Experiences with Tiny House Living
This is the meeting for the week of December 18, 2017 through December 24, 2017
This Meeting at a Glance:Program:Experiences with Tiny House LivingProgram Description:A quick look at my off the grid setup where I'm in my fourth year of living happily in less than 200 square feet. I'll cover some of the challenges that come with this lifestyle choice, especially when living in a very cold and snowy climate. And then a look at all the many freedoms these lifestyle choices have opened up to me in many other areas. And a wrap up with some things others may want to reconsider to gain in exchange a greater freedom in their own lives. Speaker: Ariel McGlothin
Is this your first time to visit us? If so, welcome to our weekly online meeting! To complete our meeting, please continue reading from here to the bottom of this page. Each Monday our week’s meeting is posted early in the morning, U.S. Pacific Time. These meetings are designed so that you can read and watch what we post anytime during the week. The entire meeting takes about 60 minutes to complete, with the video conference recording of the program being the bulk of the time.Note that you can easily read this meeting with your favorite device, so feel free to take our meeting on the go with you; read it while on public transit, waiting in line for coffee, or even at the park! Please also make sure to complete the attendance form at the bottom and leave a comment. Enjoy!
Welcome to the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley!
Here's a message from Past President Mitty:
Happy holidays and welcome to the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley!
Past President Mitty here. As we are gearing up for the holiday season, I want to give my sincere thanks to all of our wonderful club members who have been with us and who help make our club what it is. In the recent meetings, we have had some passionate conversations. What I enjoy the most about our club are the people; that despite having such a diverse group of people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, countries, continents, industries, and economic statuses, we all come together for the common cause of service in helping improve our communities.
Sometimes our passions overtake us and sometimes they're misinterpreted in the online world of text communication. Did you know 67% of communication is non-verbal? Despite this, we try our best to communicate in a medium that is completely verbal text only; leaving all 67% of the non-verbal communication up to the reader's interpretation. For example, when you read "Hello. Sure." in an online setting, there are over a dozen different ways to interpret that. You can interpret it as being too formal and insincere, being courteous, being angry, being condescending, being upset, and so many more ways.
The New Year is coming, and as we are celebrating the holidays with our loved ones and family, remember that you have a family here in Rotary and in this club. Just like any family, we're not perfect. Sometimes we misunderstand each other, sometimes our family (or club) policies need to be updated, sometimes we have heated discussions -- yet despite all of that, we share a common bond and there is love in our group and amongst each other. In 2017 we came together to create our club's first-ever annual charity fundraiser. Since the start of this Rotary year, we've added 4 new members to our growing family. Compared to last year, more guests and visiting Rotarians visit our weekly meetings, and more email inquiries are sent to our club than prior years -- asking everything from collaboration questions to requests seeking to meet up for coffee to questions about joining Rotary.
I am proud to be part of this club, the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley because together we are continuing to innovate and to pave the way to becoming a better Rotary experience. We aren't perfect, but we're always adapting and evolving.
Friends and my Rotary family -- enjoy your holidays. I'm looking forward to 2018! Guests, thank you for being with us this week.
Yours in service,
Mitty Chang,
Immediate Past President
Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley
Weekly Funny with the Lady of Laughter (LOL)
We believe laughter is an important part of life, and we should all make time to laugh a little. This segment of our meeting is meant to tickle you just enough. These funnies are curated by member Yvonne Kwan, our “Lady of Laughter!”
From Yvonne: "I had a blast spending this past weekend in Disneyland, so here are some Disney jokes to a-mouse you."
Why did Mickey go to outer space?
To find Pluto!
What did Winnie the Pooh say to the agent?
Show me the hunny!
Why was Cinderella no good at football?
Because her coach was a pumpkin.
Weekly Inspiration: The Lunch Club Making High School More Inclusive
Every week we start our meetings with a short video highlighting innovation, inspiration, entrepreneurship, or social change. This week we are featuring a video from the Great Big Story about how some high school students are working to make their school more inclusive.
