For the past few years, there has only been one event per year that I organize and plan. That event is the photo scavenger hunt. Unfortunately, I suck at scavenger hunts. My BFF (Kerry) thinks I should organize and plan more things. Sadly, I disagree with her because there's a reason why I don't organize more things... the stress.
The photo scavenger hunt originated as a way to celebrate my birthday. My birthday happens to fall in the month of December, which happens to be a busy month due to the holidays and birthdays (of some of my friends). So as a way to celebrate my birthday, I decided to organize a photo scavenger hunt in a different month. My original thinking was that the event was a way for me to give back to my friends what I value as important: a day where friends can just be silly and hang out with each other for the day. That's all I really wanted.
From there, the scavenger hunt just became an annual tradition. So today marked the third annual photo scavenger hunt. And to be honest, I was a little disappointed at the beginning of the day when I received news that many of my friends could not participate.
For anyone who has participated in past scavenger hunts, they would know that I plan well in advance. I generally don't give a weeks notice or anything like that for things. This year's scavenger hunt was planned well over three months in advance. Everything was planned in advance, including the date itself. I even sent out periodic emails as reminders about the event.
So needless to say, it was very disheartening to receive last minute news that some of my friends could not participate... given the advanced notice and the numerous email reminders. It's the unnecessary frustration from things like that which causes me to dislike organizing and planning events. There's a reason why I send out periodic reminders. Things like that only make me question why I even organize the event in the first place. Unfortunately, I think our society is so used to text messages and whatnot that maybe people don't exactly read the full email. Oh well. There's nothing I can do about that.
And the funny thing is, I tweaked the scavenger hunt this year to lessen the amount of stress involved in planning the event by having my friends create their own teams. Prior to this year, I actually had to track people down to make sure there were enough people to participate. You would think that it would be less stressful to not have to find people to participate, instead having your friends do it for you. Sadly, the stress remained... the stress just shifted elsewhere.
Regardless, once the event started everything was good. I think everyone involved had a great time, which is really all I wanted. Despite some of the cancellations, the people who did participate appeared to have enjoyed themselves.
Unlike last year where there four teams, this year there were only two teams. My favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and my favorite brother-in-law (PJ) were on the winning team the previous two years. So in essence, they were the defending champions. On their team this year were my friends (Jen, Gretchen, and Bill). Competing against them were my friends (Andrea, Marc, Kelley, Steve) and Kerry.
I actually think Marc deserves a big kudos for his participation today. Aside from having no shame and appearing in many of the pictures, he was actually quite ill for most of the day. Marc is definitely a trooper and didn't let his team down.
And apparently it was a good thing that Marc did not let his team down because his team ended up winning this year's scavenger hunt. The final score ended up to be something ridiculous like 347-272. Their team simply completed more items off of the scavenger list (124 to 78). And for anyone who has done the scavenger hunt before, it's always quantity that wins. For Andrea, I am sure the win was rewarding because it meant that she regained the title of champion.
All in all, it definitely seemed like everyone who participated had a great time. Even my friends (Cass and Ellen) who I asked to help judge the pictures appeared to have a fun time. It was definitely rewarding to see your goal accomplished... having your friends spend a day together just being silly and having fun.
As well, it was definitely quite a surprise to receive a special bonus for our unborn baby (currently named Cabby until tomorrow). The plan for this year was to have a friendly wager whereby every team throws in $5 per person, such that the winning team would receive the pot. With only two teams participating this year, the pot was not that large. So, Andrea's team decided to simply donate the winnings to Cabby. It was a thoughtful moment for me, which made me happy to have the friends that I do.
Regardless, I think the scavenger hunt was a success. I hope everyone had fun. I also hope everyone enjoyed the gluten-free meal that I made for the party after the hunt. I know my friend (Carlos) did because he specifically inquired about it. (For anyone curious, I created a dish known as Ethiopian cabbage.)
Anyway, thank you again to all of my friends. All of them made today's event a blast. There were definitely pictures that I will not want to look at ever again. Thank you again!
