Tag Archives: fun

lose your head.

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a cinco de mayo

public service motivational reminder:

some days you just lose your head.

(but there’s always at least one mini tootsie roll still up in there)

–“

“it’s a lot easier to lose your head than to keep it.”

– suzanne collins

wheel of fortune.

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our first foray into vegas life

was a spin on the wheel of fortune

easy come, easy go. 

 

“anyone who is prosperous

may by the turn of fortune’s wheel

become most wretched before evening.”

-ammianus marcellinus

*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

dress up.

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walking around downtown on saturday
amidst a whirl of fashion statements
people dressed in support of the university of michigan national championship football game
with the maize and blue proudly displayed (we won)
people dressed in support of team u.s.a. in the world cup make or break soccer game
with flags in red, white, and blue proudly displayed (we lost)
and
people dressed in winter holiday funwear
even more proudly displayed
(we are all winners in this game)
everyone busily strolling
all mixing
all happy
under one december sun
and not a spot of snow to show for it.
“anyone can get dressed up and glamorous,
but it is how people dress in their days off that is most intriguing.”
-alexander wang
image credit: getty images

as far as anyone knows…

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not me, nor anyone in my family, but i love the spirit of ‘pocket pancaking’

all families are unique, with their own quirks, traditions, and ways of communicating – and the holiday season often serves as the perfect showcase for these interconnected elements. so when tonight show host, jimmy fallon asked his viewers to tweet funny examples using hashtag #myfamilyisweird, the responses did not disappoint. one person shared their relatives’ tradition of hiding leftover pancakes in each other’s pockets, while another posted a photo of a ‘hideous hand-me-down elf ornament their mother keeps trying to throw away each year, but hilariously ends up back on the tree. customs we cultivate with our kin can do more than just make us laugh, studies have long shown that establishing family routines and rituals positively benefits our health, relationships and well-being.

does your family have any unusual traditions? in my family we had a super creepy automotron mange-y looking furry toy cat that kept coming back. we bought it for a visiting grandie and just thought it was an ordinary stuffed animal, but what we soon discovered was that it would move or make noise at random times. people who received this gift ending up reporting that they kept in their garage or basement or closet, because it creeped them out so much. even with all that, they housed if for a full year, just for the opportunity to ‘gift it’ to someone else in family at the next christmas gathering. people went to great lengths to disguise it when wrapping, so the recipient would let down their guard and open it. we gifted it back and forth to each other for many years, until one year it just disappeared….

“remember as far as anyone knows we’re a nice, normal family.”

— homer Ssmpson

“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

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

dare to dance.

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on this day in 1959, hawaii officially became the 50th state

 always wanted to visit

but the closest i’ve come

is when i was young and my dad announced

he wanted to buy a little radio station in kauai

i quickly got ahold of a hawaiian dictionary

 forced/encouraged the family to learn the alphabet during dinner

only to discover it was just a fantasy job wish for him

years later, as an adult

i took hula lessons with close friends

we were not good at it

got into the spirit of the dance

did not get asked to perform in hawaii

but we had a a blast

you never know

where and when this skill will come in handy

plus, it’s impressive on a resume

 i’ve yet to make it to hawaii

 only a matter of time

third time’s the charm

aloha!

“dare to dance, leave shame at home.”

(A’a i ka hula, waiho i ka maka’u i ka hale)

-hawaiian saying

 

 

art credit: vintage hawaiian poster

glitter not bitter.

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remove glitter with play dough!

i have been told, more than once, but less than a million times

that people in my presence

inexplicably end up with glitter

stuck to them or on their food or in unexpectedly odd places

or see traces of it stuck to my face or hair or feet

 while it is true that i do enjoy a great love

of the sparkling wonder that is glitter

i know there are those of you

who may need an easy way

to rid yourself, or your things, or your cake, or your abode

of all that remains

i have a fine gift for you

an easy and magical method to clean it up

you are welcome.

clearing up glitter can be tough. it turns out that there’s one easy way to get rid of those sparkles that spread everywhere. just grab some play dough and press it over the affected areas. that’s pretty much it.

“she who leaves a trail of glitter will never be forgotten.”

-some wise person