High school can be an isolating experience, especially during lunchtime in the cafeteria. That’s why students at Boca Raton Community High School in Florida created a club called We Dine Together. The club, originally formed by students who noticed a division at school, invites students to feel comfortable being themselves and meet new friends at lunchtime. The goal is to make high school feel a little less lonely for everyone.
Coffee with a Rotarian
Every month our club members are paired with fellow members and special guests for an exclusive one-on-one coffee session called Coffee with a Rotarian. The idea is simple: spend 1 hour of your time during the month to get to better know a fellow Rotarian! Some of the greatest friendships were spawned that way. Members report on their coffee sessions here.
Our Coffee with a Rotarian stories today is shared by member Brett Sham from Sydney, Australia, about what he learned about member Cecelia Babkirk from California, USA.
Here is what Brett had to say about Cecelia:
For Members Only: Updates
This segment of the meeting is dedicated to our club members. This section includes announcements and new initiatives. Guests, you are welcome to read this section or just skip it.
Post photos of your Secret Santa gifts in the members only Facebook Group!
Did you get your gift from your Secret Santa? Make sure to post it in our members only Facebook Group to share with our club what you got, and be sure to leave a note of gratitude for your Secret Santa too! If you haven't revealed yourself to your recipient, make sure to do so!
Programs Committee Still Needs Speaker Referrals:
The Programs Committee needs your help! If you know someone who you believe would be an interesting speaker for one of our programs, please make the referral or email introduction to the committee! Ready to introduce someone to the club's programs committee? Email Committee Chair Rushton at programs@siliconvalleyrotary.com
Members: NAMEBADGES ARE COMING -- Seriously! We're ordering the first batch this week! Please Update your info please!
The Membership Committee is working on ordering new magnetic name badges for each member! We are missing the info for many members!!!
These name badges will have your name on it and your profession. Perfect for wearing when you attend any Rotary events or meetings. In order to do this, we need your most updated information. Members,
please click here to submit your info.
Past Member Announcements:
Active members now have yourname@siliconvalleyrotary.com email forwarders! Your forwarder should be your full first name plus the first initial of your last name. Emails going to your @siliconvalleyrotary.com email will be forwarded automatically to the email you have on file with our club. If you want your email forwarder changed to a different variation of your name, please email Webmaster Mitty at mittyc@siliconvalleyrotary.com.
Members Only Facebook Group: If you haven't joined our members-only Facebook Group, consider joining! Request an invitation from mitty@siliconvalleyrotary.com
Service Blotter Submissions: Click here to fill out The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley Service Survey
Our Events & Projects
We hold our meetings online, but we hold regular service projects and social events in the Silicon Valley every month! This section is updated every week with our upcoming events. We welcome guests to all of our events and service projects listed here.
Also be sure to join our Meetup Group for automatic calendar updates and to RSVP for our events! These are open to all guests as well!
https://www.meetup.com/siliconvalleyrotary/
Recent Event Recap:
Club Holiday Party last FridayWe had a blast at Charter President Rushton's house in San Jose. Thanks to members Megan Breyer, Mitty Chang, Yvonne Kwan, Rushton Hurley, Maxi Bustos, Brian Liddicoat, Nicole Pham and Heather Shaw for coming! We also loved seeing so many guests and +1s, including two of our past guest speakers!
Rotary at Google HQ last SaturdayThanks to member Maxi for taking our club on a private tour of the Google Headquarters in Mountain View! Members Megan, Ken, Mitty, and Yvonne had a great time seeing the behind-the-scenes workings at Google, where Maxi works.
Upcoming Events:
All times are Pacific Time! (San Francisco time)
Saturday, January 13, 2018 - New Year Outdoor Expedition
Members, mark your calendars for the morning of Saturday, January 13, 2018, during which our club will have its first event of the new year: an outdoor hiking expedition! Details coming soon!
