| Renkoo Tip of the WeekIt’s that time of year again. Time to get out the lights, put some logs on the fire, and drink lots of booze with everyone you love! We aim to please, so pass along a Blushing Reindeer, Candy Cane Martini, Jack Frost, Mistletoe Martini, and for your homies in another hemisphere, we offer a tall Southern Santa. |
Wednesday is the new Thursday
Fun things to make plans to do this week…
Wednesday
If you’re up for a decidedly non-glossy spin on Christmas, get to The Factory Theater’s production of The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, Jeff Goode’s play about the shocking truth behind Santa’s jolly-old-elf act. We’re talking serious allegations against St. Nick regarding his perversions and the mental health of his “company.” We hear it’s absurd and guaranteed to make you laugh!
Thursday
Just in time, a family production that will delight you in ways The Nutcracker can’t. Biglittlethings is at its home base in Portland, OR for a short while before it takes off on its third national tour. Imago Theatre’s follow-up to FROGZ offers illusions galore with racoons, rabbits, spies and an original score to boot. Nifty fact: it is performed without words.
Friday
It’s the Friday before Christmas, you’re done with work but you can’t relax just yet–there are still a few things to check off your list, right? Lucky for you (if you’re a New Yorker that is), there are Christmas Markets right at places like Grand Central for your ultimate gifting convenience. According to the New York Times, the items you’ll find are in the “gift sweet spot” — not necessarily needed but not as useless as an Ugly Sweater either. Although, these days, Ugly Sweaters are the ticket to a good party. Other New York holiday markets include Bryant Park, Union Square, and Columbus Circle, among others.
Saturday
Today, yesterday, next week — any day is a good day to host Festivus. (For those who don’t know, Seinfeld did not invent Festivus as a joke; it merely took a pre-existing holiday and made it funny.) They may not be as common as Christmas tree lots yet, but Festivus pole lots are poised to sweep the nation. Get mentally ready for the Airing of Grievances and physically ready for the Feats of Strength. Celebrate and symbolize nothing!
Sunday
Straight from New Zealand to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee (yes, you read that right), is the wacky Zorb. Zorbing can make even stodgy grown-ups feel like four-year-olds again, tucked into a gigantic inflatable ball and sent rolling down a grassy hill, screaming and squealing with excitement. This is the only place in the U.S. where you can Zorb. Now, where are you going to stay in TN?
Renkoo helps you make plans with your friends.
What Philosophers Do for a Living
December 18, 2007
For all you aspiring app developers out there, Nikki Everett recently wrote a nice quickstart guide on Hosting Facebook Applications on Amazon EC2. It builds on the basic info in Amazon’s Getting Started Guide and includes tips that our Amazonian overlords didn’t think you need to know. Nikki is one of the Renkooks–living proof that U. of Chicago phil majors don’t always go batstuff, at least not right away!
| Renkoo Tip of the Week
Featured Drinks of the Week: Que Frio! In case you missed it: the leaves are dropping, the snow is falling, and the temperature is plummeting. Hop on the Fall bandwagon by plopping your booty down into a comfy chair and cupping your hands around one of our delectable seasonal drinks: Hot Chocolate, Frostbite, Hot Buttered Rum, Peppermint Patty, and for the adventurous we recommend a Yellow Snow Cone. |
Wednesday is the new Thursday
Fun things to make plans to do this week…
Wednesday
Did you miss the last night of Hanukkah yesterday? That doesn’t mean you’ve missed all the holiday fun. Head over to the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco tonight for Putting the Ha! in Hanukkah, a concert by Good for the Jews. The group celebrates Jewish history and traditions with irreverance and humor. Leave your menorah at home.
Thursday
Theo Chocolate in Seattle is the first roaster of Fair Trade Certified (TM) cocoa beans and the only organic roaster in the United States. Besides winning all kinds of honors in their first year of chocolatics, they are busy leading tours of their factory. Take your love of chocolate to the next level and go see it being made before you eat it. On your way out, pick up a holiday pillow pack or two for someone’s stocking. See, we’re making your list and checking it twice for you.
Friday
Step outside the mall madness and grab your friends for some Cocktails and Clay tonight at the Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago. You can get all dirty and clay-y in their ceramics studio (drunken vases anyone?). Top off the evening with some grooving and dancing in the main gallery. No matter what activity you choose, you can say you did something unusual tonight.
Saturday
Feel like a kid, bring a kid; whatever you do, don’t forget your pillow today when you go to Boston Common for a flash mob pillow fight. Hosted by Banditos Misteriosos, Boston’s “mysterious playmate,” there are only four simple rules: bring a pillow, only hit those folks who also have pillows, spread the word, and in flash mob form, remain inconspicuous until the battle begins at 1 p.m.
Sunday
Since 1992, artist Phil Kline has presented an UNSILENT NIGHT and tonight is the second annual Los Angeles edition. Instead of singing carols, people gather and carry the music, each track a voice in the communal song. All ages welcome, you only need a boombox or player with speakers. Send off an email to receive your song and show up for the procession. Meet at the Pan Pacific Park and “sing” your heart out.
Renkoo helps you make plans with your friends.
Lantern Lights, Laptops for Kids, Cosplay & Anime, Messy Gingerbread and a Puzzle Party
December 5, 2007
| Renkoo Tip of the Week
Featured Drinks of the Week: Tummy Warmers! Fall is a great time to put your feet up, get the fire going, and sip a booze. Nothing drives the cold days and dark skies away like a tasty beverage between your hands. Might we suggest a Brandy, Egg Nog, Hot Toddy, Irish Coffee, or Mulled Wine? |
Wednesday is the new Thursday
Fun things to make plans to do this week…
Wednesday
Hearken back to the olden days of yule with a Lantern Light Tour in Mystic, CT. You will see a theatrical performance from a Christmas Eve of the past to see if there really is a treasure from a shipwreck on Block Island. Meet at Greenmanville Church and spend 70 minutes among scenes of horse-drawn sleighs and rowdy tavern action.
Thursday
Here’s a great way to lower your AGI by year-end: go have sushi and drinks at Lotus Lounge in D.C. and contribute to One Laptop per Child. Go with $30 or go with $230 — either way you get to help fund the purchase of a mass production $200 laptop, half of which will go to kids in Third-World countries and half to kids in the greater D.C. area. Now what that says about the state of things in D.C. is for you to figure out.
Friday
“You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I’m telling you why, Japanese pop culture is coming to town!” To midtown Manhattan that is — at the New York Anime Festival this weekend. There will be manga, live-action cinema, cosplay & fashion, fashion & cosplay, and food to feed the masses at the Javits Center. Remember, at the NYAF, anime is just the start.
Saturday
If we were in Austin and we had a birthday this month, we sure as heck would be having our party at the Austin Children’s Museum. We’d be making a royal mess out of their kitchen at the Gingerbread House Workshop. Candy, icing, and sugar high, anyone? You want to mess up your OWN kitchen? Well then, order a kit by phone and have at it!
Sunday
Merriment and math, now there’s a holiday combination you don’t run into very often. And this is not math like “what is 40% off of $99″ either. This is a Holiday Puzzle Party, a math and logic puzzle competition hosted by Ask a Scientist in San Francisco, and you can go solo or on a team of up to 6 people. Bring your own pencil and paper to the Bazaar Cafe (no calculators), and the winner gets a round of drinks. Now go sharpen your brain, which has been dulled by hearing “Jingle Bells” since Halloween.
Renkoo helps you make plans with your friends.
