Last year, I learned about GISHWHES. Apparently, it's the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen, which is a pretty terrible acronym but a pretty fabulous idea. I was obsessed with it's insanity and creativity. I loved watching it from afar via Twitter - there were some crazy things that certain celebrities had to RT on Twitter which made it easy to watch. I even followed a few "Orlando Jones" just because I knew it was part of GISHWHES and I secretly wanted to help out so I could feel a little part of the madness. At the time, I thought I would even give it a shot this year even though it's far, far, far - we're talking light years here - out of my comfort zone. However, then I planned a trip to England, which unfortunately coincided with the very week GISHWHES was happening so being a part of it was out. I'm sort of relieved about this and sort of bummed. However, getting to see the fun start day has been pretty exciting! Even though I can't be a part of it, it's been awesome to see those that are. They're already hard at work on a few of their challenges - I'm assuming they're working on more than the the Twitter-centric ones, but those are all I can see. What's even cooler to see are the celebrities that have decided to support the craziness and play along. For an entire hour, Osric Chau retweeted photos of him in My Little Pony form. Seriously! That's dedication right there. My only wish for next year - in lieu of actually participating, which may still be on the table, though this year's challenges have made participating way less likely (they're crazy insane!) - is that posting challenges during the hunt becomes legal. I completely understand why it's not - unfair advantage and all - but honestly, we non-hunters would love to see the craziness first hand. It's just too cool not to! We like to feel a part of the crazy, even if we're too wimpy to participate ourselves : )
1. Another Friday, another BarkPost full of more Dog Shaming. Why these are so funny, I've never quite figured out but they so are! 2. I can't quite figure out how to post something this long so I'm linking the Pin. I think this will work. What a super cute way to get girls interested in making things. And it's cheap to boot! I have to say, if I attempted these works of art, I'm not sure they'd be this awesome. But I know for a fact they wouldn't succeed if I tried them with fabric! Gotta love a cheap craft! 3. Truth!
4. I saw this the other day and thought it was the cutest quote ever. Leave it to GISHWHES to be funny and tug a the heartstrings at the same time.
5. I've been dying to see An Act of God on Broadway since it was announced that Jim Parsons was cast as God. Well it opened last night to glowing reviews! Woohoo! Not that I was worried, but I'm super happy that it's as good as I was hoping it would be. Now to just get tickets...
1. Apparently it's GISHWHES time again, according to this awesome video posted today. I'm not sure where these crazy people come up with these ideas, but they make me laugh so I'm just hoping they continue to come up with them.
2. I loved seeing all of the world book day costumes from all over the world. These kids and their parents created some of the cutest little costumes of their favorite book characters. I'm not sure if this was an England only activity, because I don't remember ever doing this here in the states when I was in school. But I'm so happy to see anyone celebrating reading and books. In a world full of video games and technology, seeing kids dressed as Dorothy, or Harry Potter, is so exciting. Here are a few, but there were hundreds more all over Twitter (including the kid dressed like Christian Grey - I'm not even going to attempt to understand the thought process behind that one...) 3. Heidi Swapp Color Shine: I've been seeing lots and lots of craft projects using these on Pinterest. So when they went on sale the other day, I thought I'd give them a shot. My second snow day this week, was the perfect chance to actually experiment with them. After some consideration, I can say, I think I'm going to like them. They'll take some time to get used to the trigger. The bright pink I tried, at one point, looked like blood spatter. But the gold was super cool. Can't wait to try that one on black paper! 4. While I'm not totally on board with the picture on this shirt (I'm not crazy about wearing people's faces on my chest), it's hard to argue with the message and the story behind why he's created the shirt. What's even more beautiful is that so many people have already bought the shirt, and shared their stories of overcoming depression. It's fantastic that these issues are finally being addressed and talked about as opposed to being swept under a rug. Always Keep Fighting! 5. I've always been a tea-totaller but I don't think I've ever drank more tea than I have this winter. It's the only thing that's keeping me warm and toasty during this ridiculously cold (Hello 5 degrees!) arctic patch we've had. And thanks to Twinings Decaf English Breakfast (yum!), I'm not high on caffeine all day.
