So How Different is Pepsi from Coke?

You and your friends need to get together and do something that would make marketing execs proud. Well, you don't even need to contact marketing execs. All you need are a few cans of soda of different brands, some plastic cups, and maybe a blindfold, if you want things to be a little more accurate.

Now, you need to do some taste tests. If you're doing this on the weekend - which you probably should, as the office is not the best place for you to blindfold your co-worker and hand a plastic cup over for some drinking-and-scrutinizing-your-drink games - then you may need to have a to-do list, just so you don't get lost. Yes, office work can mess with your brain.

1. Set out a table with some chairs on your lawn, or somewhere in your house where you won't be disturbed or suspected of illegal dealings.

2. Set out some cups on the table, and divide the table into the appropriate number of sections. Say, if you are testing Coke vs. Pepsi, divide the table into 2; Coke vs. Pepsi and Dr. Pepper vs. Cherry Coke, divide the table into 4; and so on.

3. Do not pour out the soda into the cups until all your friends arrive and you are ready for some soda expertise work.

4. When your friends do arrive, choose one person to blindfold. Blindfold said victim. Ehem. Person.

5. Pour a glass of each sample drink for the blindfolded person, but never reveal the identity of said drink. Ask your blindfolded person to talk on:

* How the drink tastes (what does it remind you of? can you guess what the drink is? is it sweet, salty, bitter, sour, or tangy? what taste stands out?)

* What the drink smells like

* What food would go best with it

* Which of all the drinks tastes the best

* Which drink you'd rather feed your dog

6. Assign a secretary to write your findings down.

7. Keep those findings for future use (e.g. parties, parties, parties, etc.)

8. FINALLY: Answer the question - how different is Pepsi from Coke?

1...2...3...

Remember those days as a kid when you played hide-and-seek all afternoon?

Here's a challenge: play hide-and-seek again.

No, don't use your office. And no, don't ask your boss to play along. Reserve one weekend afternoon at your house or a friend's house, and if you like, play with the kids! It's a great way to relive your childhood memories, not to mention get some exercise while spending time with your children. Well - what do you know! THREE birds with one stone!

Now get out there and start playing! Just be sure you nail down the rules, unless you want to end up beating each other up over who's saved and who's "it."

And have fun! Think of this as an exercise in keeping your summer - and childhood - alive in you.

If Ye Like Hiking...

Then you may want to try this out on your friends. The next time you all decide to go hiking, give up any chance of seeing any deer. Why? Because you'll be singing.

Now before the wildlife experts out there start crying foul, you'll have to wait a heigh-ho minute. There are a few rules that you have to follow. First, you need to sing low: not a whisper, not an all-out-at-the-top-of-your-lungs voice. But sing as though you were talking.

Second, no scaring away of wildlife.

Third, don't be too engrossed in your singing that you'll miss the warning signs that you're: 1) being eaten alive by mosquitoes, 2) crawling with chiggers, and 3) serving as the flesh fest for a family of ticks.

Fourth, you all need to learn some songs so you can sing them together. Now the choice of song will depend on your chosen theme. Would you all like to sing heartbreaking love songs? Or would you all like to sing Disney songs? Pick a theme. Each person has to select a song for that theme, and then send everyone the lyrics. No need for rehearsals: let's all be honorable and show up prepared.

The next time you hike, make sure you sing together. It's a good bonding experience, and it can take the boredom out of an unremarkable hike, especially if you're on a trail that you already know and you're just there for exercise. The singing, moreover, will train you to breathe properly.

Now, breathe deeply, and start practicing...

Heigh ho...heigh ho...we're nuts but we're not slow...

Board Games Keep the "Bored" Out of Parties

Monopoly, Rigamarole, Mastermind, Clue...a board game can keep you and your friends occupied for hours. So why not have a game night?

Instead of pulling out the PlayStation or the Wii, or polishing those chips for poker, why don't you organize a game night and get some Pictionary or Trivial Pursuit going? A board game really can bring you and your friends closer, and it can encourage team play, not to mention participation by every single person. So instead of taking turns with the electronic games, and instead of betting real money, why not have a board game for a night?

Here's a recommendation: try not to cringe at the prices, but Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot is a great game to try out. The more, the merrier.

The key to enjoying this is to be insane. Board games can be as insane as you make them: feel free to take risks with Clue, and to gamble your play money in Monopoly. Killer Bunnies is great for letting out the lunatic in you. As long as everyone's enjoying and joining in, boredom won't be a problem.

Hopscotch it!

Here's something that you and your friends can do together. The next time you think of hanging out and straining the couch while watching TV, think again! Grab some chalk, get some nice pebbles, and play hopscotch!

Some hopscotch grids, courtesy of kidsregen.org

Hopscotch has long been played in many different countries, and children all over the world should re-learn it instead of gluing their fingers to their PlayStation consoles. Adults are no exception to hopscotch fun: you can get good exercise, re-test your balance, and even team up to get the most points.

Here's a good site for you to start honing your hopscotch skills: http://www.wikihow.com/Play-Hopscotch

Rachel Everdene will not be held responsible for injuries sustained due to hopscotch and over-excitement or frustration related to said game.

Enjoy!

Oh, the Songs that Played!

Here's something nice to share with your friends when you get together for dinner: talk about the songs that you liked. And no, you can't pretend to not like that one song by that one boy-band; and no, you can't pretend that you did not actually like the Spice Girls.

In other words: NO. THERE WILL BE NO PRETENDING.

Own up to actually liking a few songs that are no longer in your playlist (or are buried deep in the recesses of your operating system, where no one can find them and thereby blackmail you). Be honest about the bands that you wanted to follow around and stalk. Don't hold back: hey, these are your friends! What's the worst that could happen?

Well, actually, there really IS blackmail, but who cares?

You can start your conversation along any of the following lines:

1) Which of the Spice Girls did you really like? What Spice Girls song did you dance to in your room or sing to in the bathroom? (Guys, you are NOT exempt from this question!)

2) Pick: New Kids on the Block, N*SYNC, Boyz 2Men, Backstreet Boys, 5ive, Westlife - pick any boy band. Now, OWN UP. What song did you really like? Come on now, don't be shy!

3) Which rock band did you want to be a groupie for?

4) What was the first concert that you ever went to?

5) What was the first CD or tape that you ever bought for yourself?

You can think up thousands of questions along these lines, but the point is to be honest and to be brave about your inner - ehem - groupie. Or Boy Band Fan. Or Girl Group Fan.

And then you all can start singing choruses. Sing it with me now! "Ice ice baby...dum dum dum du du dum dum...all right stop, collaborate and listen..."

You know you want to.

New Tips Group - Share it With Friends

Share anything with your friends whenever you can: recipes, love stories, heartbreak stories, this blog...

I have a new tips group, this time devoted to stuff that you and your friends can do when you are hanging out. And no, this will not involve body shots, binge drinking, drag racing, or taking drugs. My techniques are wholesome, thank you very much; they're ridiculous, too, so you're welcome.

My first tip: don't be afraid to be ridiculous.

I don't mean wrapping your heads in stockings and hanging out at the local cafe while constantly checking your briefcases, or suddenly jumping onto your table at the restaurant and reciting to all and sundry the Declaration of Independence - backwards.

I mean conversations, topics, subjects of discussion, and new schools of thought (or castles in the sky) that you can build while you sip your coffee or chew on your burgers.

Don't be afraid to laugh. In a world like ours, we need smiles and happiness. Badly.