Some random thoughts...
We've had a bunch of New Years Eve parties, with games and such
every year. Our typical party is centered around some theme and
we'll play some related games. One year, for instance, we did
candy bars. As each person arrived we put a button on their back
with a picture of a candy bar (and the name for those who don't
have whiz-bang eyesight). I have a neato button maker and enough
stock to make a thousand buttons, so this is easy for me to do.
The rule is a person can ask each other guest one question in
the hopes of figuring out what it is. Does it have chocolate?
Is it common? Does it have nuts? The questions are supposed
to be true or false. This is an old party trick to get folks
to mingle. Once we did cartoon characters and I made enough of
them that there were "girls" and "boys" buttons.
Anyway, then everyone eventually figures it out or cheats and
we move on to some group game. In one of the candy bar years
I had imported a whole gross of Idaho Spuds, which these New
Englander's had never seen. I also picked up a box of brand
spankin' new Take 5 candy bars. We split into two groups and I
had a list of ingredients. I would ask each group to consider if
they thought their bar had the ingreedent in it or not. Each
right answer gave that group a point. I suggested things like
lequer, yeast, flour, potatos, etc. When it was all done I gave
each group their candy bar boxes, so everyone could have one. I
must say the Idaho Spuds were not very popular, but the Take 5
everyone wanted to know where I got them so they could buy them!
In the game show year, we set up the big screen TV to be connected
to the computer and I wrote a Jeopardy game, with zoom-in questions
and hand held plungers just like on TV. I made all the electronics
myself, and wrote the software. That went over so well the next
year I wrote up a hollywood squares game, where the stars were
folks there at the party. This was also a big hit. In 2008 there
is going to be a pinewood derby race. Again, my party comers are
doing their own cars (which I provided) but I built the track and
wired up the electronics. The theme for 2008 was "toys" so any
races that came in close enough to be contested we duked out over
Rock'em Sock'em Robots!!!
Here are some buttons from various years:
The past years have been:
2002 - No theme just a quiet get-together that started
out as a few friends and snowballed from there!
2003 - Cartoon Characters
2004 - Candy Bars - this didn't work out because it was
on a wednesday night and hardly anyone came.
2005 - Candy Bars
2006 - Game Shows
2007 - Occupations
2008 - Toys! (and Pinewood Derby)
2009 - already planned (but a secret, remember?)
2010 - shhhh....
2011 - 10th One! Ambitious, aren't we?
Ok, other totally random things about me!
I wear shorts all the time, even in winter and even when I plow snow.
I collect Lowell Spinner's Bobbleheads, I'v got a list of all they
have ever given out and am only missing 7
Almost every single day, somewhere in there usually in the morning I
stop and wonder how did I get here, where did all this stuff come
from, and what happened to that dumb hick from the small village?
I have a secret cigar box full of little trinkets from my past which
to anyone else would look like a bunch of junk but to me is priceless.
I always wanted to be "larger than life" but the only part I managed
is the "larger" bit.