Saturday, October 31, 2009

In costume

In the United States, today is Halloween, a time when you might put on a costume and transform yourself into something scary, or some fantasy character, or someone very different from your usual self.

If you're celebrating Halloween, what costume are you wearing this year? What character are you playing?

If you're not putting on a costume this year, what Halloween costume might you enjoy wearing? What character or creature would you like to portray? What fantasy character is approximately the opposite of your usual personality?

Friday, October 30, 2009

Brand loyalty

What are your favorite brands, stores, or businesses — companies whose logos you wouldn't mind wearing, whose style or values match up well with your own?

This week's theme is your favorites.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

The best day, the worst day

What is your favorite day of the week? What's good about that particular day?
What is your least favorite day of the week? What it is about that day that puts it at the bottom of your list?

This week's theme is your favorites.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Guess what's back in style

What is one thing that you're sorry is out of fashion, because you think it might be fun to wear? Do you sometimes defy fashion trends in order to wear things that you particularly like or that are uniquely your style?

This week's theme is your favorites.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The popular choice

When you find out that something is widely liked, does that make you more inclined to like it yourself? Or is it just the opposite — are you more likely to steer clear of things that "everyone else" is doing, to display a more distinctly individual style?

This week's theme is your favorites.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Your favorites

Think about your favorite music, books, TV shows, movies, clothing styles, restaurants, and other things that are at the top of your lists. How do these things usually come into your life and make it to the top of your list? Are they things you stumble on by accident? Do you have friends who tend to find great things and tell you about them? Are they things that are so heavily advertised that you couldn't avoid finding out about them?

This week's theme is your favorites.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Top Ten: yikes!

What are ten things you're scared of, whether the fear is rational or irrational?

Saturday, October 24, 2009

My secret life

What is something interesting about you that none of your coworkers knows about?

Friday, October 23, 2009

The mysterious stranger

What's the most outrageous deception you ever perpetrated? Did you pretend to be an architect in order to attend an architect's ball? Lie at a party and tell an eligible stranger that you were European royalty? Claim that you'd invented the Twinkie to impress co-workers?

Did you ever wish you could be the person you pretended to be? If you can pretend to be it, what's stopping you from actually being it?

This week's theme is being genuine.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Get me out of this party!

What kinds of experiences or events trigger your strongest feelings of being an impostor? What are some events that you avoid because they don't seem to allow you to be yourself?

This week's theme is being genuine.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

False friends

Among the people you know, who seems the least genuine?

Which of your friends or family members make the most effort to maintain public identities that don't match their true selves?

How do their efforts affect your relationship with them? Are there things that you have to pretend not to notice, or things you're not allowed to talk about?

This week's theme is being genuine.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Being fake

Do you sometimes feel like a fraud, or an impostor? What roles are you called to play that you're not fully comfortable with?

In what ways are you not living up to the person you believe people think you are?

This week's theme is being genuine.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Being genuine

We all play roles throughout our lives: we're a child, a partner, a spouse, a parent. A student. An employee. A teammate. A cast member. A caretaker. Sometimes these roles come naturally to us, but at other times, we need to put on a mask and do something that feels a little artificial. This week, we'll take a look at being genuine, and the art of pretending.

What roles have you played that feel appropriate for you, comfortable, and truly genuine?

This week's theme is being genuine.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Top Ten: on your hit parade

What are ten songs that hold a lot of meaning for you, that perhaps even make you stop and listen when you hear them playing somewhere? Try to come up with one word or short phrase that encapsulates each song's meaning for you.

Billboard's Hot 100 (click "View Chart Archives" to pick your own date)

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Happy (blank) day!

If you decided you wanted to hold a big celebration — on something other than your birthday, or a recognized holiday — what are a few of the things that you could use as an excuse to celebrate?

Friday, October 16, 2009

Pet project

How much attention does your pet need or demand from you? Do you have set times every day, or during the week, for play time? Or do you just play with your pet when they look like they need attention?

This week's theme is you and your pet.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Stupid (and not-so-stupid) pet tricks

TV's "Lassie" was a pet who famously rescued people left and right (usually Timmy, who was down the well). Have any of your pets ever done anything heroic, surprising, or memorable?

This week's theme is you and your pets.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Pet peeves

As cat owners, we are sometimes chagrined to be accosted in pet stores by large, friendly dogs who want to deposit saliva on us: cat owners usually do not bring their pets shopping! What are some of your pet peeves about pet ownership?

This week's theme is you and your pets.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Pet pros and cons

Studies show that people with pets live longer. On the other hand, they take effort and expense to care for. What are your biggest pros and cons with regard to pet ownership? Overall, is it worthwhile to have a pet?

This week's theme is you and your pets.

Monday, October 12, 2009

You and your pets

If you have a pet, or have ever had a pet, you know that they are an important part of your life. Providers of entertainment, companionship, and unconditional love, a pet can teach you many things and be there for you when literally no one else is.

Do you have a pet? If so, what kind? What kinds of pets have you had throughout your life? If you've never had pets, what kind do you imagine you might like to have, assuming it were practical?


This week's theme is you and your pets.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Top Ten: first impressions

Maybe you could tell right away that you would be best friends forever. Or maybe you said, "What an arrogant, conceited jerk!"

What are ten occasions when you met someone for the first time, and he or she made a strong, definite impression on you — whether favorable or unfavorable?

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Your fall season

What is unique about the autumn season for you?
What are some things that you do only in autumn, and rarely or never during other seasons?
Which of your possessions is only used in autumn?
What emotional states are you most likely to experience in autumn?

Friday, October 9, 2009

No secrets

What would life be like without any privacy at all? How would your life change if all of your secrets were revealed?

This week's theme is your private thoughts and feelings.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Happiness

What would it take to make you happy right now?

This week's theme is your private
thoughts and feelings.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Stray thoughts

What are you likely to think about in spare moments in between things?

This week's theme is your private
thoughts and feelings.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Fears and nightmares

What do you fear? What are your nightmares about?

This week's theme is your private thoughts and feelings.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Your private feelings

Do you have a choice about what you feel? If you don't, then who does?

This week's theme is your private thoughts and feelings.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Top Ten: reasons to feel hopeful

Whether they make the news or not, people near and far are finding ways to make things better. They are curing diseases, finding new solutions to old problems, inventing useful things, and removing hassles and irritations. In your own life, people are constantly busy about things that directly or indirectly benefit you. As Rob Breszny puts it, "the whole world is conspiring to shower you with blessings."

What are ten things, big or small, that are happening already or could reasonably happen in the near future to make your life better?

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Showing restraint

What is something you would you go ahead and do, if you found out that it wasn't bad for your health after all?

Friday, October 2, 2009

Who's missing from your team?

Is your team well-staffed? Or is it lacking in certain talents or qualities? If you were going to invent the ideal person to add to your personal team, what would that person be like? What qualities or assets would he or she bring to help round out the team?

Thursday, October 1, 2009

MVP part two

What's your special skill? On someone else's team, for what skill would you be the most valued? What can you do effortlessly, and expertly, that brings you admiration and that could potentially support someone's game plan?

Are you the person who always finds a parking space right in front of the restaurant, even at the most busy times? Can you whip up professional looking party decorations from a few scraps of fabric and wire? Do you make household repairs a professional would envy, using only duct tape and spackle? Can you write a song for any occasion, on any subject, in half an hour?