Black Adventures

Fun date

2005-12-12T18:26:00.000-08:00

Picking cloths for your other:

difficulty:
3 - girl size things can be confusing

price:
free till you buy something

what's it good for:
mostly a good time, and the fun looks you get by everyone else as you shop around the girl section. You also get to try on clothes that you normally wouldn't pick out for yourself.

how'd ya do it:
We went to the Gap and decided to pick out clothes for each other. This got really interesting as I had an arm full of clothes for amber and the Gap girl asked me if she could get a dressing room "started for me". I did not even know what that meant. But it was fun to pretend that I knew what I was doing.

We took turns trying on our outfits and took pictures of the clothes, mis-sized and all. It was fun and we didn't have to spend any money.

Liberate yourself

2005-12-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

Freedom from the #2

difficulty:
7- you have to be able to let go of your sacred opinion

price:
free, except for the loss of your "voice"

what's it good for:
Freeing yourself from the bondage of the #2, and sitting nicely in your chair knowing that you are a revolutionary.

How'd ya do it:
Ever since I was in the second grade I have been told to fill out the Scan-tron with a #2 pencil. What magic does a #2 have? What happens if I didn't?

Well I have begrungenly accepted my bondage to the sacred pencil for 27 years. But recently I felt the need to bust through this tyrannical wall that has been built around me. As the teacher passed out the Scan-tron to fill out an evaluation, I knew that today was the day. I didn't have a pencil, nor did I want one. I was going to fill it out with a PEN!!!!

As I did it a wave of freedom came over me, much the dismay of the other students in my class that looked at me as if I decided to show up to class naked. They could not believe that I would shirk my responcibility with such bravado. Yes I did it, and I laugh today thinking about the grader who realizes that a student from a graduate class does not know how to fill out a Scan-tron.

This must have been what it was like to burn a bra.

b

Adventures in Exotic Chips

2005-12-05T09:47:00.001-08:00

Eat Exotic Chips on Road Trips

difficulty:
1 - just pick 'um out

price:
1-2 dolla's

what's it good for:
While exploring the world in your car with your family or friends, things can get boring. But not if you indulge in exploring the world of strange chips. Steer clear of Doritos, Lays, and the like, unless they have a flavor you have never seen.

Tom's is always a good choice. They have stuff like Steak and Onion, Salt and Pepper and the like. These Wasabi Funyuns were amazing!! So full of wasabi with the greatness of fake onion. Senor Tom's Salsa Verde was a bit disapointing because of its STRONG corn flavor and not enough verde loveliness.

Live life on the edge and reject normal chips on car trips

Using the force

2005-12-04T13:48:00.000-08:00

Drive to adventure in your own town.

difficulty:
2

price:
variable depending on gas

what's it good for:
Well it is good for making a trip to someone's house a total adventure complete with success cheering and a sense of acomplishment like getting to the top of a mountain.

how it works:
I get some directions to somewhere I have never been. I look at the directions and try to imagine driving them. Then I leave the directions at home, relying only on your own skills at memory and navigation to get you there. The exciting part is getting in the car without the directions in hand. Whoooa you are a madman you might say!!!

Well it is true. The sense of adventure starts as you leave the parking lot: destiniation- unknown. You drive towards the place you think you know where you are, but then you only remeber that the street you need starts with "W". Is it Washington or Walnut? That is the exciting part. You drive around "feeling" your way and then when and if you find your destination you feel like you found the lost city of atlantis. You sit in your car knowing that you are the modern day equivilant of the great adventurer Megellan...YOU HAVE FOUND YOUR FRIEND's HOUSE without a MAP!!!! You are awesome, a virtual human compass. You make shirts saying...Maps are for sissies.

