where you get up and go,” said Gilmore.

—
‘a grownup is a child with layers on.’

– emma ward, author

—
source credits: abcnews, Bay City News
Nov20

not much to report.

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thought I’d just see if the neighbors had anything going on

welp… not much to report

same old, same old. 

—

‘the most revolutionary thing you can do is to get to know your neighbors.’

-karl hess

—

image credits: google images, gary larson, the far side

Dec14

live!

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dinner at the irish pub
live music and dancing at ‘live’
for the infamous ann arbor happy hour (6:30-9:00)
musicians from the past back for another round
quite a contrast, quite a mix, quite fun
we’re not done yet.
 
—
 
The New York Times
Screen grab of NYT article that sparked nationwide interest
in the “Ann Arbor Happy Hour” with the over-65 crowd.

Nationwide media attention is growing to unusual proportions over a story out of Ann Arbor.

It all started with a New York Times article about the over-65 crowd enjoying dancing and music at the city’s Live nightclub.

Since then, there have been requests for local interviews from NBC’s Access Hollywood, CBS’s Drew Barrymore Show, Vanity Fair, WGN in Chicago, by a documentarian who produces pieces for Netflix, and a reporter from our national network at NPR.

72 year-old Randy Tessier is a writing lecturer and a musician who organized the Ann Arbor Happy Hour at Live. He was even flabbergasted learning ABC’s Kelly and Ryan did a feature on them. “Kelly and Ryan? And I’m in the suburban homes where they’re eating Wheaties. Unbelievable!”

Since the New York Times article, Tessier says he’s even been contacted by U-M’s president, Santa Ono.

—

‘to be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.’

-pema chodrun

 

—

source credits:  WEMU News , cathy shafran, nyt

Dec6

a night at the circus.

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perhaps i was out a bit too long

this must have been a lot of fun though

while i’m not sure exactly what went down here

 i do feel that i know

who the ringleader of this holiday circus may be. 

—

‘i was walking along and this chair came flying past me, and another, and

another, and I thought, man, is this gonna be a good night.

-liam gallagher, oasis

Dec26

fun and games.

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 intense competitors at play in the action-packed shenanigans of

the get the diaper that is around your ankles moved to your bathing suit area without using your hands game

it just wouldn’t be our traditional christmas

without the crazy fun and games.

 

—

“life is more fun if you play games.”

  • roald dahl
Aug16

i’m not joking.

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every august 16th it’s national tell a joke day

 not my best holiday

 i’m a horrible joke-teller

i’m more of a story-teller

 a whole other skill set

all i’ve ever been able to remember

is my one go-to joke

(and even this is iffy, as i often add part of the answer into the question part of the joke)

“what animal loves summer the best?”

“a hot dog!”

(i learned this years ago when my daughter was in a kindergarten talent show and did stand-up comedy)

she got an amazing response perhaps because she was a brave kinder doing stand up and the audience ate it up

i decided it would be my standing joke from that moment on

sure to get a laugh

though when i tell it, in whatever convoluted manner it manages to be delivered

i generally either hear groans or silence from any audience of any age or any number

so i guess the joke’s on me. 

“i’m gonna fix that last joke by taking out all the words and adding new ones.”

-mitch hedberg

 

 

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credits: “hot dog” by doug salati (caldecott award winner), penguin random house, google images

Mar14

destination: fun.

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when you have a barbie head on your dash

and a beachball in the back seat

it’s clear you are headed

for destination: fun.

 

—

“you must not ever stop being whimsical.

and you must not, ever, give anyone else the responsibility for your life.”

-mary oliver, wild geese

Feb12

*yoopers.

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I
It took a month to make some of the incredible snow sculptures that were part of the annual Michigan Technological University Winter Carnival. Phi Kappa Tau extended its winning streak to five years with a huge rendition of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. (Photo: Daniel Staelgraeve | Michigan Technological University)
—
what you do in the winter (and sometimes in may),
when you go to college in the upper peninsula of michigan
* yooper – a native or inhabitant of the upper peninsula of michigan
—
 “i wrote, and sometimes, when i was stuck, i hit the road.
i ate pasties in the upper peninsula and hush puppies in cairo.
i did my best not to write about any place i had not been.”
– neil gaiman
Sep27

“well, i didn’t vote for you.” – peasant to king arthur (monty python and the holy grail)

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an adventurous visit to the michigan renaissance festival

way back when

in days of yore

i took my daughters

to this very shire

 all of us dressed up

now my grandsons

have picked up where we left off

 as brave knights

“look, it’s my duty as a knight to sample as much peril as I can.”

– Sir Galahad (Holy Grail)

people enjoying the day

being whoever they imagine themselves to be

villagers from far and wide are all welcomed here

no matter their dress or look or form

 and what could be better than spying a kilted warrior brave enough to pick up his own hot latte?

—

“live every day as if it’s a festival. turn your life into a celebration.”

-shri radhe maa

Aug30

down the rabbit hole.

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walking through the city

i noticed

 a lot of people

 dressed differently

than the usual weekend attire

how fun to discover

that people from all over

of all ages and stages

had come to town to be part of

an ‘alice in wonderland’ immersive experience.

also fun to imagine them crossing paths with the families

who might be nervous

dropping off their child at the uni 

visiting our city for the first time.

“what kind of city is this?!”

“this wasn’t in the brochure.”

“do you think they’ll be safe here?”

and this was only day one.

—

“when I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened,

and now here I am in the middle of one!”

-lewis carroll, alice’s adventures in wonderland/through the looking-glass