What did Delaware? Where has Oregon?

I drove to Oregon this week to see some plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Nothing unusual there, except that about half way up I memed myself with a 1950's novelty song called What did Delaware? which has in it the lyric, Where has Oregon? I couldn't get this out of my head and when I got back home had to search for the lyrics to confirm what I suspected.

What did Delaware? She wore a brand New Jersey.
Where has Oregon? She went to pay her Texas.

There are more of these that you can drive yourself crazy with at http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/perry+como/delaware_20106950.html; in my case, this is a short drive.

Blog at 100: Some shallow observations and analysis

I have just made my 100^th (and 101^st) posts on this Blog and it seems to me appropriate to reflect a bit on whether the reality of this blog has anything to do with what I had hoped (dreamed, fantasized, hallucinated).

Here is the purpose as I thought it: A forum for colleagues to share their stories about humorous and fun activities they have had at their place of work, what has worked and what hasn't, and how they have gone about fully integrating such activities into the organizational culture.

Observations.

1.      There really hasn’t been a lot of sharing, discussion or conversation. Instead the Blog has mostly been me nattering on about ways I think of to have fun paired with the occasional citation from the literature about fun in the work place being a good thing. In that sense, the Blog has not accomplished what I thought it would

2.       I was also hoping to hear back from places where I did my little workshop to see if anyone had actually incorporated ideas that they had come up with. Here, too, not so much by way of response. But I do want to acknowledge and cheer the University of San Francisco Library for their bias to action in implementing a couple of their ideas. Three cheers! So, pretty much no success here either.

3.       That said, on the basis of the workshops I have done and the conversations I have had, hardly anyone disagrees with the proposition that fun in the workplace is a good thing.

4.      The question I keep coming back to, then, is why isn’t there greater attention paid to including fun in the workplace as part of an organization’s wellness plan. In other words, making this intentional. It could be that fun or the appearance of fun runs against the idea that work is serious and the two are not congruent; or, it could be that the organization doesn’t have anyone to encourage fun activities; or it could be that no one has really thought about the cost-benefit advantages of having a less stressed work environment; or it could any number of something elses. I’d love to hear more on this.

What’s Next?

1.        I will continue posting to the Blog as I have, with observations, game ideas, etc. This gives me satisfaction and, yes, it is FUN!

2.       I remind one and all that I am available to do 2 hour workshops on fun in the workplace. As someone remarked, these are silly, but make the point. I think that 2 hours of silly is a good investment for any organization or team!

3.       And, if you ever have a job opening for King of Comedy, Court Jester, Clown Prince, Head Cheerleader, etc., well, sign me up. If not, consider identifying someone in your organization who can serve those roles. That person is probably already there. It’s just a matter of identifying him/her and encouraging their behavior!

Thanks for listening. And come back often, or at least occasionally, so that I can make my parents proud by telling them that this is NOT solely a vanity Blog!

Happy birthday ye Bard of Avon. Share your favorite Shakespeariana!

Today is April 23, Shakespeare's birthday.

What is your favorite Shakespeare play? character? quote? film adaptation? etc.

Laughter is the Best Medicine: A Couple of Articles from ScienceDaily

My cousin David has turned me on to a couple of articles whose authors contend that Laughter is Good! Who would have thought? In any event, here are the links. These may prove useful as you and we and all of us make the case that laughter and, even better,  intentional laughter are good for the work place.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124200913.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100824103525.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061212213922.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505225405.htm

Play Ball: Favorite Baseball Movies

Baseball is my favorite spectator sport, from the stands, the TV, the radio and the movies. I know that I have a few favorite baseball movies. What are yours? Play ball and batter up and let's see how big a list we can create.

Who's on First: 75th anniversary

I saw a news piece yesterday that this year is the 75th anniversary of Abbott and Costello's classic routine "Who's on First". Nothing more to say except enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShMA85pv8M