I’m thinking about a few different pieces I’d like to write and I’d love your opinions on a few questions! Such as:
1. Do you take your shoes off the minute you walk in your front door? Or do you like to wear them around the house?
I’ve been a “shoes off” person for as long as I can remember, but living in Asia has turned my one-time, just-a-preference into something much stronger.
2. Do you treat your technology (iPads, iPhones, crackberries, etc) carefully? Or do you toss them haphazardly into your purse or leave them next to the bathroom sink? Or are you careful in some ways and not in others?
My husband is always horrified though when he finds me taking a shower at night with my phone perched next to the bathroom sink. How about you?
3. Have you ever started a group? A book club, a running group, etc? What are some good tips for recruiting a good group of people, for planning events, and for keeping things going strong after the first few initial meet-ups?
Comment below, send me an email, or share your ideas on the (still a work in progress) Hot Pot Facebook page.
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to read your answers/ideas/tips!
Hot Pot 
I’m Canadian, so definitely shoes off! I remember always being confused as a kid when people in movies would keep their shoes on – I can only assume that it’s because you don’t have snow to track into the house in, say, California, but surely Americans who live in snowy states must take them off?! Perplexing to say the least!
Definitely haphazardly – although my iPhone is in more danger if it’s in a case because our great Dane likes to chew on cases, but couldn’t care less about the phone! My stuff tends to last anyways, though – my iPhone is over 3 years old!
See you would think that people in places like Wisconsin (where I grew up) would be shoes-off because we too get a lot of now there. But not always! My mother spends half of the winter trying to remind my dad to take off his shoes before he tracks slush all over the house. Sometimes I wonder if it’s an easy/comfort thing. He’s a tall guy so finding space to take his shoes off comfortable in the entryway is kind of hard maybe? Glad to hear your phone is still surviving after 3 years of abuse! More evidence to support my own careless ways!
I am mostly a shoes-off kinda person partly because I grew up in Bulgaria and the streets of my childhood weren’t exactly pristine. Plus, my mother was adamant about making everyone take their shoes off, if they wanted to get in our house. Indian streets are not the cleanest either, so it makes sense to take shoes off,especially if you have a little one that likes to roll on the floor and lick his toys that have been on the floor. My husband is more of a shoes-on kinda guy though and have to constantly remind to take them off.
As far as phones or other electronics, I am not the most careful, so I get covers and such, preemptively because I (or a child) could drop my phone at any time. My husband is more careful with electronics than me.
Organizing groups – I have done stuff like that but not for a while. I used to like it but now I use most of my organizing energy on my kids, although it would be nice to do it with adults as well. I’d prefer something casual though. I am not very good with all the diplomatic etiquette – need to work on that…
I hear you! Ever since Will was born I just cringe when people walk into our house with their shoes on and when my father was visiting he was usually the worst offender because he just couldn’t help himself! He had no clue he was even doing it! 🙂 Interesting to hear that your husband is more careful than you are, from my anecdotal evidence, that’s usually how it is–for us too!
I am mostly a shoes off kind of girl. My step-mom is English, so I think some of that comes from that upbringing, but it also evolved into me just enjoying being barefoot.
I think I’m fairly careful with my phone. I don’t have a protective jacket thingamajig on it, though. I would like one, but I can’t find one that isn’t bulky. Plus, I really like the sleek whiteness of my iPhone. No matter what kind of electronic is around, though, I don’t put glasses of liquid near them.
I’ve never organized a group of any sort, other than as a teacher, I suppose! I imagine I’d approach it from that teacher view, though. Meaning, I’d be sure to always have some sort of meaningful and relatable activity/topic to do/discuss and to provide an outlet for feedback.
Hope that helps!
Thanks so much Tiffany! That’s so interesting to hear about your phone, I’ve been hearing so many people (ok, women) saying they toss their phone around and I was wondering if there were any of us who were a little more careful, this is great to hear!
I am shoes off, all the way! (I am Asian.) However, a few weeks ago I was cooking in the kitchen and broke a glass measuring cup that literally EXPLODED all over the place and there were a million shards of glass everywhere. My husband had to come in (with shoes) and carry me out so we could sweep. So, sometimes shoes are a good idea.
