Dying Happy

I recently had a life-altering experience. I fulfilled a long-held dream of mine that, now complete, means that I will die happy. This past weekend I played bingo at the Oneida Bing & Casino in Green Bay, WI. I've never played bingo at a casino before, always preferring to keep my gambling addiction hidden in church basements and at grandma's house. However, I can tell you that the Nite Owl session in Oneida is a dream-fulfilling experience that I'll never forget.

The night started young at 7 P.M. My mother, and gambling compatriot (read: enabler), insisted we arrive early as the crazy bingo players usually do. Afterall, you cannot have a fulfilling bingo experience without following in the footsteps of the crazy bingo players.

After purchasing our packs and special games, we sat in a haze of secondhand smoke until the 9 P.M. session started. At 8:50 P.M. on the nose, the current session ended and we made a run for a table spot. Our goal was not to find the best spot, per se, but to find the best spot that would most enrage the habitual bingo players. You see, many crazy bingo players stake out the same spot every day and, at heart, are very, very superstitious people. Our goal that night was to infringe on that superstition.

Finally settled in for the long haul, we proceeded with the bingo experience. Twelve games later and none the richer, I took a moment and looked back on my time. Here's a rundown:

1. Most every game had the prefix "Crazy" attached to it. For example, we weren't just playing bingo, we were playing "Crazy Bingo." I concluded that the crazy bingo players could, in fact, only play crazy bingo. It makes a strange sort of sense.

2. Daubing is a must. Though the casino now offers computerized bingo games, the satisfyingly wet, ploppy sound of the dauber highlighting your latest numerical triumph is not to be missed.

3. Troll dolls do not help you win. Only successfully getting a bingo will help you win the game. Any charms, amulets, and, yes, troll dolls are unecessary and only make you look ridiculous.

4. The WI Smoking Ban cannot come soon enough. Unfortunately for this bingo player, The law does not apply to casinos. Alas, perhaps my bingo playing days are preemptively quashed.

5. "Don't embarrass me" was the one thing my mother told me when we started. Apparently, monitor bingo is a big no-no (calling "Bingo" based on a number shown on the monitor without waiting for the caller to announce it first).

6. Also prohibited? Talking. The serious (aka: crazy) bingo players get mad at you for messing with their concentration.

So, was it worth it? Indeed, it was. I now have plans to drag all of my friends to play bingo with me to share in the life-altering experience. And, of course, to snicker. Mustn't forget the snickering.

Drinking Games

Usually I don't like to post my debaucherous exploits online for all to see, but this is a matter of public service. You see, this past weekend I was witness to the creation of two new drinking games. Only you, Internets, can benefit from a retelling.

Game #1: Indian Style Apples
Supplies: Apples 2 Apples game cards, creativity, opposable thumbs

Directions:
1. Each player chooses a red Apples 2 Apples card
2. Place card facing toward other players on forehead
3. Players try to get each other to guess the word on their cards following the rules of Taboo (you cannot say the word or any derivation thereof in your description)

Tips:
Alternate turns with green Apples 2 Apples cards

Game #2: Bitch, please
Supplies: Bicycle playing cards, copious amounts of booze, mild-to-medium level buzz

Directions:
1. Players deal cards and play Go Fish
2. Instead of saying "Go Fish," when player asks for card you don't have, you say, "Bitch, please."

Tips:
Game works best when riding on a mild-to-medium level buzz. You should be drunk enough to find "Bitch, please" hilarious, yet sober enough not to slur.

Halloween Hijinks

People ask me what my costume will be for Halloween. I dodge the question with a vague and unsatisfying response. Mostly because I don't know, but also because I want to seem mysterious. Here are a few hints as to what I'm thinking...

Hint #1

Hint #2

Hint #3

But which will it be?

The Lost Months

Hey! It's been two months since last we spoke.

Sadly, interesting things have not been happening in my life...at least not pleasantly interesting things, and so I have not felt the need, nay desire, to post. It seemed needless to burden you with the crazy things, and so I've simply kept silent.