1. Loving my new glasses! Not only can I see pretty perfectly (my old glasses were 3 prescriptions ago...I'm a bit of a procrastinator : ), but using Costco was the smartest decision ever. I never realized how much cheaper glasses were at Costco. Love a great deal!
2. If you ever needed an explanation as to how a silly scavenger hunt could possibly make a difference in anyone's life, all you need to do is watch this video. Spectacular! I'm all for people being who they are and being accepted for who they are. How awesome they were able to find a team who loved them accepted them. Go GISHWHES!
3. I'm so hoping this story is true. I've always been a fan of John Harbaugh's and I've felt for him throughout this controversy. He's a good guy who's stuck in a hard situation but the evidence has been pretty damning. How could he have backed the party line? But if ESPN is true, he didn't. He is the good man I thought he was. If the Ravens organization was smart, they would have listened to him sooner. Because between today's Goodell press conference and the speculation on Bisciotti texts, the entire NFL is just not looking so hot. Just a thought, when Goodell finally does resign or is ousted (which will hopefully be sooner rather than later), I know a certain good and decent coach that would make a fantastic replacement... 4. I'm not sure if Friends could be any cooler than it already is (in case I never mentioned it, I'm a HUGE Friends fan - I use the term "then beef sauteed with peas and onions" on a daily basis), but this little girl made it even more awesome. How darn adorable is she?!
5. Etsy trade Show: OK, I'm saying I like this idea, but I have to admit I'm not sure I actually get it. I was told to join groups as a way to drum up business on Etsy, so I did, but then really didn't do anything else. Now this week I got invited by one of the group members to a trade show. This means we'll apparently agree to a trade if someone wants to purchase an item - instead of money I'll take something from that person's shop and they'll take something from mine. In theory it sounds like a fabulous idea. I'm hoping it's fabulous in practice : )
1. "Delicious!" by Ruth Reichl: I've read a few of her other books before but this was her first novel and I fell in love with it. For some reason I haven't been reading as much as I usually do this summer, and this was the first book that I flew through and couldn't put down. Fantastically chick lit and foodie lit - my two favorite types of books. Seriously, how could it have gone wrong?! 2. A fabulous sports week: Not only did the Ravens triumphantly return last night to a 23-3 win against the Niners, but the Orioles are also winning currently 12-2 during their 60th anniversary game. To top it all off, Tiger Woods missed the cut and Rory McIlroy is in the lead for the 3rd week in a row. Now if we could Phil Mickelson to start playing actual golf again as opposed to the putt-putt he's been playing the last few months, things would be perfect! 3. Not to sound like a broken record, but seriously, the GISHWHES'ers are doing some astoundingly awesome things! Check them out! They so deserve the recognition mostly for being brave enough to go for it! 4. File this under the label "Strangest News Story You'll Read All Week" - Kama the Surfing Pig...Yep, you read that right. He's a pig that lives in Hawaii and has a thing for surfing...apparently. It's bizarre, yes. And a pig doesn't really have facial expressions but he certainly looks like he's having a good time : ) 5. I'm still not over the trauma of having to present but I have to say I feel a bit accomplished in the fact that I didn't completely suck. I'm also pretty darn proud of myself for getting a bunch of tech geek guys to actually Pin things to Pinterest. I'm totally taking that as a win!
