Life of the Party....

I went to a wonderful New Years party and several Holiday get-togethers only to realize I was rusty on the art of chatting with strangers. After careful critique of my misgivings at the parties and some thought as to how I would have chatted differently I have come up with a short list of safe areas to chat about with strangers, or somewhat new friends:

* Tell me how you know the host?
* Are you traveling anywhere over the holidays?
* Where did you go on your latest vacation?
* Where are you thinking about going on your NEXT vacation?
* What is your favorite local restaurant?
* What do you like best about your job?

Other tips I have learned when at social and business functions:
Listen more, speak less to be well liked. People love to speak about themselves. In social situations, be sure to ask others about their interests, work, opinions, etc. This will take the focus off of you. A side benefit of this approach is that you will invariably be viewed as a great conversationalist, even though you’ve said little or nothing!

Try some humor. Listen to a favorite comedian before leaving for the event. Begin taking note of the things that make you laugh. Pay attention to what others find humorous. You don’t have to be particularly quick-witted or a great storyteller in order to make others laugh. In fact, some of the funniest (and safest) material is that which is self-deprecating. As a side benefit this approach lets your listener know that you don’t take yourself too seriously.

Current events can strike interesting conversation. Even with limited time, you can have a cursory knowledge of what’s happening in the world. Subscribe to a weekly news magazine or at least skim the headlines of a daily paper. You can even catch the news online these days! You don’t have to be an expert in order to casually refer to something that is newsworthy. Read up and study what’s new on the internet, books, news etc. What have you recently enjoyed? A trip to a space museum? Thai food? Your first opera? Fly-fishing? New (and attention-getting) experiences will always provide fodder for stimulating conversation. Always smile and be positive. Keep your comments upbeat and enthusiastic. People are instinctively drawn to positive conversation. And notice how quickly they will excuse themselves if you begin discussing your current health problems! Stay to the point sharing ever so lightly your thoughts. Share your true feelings for your friends who care. Brevity and humility go a long way in social situations.

Why I like Facebook and Not MySpace!

I started with social media by joining MySpace. It is was a great place to share information and be somewhat “hip” with my kids. But when I discovered FACEBOOK, well my days of rushing to check my MySpace were over!

Why I like Facebook better:

I like Facebook because I can reconnect with old friends I lost touch with a long time ago and have really, really missed. The search feature seems to work better to locate those friends and more importantly I don't have to connect with those I don’t know or don't want to hang out with. Not MySpace. On MySpace, those old friends that I would rather not reconnect with and even ones I lost touch with on purpose seem to be able to find me.

I like Facebook because it has a larger range of ages and most people have snapshots of themselves in regular attire (or at least actual pictures of themselves). It seems to be for the regular “Jo.” I like Facebook because it’s fun to post silly little updates letting everyone in your friends network know you have a life and we are all “real.” I LOVE Facebook because I can pick and choose the most adorable pictures of myself and my family (mostly my family) to post for everyone else to admire and envy. I HATE MySpace because other people can post horrible, awful pictures without my consent or approval, leaving all of THEIR friends to think that I look like a creepy scarecrow.

I like Facebook because I can use it to connect with friends and people I work with and my old school mates. I can support my causes like suicide prevention and being green, and not support things I don’t like. Others can support me too, in fact I was even sponsored for my suicide prevention walk last month. Not MySpace because I can’t figure out how to get relevant stuff on there.

Jonelle Tannahill's Profile | Create Your Badge


Basically, I enjoy Facebook because it is a place for me to reconnect with friends and stay in touch with family -- and the added bonus is I don't feel like the mom who is on there to monitor her kids, but instead I am the mom who is one there because my friends are on there too!

My friends and I tried the Oxygen Bar!

Some time out with the girls is always a fun time...but a few girls without enough to do...well that leads to new discoveries.

The posse of gals decided to try an oxygen bar...An oxygen bar is a place that offers concentrated oxygen for inhalation. A number of claims are made about oxygen bars, which may tout themselves as offering a healthy and beneficial service. (Oxygen in high concentrations certainly has recreational effects, but it appears to have no known health benefits and may even be dangerous).

At the oxygen bar, we paid a set per-minute fee to inhale oxygen through a nasal cannula. Once the cannula is inserted, the oxygen source is turned on, and we felt simultaneously energized and peaceful. The oxygen bar was cautious about making health claims, because they do not want to run afoul of government regulation, but we did notice that we felt energized when we left. In some oxygen bars, flavored oxygen mixed with various aromas is offered, to make the experience more interesting or for aroma therapeutic value.

Overall, it was just a fun thing to try!

Photo Tips for Good Family Photos!

While my daughter (Jenna) and her family (Husband Smokey and son Wyatt) were in California for Thanksgiving, we took the opportunity to take some family pictures. My husband Richard, who is a great photographer, took them and there was so many that we loved! I never posted these after Thanksgiving, but I wanted to post them now! So, here are a few of our family pictures and a few tips on how to get some good family pictures!

(L to R: First Row: Me, Makay, Smokey, Kelsey, Richard. 2nd Row: Jenna, Wyatt and Beau.)

1. Prepare - decide on the location for your group photo in advance and make sure the lighting is right. You don't want people squinting into the sun while you take your photo. Also think about how you will pose people - taller people at the back, smaller people and kids in front.

2. Take Lots of Shots - the best way to get a great shot is to take as many as you can. Many cameras have a continuous shooting mode where you can take many photos in just a few seconds. This is your best chance of getting a shot without someone blinking.







3. Get in Close - this applies to you and the people whose photo you are taking. When people are standing together for a group photo there is often little gaps in between people which takes away from the look of the photo. Getting people to move in close together makes it look much more like a group of people happy to be photographed together than a group of strangers standing in the same place. Get in as close as you can to take the photo without cutting anyone out, to give you as much detail as possible.

4. Use a Tripod - This is especially useful if you want to be in the shot too. Always take a few shots of the group first and check to make sure every thing looks right before you set the timer and jump in yourself.

5. SMILE - Getting everyone to smile nicely for the camera can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. Using the old "Say Cheese" is a good standby for getting everyone too look at the camera and smile. And with photographing groups of kids, bribery always works well. Candy works every time!