Cynthetics

A group of my peers thought I would be a great host coordinator for a national convention. When they called me and asked me if I would, I readily accepted and then laughed. They had no idea I would use my blog to glean ideas. This may be the best convention yet!

As host, I couldn’t plan a convention alone and do have a talented and dedicated committee. Part of our plan is to have a social event, which is to take place in a museum. This is not a normal museum, but one that commemorates the assassination of a US President and is in the middle of a downtown area. We got the place on the cheap, and it was aptly located to the hotel. And yes, the memorabilia is really cool, but it is a “social event,” and we want people to mingle with each other. So we needed ideas, and here is what one brainstorming session got us:

1. Do a scavenger hunt. Really? You want to send people out into a downtown area, at night, in a strange city, looking for items for a scavenger hunt. Although it is not Manhattan, Detroit or Houston, it is still a bit sketchy at night. In fact, I was mugged in broad daylight in the middle of the week! And if you get lost, you are screwed. But nevertheless, I think most people would survive.

2. Have people dress up like the Kennedy family. I actually liked this idea, but then I thought about it, and most of them are dead. So not only are we in a museum to commemorate a dead president, but we would be dressing up like all of his dead relatives. Why don’t we just call it a zombie fest? Hey, that’s not a bad idea!

3. Put signs on people’s backs. No, not the “kick me” signs, but names of famous people from our city and other people would have to give them hints as to who they are. Considering that some people may be wearing silk or $400 suits, maybe taping or pinning a sign to someone’s clothing is not be a good idea. And everyone would want to be JR or Sue Ellen from the show “Dallas.”

4. Karaoke – just kidding.

Planning a convention, or any large event, is not as fun or easy as many would think. If I did event planning for a living, I think I would enjoy it more. But for right now, it feels like I’m rounding up cats. I’m not talking about my committee, but all of the other people who are coming in to educate, entertain, set up, feed us, etc. Unfortunately, I am eye-ball deep in and can’t quit now. I need some additional entertainment ideas.

Please feel free to share with me any good, legal, legit idea to entertain 150 people in one small museum commemorating a dead president. I’m all ears.

Carpe Diem

Well, this is merely the opinion of my taste buds. When I eat tuna salad with tomatoes together it takes on a yucky tin taste. It’s an individual thing I guess. I’m sure there are people who like tuna salad with tomatoes, and others that dislike tuna salad and/or tomatoes. We are all different.

It’s these differences that make us individuals. Most people were raised to be independent thinkers, have their own identity, and allowed to express their creativity in a legal sort of way. Many were taught that being a unique individual is a good thing. But has it caused all of us to be so individual that we then show our dislike and distaste for all others who are different than us? I have written before about this but in a political sense. Our population has grown by leaps and bounds, and we have elected various representatives and senators to go on to Washington, D.C. on our behalf. Once there, they argue about what is right. Each one thinks what they have to offer is right, whether it’s right or wrong for their district. There is so much individuality, it seems nothing gets accomplished. Maybe that is an extreme example.

One of my favorite things in life is meeting new people and observing the differences. I don’t always appreciate the differences, but I certainly do not make people feel uncomfortable for being different, having an opinion, or an emotion. I have encountered a lot of strange things lately and one of them is the individuality of people coming through some strong personalities. There is nothing there for anyone else. It’s like stepping onto another planet made solely by them. It’s one that will not last as a loving, sharing, equal planet, but one that creates negativity in the universe. Nothing good resulted from these encounters which had a negative ripple affect.

But what to do? It’s time to clean up. Individuality is a beautiful thing, and in my not so humble mind, doesn’t mean it’s okay to be pushy, a bully, spew whatever pleases, and do whatever satisfies no matter the consequences. These negative things divide people, friends and families and cause future problems. It can be as simple as losing a wonderful long-time friendship, to as grandiose as having Russia on your bad side. Maybe the majority of us are here to endure and take these lessons with us to another dimension. Either way, I still enjoy the individuality, the struggles I learn from, and the negativity I feel from others helps me be a better positive person. That’s all I can do for now. Instead of fighting bad people and creating more bad, it’s better to live and learn and move on, albeit really hard. It’s going to take some practice!

Stay strong and individual, but don’t forget to be kind.