Other Upcoming Club Events:
Saturday, January 13, 2018 - Save the date for a club outdoor expedition (Details TBD)
Saturday, February 28, 2018 - Save the date for a club skydiving event (Details TBD)
More events coming soon! All events are open to guests, unless otherwise mentioned. Feel free to join us! If you ever have questions, please email inquiries@siliconvalleyrotary.com
What would you like to do?
Hey Members! What would you like to do? We're working on putting together some exciting socials and impactful service projects for our upcoming quarter's event calendar. Let us know what you want to do by posting in our members only Facebook Group (if you don't have access, please request it with Webmaster Mitty). Remember, you're only taking advantage of the full impact of Rotary when you're stepping up to get involved.
Happy Dollars: Do Good by Sharing Something Good
Each week we ask our members to share stories with the club and toss in a few dollars to support our efforts. The primary goal of this section is to provide a fun way of getting to know each fellow members and guests, while giving back to a good cause.
Happy dollars is an opportunity to share something positive that has happened in your life whether it is personal or business. Think of it as your opportunity to brag a little, but also put a little bit into a karma jar. The money donated through happy dollars is put to charitable use, and the message that you leave for happy dollars will be posted in our online meeting the following week for the entire week for folks to see! (Pending that it's appropriate!)
Last week's happy dollar contributions went towards our club projects. Here are some of the happy dollar messages from last week:
Thank you to member Rory Olsen for his generous $15 donation to The Rotary Foundation's Polio Plus Fund. Rory had this to say:"Its less than two weeks from Christmas! Please apply my gift to Polio Plus!"
Thank you to member Brian Liddicoat for his generous $15 donation. Brian had this to say:"My kids' school winter plays are almost over! Then we can finally relax!! :)"
Thank you all for your donations last week!
Happy dollars is also a great opportunity to share with the group about something good that has happened to you, while giving back to a great cause. Next week's happy dollars will go back to powering our club's projects locally and globally.
So what are you happy about? Share with us below to help with doing good around the world.
Selected Six
Every week at the bottom of our meetings, there is a comments section for members and guests to tell us what they enjoyed about the meeting or to ask questions to the speaker. We select six comments every week from last week’s meeting to be featured during this week’s meeting.
Here are six comments selected from last week’s meeting featuring the program on Envisioning a New Commons:
Member Carlos Gabuardi (Mexico) had this to say:“I really like the idea of having art as part of our every day life. It makes life more enjoyable and uplift the spirit for our own good and for the good of society at large. On the other hand I am always astonish by the manner in which the Internet is affecting almos every field of life and the Creative Commons project is a significant sample of that. Congratulations on the program!!!“
Member Maxi Bustos (California, USA) had this to say:“Carlos, welcome to the club! Look forward to get to know more about you. Keith, awesome picture! Ethan, thanks for your presentation!”
Member Monique Ziesehenne (California, USA) had this to say:“Interesting meeting! Love Creative Commons and just realized that a recent library project we did used their licenses for music and other aspects of a digital storytelling program! Thanks for the great information. (& sorry to be meeting late! not sure that I have perfect attendance, but I'll make up)”
Member Raquel D. Juncal (San Diego, USA) had this to say:“Carlos, welcome to this amazing family! :D Ethan, thanks for an informative presentation. IP, when employed correctly, have the power to engender innovation and economic development but there are differences in IP law, or the interpretation of it, because it refers to the fact that countries enact their own IP laws and these have no application or force outside the country in which they are enacted. I took a course with the WIPO and definitely the world of intellectual property is complex but extremely interesting!“
Member Mark Dohn (USA) had this to say:“Welcome Carlos and whoa! the Copenhagen giants are super cool! Thank you Ethan for the history of Creative Commons and how it has evolved. As an educator, I believe creative commons licensing and how it can be used in schools should be a mandatory course for public educators and definitely at the university level. I believe that most people don't understand the benefit of sharing rather than protecting.“
Member Ferheen Abbasi (Osaka, Japan) had this to say:“Welcome to the team, Carlos! Ethan, thank you so much for your informative presentation. I learned about CC from former president Rushton when he was my teacher in high school and do my best to use it. Speaking of Rushton, look who I ran into on Friday ;) <3”
Be sure to leave a comment at the end of this week’s meeting after you watch the program below, and perhaps you’ll see your comment featured next week!
