Sometimes when I feel like I haven't accomplished anything in my life, most especially in the last 6 months, I watch the award-winning film that I directed and produced this summer. That usually makes me feel better. But today, it just wasn't enough. Fortunately, despite my gloom, I had the good sense to take a look at the related YouTube videos, which lead me to this amazing gem. If I hadn't already incorporated the Golden Picnic Knife into my wardrobe accessory collection, I would gladly mail it to "calledkidblast." Bravo, bravo-oh-oh-oh!
mercoledì 28 ottobre 2009
martedì 20 ottobre 2009
Laura's Basic Rules of Etiquette
My friend Laura recently sent me this story (names have been changed):
I went to a potluck dinner last night at the house of a girl in my ward named Tamara. She lives with two other roommates, Kelly and Betty--all late 20's / early 30's--and invited a bunch of single LDS people from around the area. A group of four guys showed up with just one (small) food item between the four of them (these guys are roommates, all about 25-27 years old). After about 45 minutes, they announced they had to go because they were having a party at their place, and then, since they needed food for their party, they piled a paper plate high with several dozen cookies (contributed by various other attendees) and left. I just looked on in disbelief.
A few minutes after that, Tamara, the girl throwing the potluck, announced that she had changed her mind and was going to attend a fireside. And then Kelly decided that she was going to go the other party at the house of the four guys (i.e., the cookie stealers). Leaving Betty, who was not actually throwing this party, with a houseful of her roommate's guests. Eventually, the crowd sort of drifted out, but out of maybe 40 people who had been in attendance, no one offered to help Betty clean up. I was one of the last people there, since I was enjoying a good conversation with a guy I met a few months ago at one of these parties. And then I stayed and helped Betty do dishes and tidy. But quite honestly, I was appalled. People coming to a potluck to take food for a different event, and then the party hostess leaving half-way through only to let her roommate tend to her guests! How did anyone think these could be acceptable things to do? What's wrong with people?
This incident, along with a few others, caused Laura to think about etiquette in the context of LDS YSAs. So, I pass along to you Laura's Basic Rules of Etiquette. These are the rules that she has decided have a meaningful basis in thoughtfulness and are not simply outdated social constructs. In other words, if you break these, you are probably being genuinely inconsiderate of someone, and, whether you mean to or not, you are sending the following signal: "I care more about entertaining myself than being sensitive to you."
Laura's Basic Rules of Etiquette for Small-to-Medium Sized Gatherings
1) RSVP if the host asks for it or if s/he is making food for you
2) Arrive to a dinner reasonably on time (+/- 15-20 minutes, or call)
3) Offer to help with cleaning up if someone cooks for you
4) Don't bring extra guests without permission
5) Praise the food and/or the activity
6) Participate in the conversation
Call me stuffy, old-fashioned, and uptight, but this seems like a pretty good basic set of rules to me. And if you decide not to implement them in your LDS social life, pretty-pretty-pretty please at least implement them in your professional social life. Otherwise, people will think you are rude.
I went to a potluck dinner last night at the house of a girl in my ward named Tamara. She lives with two other roommates, Kelly and Betty--all late 20's / early 30's--and invited a bunch of single LDS people from around the area. A group of four guys showed up with just one (small) food item between the four of them (these guys are roommates, all about 25-27 years old). After about 45 minutes, they announced they had to go because they were having a party at their place, and then, since they needed food for their party, they piled a paper plate high with several dozen cookies (contributed by various other attendees) and left. I just looked on in disbelief.
A few minutes after that, Tamara, the girl throwing the potluck, announced that she had changed her mind and was going to attend a fireside. And then Kelly decided that she was going to go the other party at the house of the four guys (i.e., the cookie stealers). Leaving Betty, who was not actually throwing this party, with a houseful of her roommate's guests. Eventually, the crowd sort of drifted out, but out of maybe 40 people who had been in attendance, no one offered to help Betty clean up. I was one of the last people there, since I was enjoying a good conversation with a guy I met a few months ago at one of these parties. And then I stayed and helped Betty do dishes and tidy. But quite honestly, I was appalled. People coming to a potluck to take food for a different event, and then the party hostess leaving half-way through only to let her roommate tend to her guests! How did anyone think these could be acceptable things to do? What's wrong with people?
This incident, along with a few others, caused Laura to think about etiquette in the context of LDS YSAs. So, I pass along to you Laura's Basic Rules of Etiquette. These are the rules that she has decided have a meaningful basis in thoughtfulness and are not simply outdated social constructs. In other words, if you break these, you are probably being genuinely inconsiderate of someone, and, whether you mean to or not, you are sending the following signal: "I care more about entertaining myself than being sensitive to you."
Laura's Basic Rules of Etiquette for Small-to-Medium Sized Gatherings
1) RSVP if the host asks for it or if s/he is making food for you
2) Arrive to a dinner reasonably on time (+/- 15-20 minutes, or call)
3) Offer to help with cleaning up if someone cooks for you
4) Don't bring extra guests without permission
5) Praise the food and/or the activity
6) Participate in the conversation
Call me stuffy, old-fashioned, and uptight, but this seems like a pretty good basic set of rules to me. And if you decide not to implement them in your LDS social life, pretty-pretty-pretty please at least implement them in your professional social life. Otherwise, people will think you are rude.
lunedì 12 ottobre 2009
Garden Harvest Feast
Squash and carrot soup, sweet potatoes and apples, homemade bread with home-churned butter, baked apples and oatmeal cookies, fresh fruit, and...
...a mysterious and delicious blend of chard, capers, onion, sultanas, olives, garlic, pine nuts, and white beans. Nice work, Acelgas. Next time with fish.
Dearest October--a few more of these delightful evenings and you will have atoned for your abysmal performance last year.
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