The City of Boise's employees get creative.
A new video on the City of Boise's brand new TikTok asks the question:
What's the scariest Halloween costume you can think of?
Below is what social media manager Elizabeth Kidd came up with. Can you guess what it is?
What is that thing?City of Boise/TikTok
If you guessed:
- A ball of popcorn
- Spray foam insulation
- Or a scoop of lard
... you'd be wrong!
In the city's inaugural TikTok video, Elizabeth shares all about the horrors of 'fatbergs' — rock hard clumps of wet wipes and FOG (fats, oils, and grease) that clog up sewers.
She dresses up as the terrifying (and disgusting) glob and proceeds to run around City Hall scaring all of her coworkers.
@cityofboise Name a scary movie that’s scarier than realizing that there might be a giant mass of bacon grease held together with used flushable wipes forcing its way through our water renewal system right now, we’ll wait.
The video was hilarious, obviously, but it was also educational — fatbergs can be incredibly destructive to the sewer system and are easily prevented by just teaching more people about them!
Commenters loved the "spooky" video, immediately comparing it to the beloved sitcom 'Parks & Rec.'
"I love this new season of Parks & Rec." one user wrote.
"We need more episodes," added another.
The similarities are obvious, from the deadpan delivery to the "talking head" interviews. Even some of the characters feel familiar, like the Mayor and Public Works Director.
'Parks & Rec' came under fire later in its run for not being explicitly political enough, but it did touch on a lot of topics that actually matter to communities.
We loved the characters and were laughing so hard that we didn't even realize we were learning about things like how parks get made, water access, privatization and public health.
The City of Boise's social team is trying to have the same effect.
In an election year, it's easy to forget the importance of local government.
The work local elected officials and public servants do usually has a much bigger impact on your life than who ultimately becomes the president.
But — city and town governments get a LOT less press.
"My goal with this platform - and all our social media! - is to help all Boiseans feel more connected to their city government and inspire them to get involved," Kidd says. "I hope that by creating [something] fun and educational, I create a few more Boise super fans."
Boise isn't the first city to try an approach like this. Lots of city and other local governments have made humorous TikToks about voting, recycling, and public works campaigns.
But right now, even with just one video, Boise is one of the most successful case studies,.
It's awesome to see people who are working hard on a local level to improve our lives get a well-deserved platform, and kudos to all the social teams out there who are willing to try a unique and comedic approach to get the message out.
We can't wait to see what the Boise team comes up with next.
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
A brown buddha statue sits near a green mountain. Photo by 
Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit: 
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."