Showing posts with label scavenger hunt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scavenger hunt. Show all posts
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
I Suck At Talking On The Phone
On Monday, I did something that I have not done in quite some time: I had a conversation on the phone. I generally suck at talking on the phone. In fact, I hardly use the phone to speak with anyone anymore. The only times that I use the phone now are when people call, like my mother.
Yes, I know. I'm a terrible son and friend because I don't usually call anyone. That whole "Keep in touch" line that is a staple of high school yearbook signings has been lost on me.
I wasn't always like that. Growing up, I used the phone all the time because back then the phone was the only means to keep in touch with your friends. And when you're a kid, using the phone to endlessly chat with your friends, who you would see the next day, did not seem like such an oddity.
I remember talking to my friend (Aimee) for hours. I use the word "talk" lightly. Aimee and I used to have conversations of silence... or so I would joke. Again, I was young and keeping in touch with friends seemed like it was life and death back then. So being on the phone for hours did not see unusual. Unfortunately, life gets more complicated.
And for anyone curious, to show how old I am... I would still prefer using the phone over texting if given the option. I would prefer to hear the voice of the person I was contacting. Yes, I know. I'm old. And if you think about it, in terms of efficiency, calling someone takes a lot less time than sending a text, especially if you are waiting for an immediate response.
Needless to say, I was quite surprised on Monday to actually use the phone on Monday. My BFF (Kerry) had called and we simply just talked for awhile. It was great. Granted we did not talk about anything in particular. For me, it just reminded me of the past when I used to talk on the phone a lot.
Among the things that Kerry and I discussed was the upcoming photo scavenger hunt that I am an organizing. She had a question in terms of camera use. This Saturday will be the third scavenger hunt that I am organizing. So, I have been making tweaks here and there, a result of feedback based on previous scavenger hunts.
This year, I added an option for teams to have an additional member designated as the photographer. There were suggestions to have that option because taking team pictures proved to be difficult for some as all of the members of the team were required to be in the picture. Hence, the photographer.
Anyway, having the photographer would make those team pictures easier. Based on that, however, the question of camera use came up from Kerry. She was curious if the team could then split up, use different cameras, and take pictures for the scavenger hunt. Efficient? Yes. In the spirit of things? No.
One of the reasons I had started the photo scavenger hunt a few years ago was to simply have a day where you can spend together with your friends. Granted, the team would be working toward the same goal of taking pictures for the scavenger hunt and splitting up would allow for possibly more pictures. By splitting up, however, I thought the action was not really in the true spirit of what I had originally envisioned for the hunt. Plus, with the addition of having a person designated as a photographer, it made no logical sense to allow for teams to split up.
Consequently, I decided that the team had to use the same camera. In essence, the photographer had to take all of the pictures. Why else have a person designated as a photographer? Sure, it's a work in progress still. Should I organize another scavenger hunt for next year, perhaps I'll change things again and do away with the photographer altogether. Who knows? You can't please everyone. The only thing as an organizer that I can do is try to accommodate the majority of the participants.
Anyway, I thought it was a good discussion with Kerry. I'm glad she called. It was fun. Plus, I'm glad she brought up the whole camera thing because I probably would not have thought of it otherwise. I just want people to have fun on Saturday. If that is achieved, then I'm happy.
And Kerry would probably be happy to know that Karen and I did not go without her again to Not Your Average Joe's for dinner that night. Karen and I actually ended up at Bertucci's in Hingham for dinner. Yum! Bertucci rolls! It was a good night.
Yes, I know. I'm a terrible son and friend because I don't usually call anyone. That whole "Keep in touch" line that is a staple of high school yearbook signings has been lost on me.
I wasn't always like that. Growing up, I used the phone all the time because back then the phone was the only means to keep in touch with your friends. And when you're a kid, using the phone to endlessly chat with your friends, who you would see the next day, did not seem like such an oddity.