Other bonuses outside of the sense of accomplishment in what would otherwise be a mundane task, you have a great story of how you got there (even if you got lost), you see and really "know" that place because you paid attention to every detail. You also get a different sense of direction and learn lessons that will help you in the future. Such as, when driving in the country street names are much less important than Farm to Market Hwy numbers, so if i see Washington st is also FM 1992, I will memorize the FM 1992 b/c that is what will be posted on signs. You would never know that until you did it wrong once.

warnings:
Adventures work best when you wife is not waiting for you, or it is a really important meeting or something. Also being alone in the car is best b/c if you are "using the force" with others in the car it can be really annoying to have to put up with their lack of hometown adventure appreciation.

b

After Midnight

2005-11-21T13:19:00.000-08:00

The first showing of a movie coming out

difficulty:
3 -mainly that difficulty comes the next day

price:
$8

what's it good for:
To remind yourself of the fun stuff you used to do. Why on earth would someone go see a movie at midnight? Because it is wicked fun, there are no kids, and you get to see the movie with all the people who are really committed to seeing such a great movie, meaning that the clap and laugh at the right times.

It is fun to stand in line and laugh at yourself and the others around you for what seems like a rediculious way to spend an evening. Take a book and some snacks and just chill in the line that is continuing to wrap around the theatre.

Amber and I do this on a very regular basis. All the Star Wars, LOTR, Harry Potter, and any other popcorn big movies that strike our fancy. Then you get to think about it all day before on how fun it is, and regret your decision all the next day. But you are living adventurously, or at least sleepy.

El Primero

2005-11-17T14:36:00.000-08:00

Be the first clapper

difficulty:
2-4

price:
free. 99

what's it good for:
It is good for amusing your friends that are sitting around the conference table with you, but more importantly to make you feel as if you have a huge amount of power. I am talking about mind control.

Somehow you have control of the social situation and you can manipulate 100's of people just by being the first to start clapping. Then the whole room erupts in clapping. There is a huge amount of pleasure to be had just by being the first to start the clapping

For an increased level of adventure, start clapping when it is not nessesarily appropriate. It won't work if it is totally out of the blue, but best used when the speaker is taking a breath or pauses for a second. Bust out the clapping, and soon eveyone is clapping but no one really knows why. You get to play on people's following tendancies and if they weren't paying attention to the speaker they hear clapping and just join in. It is wonderful, powerful, and helpful in allowing yourself to think you really do have super powers.

Fool of self

2005-11-14T08:41:00.000-08:00

Dance Like you Wanna

difficulty:
3- serious loss of self action

price:
free, but not all costs can be measured in money

what's it good for:
Losing your sense of self importance. Why don't we dance? Well this is mainly for those of us who don't dance. The reason I don't dance is because: I don't know how or I don't like it, meaning I feel stupid, I think I look stupid...ie: I am concerned with myself and how others see me.

I would say it is a good thing to go out and make a fool of yourself danceing. Dance like you don't care that you look stupid. So the freak what if you really do look stupid, what is there to lose?

Ultimatily what this is good for is to decrease your pride level and free yourself from being enslaved to being so worried about yourself.

Well have you done it?
Yes, I just did a 45sec improvisational interpretive dance on a stage with spot light-n-all. I danced like I saw on TV mainly to be stupid and make fun of myself, but in reality it was quite freeing to not care that much how dumb I looked. Yes there was leaping, back rolls, and gritty urban dance wear to be had.

Bargaining

2005-11-08T14:24:00.000-08:00

Rediscover the lost art of bargaining

Difficulty:
3- it takes a bit of umpf, but it is a fun 3

Price:
Free.99

Whats it good for:

This activity works best with independent stores which we should be shopping at anyway. The big commercial dudes don't have the freedom to do this mostly, but still worth a try given the right circumstances.

Taking back the lost art of bargaining is good for all parties involved. Good for the employees b/c the best time to take advantage of it is when they are bored, and good for you 'cause you get a good deal. It also is a rage against the monotony of the normal boring commerce experience. Who tries to bargain with you for stuff anymore...NOBODY thats the point. You get to expoloit the laziness of others and sometimes I get stuff just because I surprised them. In the Middle East bargaining is considered part of the fun of the commerce experience. The merchants expect and mostly demand to bargain, because it is fun for them. Lets bring fun back into the boring act of buying crap.

