So often, on NN, I hear "I hope you don't mind that I'm older/younger." In my opinion, we are all equal here. The main point of this site is not how old you are, it is to enjoy yourself. It soes not matter if you are 18 or 78, if you are having fun, then that is what matters!!

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:

The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:

A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, xxxxxx their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:

The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

The questions raised:

*In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

*Do we stop to appreciate it?

*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…

How many other things are we missing?

Kinda in a less than wonderful mood tonight. Tried talking to a few friends, but they don't really seem to want to talk.

So, instead, I found this guy with a kitten.

Right, for some reason this picture made me think of Anwyll.

So, there is a group called Improv Everywhere that does all sorts of crazy things, and the mail mission that most people participate in is No Pants Subway Ride Day.

The first one was in NYC 11 years ago, and it has grown to the point where last years was in 48 different cities, including Atlanta, Portland, LA and some more distant cities like Sydney, Montreal and Zürich.

The whole idea is that a group of people meet up at the subway, wearing pants, and boards. Each person should have a bag for their pants and a back story for why they are pants-less. Then, at a predetermined point, everyone takes their pants off and...well, that's it really.

Anywhoo, the point is, I just found out that the next event is goign to be next weekend, Saturday Jan 8th, and I'm not sure if I will be able to go.

BUT!! I thought "Hmm, I know a lot of people who would LOVE a reason to walk around with no pants!" So, I figured I should come let you all know!

So, I will give you all the link, and you can see where the closest group to you will be meeting...and, if you do participate, please tell me and let me live vicariously by you.

[url]http://improveverywhere.com/2011/12/05/save-the-date-no-pants-subway-ride-2012/[/url]