🕵️Murder Mystery???? 11/16/25

Hi Everyone!

Ever since I moved to California (so like almost 2.5 years ago), I have struggled with haircuts. While I didn’t doubt that fantastic barbers exist here, there seemed to be a missing link between the uber-luxurious cuts and Great Clips. I have hopped from place to place and from barber to barber all in search of a fantastic cut. This week, I think I finally found a good fit. The moment I sat down and asked for what I wanted, he provided a breakdown of the style based on my hair, cowlick, and head shape. Now, he might have just been making nonsense up to impress me (and if he did, it worked), but I think the result turned out great. A good barber is hard to find!

Now, let’s find out What’s Up With Will…

The moment we have all been waiting for (probably just me if I am being honest with myself), I taught my first class! My lecture covered non-verbal communication, including kinesics (movements), haptics (touch), vocalics (how we deliver verbal communication), proxemics (use of space), and chronemics (our relationship to time). I had no clue there was so much to non-verbal communication.

We started with a video of Charlie Chaplin (the OG non-verbal communicator), before playing some charades. I then lectured about the different types of non-verbal communication, and then went into performances by the students showcasing each type we covered. I finished with ways to improve non-verbal communication. I had great engagement with the students and got the class to laugh. Afterwards, I even got an email from one of the students telling me that he could see me as “the cool teacher”, which is probably the highest compliment I could ever receive!

I also got some feedback about working on the connective tissue between what we did in class and tying it back to the topic of the lecture. Additionally, I was told to sell the classwork; if I am going to ask them to do something, I’d better hype it up to make it the best activity ever. Say it with assurance!

In my leadership training class, we had a guest speaker from Enterprise Mobility come in to talk about interviewing. We were given tostada bowls for lunch, so I tried to look attentive while spilling salsa and beans all over myself, just as he emphasized the importance of presenting yourself professionally. One thing that I really appreciated about the talk, though, was starting by framing his role as a way to make a difference even as a part of a multi-billion-dollar company.

Finally, I also just registered for next semester’s classes. It feels like almost yesterday that I started this semester, but as we speak, I am starting to work on the final assignments. Time flies when you are writing a newsletter about it!

Did you know that Disney has a museum, and it just so happens to be in San Francisco? My first outing for the week was to the Walt Disney Family Museum, with a special Spotlight Series Event “The Happiest Place on Earth” featuring a preview of the museum’s newest exhibition, Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story, all focused on the origin story of Disneyland. The exhibit is chock-full of concept art, renderings, architectural maps, and storyboards from the very beginning.

Disneyland didn’t spring from a single idea. The exhibit talked about Walt pulling inspiration from riding the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round with his daughters, wandering through Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village, watching reenactments at the Chicago Railroad Fair, and trading ideas with animator-turned-railroad enthusiast Ward Kimball.

Another interesting thing was who Disneyland was made by. It was built by set designers, not architects. It gave name to some of the early and pivotal collaborators like Harper Goff and Herb Ryman, artists who helped sketch the first visualizations of the park, and to art director Marvin Davis refined the park’s hub-and-spoke layout. It also referenced landscape architect Ruth Shellhorn and her transformation of circulation into art, making the park’s flow feel effortless, as well as Hollywood costume designer Renié Conley, who crafted stories with the cast members’ “show” aesthetic.

In addition to exploring the museum, we heard from Tony Baxter, Don Hahn, and Tom Morris, legendary producers and Imagineers, who shared stories about building Disneyland. They talked about their own accomplishments, of course, but what stood out most was how much they emphasized walking in the footsteps of their Disney heroes and the importance of mentorship.

We had some pretty big weekend plans coming up, so we wanted to keep our date night low-key. After a bit of deliberation, we landed on Oke Poke, a fast-casual poke bowl spot. I love a build-your-own place, but it’s dangerous for someone like me who believes every topping belongs in the bowl. It was a great poke bowl (one of the better ones I have had outside of Hawaii), and the large bowl made for two meals. Talk about bang for your buck! Also, if there is Dole Whip on the menu, you should also know that we are going to get it!

Fun fact: according to the ad for an Oke Poke franchise, the global poke market is projected to grow from $7.8 billion to $12.8 billion by 2032.

What were our big weekend plans, you might be asking? Well, it would be none other than a belated Murder Mystery Birthday Party! Let me set the scene for you:

Our theme this year was a wine tasting murder mystery. I played as Brett Botox, a hotshot actor (Psst: this year, though, I was the murderer). I think the event turned out great, and I am very thankful to everyone who could attend. I am also extremely grateful for Rylee playing three different characters to make this all happen! She is a true performer! This was our third murder mystery party, and I think it is going to have to become a yearly staple at this point.

This was the Charlie Chaplin video I showed the class. What types of non-verbal communication do you see in this video?