I went to a barbecue earlier in the summer at a friend’s place in Berkeley. There were a lot of great things about the BBQ (great food, great people, etc.) but the thing that stands out most in my memory of this event was the outdoor fire pit that she had in her backyard. I’m convinced that the whole reason that this BBQ felt like an awesome party was because of the fire pit.

I’ve always liked fire pits. They’re great at parties because they provide a central gathering place for everyone to come together and talk. At other barbecues I usually see people standing around in groups of 3 or 4. When there’s a fire pit, everyone tries to hang out together near the fire. This means that you end up getting the chance to talk to more people when you attend a BBQ that has one.

This was definitely the case with the party in Berkeley. I probably would have only talked to the few people that I knew if I didn’t have a good reason to go gather with everyone. However, since we were all sitting around the fire together, I was able to meet several new people that I’ve actually started to become good friends with. I think the fire pit helped break the ice in that way.

There’s another reason that the fire pit was particularly great for this party – and it’s reason that would make outdoor fire pits good at any BBQ in the San Francisco Bay Area. The reason is that it was actually functionaly. It was technically summer here when the BBQ happened but it was one of those summer days that rapidly turns cold as soon as the sun goes down. We had all been excited to get some sun through the fog but then it went away and we were all chilly. The fire pit made us comfortable enough to keep the party going outside even though the air wasn’t warm anymore.

I probably won’t purchase a fire pit myself since the shared outdoor area at my apartment doesn’t really welcome things like this. However, I’m really glad that I know at least one person in the area who has one.

Tags: entertainment, fire pits, fun, party, socializing

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time on Twitter lately. After a lengthy period of adjusting to using the site, I’ve finally come to really like Twitter. I feel like it’s giving me a great opportunity to share links and ideas with other people.

One of the really fun things that I’ve gotten into doing on the site is participating in a daily poem project that @dragonblogger does. Almost every morning, he puts out a request for people to send in random words. These random words are then worked into a poem for the day which is posted on the Wanderer Thoughts blog.

These poems are always really interesting. Sometimes the words that are submitted are really challenging. For example, check out Unstoppable Disease which included a lot of medical words in it. (My word for that day was simpler: productivity).

This is just a fun little project to participate in when I think about it as I’m on Twitter. I think it’s inspiring to do little daily projects and this is an example of a good one.

Tags: fun, kathryn vercillo, poetry, projects, twitter, writing

March means springtime and springtime means all kinds of different parties, doesn’t it? I don’t get the chance to go to too many baby showers but I did have the opportunity to do some research into them this morning. Specifically I got the chance to write about baby shower games.

What I love most about my women friends is how creative they all are. We have a lot of fun together because everyone in our group has great ideas. And yet we’re collaborative so we work together to make those ideas happen in a non-competitive way.

Baby shower games are an example of this. Of course, the hostess of the baby shower is the one who picks the games that are going to be played but the women who participate have to add their own creativity and sense of fun to the experience for everyone to have a good time.

Whether you’re pinning the pacifier on the baby, passing the dirty diaper or turning baby food into delicious adult treats, you’re probably having fun at a baby shower. Games aren’t all that a baby shower is about, of course, but they sure do make the baby shower fun.

Tags: baby shower, creativity, Friends, fun, games, Parenting, parties, party games, party planning, play, pregnancy, social life, women