Pic a Day - 1/8 to 1/14

Mon. Jan 8, first class in the art building

Tues. Jan 9, interesting bathroom design

Wed. Jan 10, one of the art pieces on display

Thurs. Jan 11, paddle tennis court

Fri. Jan 12, snow in rain

Sat. Jan 13, our multi-function chair and its model, both in the shelving orientation (complete with a book!)

Sun. Jan 14, morning light

Pic a Day - 10/21 to 10/27

Mon. Oct 21, just stocking up on school supplies
OTTILT: vegan Pirate Booty

Tues. Oct 22, getting some polka-dot sweater action
OTTILT: finding songs that pique livelihood

Wed. Oct 23, some drawings of what I saw under a microscope
OTTILT: adorable microscopic creatures

Thurs. Oct 24, playing some Mesa Court
OTTILT: homemade Butterfingers (my friend's)

Fri. Oct 25, too beautiful an evening to be cooped up inside with homework
OTTILT: science shows that show crazy stuff happening to/in the body

Sat. Oct 26, a pretty cool new health drink (but way too expensive for my budget)
OTTILT: pulling out pumpkin innards with your hand

Sun. Oct 27, presenting the cake we kept hidden from the birthday girl

Mesa Court

Materials:

• a friend (or a few)
• a tennis ball
• shoes (optional)

Directions:

• Go to your local tennis court, or a fenced-in yard of some sort, or the open street (if you're okay with running around and generally making a fool of yourself under the risk that you'll be hit by a car). Be sure to bring a friend, or two, or three. Utilize net or indicate line that separates the sides for the players.
• Collect a tennis ball, or ball of some sort (NOT a baseball; these might actually hit you/jam your fingers and HURT).
• Toss ball back and forth, trying to catch the ball as soon as you can after it goes over the net/marked point between player sides.
• Switch to your non-dominant hand. The game gets more challenging here, and so the catching becomes less important.
• Return to dominant hand, and throw ball with force, trying to make it go as far as you can throw it based on where you're standing in your court area.
• Shoes are not required for this game, unless you are running around in an area that poses any sort of threat to your feet (such as a mesa full of goatheads and cacti and such things).
• Point values and a scoring system may be added. This could coordinate with how many bounces it took for you to catch it, or if it went outside of the green (in an actual tennis court), or any number of things you want to incorporate to individualize your game.

Note:
My friend came up with the title for this game, not really seriously, just kind of referring to our activity in passing. We had been referencing our barefootedness during the game (which was quite interesting and pretty fun), and my friend wanted to remain barefoot, but we had to leave the tennis courts and walk through the wild desert land. While walking through aforementioned terrain just outside the tennis courts, I wondered how horrible it would be if you were playing the game or walking around barefoot on that sort of terrain, with weeds and goatheads and cacti and all matter of poky things lying in wait).

Season Tin Bounce Competition

Yet another crazy game created by my brother.

Materials:
a tin of any kind, preferably metal or wood, roughly the same size as your splayed palm
a bouncy ball of any size, but not too small

Directions:
Hold the tin in your dominant hand. Bounce the ball against its surface, as a ball and paddle. There can be one person or twenty-seven competing. The object of the game is to get as many bounces at one time on the tin's surface.

Note:
Engage in the game in an open space, NOT around computers and/or uncovered beverages; an open park, outside in the street or in a large room are enjoyable and safe places to play this game.

Grocery-Store Basketball

How to play:

• Go to any grocery store or supermarket. You can be going there for regular groceries or not.
• First make your way to the toy section. Find a small bouncy ball (not so small you won't be able to throw and catch it) that fits comfortably in your palm.
• Find any empty aisle that either has a random empty shopping cart or bring a new one in. Position the cart halfway down the aisle.
• One player starts on one end of the "court", and the other player on the opposite end. Rules are adaptable. What my brother and I did was run to the midway point (halfway between their end court and the cart) or to center (where the cart was) and shoot the ball into the basket, pass back and forth with overhand and underhand throws, and knock down shelves of over-the-counter pharmaceuticals.

Have fun! It really gets your heart pumping when you have to chase after the ball if it has gone off-course so it doesn't trip someone passing by the aisle (too late, I'm pretty sure my brother let that one happen). So if you have a busy schedule or have kids or want to feed the kid in ya, give it a try!