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It is so nice that you have lots of friends who share all of your frustration and pent-up emotions. Now let’s turn the whining into winning! It’s time for you to be a passionate organizer.
Category Archives: Elections & Campaigns
When we were children we would pray for things like a pet lizard or Cap’n Crunch cereal instead of oatmeal (one of us at OVH didn’t think to pray bigger… like for a dog or a bike).
Now that we are adults we know that if we want something badly enough we need to take action. When things in the country are mostly stable and prosperous, it is easy to overlook the daily struggles of millions of Americans. When the proverbial poop hits the fan and we’re hit with a health crisis, economic uncertainty, social injustice and environmental crisis we have to look to the past and learn from the Americans who stood up, fought and made real change in our country. We think to some degree, we’re all a little guilty of not paying close enough attention to the fact that what makes our country strong is our ability to bring about change through the uprising of our citizens.
The fact of the matter is, how our country functions is 100% based on the success of it’s citizens and the policies enacted by our elected representatives. Fortunately, we live in a country where the citizens have the control to decide who those elected officials will be.
Praying for change simply isn’t enough. If you want something different, you have to make it happen.
The most effective way to see change happen is locally. Get involved in your local communities and elections. Join the regional chapters of your party and volunteer for events and campaigns that will help educate your community. You’d be surprised how much you can do in your own home town and from inside your own home.
Lie to everyone. Peer pressure can be magnified during times of elections. Your immediate family, friends and coworkers can make you feel like you all need to have a unified voice.
The reason each person gets a vote in this country is because each person is an independent and nuanced individual. Not every single one of your beliefs or interests may fall in line with the candidate everyone in your circle is voting for. We would like very much to recommend lying to them about who you are voting for. 😉
Don’t get us wrong, we aren’t saying keep your opinions hidden or be ashamed of your candidate. Quite the contrary! At OVH, we can’t STOP talking politics. However, you know as well as we do that sometimes the conversation just isn’t worth it. Your mind isn’t going to be changed. Their mind isn’t going to be changed. So don’t cause yourself the extra stress by engaging. In staggering numbers, families and friends across the country have been torn apart by conflicting political views. We get it and have experienced the same thing.
What we’ve learned through the process? That when you know a conversation is only going to lead to a fight that goes nowhere, don’t sweat it. Know that you’re going to take your vote to the polls for your candidate and be thankful to have the right to do so.
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Carry On Oki
You no longer have to go to a Karaoke-specific bar or know someone with fancy equipment.
There are a few things we can thank COVID-19 and Quarantine for, though admittedly, the list is very short. One of those is the mass adoption of online gatherings. All you need now is a few friends or family, a computer with a camera and microphone and then you’re all set to have a fun night of karaoke at home!
If you’re organizing this little shindig around Halloween you might consider having a “Scaryoke” party, complete with costumes holiday themed backgrounds and appropriate song choices. (See list at bottom of page).
You only need 3 things to host a Virtual Karaoke party:
- Zoom (or any virtual meeting/party app)
- Watch2Gether: create a party room for your guests and as they join, you’ll all see the same screen
- A list of friends and family
Set up your party via Zoom and Watch2Gether and send invites to your friends and family.
Best Practices:
- Have each person submit their songs beforehand and find the karaoke version of the song on YouTube or Vimeo. We have yet to think of a song that doesn’t have a Karaoke track with on-screen lyrics on one of those two platforms
- After receiving everyone’s songs, create a setlist that keeps the momentum strong. One slow song to every 2 fast-paced songs. Too many slow songs in a row can slow things down too much!
- To keep everyone engaged, don’t let them know the setlist ahead of time. If you know that you’re performing 4th in line, you may tune out until song #3. But if you don’t’ know when your name may be called, you’ll be engaged and paying attention.
- Keep it positive! Anyone who has the nerve to sing in front of their friends and family deserves a round of applause!
Let’s make sure that we a 100% ready to vote!
In 2016, 92 million eligible voters didn’t vote.
We aren’t going to lecture you (that’s not what we’re about). But here’s a gentle reminder: we’ve seen first hand the difference in compassionate and inclusive leadership versus, well, the opposite of that. Regardless of the personal feelings of any elected official, the core of their agenda is based on the voices of those who elected them.
- Elected officials put the judges in place who provided protection for the first gay magazine in 1958.
- Elected officials decriminalized homosexuality in the ’60’s.
- Elected officials instituted “Don’t ask, don’t tell”.
- Elected officials listened to voters and blazed a trail for marriage equality.
- Elected officials listened to voters and made fundamental change in health care.
- Elected officials are listening to their voters and trying to legislate how we use the bathroom.
Make sure that what is important to you is heard so that the elected leaders are your elected leaders and reflect the values that are important to you. The only way to make sure that happens is to VOTE.
Vote.org has everything you need…make sure you’re registered (and get registered if you’re not!). Find your polling place, request an absentee ballot and find links to the voting information for every state. Once that’s done make sure everyone you know does the same.