Program: Experiences with Tiny House Living
Every week we bring to you a new program on innovation, education, technology, and humanitarian service. This week our guest speaker is Ariel McGlothin, who will be speaking to us about her experiences with tiny house living.
This week's program is by a young, semi-retiree living happily off the grid in a house that is less than 200 square feet. She will present about some of the challenges that come with this lifestyle choice, especially when living in a very cold and snowy climate. She will also look at the many freedoms these lifestyle choices have opened up to her in other areas, wrapping up with some things viewers may want to consider in exchange for greater freedom in their own lives.
Here's Ariel introducing herself:
"Hello! I'm Ariel. I live off grid in a tiny house nestled into the western mountains of Wyoming, a little over 6000 feet above sea level. I split my own wood for heat, carry my water by hand, and attempt to grow as much of my own food as I can between the weather and wildlife here. I enjoy the stunning scenery and wildlife that I am surrounded by on a daily basis. As a child, I was fortunate enough to be able to spend much of my free time exploring and playing in the woods. Little has changed now that I'm older, I suppose. I moved to a place with a bigger woods and still enjoy spending my time outside hiking, gardening, and photographing the natural world around me.
"As the eldest of seven children who grew up in a homeschooling family I had the opportunity, not always appreciated at the time, to learn to do quite a bit of work. I've enjoyed a wide range of jobs, everything from greenhouses and flower arranging to wilderness therapy with teens, to milking cows. Mostly, I enjoy doing the kinds of things that I think provide a real service or value to others. Some of my other hobbies include backpacking, hosting people, cooking, preserving food, anything to do with nutrition, skiing, bouldering, reading, journalling, and sitting around a fire and talking to my close friends."
We welcome Ariel to the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley, and our viewers to this week's program!
Related Links:
For more about my tiny house, check out my blog fynyth.blogspot.com, follow the journey on Youtube at youtube.com/fynyth, or on Facebook at facebook.com/FyNyth
For more of my photography, check out arielcelestephotography.zenfolio.com or follow on Facebook at facebook.com/ArielCelestePhotography
What did you think? Let's hear from you!
Share with us your thoughts in the comments at the bottom of this meeting page! If you have questions for Ethan, feel free to ask in the comments!
Upcoming Program Schedule
All of our guest speakers and programs are recorded live online over Zoom video conference. We welcome members and guests to join us in one of these upcoming recordings. Recordings are approximately 30 minutes long and are subject to change without notice.
Upcoming Weekly Programs:
Week of
Host
Guest Speaker
Topic
Week of 12/25/2017
Rushton Hurley
Steven McGriff
Uncovering Creative Confidence in Education
Week of 1/1/2018
TBA
TBA
TBA
Week of 1/1/2018
TBA
TBA
TBA
Upcoming Recordings:
If you would like to join us for any of the live recordings, you are welcome to join us. Our online video conference room link for these recordings is always https://zoom.us/j/5104080000. Please note the timezone for all recordings are listed for San Francisco, California, USA time (Pacific Time).
You’re Almost Done! One last thing: The Attendance Survey...
Thanks for reading and watching this week’s meeting. You have two last things to do before you’re done. First, we have a very short attendance survey below for you to fill out to record your attendance.
Visiting Rotarians, this is how you can get an email receipt to pass along to your club’s secretary as proof that you’ve attended our meeting if you need it for makeups.Non-Rotarian Guests, we would love to see who is dropping by our meetings! This part is optional for you. If you think you may want to join our eClub at some point in the future, we would strongly recommend you fill out the attendance form as it will improve your chances of success for your membership application.More importantly, for all members and guests — we strongly recommend and ask that you leave a comment below in our comments area below. Tell us how you enjoyed the program. Ask this week’s speaker any questions you might have. Or just stop by and say hello and tell us where you’re from!
