So here is the start of my “party inspiration” for a small get together in August for fun and a late birthday celebration for Ken. 

• Fast food fun – burger baked goods
• Big dessert table
• Wiimbledon

Let the games begin!

I say that because although Ken and I were volunteering for good causes, I had an agenda of what I would like to get out of the experience.  Sometimes this works, sometimes — not so much, so be careful with your own expectation when you offer to help out with an event or organization.  However, a good sense of why you are there and what you would like from it can be helpful in focusing your energy when there are “so many ways to help.”

When Ken and I returned from our musical vacation this year, we made an agreement to have more music in our lives.  He’s been picking up the guitar everyday, and I’ve been responsible for finding shows to see.  I love watching live music, but lets just say, my finances have not made spending $30-50 per ticket possible.

So, I signed up for a few ways to volunteer with two bands I like — Vienna Teng and the Indigo Girls — and when they came to town we saw the shows for free.  Working with Vienna Teng, her manager sent me a bunch of postcards that Ken and I dropped off all over the city.  We spent a morning walking our neighborhood, and then as I went into coffee shops or bookstores, I would drop some by the door or on the bulletin board.

With the Indigo Girls show, they were partnering with Rock for the Remedy, an organization that partners musicians and local food banks.  Concertgoers bring canned food to shows and they get entered in a raffle to win cool stuff.  We volunteered by sitting at the Remedy table and then watched the second half of the show for free.

So here are my suggestions for how to get involved to have a little fun (and maybe make a difference in the process):

1. Enlist Yourself.  If there is a group whose work you admire, or a cause that seems interesting sign up for their newsletter or their weekly alerts.  Most groups make asks for help or assistance with their work all the time.  So keep your eye out and stay in the loop for opportunities and future events.
2. Look for the Freebie.  There is a great exhibit at a local museum that I want to see (Muppets at the EMP), but regular admission is $15 per adult (too much for me). So, I did a little research and found that between 5-8pm on the first Thursday of each month, guest admission is free.  So Ken and I put it on our schedule as a June 4, Thursday night date.  Art Galleries, Park Concerts, Farmer’s Markets – all free, all fun.  Do a little online research to find deals near you.
3. Persistence and Patience.  I signed up to help out Vienna Teng in February, got her weekly alerts, but couldn’t find a way to help until April.  I emailed Rock for the Remedy three times before someone contacted me.  All this is to say that good groups and causes are often overwhelmed and not always streamlined about their response time – so be patient.  Don’t expect because you haven’t heard back in a day or two that they are uninterested, but just as important, don’t hesitate to drop them an additional note in another week.  I know, they should be grateful to have your skills and talents offered to them (and they are), but usually there is a small staff and a lot of priorities so a friendly welcoming reminder is a great way to stay fresh in people’s mind. 
4. If you build it, they will come.  It never hurts if you see an opportunity to suggest a way you can help.  Is the organization having a fundraiser – maybe you could help out on the night of the event?  Help them, help you — by telling them how they can use your skills.  Does your favorite band have a fan blog – maybe you could write a post and/or start a discussion group?  There are limitless ways to help and become involved.   If you don’t get a response (or you don’t get the response you would like), build your own opportunity.  Creativity Welcome.

Then he asked Google how it felt about Americans:

Aaahh, I love the internet!

• Follow Jason on Twitter
• Check out the map of Appalachian Trail

Several months ago, I signed at Twitter as vtgirl, and them more recently, Ken and I have been building a little personal site, so we got lauraandken just for fun. No problem right? But here’s the thing. . .friends are starting to follow me and I haven’t ever put up any messages.  Honestly, none.  Just the infamous “this is a test.”

Now I have to start coming up with witty 140 character observations of the world.  I’m setting myself up for failure here. . .

Glad to hear, I am not alone in my guilt, ask Steven Levy of Wired Magazine

However, in the meantime, I wanted to mention a fantastic blog and book that I’ve been reading lately.  The blog is Carrie and Danielle, two women who own a style consulting company in Vancouver Canada.  The book is called Style Statement.  Basically you survey all aspects of your life to find two words that define your style.  Of course they mean fashion and interior design, but also what you need to create and inspire yourself.  I’m only half way through the book, so I can’t tell you my words yet.  However, it has been a great exercise as I am working on personal branding for my consulting work.

One cool aspect of their blog is their “Daily Question”.   A few times a week I go over and ask myself some of the old questions to try and focus my work and intention.  So I thought I would share some Q&A for fun. . .

Q:  IN THIS VERY MOMENT, WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR? (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER OF THANKS. . .)

A:  In no particular order:

1. Ken — a boyfriend who makes me laugh, and dives into crazy adventures with me!
2. My family — I’ve been missing my parents, grandpa, cousins and sister like crazy, and can’t wait until the holidays.  But my sister in particular is being super brave and moving to Chicago.  It is an inspiration to see her move toward joy.
3. My cats – Lola and Blackjack.  For their companion ship and they keep reminding me to take it easy – a nap fixes everything.
4. My friends. I’ve got a lot of friends who don’t live here in Seattle and I think of them often!
5. Creativity.  I’m trying to view my life with creative energy and building a giant useless 15 ft ghoul to put on the house for Halloween is a good start.  To some it might be a waste of time, but when you hear kids giggle as they go by — it’s all worth it!
6. Lofthouse Cookies - From the supermarket bakery area.  Pure Frosted Goodness.

Q: IN WHAT WAY ARE YOU DELIGHTFULLY CONVENTIONAL?

A: I have a lot of masculine/non-traditional energy in my life.  I’m competitive; I like to lead; and a few times a week I feel the need to physically wrestle with Ken to relieve tension. However, there are true parts of my personality that are terribly conventional.  I love chivalry and romance.  I adore when Ken opens the car door for me, he has to call to order take-out food for us, and I still want him to think I’m pretty.

Q: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING TO WATCH ON TV?

A:  I love TV.  So I have quite a few favorites, but some current favs –  Project Runway, The Office, Inside the Actor’s Studio, So You Think You Can Dance (or any dance show for that matter — even junkie ones with celebrities), and political news.

What is wordle?

Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.

Billy Collins was the former poet laureate, and although some feel he is a bit of poetry sellout — I have to be honest, I actually enjoy a lot of his work. I thumbed through the book seeing it was a collection of modern poets. I am a casual follower of poetry. The problem is, it can be really hard to find modern poets that you like. I’ve always thought that poetry is a lot like photography — you have to take tons of shots to find one that captures you.

180 Poems is designed to make it easy for high school students to hear or read a poem on each of the 180 days of the school year. The poems are collected with this audience in mind including poems about the Birthdays, Football, and Summer, but also just beautiful words and stories of human existence. In the introduction to the book Billy Collins requests:

Whether the poems are read over a PA system or at the end of a school assembly, students can hear poetry on a daily basis without feeling any pressure to respond. I wanted teachers to refrain from commenting on the poems or asking students “literary” questions about them. No discussion, no explanation, no quiz, no midterm, no seven-page paper — just listen to a poem every morning and off you go to your first class.

So regardless, of how old you are this is a great little collection, and a good opportunity to get an introduction to some of the best modern poets of our time. You can see the entire collection online at Poetry 180. The magic of poetry is it can be as simple or as complicated as you care to make it. A good poem is one that you like. That’s it.

Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins

I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem’s room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author’s name on the shore.

But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.