I remember talking to my friend (Aimee) for hours. I use the word "talk" lightly. Aimee and I used to have conversations of silence... or so I would joke. Again, I was young and keeping in touch with friends seemed like it was life and death back then. So being on the phone for hours did not see unusual. Unfortunately, life gets more complicated.
And for anyone curious, to show how old I am... I would still prefer using the phone over texting if given the option. I would prefer to hear the voice of the person I was contacting. Yes, I know. I'm old. And if you think about it, in terms of efficiency, calling someone takes a lot less time than sending a text, especially if you are waiting for an immediate response.
Needless to say, I was quite surprised on Monday to actually use the phone on Monday. My BFF (Kerry) had called and we simply just talked for awhile. It was great. Granted we did not talk about anything in particular. For me, it just reminded me of the past when I used to talk on the phone a lot.
Among the things that Kerry and I discussed was the upcoming photo scavenger hunt that I am an organizing. She had a question in terms of camera use. This Saturday will be the third scavenger hunt that I am organizing. So, I have been making tweaks here and there, a result of feedback based on previous scavenger hunts.
This year, I added an option for teams to have an additional member designated as the photographer. There were suggestions to have that option because taking team pictures proved to be difficult for some as all of the members of the team were required to be in the picture. Hence, the photographer.
Anyway, having the photographer would make those team pictures easier. Based on that, however, the question of camera use came up from Kerry. She was curious if the team could then split up, use different cameras, and take pictures for the scavenger hunt. Efficient? Yes. In the spirit of things? No.
One of the reasons I had started the photo scavenger hunt a few years ago was to simply have a day where you can spend together with your friends. Granted, the team would be working toward the same goal of taking pictures for the scavenger hunt and splitting up would allow for possibly more pictures. By splitting up, however, I thought the action was not really in the true spirit of what I had originally envisioned for the hunt. Plus, with the addition of having a person designated as a photographer, it made no logical sense to allow for teams to split up.
Consequently, I decided that the team had to use the same camera. In essence, the photographer had to take all of the pictures. Why else have a person designated as a photographer? Sure, it's a work in progress still. Should I organize another scavenger hunt for next year, perhaps I'll change things again and do away with the photographer altogether. Who knows? You can't please everyone. The only thing as an organizer that I can do is try to accommodate the majority of the participants.
Anyway, I thought it was a good discussion with Kerry. I'm glad she called. It was fun. Plus, I'm glad she brought up the whole camera thing because I probably would not have thought of it otherwise. I just want people to have fun on Saturday. If that is achieved, then I'm happy.
And Kerry would probably be happy to know that Karen and I did not go without her again to Not Your Average Joe's for dinner that night. Karen and I actually ended up at Bertucci's in Hingham for dinner. Yum! Bertucci rolls! It was a good night.
Monday, April 6, 2009
I Suck At Scavenger Hunts
on saturday, the event that i have been planning for the past few months finally came to fruition. that event: the photo scavenger hunt. now i suck at scavenger hunts.
the photo scavenger hunt was the second one that i had planned within the past 2 years. so, it has almost become an annual tradition.
the entire idea started in december of 2007. for anyone curious, my birthday is in december. getting together with friends in the month of december has always been difficult because that time of year is simply hectic. and rather than having the usual celebratory birthday party with some friends, i decided that i wanted my friends to participate in something different... which turned out to be the photo scavenger hunt. so, in january of 2008... exactly one month after my birthday... i had some friends participate in the first photo scavenger hunt.
as everyone seemed to have enjoyed the first scavenger hunt, i decided to organize another one for this year. thus, saturday was the second annual photo scavenger hunt for my birthday.