Re: starting activities, I started a book club a couple years ago with friends in DC. The membership has changed (added members, lost members) but there are two of us who have been around since the beginning. I asked a friend from work because she and I could each bring different friend groups to the table (friends from work, college, church, etc.). I guess this would be more difficult at post since the pool of people is smaller though. Tips for keeping it going: Be flexible (not everyone has to finish every book, we don’t HAVE to meet every month or every six weeks — sometimes we go two months between meetings) and allow everyone to have their say (whether it’s picking a book or meeting location).
I hear you on the measuring glass! We are a total “shoes off the second you walk in the house” family but then when there is a shattered jar of exploded baby food on the floor of the kitchen, I do sometimes reconsider. Thank youf or the tips on the book club! I’m hoping to start some kind of group in Delhi but still figuring out how I’d go about it, what kind of group, etc. Great tips!
I’m generally prepared to do shoes off at other peoples houses, but it makes me uncomfortable because I didn’t grow up that way. Can’t wear sandals because I don’t want to be barefoot, have to make sure my socks are presentable enough (especially if I don’t know them well) etc. At my house we don’t ask people to remove their shoes because they’re guests! It’s about whatever they are comfortable doing.
I try to be careful with electronics as far as tossing them about and making sure they aren’t somewhere they’ll be damaged, but don’t hesitate to bring them in the bathroom.
As for starting groups, I’ve done it a few times and am doing it again. I’m starting by arranging dinner parties with interesting people who may not know each other, and then pick a final book club from there.
Thank you! This is exactly what I wanted to hear because I think this is a more standard American perspective and also why I don’t feel comfortable enforcing a “shoes-off” rule while we are in the States. I always just remember Carrie Bradshaw and her Manalo Blahniks at the baby shower in Sex and the City. 🙂 Overseas in places where the sidewalks are so dirty you’d be inviting illness into your home by wearing shoes, I have no problem telling people to take their shoes off; but in America, I just can’t, and I’m glad to hear that it’s for a good cause!
Late in commenting (thanks to using the iphone as my main source of internet during R&R), but I have started a very successful running group http://www.irunyourun.com — using the meetup.com platform (it’s great).
At first I posted ads on Craiglist on “activity partners” to get members to join, first meetup was a happy hour so people could get to know each other, and first run was a week later. Now there are runs at least 5 times a week, we’ve done races out of town, trained for marathons together, had many successful happy hours/BBQ’s and made amazing friends through the group (and even a couple of marriages came out of it).
From the beginning I made it clear that it is not “my” group but “our” group, and I think that has really made a difference. So much so, that I’ve been gone from DC for over a year and the group is still going strong thanks to the help of assistant organizers (we all volunteer our time, the group provides no source of income, just joy of having others sharing our hobby). Feel free to email me if you have specific questions on it.
Thank you so much for this Carla! I’ve actually looked into your DC running group here (and then realized with the baby it wouldn’t quite work out this summer but maybe another one!). These tips are fantastic and I’m just so in awe of your organizing ability! Hope you guys are enjoying R&R and that you’re feeling better and enjoying the whole pregnant thing! So excited for you! I might very well be emailing you with more group-starting questions in a few weeks!
Interesting questions! 🙂
1) Shoes off!
2) Careful
3) Soccer group for girls as a teenager and book groups (not done either in a long time, though)
My favorite bookstore in DC, Politics & Prose on Connecticut, NW, is a great place to look for books and book lovers, for example.
1)shoes off-there is filthy and poop all over the streets in Addis Ababa and that means it’s on our shoes. If we left shoes on in our house my daughters (the youngest for sure) would be eating it and crawling in it. I try to have indoor shoes or slippers because the marble floors overseas are so hard on your knees and ankles and plus my feet get cold.
2) not careful. My phone is a crummy one but I get it gooped up with food from laying on the kitchen counters all the time. I never know where it is and sometimes have to call it to listen to the ring so I can find it. I hate cell phones.
3) Never-curious to see what you are up to!
Ha, love these answers Sara! They sound like mine. I have about 3 different pairs of house shoes that Chris has gotten for me over the years. I’m just disappointed now that I accidently packed them into our HHE!