I realize now that may have saddened you. I am heartily sorry.

Shall I promise I will be more regular in my posting? Perhaps I will keep it on the safe side and promise I will TRY to be more regular in my posting. Does that suit? Let's shake on it.

I feel better about this already.

This Day in History

August 19, 1958: My mother was born

Happy birthday Mom.

August 19, 1989: Pan-European Picnic

I had always heard about this when I lived in Sopron. The legend still lives on and the story is openly shared by proud Hungarians, but I never understood how important the event was to the fall of Communism in the Eastern Bloc.

Hundreds of Hungarians and East Germans gathered at the Hungarian-Austrian border to take advantage of the short time the border gate would be open. Somewhat taking the border guard by surprise (but not really, read more here) the people escaped from Communist to political sanctuary in Austria. What made the escape peaceful was the border guard's decision to not deter the citizens from leaving.

The Pan-European Picnic was one of the many events that marked the fall of Communist power in Eastern Europe. By September 11th of that same year, the border in Hungary was permanently opened.

Since living in Sopron, I've learned that there are many reasons the town's citizens are a proud people. This is just one more feather in their cap.

I'm a Social Media Rockstar

Today I attended "Be a Social Media Rockstar" in Green Bay, WI. The conference was hosted by the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, and covered topics like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Blogging, and YouTube for local professionals and organizations.

Each session included How To tips for the novice, while best practices and effective uses were shared for the pros.

For example, I learned that blogs must be updated at least once per week as a best practice and in order not to alienate your readers (sorry, readers).

Effectively chastised and motivated, I am rededicating myself to this little piece of Internet. I promise to update more often.

Dinosaurs are Extinct

My favorite breakout session, however, was the "How to Sell Social Media to Your CEO." This is a topic many of us come across in our daily professional lives. In the session we talked about how some CEOs are alpha-male dinosaurs, and don't understand the importance of harnessing the power of social media. Therefore we must present social media marketing using traditional marketing pitch formats. This can be troublesome at times; ROI can be difficult to calculate based on number of followers, for example.

But we learned that there are resources out there for professionals on the cutting edge who want to bring their CEOs over to the dark side.

www.chiefexecutive.net published an article titled Web 2.0 the ROI Case that highlights convincing examples of companies who've harnessed the power of social media to lofty results. For example, "P&G now boasts that over 50% of the company's new product development is now crowdsourced from outside the company."

www.chiefmarketer.com published the results of a survey called Online in Troubled Times that talks about how brands are looking to digital media in the tight economy.

www.fastcompany.com published an article, How successful brands live their difference that states that "a brand that generates little to no conversation will be killed by one that does," in a testament to the importance of a company's social media presence.

The conference was a great resource for those interested in exploring what social media can do for their business. It was also a great place to network - both through social media and in person. I made several connections I look forward to building, utilizing, and sustaining in the future.

All in all, a productive day I think.

Starbucks Now Serving Alcohol

Have you heard that Starbucks is test-piloting a new store brand in Seattle that will stay open later, serve alcohol, and have live entertainment?

One of my favorite parts about living in Italy was the café culture. I could walk into Café d’Italia at 7:00 in the morning and enjoy a cappuccino and cornetta. At lunch I could pop in there for a Panini and Europe coke (for those who’ve never been overseas, Europe coke is so much better than American coke). In the evening, after dinner, I could enjoy a glass of Montenegro or a couple of beers (or both) until the wee hours of the morning. Every visit would include a chat with locals, and I would often see friends from town hanging out at Jake’s. In a word, the cafes in Italy were the heartbeat of the town, and part of their purpose was to be open all day and provide a place for people to congregate, relax, and talk about the day.

