THE ULTIMATE EAVESDROPPING

GAMES AND PRACTICAL USES LIST

Games

1. Name the Gamer – A friend and I came up with this game a while back, when a tall, curly-haired, unfortunately-mustached boy came on to our bus – a regular Napoleon Dynamite. My friend randomly whispered to me, “Gamer,” and we broke out into hysterical laughter. During that entire bus trip we played Name the Gamer. Essentially, you can point out anyone that shows up on the bus and call them a gamer, and it will still make for a hilarious game. However, if you want to be more accurate, stick to the stereotypes – scrawny guys who look like they don’t get out much, and girls who look like they’re always saying, “OMG, I love COD.” While eavesdropping, you can change all of their dialogue so that it sounds like they’re talking about a video game they play. My friend and I know hardly anything about the more hardcore video games that are out there, but in a way it makes it that much more fun. If you’re like us, you can use these categories: war games, shooting games, racing games, and sports games.
2. The Fake Personality Game – Using nothing but the physical appearance and conversation, come up with a personality to suit (or completely not suit) your target. The more outrageous the details, the more hilarious this game is. If you’ve ever read the book Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, there’s a part where the two main characters play a game similar to this one, but theirs involves stalking and well – let’s not even go there.
3. What You See Is What You Get – Named after the Hall & Oates song and loosely based on 20 Questions, this guessing game is perfect for when either you or your friend is not facing your target. If it’s your friend, get them to ask you a series of yes or no questions to determine the appearance of your target (“Does he/she have brown hair?” or “Is he/she wearing leather jacket?”). The goal is just to see how many are guessed correct, but you could make it interesting – maybe work out a point system…or place a bet?
4. The Conversation – I can’t really take credit for this game (although I’m not sure who could), because it’s a classic – and not just in eavesdropping. This pastime has been used in television shows and movies so much you should probably already know what I’m talking about. No? Okay, this is it: If your targets’ conversation suddenly gets dull, you and your friend can replace all of their dialogue with your own! Simple enough, right? It’s like real life audio dubbing! Just be sure to be far enough away from your targets before you start.

Practical Uses for Writers

1. Characters – As a creative fiction writer, I often write in a lot of the interesting characters I see on buses or at parties. Using the mannerisms, speaking tendencies, and outer appearances of your targets, you can cut down on a lot of time spent sketching characters. A lot of writers use family and friends to fuel the character sketches for the writing, but strangers work just as well, and possibly even better. For example, you might not want to use your grandmother’s personality for an antagonist in your story, but with a stranger it’s okay, because you don’t know them. You’re just writing about a character that is essentially that stranger in a story that could potentially be published and distributed for all to read. No big deal…
2. Plot – Another way to use eavesdropping as an advantage to your writing is your targets’ actual conversations. If you happen to have a pen and paper with you, jot down a funny or strange conversation that you’ve overheard and add it to your writing – you never know what people will say.

Hopefully these games and practical uses will inspire you to get out there and try them out! Despite the fact that I came up with them (she said humbly), they really are a lot of fun and useful.

            In the meantime, have you come up with any eavesdropping-related games of your own? Send them my way – and I want details!

Happy eavesdropping!

What is a community garden?

A community garden is exactly what it sounds like, an area for growing food and flowers that is used by the people who live in the community.  Community gardens can either have individual plots or communal growing areas.

This community-based initiative:

• helps improve nutrition for children and low-income families
• provides proven therapeutic benefits for people with a wide variety of physical and cognitive impairments
• creates strong connections between people of different ages and different economic backgrounds
• improves the environment both aesthetically and ecologically

History

During World Wars I and II, people all over the world planted “victory gardens” so that they could better provide their families with healthy and affordable food while supplies were tight.

The government rationed foods such as sugar, butter, milk, cheese, eggs, coffee, meat and canned goods.  Labor and transportation shortages made it difficult to harvest and transport produce to the market.

When people started growing their own food again, it boosted moral and gave communities a renewed sense of self-sufficiency.  Neighbours pooled their resources, and planted an assortment of foods while forming co-operatives, all in the name of patriotism.  Eventually, victory gardens were found on rooftops, vacant lots and public parks.

Economics of Community Gardens

Most importantly, community gardens are very inexpensive.  Plants, seeds, and soils can be purchased in bulk.  Some gardens may be able to gain funding or donations from local organizations or from the municipality.

The only things that community members are investing are time and elbow grease.  As the years go by, the garden will grow larger and stronger, just like the friendships built within the garden and community.

Community Gardens contribute to communities on a greater scale

Not only do community gardens impact the community around the garden, but the harvested crops can easily be donated to community-based initiatives, such as soup kitchens and food banks.

In Hamilton, Ontario, West Highland Baptist Church had purchased land behind their parish that was known to have no use for the next 10 years, and began to harvest it.  In 2008, approximately 14,000 pounds of fresh produce was given away to those in need within the Hamilton community.

Since families go on vacation during the summer months, food banks find that the number of donations decrease.  With the contribution of fresh, local produce, everyone in the community can enjoy healthy and tasty meals.

An employee at the Good Shepherd Centre in Hamilton says “When we offer clients beans, they say, ‘Canned beans?’ Then we say, ‘No, actually they’re fresh beans.’”

“Fresh beans?! We’ve never had fresh beans.”

Providing the community with fresh, nutritious meals is rewarding and the Good Shepherd Centre is thankful for initiatives such as the West Highland Baptist Church who contribute to feeding the less fortunate.

Try it yourself.  Start off with one or two plants, and slowly grow your own garden.  Everyone benefits from a garden.