We're all shareholders, or The knowledge we can take from the Fire on the Farm
Editor's Note: We apologize, but our server crashed over the weekend. I'll take this opportunity to thank webmaestro Hank Fichtner behind the scenes. Hank keeps us running. He's no slouch in the meme department either and may jump into the fray on Hypertext Bazaars from time to time. Anyway here is a guest spot that was scheduled for the weekend from Andrew Carroll, an aspiring filmmaker, renowned raconteur, ad hoc writer, and my brother.
The ultimate hospitality
I attended a Memorial Day party last weekend that was co-hosted by my brother's good friend, Dave Mann, Dave's cousin and her husband (it was their place). I had a few trepidations about this party only because I knew very few people on the 100 plus guest list; it was to be held on a farm out in Sugarloaf, PA (which I had never heard of it before). I was told all I needed would be clothes and shelter (food, booze, and entertainment were included in the cost of the weekend - $0.00). Minimal concerns aside, I recruited two of my best friends and we headed out to the farm Saturday afternoon. Within minutes of arrival, I was warmly welcomed by the host and ordered to immediately refresh myself with one of the three kinds of beer, a frozen daiquiri, or one of the many non-alcoholic beverages they offered. Food was also out in full force; everything from hot dogs to tomato pie was available and they demanded we all eat and relax after the two and a half hour ride. My thoughts suddenly reeked of jealousy, for I have always made claim that no one could throw a party to rival a Carroll party. We had met our match. The entertainment and such was amazing; a thirty-foot tall bonfire with stacks upon stacks of pallets to keep it fed throughout the night (until 4 a.m.), a special stage built just for the weekend, a moon-bounce complete with joust and sumo suits, a few local bands, and a DJ.
Share and share alike
The last party I threw, I had to kick out people (who I didn't even know) because they were stealing free beer for fear that it might run out. None of that here. I was astounded to see everyone at this party offering up whatever they brought for the sake of the group - without question or hesitation - and I realized that I need to start making my parties more like this one. The Sunday evening a small group of us stayed at the farm to make use of the perfect weather, and to try to finish the two kegs of beer left over. We had really captured the spirit of the weekend: I had a bag of pretzels that we passed around, Reilly's steak was butter flied and became everyone's appetizer, Joe had sausage, Brooke had all natural eats, Emily had veggie burgers/dogs. We rotated between iPods and drums and guitar. We all left Monday morning a little closer, and slightly more aware of how contagious sharing and cooperation can be. All it took was one Mann to invite us to camp on his cousin's farm and enjoy in their company, food, and libations. Thanks, Mann.
The loaves and the fishes
I propose (as all the resident memeticians do) that the world try to adopt some of these basic ideals into their foreign and domestic policies. For example, take the recent disaster in Myanmar where a cyclone with 135 mph winds left countless dead bodies in its wake. The UN is struggling to get aid to the people who need it most, as political red tape has hindered their efforts. If we had built stronger relationships prior to this tragedy then maybe General Than Shwe wouldn't be so skeptical to let the UN bring something to his party (in the philosophical sense). Who knows, this "bring something to the party" policy might spread. Instead of disguising their nuclear program, Iran can just knock on Israel's door and ask to borrow a missile or two. They're practically neighbors. And Israel can borrow Iran's, well, something. If this was the case, I guess they wouldn't need the missiles at all. Interesting. But I'll save the nuclear proliferation talk for another day.
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it takes a village
Great use of photos.