Sex in the Suburbs: A Who's Who

The new Sex in the City movie opened recently and heralding its premiere are the male critics collectively groaning. At first I wondered why but then after listening to one of them it became clear to me: the characters are really quite horrible. Could it be that some of the appeal of the show is that audience members take delight in the demise of mean but fabulously wealthy individuals? I'd like to think that we can rejoice in the happiness of others and construct stories around characters that we not only admire but can relate to very personally. After all, in real life I have three fabulous friends (one of whom is a Charlotte!) and we are wonderful people indeed! Surely the show speaks to so many because of its themes of solidarity, friendship, and shopping; and surely, too, those themes can just as easily be portrayed with characters that are loving and genuine. Are people so base that they need bad characters to feel better about themselves or can we find entertainment with inspiring characters?

So here's the first challenge: Design a character that you can write your stories about. It can be as close to the true you or as far as you want. As this is primarily a work of fiction, we can assume that most of it is make-believe unless you choose to tell us otherwise. After all, it helps to work out reality in a fiction sometimes. Post your character description as a comment to this post, please. Oh yeah, and enjoy!

Writing Stories!

Dear Girlfriends,
Robin had an idea for our next caper. Sex and the City prompts. Bring on the fun.

Dara :-)

Running Wild for A Bit.

The day is beautiful. A new medium has been opened before my eyes. Never been interested in cameras, but the casio is captivating. The best glimpses so far have been the shutter clicks captured seconds before the first rain drop falls. Life is far too exciting these days to try and run another game this year so it would appear unless Susan wants to run one, you all are out of luck.
Instead, let's all celebrate the positive changes in our lives. The marriages, moves, and in some cases new babies. Can't claim to have it all figured out, but for now very blessed.
Visited an old fishing spot recently to think. The beavers have come so it looks as if the secret will shortly be buried in a watery grave. Everyone thinks beavers are so cute, but they remain one of the most destructive habitat creatures in North America short of man. Here's a huge tree they've almost circled. It will probably be fallen by summer and part of their dam where little beavers can play on it.
Still working on people. Plants and trees can't move, but the camera makes this annoying sound every time you turn it on so it's hard to snap shots without them being aware. Haven't gotten it all down, but hopefully will figure out something soon. May have to resort to reading the manual. A sure sign I'm desperate. Well, I'll leave you for the month. My day field trips have become possible due to this little gadget on my right. It's called a bento lunch box. An old Japanese invention that is positively clever. You put tea or drink in the bottom and fill the top two layers with all sorts of food. It's insulated and clean up is a snap as you just throw the whole thing in the dishwasher at the end of your adventure. This is a picture of my lunch perched on a huge fallen tree trunk over a creek where I stopped for lunch before the rain cut everything short. It has helped solve my dilemma between my desire to go on adventures and dislike of energy bars or gas station foraging.

This Year's Game is Closed

Susan and Chris won this year's title of Man and Woman of Mystery. They will be collecting their prize shortly. For everyone who didn't get the first puzzle, the website was hidden in lemon juice and you had to heat the envelope to reveal the first clue. I had several people complain the directions weren't clear enough so I will try to clean up the game for next year. I am also open to suggestions if anyone thinks of something else they would prefer to be doing instead. My intent was to provide something fun to do, but perhaps didn't present it in a clear enough manner. Regardless, love you all and look forward to hearing from you.

August: Heading Down South

Dear Spies,
Chocolate chip cookies in hand we will be pitting our wits against Dan in Australia this month. Visit the website here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tirau_dan/816791070/. He's dreamed up a photo to test your wits in nautical codes and invisible inks. When you think you've figured it out, test the answer on the envelope enclosed in your cookies to find your e-mail address and post it here by September 1st to get your next puzzle.

Best of Luck,
The Director

July 1st-The Games Begin

Dear Spy,
Congrads on making it through your first month's trials. Simply post your answer below for the next stage.

Sincerely,
The Director

You are cordially invited to join the Too-Much-Fun-Club.

When my mom and her best friend Kate Maynard graduated from college, they found in their mid-20s that they began to lose touch with their college friends they had so enjoyed as they moved away/started families. Not wanting to lose touch and also wanting to add joy to those lives around them, they created the Too-Much-Fun-Club. The goal of the club was to have fun, be it through games, trips, puzzles, practical jokes, mischief, or other means. Laughter like beauty and love is a gift to fill your life and those around you with. The original group has had a lot of fun and not a few pranks pulled in 30 some odd years.

Well, we’re almost all mid-20s now and we need to start our own Too-Much-Fun-Club. J It is something I want to share with all of you: Amanda (and Randell), Charlotte, Emma (and Andy), Katie (and Tav), Robin (and Rick), Sheri (and Guy), Susan (and Chris), Susanna, and Stephen.

If you’re all interested e-mail me back at dara_mcginn@hotmail.com with your consent, phone number, and current address.

I will be sending out details of the first caper in two weeks to see if it meets with everyone’s approval. Been in the mood to pull a James Bond International Spy Mystery Game for a while since I’ve been suffering from withdrawal from Susan’s Murder Mystery Parties. Trust me, it will be fun, if a little wacky.