Neighbourhood Window Walk - Rainbows

Next: Thursday, April 23 - Lollipops

Neighbourhood Window Walk - Fish

I feel that my contribution to Neighbourhood Window Walk today is on topic and has a question with relevance for the young folk staying at home.


Next theme:
Saturday, April 18 - Rainbows

Neighbourhood Window Walk - Easter Eggs

Perhaps you are wondering, Dave, where do you come up with wonderful appropriate jokes?

The answer is Google.

But here's the expert advice: For something like this, don't just search for joke easter egg. Search for "dad joke" easter egg.

I don't know what is next for Neighbourhood Window Walk.

The Hillhurst / Sunnyside Community Association in Calgary is promoting some themes and dates for April on Facebook, but I haven't found any Ottawa-based themes.

Here is their list, which I will follow unless an Ottawa group proposes differently:

April 13 - Fish/Dolphins Sharks
April 18 - Rainbows
April 23 - Lollipops
April 28 - Encouraging Words

Neighbourhood Window Walk - Jokes

Today is "Jokes" for Neighbourhood Window Walk.

Saturday is "Easter Eggs". I suppose I should go with fairly literal decorated eggs, rather than obscure references to elements from Star Trek or Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

After that, please let me know if you can.

Neighbourhood Window Walk - Flowers

I've been making sure that we have something up for the folk who are counting homes and images for Neighbourhood Window Walk.

Today is flowers. Manon drew the whimsical ones in the middle.

I left up the encouraging words from Thursday because they might be good for people who aren't even doing the window walk.

Wednesday is "jokes". I haven't quite figured out how I'll put my "I don't know you, you don't know me, they don't know us, we don't know them" joke on the window.

More info on the Window Walk:

• CTV article
• Facebook page
• Twitter

Hand washing songs

Last Wednesday, I was out for work, found myself washing my hands and remembered that we're supposed to sing Happy Birthday twice to make it a good 20 second wash.

But Happy Birthday is boring, and, let's be honest, annoying. Also, one of my self-improvement goals is to learn a new song every month and practise the songs I know. So, I decided I should find some new 20-second song parts to work on when I wash my hands.

Then I realized that I should share this with the world through a blog post.

A few minutes later, I got back to my computer and opened Laura Olin's email newsletter. Item 4 had a link to a Twitter thread on 20-second alternatives to Happy Birthday.

Which goes to show that it's hard to be the first person to do something.

Then yesterday, Boing Boing gave a link to an elegant poster generator created by a young developer named William Gibson (apparently not the cyberpunk author) whose generator helped me create this poster that illustrates my current hand washing practice:

The Office Prop Comic - #5 Magic Tape

Another great prop from the supply cabinet:

1. Get a box of Magic Tapetm.
2. If you have to use the tape, remove it. But I like to leave it in because it adds verisimilitude. 
3. When somebody comes by your cubicle, show them the box. 
4. Say: “Look, magic tape!” 
5. Stand up. Hum or sing meaningless syllable to a suitable tune throughout the following steps. 
6. Hold the box in front of you using the thumbs and first fingers of both hands. 
7. Gently wave the box back and forth and up and down.
8. Put both hands behind your back, holding the box in only one of them. 
9. Bring the box back to the front with the other hand. Repeat steps 8 to 10 once, twice, or as often as you think your audience will stand for it. 
10. Repeat steps 8 and 9, but this time, do not bring the box to the front. You have several options:
1. Only bring out one hand, keeping the box in the other hand. 
2. Tuck the box into the top of your pants. 
3. Throw the box somewhere behind you that the other person can’t see. 
4. Use some sleight of hand trick to make the box vanish. 
11. Say: “It really is magic!” 
12. If you chose option 12a, put your empty hand behind you, and then bring the box to the front with that hand. 
13. If you chose option 12b, bring both empty hands to the front to the front to show them. Then put your hands behind you and bring the box out. 
14. If you chose option 12c, turn around to show that the box is gone and you are not hiding it. 
15. If you chose option 12d, you are more of a master at this sort of thing than I am and know better what you can do, but maybe at step 1, you got two boxes of Magic Tapetm and you’ll be able to take the second box out of somewhere completely surprising like the peace lilly plant that is behind your audience member or their jacket pocket.