Ex: Leaving a UNT football game I see the water seller dudes still selling water for $2 a pop. No one is going to buy them 'cause the game is over. So I offer them $2 for two bottles, and you must always tell them why it is a good deal. That time it didn't work, but it was fun to ask and fun for them, or at least they laughed a bit in their boring job.

Ex:2 Going to a coffee shop the cashier tells me that their cash drawer is stuck and they can only take credit. I tell them that is too bad 'cause I only have cash (a half truth), but I told them that they could give me some of their coffee for free because the stuck drawer is a bit bad business. They agreed and I got two cups of free coffee.

Ex:3 Coffee shop again. They say that their thermos coffee is totally old and they will make some more for me. I tell them that since they are going to throw it out anyway how about give me the coffee for free and just heat it up for me. (I wasn't too picky that night) They agreed and I got a cup of coffee for free.

The moral of the story is "Why not ask?"
All they can do is say no.

Walk my way

2005-11-03T10:48:00.000-08:00

Don't take the same way

Difficulty:
1-3

Price:
Free-$2 with gas prices-n-stuff

What is it good for:
To continue the rage against monotany I suggest taking a new way to somewhere you have been a hundred times. I walk to class but I take many different paths to these classes just so I can not contstantly repeat myself. I see new things, new people, and continue to gain a new perspective on things.

It helps me rage against efficancy as a god in our lives as well. Taking the non-efficant and more creative route somewhere can help us enjoy the walk as opposed to just focusing on getting somewhere.

b

Create a quote of the day blog

2005-10-31T15:13:00.000-08:00

Our next adventure is the quote of the day blog.

Create a quote blog.

Difficulty: (1-10)
1

Price:
Free

What's it good for:
humor mostly but also to allow you to observe life in a way that makes you notice important things to document. What will tomorrow's be? Well at least adventurous for me.

I figured that could be way funny and with the demise of another quote of the day blog, I figured this one could fill its place.

Being scared

2005-10-31T14:37:00.000-08:00

Doing something you will most likely fail at:

Difficulty: (1-10)
5-10
Depending on how prideful you are, and how many people you tell you are going to do said activity.

Price:
Free

What's it good for:
Something that I am challenging myself to do is to do something that I am scared of, and to do something that I will most likely fail at. Why am I seeking to fail at something? Well basicly to try we don't do things that we can fail at. We only do things that we know we will succeed, or at the very least most likely succeed.

So what are you doing? Big pants?
Well I am doing a debate infront of about 200-300 students. But the problem is I suck at debating. I love to think, but I am not the fastest logical thinker. I am more of a talk for hours while drinking coffee kind of guy. So I signed up because no one else was gonna do it, and I was afraid of it. So when I realized I was afraid of it; I ran toward it.

I can't wait. I will fail and I don't care. Why are we afraid of failing? What might that say about us?....nothing it says we tried when no one else was doing it. If we only do stuff that we know we can do well, then we are never stretched, and we lean and love ourselves so much that we get to continue to put up the front that we never fail and we are awesome.

So we will see how this debate goes, but that is not the point.
Do stuff that makes you scared! Do something that you will most likely fail at, see how freeing it is!

B

Black adventures: the beginning

2005-10-31T13:37:00.000-08:00

This site is to promote my desire to convince others of the importance of living a life full of adventure. Sounds like someone who is trapped in Denton, well it's true, but that does not make me live a monotonous life. We must have adventures wherever we live.

I imagine that there are people living in Paris that think it sucks, and people that are bored to death in Boulder, CO. So it must be a state of mind.

And that is what we, Los Negros, are here to promote.

hope it doesn't suck
b