Road Trip Survival Tactics
Boring, nauseating and interminably long car rides seem to be a rite of childhood. I remember instigating with my little sisters because I felt bored in the car. Apologies!
Today, it's a different world and enter the saviour that is the smart phone/tablet and its precursor, the portable DVD player. I can safely assume there are less bruised shoulders ("punch-buggy blue!") and arguments because of these marvels of technology. It's also nice to have non-electronic alternatives, so if the content or battery runs out or you want to limit screen time, here are a few EZPZ alternatives.
1. Character performance. This is similar to Jimmy Fallon's "Wheel of Musical Impressions." The first person picks a song, the second person picks a character, and the third person has to sing the song as that character. So for instance, Darth Vader does Row, Row, Row Your Boat or Mister Rogers sings Boom Boom Pow.
2. Audio book. This is a nice option because audio books allow you to use your imagination while following the story.
3. Guessing game. When is it your turn your think of an object and tell the others the first letter of the object. Now people take turns asking you one question at a time about the object until someone can correctly guess what you chose. You can make it harder or easier by limiting the types of questions people can ask. Like only allowing questions that can be answered with a Yes or No.
Good luck on your next road trip and here's a video for the road.
Next post next Saturday, 6:30 a.m.
Business Travel and Fatherhood
Fairly early in my career I've had the opportunity to travel and see places I might not have otherwise. I'm not talking about "Up in the Air" or Platinum levels of travel, but enough to keep things interesting. Fast forward to having a child and longer trips away from home are more challenging. Like the time I told my wife that I had to go to South America during a bitterly cold NJ Winter and foolishly tried to feign disappointment. I won't be appearing on Inside the Actor's Studio anytime soon. That trip lasted 2 weeks. The hardest part was staying connected while I was away. My son was now old enough to really notice my absence so I knew I would have to pull out all the stops.
Here are a few EZPZ tips that made the long business trip easier on my family.
1. Facetime your new temporary home
The first thing I did when I arrived at the hotel was Facetime my family. I gave them a virtual tour of the hotel lobby and my room. This way they have a sense of where I am and what it is like.
2. Skype dinner
When I didn't have a business dinner to attend, I ordered room service, turned on Skype, and had a virtual dinner with my family. I get to hear about their day and vice-versa. There is something special about sharing a meal with loved ones - even a virtual one.
3. Mr. Greenspots
This last one is a bit of a lark, but it turned out wonderfully. I took along a stuffed animal of my son's as a travel companion. I had the random thought that it would be fun to take pictures of him posed in various travel scenarios. I'd send the pictures to my wife and when we were on the phone, Mr. Greenspots would take a turn and regale my son with stories of his adventures in a far off land and answer various questions in his high-pitched voice.
This turned out to be a big hit with my son as he imagined one of his stuffed animals traveling the world. And of course, upon his return he could tell all the other stuffed animals about it. After a while it seemed my son was looking forward to talking to Mr. Greenspots almost as much, dare I say more, than talking to his father. A victim of my own success, I guess. It was a small price to pay for hearing the excitement in my son's voice and making my absence a little less stressful for him.
Next post next Saturday, 6:30 a.m.
Food Hacks from an Iron Chef (Watcher)
During my single twenties, I made an effort to cook meals for myself from time to time. Don't get me wrong, I was no Iron Chef and I had dinner at my girl Wendy's (mmm, Spicy Chicken Sandwich) a bit more than I should, but I thought I was doing okay on the cooking competency scale for bachelors. I even had a pasta dish that received some compliments so I cooked it for my wife while we were dating. Fast forward to our married years and any offers I made to cook dinner were turned away. I assumed it was some sort of unspoken traditional division of duties. One day, I finally asked my wife why she never let me cook dinner. She hemmed and hawed, but I insisted she give me a straight answer. Reluctantly she told me, "Well, I don't like your cooking." Mind blown...self-image shattered! Okay, that's an exaggeration and I have since settled into my role as occasional sous chef.
My point is I don't have any great first-hand cooking tips to share with you. However, the first EZPZ food hack below I've found very useful and the last one is just cool to watch.
#1 Get the most juice out of a lime (works for lemons, too)
#2 Watermelon cubes, easiest way to cut a watermelon
Next post next Saturday, 6:30 a.m.