learn cool parlour/party tricks

On my first, but not my last, little parlour trick. I’m going to learn dollar-bill origami. Okay, I admit, it’s more of a bar pick-up trick than a party one, but it does offer a couple of advantages.

One, it’ll give me something to do with my hands in other settings. You see, I’m the type of person who fidgets during meetings. I doodle, twist paper clips, tap pens, all that annoying stuff. I have a soon-to-retire colleague who’s the same way, and he passes the time by creating origami figures. I’ve always found it fascinating. (For the record, people like us do listen and take good notes when called for. We just don’t sit still very well.)

Two, dollar-bill origami isn’t quite a magic trick but it does have that possibility for audience participation. You know, someone can hand me a dollar bill and I’ll make a bit of art out of it. Very much like sleight-of-hand, but without the possibility of me really messing up. (And good practice for dexterity in case I go the magic route later on.)

So….it’s simple, laid-back, mildly entertaining, and involves very little investment of nervous energy on my part. I think it’s a perfect first skill to add to my party repetoire. What do you think?

I have several so-called social gatherings that occur every year and which seem to be marked by the kiss of death from the moment the invitations are issued. Perhaps the discomfort is predictable, as these work-related affairs tend to be an odd hodgepodge of colleagues, bosses, former colleagues, significant others, and children. Because the events masquerade as voluntary social occasions but are all but mandatory, I can’t simply refuse to attend. And, to be truthful, I kind of get a perverse kick out of watching the dynamics—especially when you mix the odd assortment of personalities with a few stiff drinks.

But the head of my department is always looking for a way to make these large and unwieldy gatherings seem more personal/intimate, more like we’re actually friends who get together because of our close emotional ties. (The conceit is silly, I know, but all-too-common in the work worlds with which I am familiar.) To this end, he has organized “open mic” events, where we all share a little of ourselves. Most of the folks who volunteer are natural hams, and their talent seems to be musical or aural/oral in nature. I’ve been subjected to slam poetry, Irish drinking songs, tall tales, bongos, guitar solos, (so-called) stand-up comedy, the accordian, readings excerpted from an in-progress novel/short story, and the bagpipes. So far, I’ve been able to slip under the wire, not volunteering my time or talent to this aspect of the shindigs. But I fear my undercover status will soon need to change, as there’s a lot of pressure to perform above and beyond my regular work duties.

Part of the reason for my hesitation is that I have no discernable stageworthy talent. I don’t play an instrument, I sing off-key, and the only punchlines I remember are to dirty jokes. Plus, I really don’t want to participate in a stand-up performance, per se. For me, it never gets beyond the artificial, an artificially generated and regulated form of interaction. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

So I’m looking for another kind of skill to develop, one which allows me to both participate in the system and maybe even to subvert it. So I’ve decided to pick and learn at least one cool parlour or party trick. Some of the options I’m considering: learning to make balloon animals, palm-reading, Tarot cards, or simple magic tricks (sleight-of-hand or card tricks). Anything that allows me to contribute to the social work of the gathering without actually pressuring myself to be performative.

At this point these are just rough ideas, and I’d like your input as I’m not sure what of those, if any, I should choose, or if there are other options I’m overlooking.