Gang Hangs - March 2018

 
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Gang Hangs is a monthly roundup of ways to create more connection in real life.

From gathering with friends around a record player to hosting a device-free, old school
movie night, our online community will be sort of like a virtual huddle, where we will all share stories of connection, trade resources, and all the feels about offline living.

How-To

Where To Host

We are big fans of the good old fashioned house party. If space is tight, keep the guest list short.

 

Best Night For Most People

Thursday. Think about it: you’re nearing the end of a long ass work week. It’s just before weekends set aside for date nights and other plans involving food, but right at the cusp of ugh-don’t-make-me-have-to-call-Uber-eats-one-more-time. People are hungry (pun intended) for a slow cooked meal and good conversation they just can’t get with the delivery guy.

 

Create An Invite

Let’s leave the group texting, evites, and Facebook groups to the plugged-in population. We prefer postcards via snail mail. Buy a handful for 25 cents a piece, stick on a stamp, and get all the deets down in 3 short sentences. Something like:

Hey There,

Help me revive old school house parties. Swing by my place on Thursday night for a slow cooked meal fueled by gluten and some awesome conversation fueled by whiskey.

 

Of course, no cell phones allowed except for the token group photo. We want to see your smiling faces in a latergram. Tag #folkrebellion and tell us how it was.

 

 

1. Movie Night: Interstellar 

The silver screen used to mean people gathering and watching the same thing together, yawn arm over the back of the seat moves, and sharing a tub of popcorn. Now, it means watching it whenever and wherever you want, instantly. And usually someone is watching something else on another device, live tweeting it, or mindlessly scrolling.

 

Invite your friends over. Collect the phones. Pass out the beers. Turn down the lights. Because….

 

"Love is the one things that transcends time and space."

 

2. Communal Listening: Podcast Edition : The Slow Home: Episode 4: What Is Slow Living Anyway?

Podcasts. They’ve taken the world by storm. Why do we love them? As you go for a morning jog you can learn how to launch a new product from an expert on anything, while riding in the car you can day dream about who actually committed that crime in that small town, or get your political arguments up to snuff while folding the laundry. They’re mobile, don’t require your eye balls stuck to a screen, and drop some major knowledge, entertainment, and inspiration. But sometimes they can be solitary. We’re changing that.

 

Questions:

  • What is slow living according to Brooke McAlary?

  • How is slow living a reaction to today’s culture and do you agree?

  • McAlary references a number of individuals whom she believes can benefit from adopting a slower lifestyle, where do you fall on this list?

  • Has freeing up space in your material life created more space in your emotional world?

  • Have you slowed your home and simplified your own life? If so, which one of the 6 benefits listed holds most true to you?

 

3. Book Club: The Weekend Effect 

Book clubs have have always been a thing, but now they are even more relevant for the camaraderie it creates for people in our screened-in world.

 

Tip: Be sure to check with your local libraries because oftentimes they have Book Club Kits, or  Book Club in a Bag.

 

Here’s some questions for ya’ll to mull over, perhaps over mulled wine.

 

  • Let’s talk about your weekend plans … has this book changed your attitude toward how you’ll spend Friday evening through Sunday night?

  • One of the central ideas of the book is that our slavish commitment to checking emails at night and on weekends has essentially turned us into “low-stakes doctors always on call”. What do you think? Is that behaviour driven by a fear that everyone else is doing it, and if we don’t, that there are plenty of other employees who will? #fomo

  • Let’s look at the creation of the weekend circa the Industrial Revolution and compare it to working in today’s society. Have we come full circle?

  • How do you define leisure?

  • Onstad talks about Aristotle’s idea of a good life including leisure. How did a generation raised on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off lose sight of that?

  • What are some ways the digital age killed boredom?

  • Onstad’s case against pricey weekend brunch - agree or disagree?

  • How do you let people know you’ll be out of office?

 

4. Analog Maker Night: Calligraphy for Snail Mail

In our digital world of fast communication, there’s something to be said for sending a beautifully written note the slow way. Take these tips and use them to write your grandmother, best friend, or representative.

 

Here’s What You’ll Need:

  1. Pencil

  2. Eraser

  3. Black Ink

  4. Practice sheet

  5. Pen holder (the black part of the pen above)

  6. Pen nib (the shiny gold part of the pen above)

 

Tips:

  • Read up on the distinctive parts of the nib and the pen.

  • How you hold the fancy pen matters. Aim for a 45 degree angle. Pro Tip: place the tip flat and you will get more variations in your lines and won't scratch a hole through your paper with the corners of the tip.

  • A word on the stroke: laser focus your attention on individual parts of each letter.

  • Play around, make some big loopy lines, a few straight lines. Practice dipping your pen into the ink and pretend like you’re back in the 18th century.

 

5. Family (Friend) Dinner

We’re bringing back the kitchens of our youth. Where people gathered around the island, sat on counter tops, and got drunk on wine while they collectively made dinner with some music on.

 

Bye seamless. Well, at least for one meal, today.

 

This month let’s Go Mezze! Save your time you would’ve spent cooking on chatting.

 

Buy hummus, dolmas, olives, pita, cook some chicken (or shrimp, or veggies) skewer them up, and combine yogurt, cucumber, and lemon juice in a bowl until it tastes good. Serve all in a fancy family-style arrangement that lets everyone did in and makes you look like you were born to entertain.

 

6. Outside Time: Pinecone Birdfeeder

Why not opt outside and appreciate wildlife right in your own backyard?  With this project, you can help feed local and traveling birds any time of year.

 

Materials Needed:

  • Several large pinecones (preferably found on an outside adventure)

  • Peanut butter (opt for vegetable shortening if you suffer from nut allergies)

  • Birdseed

  • String, pipe cleaners, or wire

  • Scissors (if using string)

  • Butter knife

  • 1 plate, maybe 2

  • A place to hang your bird feeder, we recommend the branch of a tree

 

Tip: Check your pinecones. If they’re tightly closed up, you can bake them in a 300° oven for about 10 minutes until they open up.

Caution: Watch out for sharp points on the tips of petals.

 

Steps:

  1. Attach a pipe cleaner or a length of string or wire to the tip.

  2. Spread on that peanut butter making sure to get in all the cracks and crevices.

  3. Pour bird seed on a plate and roll the pinecone back and forth until completely covered.

  4. Once your pinecone is completely covered in bird seed, take it outside and find the perfect spot to hang your creation. We suggest near windows so you can watch the birds hang out and high enough that cats and dogs won’t be a problem.

 

More From This Issue

 
March 2018Jess Davisbatch 1, gang hangs march 18Comment