5 Great Date Ideas for under $20
A date night out with husband, boyfriend or bestie… it’s important to have fun nights out together. Here’s 5 ideas for a great date night that won’t break the bank.
You don’t have drop big money to have a fun date night. Whether it’s a date night out with the husband, boyfriend or your bestie… it’s important to have those fun nights out together. Here’s 5 ideas for a great date night that won’t break the bank.
5. Go to a local college athletic event.With so many colleges in the area, there’s so much opportunity to watch a game. Who knows? You might be cheering the next big athletes. At the very least you’ll be cheering on your home team and that feels great. Sierra College’s Basketball Season is in full-swing!
4. Check out a local microbrewery. There are some great local brews in Placer County offering drink and tasting specials weekly. Some of our favorites are The Roseville Brewing Company and Loomis Basin Brewing. Great beer and friendly faces make for a great time!
3. Go Bowling or Play Laser Tag.We all have gone bowling or played laser tag, but we sometimes forget that as adults we can still have playful fun like we did when we were younger. Laser Craze and Strikes Bowling are great places to let out your inner kiddo. A friendly game is fun, just careful not to get too competitive.
2. Take a Drop-In Dance Class. Get moving and learn something new. Dancing is fun, and while you’re trying to master the steps you’ll both be smiling. Fontaine Dance Studio offers drop-in classes for Foxtrot, West Coast Swing and even 2 Step.
1. Watch a Comedy Show. There’s nothing better than laughing. Research shows that laughing can release stress and connect us to each other. Sounds like the perfect date night! There’s an all-new Blacktop Comedy Show every Friday and Saturday night at 8pm.
Check out what other folks are saying about the Blacktop Comedy Shows
“Great show tonight guys. Great date night with the wife. Thanks!” –Steve P.
“Thank you guys soooooo much for all the fun and being a part of our bachelorette night last night!” – Jennifer M.
“I've been to several Blacktop Comedy improv shows and have NEVER been disappointed!! EVER!!!! These guys and gals are awesome!!!” – Rohn W.
My Top 5 New-Years Improvisation Improvements
I’ve never really been into making resolutions. I was great at breaking them. Of course, the size and importance determined the length of time that I could keep it up.
I’ve never really been into making resolutions. I was great at breaking them. Of course, the size and importance determined the length of time that I could keep it up. I still have broken promises to myself from 1988. I finally gave up “resolution setting” as I realized I was continuing to set myself up for rejection year after year. If I wasn’t 125 pounds when I was 18, I sure wasn’t going to hit that now, seeing as I’ve passed 18 by a few years. But I accepted that and strived to be healthy instead. As I’ve turned my life towards goal setting as opposed to resolution setting, I applied that same theory toward my Improvisation. I find it amazing the things I’ve learned in such a short time, and with any skill, find myself frustrated with the areas in which I struggle. Like any art form, it takes a life time to master. When contemplating what I want to see from my own improvisation for the next year, I came up with my personal Top 5 key areas for improvement.
Enjoy the Silence - Whether I’m in yoga class or improv, there is nothing as unnerving as silence. Those are supposed to best minutes in yoga. They have certainly produced some of the funniest results in improv. It’s almost a physical obstacle, as if my mouth can’t stay closed and I must break the silence. Therefore, in the coming year, I will work on improving the silence of my work.
Give me a Break- Yep, I’m a giggler. I feel like I found something fun and funny and awesome and I want to laugh out loud. But, in the interest of maintaining a professional stage appearance, I’m going to work on not “breaking” on stage and rolling on the floor in giggles. I am currently, “mostly terrible” at holding it together, so my goal is to improve, period.
What a Character- One of the most difficult things I have found since beginning my journey into improvisation is finding a character in the scene. Sure it’s easy enough to go out onstage and “be yourself”, or even be a different shade of yourself, but to become a completely different character is sometimes elusive. Recently I completed the Level 3 Improv, and have a lot of material to work with on this matter! We will see what, I mean who, emerges from that venture!
We’re All In It Together- Simply put, I’m going to do my best to rescue, help, save, support or whatever needs to be done to ensure that my scene partner(s) feel supported 100% of the time.
Pick Up An Accent – Maybe a little out of place here, but this one is on my “100 Things I Want to Do” List. It’s going to get interesting. It might be Venezuelan, it might be Greek, I haven’t quite decided yet. Most likely it will be British as I see this as the best excuse to rewatch all the Dr. Who episodes, starting with the 9th Doctor (war doctor excluded). So for now Allons-y and Geronimo!!!
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Lisa Wildman, a current Blacktop Comedy student, lives with her husband, two teenage girls, two dogs and a cat in the foothills of Placer County. Lisa enjoys Taekwondo, reading, time with her family, staying active, and most recently improv.
Improv Principles For Happy Holidays
With Thanksgiving behind us, we’re full swing into the holidays now. Racing through December and onto the New Year. Try to stay in the moment.
With Thanksgiving behind us, we’re full swing into the holidays now. Racing through December and onto the New Year. Like most people, you’re probably busy racing around town, scouring the internet, party planning or packing for visiting family. It’s easy to get lost in the hustle. BE IN THE MOMENT Enjoy where you are now. We often remind students in workshops that when they’re “in the moment”, they will not worry (since that is about the future) and they will not judge themselves or others (since you can only judge based on the past). The Holidays is a wonderful time to practice being present in the now. There is so much in every moment that you miss if you don’t make time to notice it. The smells, lights and sounds this time of year are worth noticing.
IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU Onstage the goal is make your partner look good. You stop worrying about yourself. The interesting thing is that if they look good, you look good, the audience is amazed and everyone wins. Focusing on someone else is the fastest way to let go of yourself and fall into that “Holiday Spirit”.
THERE IS NO PLAN In life, like on the improv stage, there is no plan. Try as you might even the best laid plans can quickly go awry. Flights being delayed, unexpected weather, unexpected guests can happen to even the most thoughtful person. Knowing that you can’t control it all helps to relax and enjoy the ride regardless of the detours.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS! ---- Betsaida LeBron is the Theater Manager at Blacktop Comedy and a current member of the Long-Form Improv Show: True Story, where a weekly guest tells stories from their past as inspiration for improvised scenes. She also teaches the Intro to Improvisation workshops and loves the life-lessons that students get from “playing fun make-em-ups”.