I’m not saying that I could envision myself at a Starbucks from morning ‘til night. For one thing, I don’t like their food that much. However, I like the idea that I can get my morning coffee in the same place where I enjoy my nightcap. I’m past the point in my life where I want to go out every night and get wasted. Now I like to be a social drinker, and I have a glass of wine while I visit with my friends for 4 hours. The ambience of a relaxed, cool coffee shop at night while I’m enjoying a drink with my friends would be a welcome respite from the loud, bass-thumping bars we usually have to frequent.

I hope that this new concept will live up to its promise and that the public will like it enough to support it.

Assisi, Italy

Our group went to Assisi last Sunday. We left Cagli in a rain storm, and arrived to find Assisi, not only dry, but sunny and beautiful as well. It was well worth the nausea-inducing bus ride.

Words cannot describe how beautiful the city was, but perhaps a few photos can.

Yep, that's Assisi on top of the hill. It kind of reminded me of The Lord of the Rings. We walked all the way up the hill from new Assisi. It was a long way up, but well worth the view.

This is the view from the top of the hill by the cathedral. St. Francis is buried in the lower chapel of this cathedral. Both the lower and upper chapels of the cathedral are magnificent, however, they do not allow photography.

The old town surrounding the cathedral is full of alleyways and walkways around the streets. The effect is very charming, and I'm sure it's easy to get lost if you don't know where you're going.

This is a shop that sells, you guessed it, cheese and meat...as well as spices, olive oil, wine, and pasta. I had to take a picture, because a) totally my favorite kind of shop, and b) the decor was fabulous.

Culture Shock U-Curve: A Video Presentation

Yesterday we were charged with presenting on Lysgaard's U-Curve theory of cultural adjustment. Knowing this topic backwards and forwards from numerous lit reviews, I decided to suggest that my group make a little multimedia presentation that would best "show" how we've experienced the U-Curve, rather than just "tell."

The four stages of the U-Curve are:

Honeymoon: You've moved overseas. Overseas is pretty darn awesome. You love life and everything in it.

Crisis: Dear Sir and/or Madam, living overseas sucks when you have to actually figure out how to complete tasks like paying for the toilette, ordering a cappuccino, or asking for directions.

Recovery: Now that I know enough to say "Vore uno cappuccino," and, "Dove le bagno?" things are looking up.

Adjustment: Overseas? This isn't overseas! It's home!


Below is the result of our collective efforts.



And that's the U-Curve theory of cross-cultural adjustment in a nutshell. Not only was our apartment dark and scary (though the landlords were FANTASTIC), it also had parasite-infested beds that made us itch. After a quick visit to the hospital, we got antihistamine and a new, bug-free apartment.

Corpus Domini: Cagli, Italy

Last weekend was the celebration of Corpus Domini in Cagli, Italy.

During Corpus Domini, a procession travels through the streets of Cagli and visits all twelve Catholic parishes. The path is lined with anise and rosemary, and the townspeople decorate the portion of the street in front of their house with floral designs.

Corpus Domini begins at the Duomo in the main square, and the procession begins with a priest bearing a cross, walking on the floral pathway. The town's scout troop follows along the edges of the street not covered in petals. Then the city's band follows, playing a marching dirge.

After the band a procession of Cagli's priests follow bearing an ivory canopy. Under the canopy one priest carries the body of Christ to each parish. After this, all the townspeople follow, crushing the flowers beneath their feet. As the herbs are crushed, they release a pungent, earthy fragrance into the air that hovers for hours after the festivities are over.

Our day began early with our landlords, Giampietro and Daniela Chegai. We, the graduate student team, helped Giampietro prepare and place his floral arrangement in the street.

Every year Giampietro designs a cross of flower petals and wheat. This shot was taken from the window of my apartment, and shows the beginning of the procession with the priest bearing the cross. Along the side you can see the scouts walking along the floral pathway.

Unfortunately, I do not know the history behind the celebration. One of the other student groups is producing a story on the topic and I hope to learn more then. In the meantime, the town of Cagli has organized a special procession of saints for the Americans tomorrow, and the boys will be taking part by bearing one of the canopies. Perhaps there will be another photo blog post tomorrow!

Until then, Arrivederci!