Thursday, October 8, 2009

Invisble Dogs...

I'd imagine that relatively few people have heard of "Improv Everywhere" but let me just say that those who haven't are missing out. These people create scenes of chaos and joy in public places... Aka: the most wonderful idea ever.

Some of their events have hundreds of people freezing or going in slow motion at the exact same time. Others have people riding subways with no pants. There is one where a simple Little League game turned into a near World Series experience as dozens of cheering "fans" showed up for each team. Concessioners passed out popcorn, programs with full rosters were handed out, professional videotaping came into play and a truck with a jumbotron came to display two live broadcasters for the game. Did I mention the mascots, the blimp, and that neither the teams nor the parents knew it was coming? Ridiculous!

I found myself completely in raptures while perusing their website. There are lots of videos and each are ridiculous. Their most recent venture involved "invisible dog leashes" and more than 2,000 people walked around this small portion of their city for an hour with leashes attached to no dog... The videos with large masses of people are my favorites. The ruckus that this must cause has to be nothing short of amazing, as so many bystanders watch hoards of other people do something so unexpected at the same time. It's crazy, it's silly, it's awkward and I love it!

That being said, here's a video of "Invisible Dogs":


Friday, January 2, 2009

On Eating My Peas...

Yeah, I had resolutions for 2008. Not many, but enough to give me a little push. Here they are and how they went...

1. Run 500 miles: I ran 345... but more than I've ever done in a year.

2. Learn Spanish: Rosetta Stone helped out a little on this one, but just a little.

3. Okay, so I can't remember my third one, just that I had it...

Anyway, a friend of mine recently commented that many people tend to believe, each New Years, that our lives will mysteriously change and life will suddenly be different. A conservative observation but a valid one... I mean, why not be content with who you are? It is a fresh beginning but most people do fail to live up to their resolutions. Look at me! Me llamo Joel. I can't even remember my last one!

Still, I admire resolutions and those who make them. To be honest, I think they make a huge difference. Some may consider them wishful thinking, but they seem to me, much closer to prayer. Eisenhower said, that "In preparing[...] I have found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." I love that, because what matters most is not that we change the world but that we change ourselves. We may not find the outcome to match our ideal but it's in those moments that we explore our selves that we are changed, a little here and a little there... enough to matter and to make a difference.

So, with that, here are my simple resolutions for 2009:

1. Run 1000 miles.

2. Read 12 books of my choosing.

3. Remember my third resolution...