(pictured below is the winning team from this year's scavenger hunt.)
anyway, one of the nuances for this year's scavenger hunt was my participation. last year, i had simply organized the scavenger hunt and enjoyed the quiet time to myself while everyone else ran around taking pictures. as my friends wanted me to actually participate in the picture taking, i decided to actually play this year.
of course, with my participation in the hunt, i consequently had to think about the fairness of things because i was creating the actual scavenger hunt list. hence, i would know what was on the list before anyone else, not that i really would stock up on items or anything else to help my team in advance. (and in retrospect, there simply are too many items on the list to even remember. so i don't think my knowing of the list beforehand would even help.)
nonetheless, to make things fair... and i'm all about fairness... i decided to have members of the other teams score the pictures from the other teams. that was also one of the nuances for this year's hunt. of course, the problem then became... i needed more than two teams because potentially one team would vote for their own picture and the other team would vote against, in which case there would be a deadlock.
thus, to remedy that potential problem i decided to add additional teams because there would be more "judges" for the scoring. i was actually quite happy with the results. four teams consisting of four members each were able to participate this year in the scavenger hunt (16 people total).
the two teams i added were great. my friend (marc), who was on one of those two teams, definitely went above and beyond for the hunt, for which i am extremely grateful. of course, at the same time, my eyes are burning from seeing the images of marc in all sorts of poses.
as for me, i had a fun time participating in my first photo scavenger hunt. i had been on one of the randomly created teams. unfortunately, the team i was on did not win. i did, after all, say that i suck at scavenger hunts.
anyway, i hope everyone who participated... and everyone else who actually helped out the teams in the scavenger hunt... had a good time and enjoyed themselves. it was definitely stressful at times to organize the scavenger hunt, but i think it was worth it because i think all of my friends had fun... which is all i really cared about. and now that the hunt is over, i can relax again... until next year.
the photo scavenger hunt was the second one that i had planned within the past 2 years. so, it has almost become an annual tradition.
the entire idea started in december of 2007. for anyone curious, my birthday is in december. getting together with friends in the month of december has always been difficult because that time of year is simply hectic. and rather than having the usual celebratory birthday party with some friends, i decided that i wanted my friends to participate in something different... which turned out to be the photo scavenger hunt. so, in january of 2008... exactly one month after my birthday... i had some friends participate in the first photo scavenger hunt.
as everyone seemed to have enjoyed the first scavenger hunt, i decided to organize another one for this year. thus, saturday was the second annual photo scavenger hunt for my birthday.
(pictured below is the winning team from this year's scavenger hunt.)
anyway, one of the nuances for this year's scavenger hunt was my participation. last year, i had simply organized the scavenger hunt and enjoyed the quiet time to myself while everyone else ran around taking pictures. as my friends wanted me to actually participate in the picture taking, i decided to actually play this year.
of course, with my participation in the hunt, i consequently had to think about the fairness of things because i was creating the actual scavenger hunt list. hence, i would know what was on the list before anyone else, not that i really would stock up on items or anything else to help my team in advance. (and in retrospect, there simply are too many items on the list to even remember. so i don't think my knowing of the list beforehand would even help.)
nonetheless, to make things fair... and i'm all about fairness... i decided to have members of the other teams score the pictures from the other teams. that was also one of the nuances for this year's hunt. of course, the problem then became... i needed more than two teams because potentially one team would vote for their own picture and the other team would vote against, in which case there would be a deadlock.
thus, to remedy that potential problem i decided to add additional teams because there would be more "judges" for the scoring. i was actually quite happy with the results. four teams consisting of four members each were able to participate this year in the scavenger hunt (16 people total).
the two teams i added were great. my friend (marc), who was on one of those two teams, definitely went above and beyond for the hunt, for which i am extremely grateful. of course, at the same time, my eyes are burning from seeing the images of marc in all sorts of poses.
as for me, i had a fun time participating in my first photo scavenger hunt. i had been on one of the randomly created teams. unfortunately, the team i was on did not win. i did, after all, say that i suck at scavenger hunts.
anyway, i hope everyone who participated... and everyone else who actually helped out the teams in the scavenger hunt... had a good time and enjoyed themselves. it was definitely stressful at times to organize the scavenger hunt, but i think it was worth it because i think all of my friends had fun... which is all i really cared about. and now that the hunt is over, i can relax again... until next year.
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