After an unseemly amount of time trolling Twitter yesterday, I finally found the 2014 GISHWHES list. I'm sort of obsessed. I really wanted to participate but my biggest fear was that I wasn't brave enough. Since none of my friends are as crazy as I am, they didn't want to join a team with me. So I would have been placed on a team. Therein lies the issue. I know that I'm a big old ninny and therefore would have let down the 18 other people on my team which is just not cool. Now that I've seen the list, I know this for a fact: I'm so not brave enough to participate and I was quite smart not to even try! Holy moly! I knew the challenges were a little off the wall, but I never thought they'd be this extreme - oh, and AWESOME! I can't wait to see what the participants accomplish but I'm so glad I'm not responsible for fulfilling the wishes. I'd be a basket case. Out of 185 items, I'm pretty sure the ones below are the only ones I could even hope to complete: 2. (Video) You (and a friend if you wish) enlist with a local volunteer organization and have yourself filmed doing one of the following: planting a tree, working at a food bank or soup-kitchen, collecting trash, or helping out at a retirement facility. You must be wearing something that shows you seriously know how to party. 7. IMAGE. Find an object that you’re holding onto for all the wrong reasons. Destroy it mightily. 9. VIDEO (time-lapse 20 seconds). Assemble a puzzle with a minimum of 50 pieces in one sitting. The video must show the box with more than 50 pieces and then you putting the puzzle together. For ease of assembly you must be wearing wool mittens or gloves throughout the assembly of the puzzle. 15. VIDEO. Have an elderly person teach you an “old-school” skill now considered obsolete. For example, how to operate a telegraph or a mechanical typewriter (those examples are now off-limits). 19. VIDEO (8 seconds). Stand in front of a recognizable landmark or monument, wear something magnificent, and in whatever your native language is, complete the following sentence: “Gishwhes makes me feel_____” 37. IMAGE. “When I grow up, I want to be…” Have a child dress up as what they want to be when they grow up (lawyer, doctor, ballerina, dragon-slayer, etc.). Then stage the photo in the environment they would be working in 58. IMAGE. Register to be a bone marrow donor: you could save a child’s life or someone’s mom’s life. As you can see, I'd make about 221 points. That's just pathetic so yay for not participating! Though, I already feel a little part of it which is curing the jealousy a bit so that's fun. Apparently one of the items is to create an Orlando Jones Twitter account and gain 400 followers. Before finding the list this morning, I was followed and subsequently followed "OrlandoJones" sort of assuming it was a GISHWHES thing rather than a famous hollywood actor following me on a whim. And I was right! Good luck Gishers! I hope to join you with the fun next year, if I somehow magically grow a backbone over the course of the next 365 days : )
I can't say that I have all that many ideas for projects in mind to use it for, but I can never resist a cute travel stamp! Not many people send out Bon Voyage cards anymore, so what in the world am I going to do with them all? I'm getting quite the collection. Our Michael's and Joann's might not have the selection that online stores have but boy do they have some awesome travel goodies, that apparently I'm unable to resist!
In other, non crafty related news, thanks to Twitter, I'm seriously regretting my decision not to do GISHWHES this year. While not crafting, I've spent the day desperately trying to see the list items, while everyone else is on Twitter trying their best to win. So very, very jealous! : )
1. World Cup Madness: I have to admit, that I don't give a single thought to the world of soccer most of the time. But I'm kinda hooked on the World Cup right now. It's pretty awe-inspiring to see the entire US agreeing on something for a change. I know we Americans care more about football and baseball most of the time, but we really should get a little more into soccer. It's pretty awesome what these guys do! I'm tired just watching them. Go USA! 2. This is strange, bizarre, and mostly just plain weird but it made me legitimately laugh out loud. At the time I was pretty sure it had something to do with GISHWHES , and as it turns out, it's their "corporate sponsor", that was promised earlier this week. Something this strange could only have come from a mind of a mad-man, but I have to say the dude's a genius. Speaking of GISHWHES, it went live today and I'm seriously regretting the fact that I have no back-bone. I'd love to get involved if I could just work up the courage! 3. For someone with no Prince Charming currently in her life, I spend an inordinate amount of time prowling wedding sites on Pinterest. I'm currently digging these super cute card holders. I'm not even sure I'd be able to decide on one particular one for my future wedding...you know the one that's not going to happen until I meet the man of my dreams... 4. Some people believe "The Wire" or "Breaking Bad" will go down as the finest television ever made. I believe they are very, very wrong and "The West Wing" wins that prize. I will never not love it's snappy banter, dizzying walk and talks and their highly intelligent and compassionate Executive Branch. So I got a little too excited to see BuzzFeed give it some love this week. 5. The fact that there are exactly 15 days until I leave for vacation, next weekend is a long weekend for the 4th of July holiday and in 48 hours I'm finally starting a position that I've been looking for for years. It's a very good month!
