Tuesday, May 31, 2011

I know someone who can help you with that

When did your connections pay off in a big way? Did a friend help you find a good job? Did a friend of a friend help get you out of a jam? Do you have relatives who can give you a free place to stay when traveling? What are some truly valuable things gotten through being connected?

This week's theme is connections.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Connections

Everything is connected to everything else, even if the ties are invisible or indirect. And you are connected to every other person on earth by no more than six degrees of separation. Today, let's look at your first-degree connections, your family members, roommates, friends, acquaintances, all the people you know by name in your neighborhood or at work, and all the people who are listed as your friends on online networks. Don't forget people from years past whom you would count as friends if you happened to end up at the same party or on the same bus. Approximately how many people can you count as first-degree connections?

This week's theme is connections.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Tell us a story: up before dawn

What was the longest time you willingly waited in line, or the earliest you got up in the morning, just to make sure that you could be there for some very special event?

What was the event? And did your extra effort pay off?

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Your musical axe

What musical instrument do you play? Or what instrument did you play many years ago? If you play more than one instrument, which do you play most often?

And if you've never played any musical instrument, what's one that appeals to you — one that you think you would enjoy playing, if you could?

Friday, May 27, 2011

Epic

If your life were an epic costume drama, what type would it be? Are your parties like something out of the Roman Empire? Are you living a shadowy life, suitable for a gangster trilogy? Do you shun excesses in a way that is positively Victorian?

This week's theme is your life as a movie.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Science fiction double feature

Have you ever felt so different from a group you were part of that you might as well have been an alien? How did you cope with it? Did you keep apart from the others, reveling in your strangeness, or did you make an effort to fit in, to blend with the native population?

This week's theme is your life as a movie.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

True romance

There is a film trope called the "meet-cute," which is defined as "the contrived encounter of two potential romantic partners in unusual or comic circumstances." Did you have a "meet cute" in any of your past or current relationships? Was it a good indication of how the relationship was ultimately going to proceed?

TVTropes explains the "Meet Cute"

This week's theme is your life as a movie.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Action hero!

If your life were an action movie, what kind of hero would you be: the glamorous spy, the
reluctant leader called to shine under extraordinary circumstances, the scientific genius-hacker-inventor, the unpopular kid turned martial arts champion -- or some other species of big-screen hero?

This week's theme is your life as a movie.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Your life as a movie

This week, we're going to imagine our own lives as if we lived them in the context of classic movie tropes. First up, the buddy film!

If your life were a classic buddy film, who would be your co-star? Do you have a best friend who's been through it all with you? A sibling who's closer than a friend? Do you spend every evening chatting amiably with an older relative, or a neighbor, or have a niece or nephew who's always by your side?

This week's theme is your life as a movie.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Tell us a story: just doin' my job

What was one time at work when you felt like a real hero?

Saturday, May 21, 2011

For best results...

What are the things that no one can do better than you?

Friday, May 20, 2011

All new, and better than ever

Sometimes it takes a complete breakdown of the old order before people can conceive of doing things differently. What is something in your life, or in your community, that had to start over from scratch after the old way fell apart, and that turned out better than before?

This week's theme is beginning again.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

New identity

When you start a new job, or a new school, or move, do you try to recreate what worked last time? Try on a whole new persona, with a new personal style and new ways of behaving? Or do you just be yourself?

This week's theme is beginning again.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Half past quitting time

When you're right in the middle of a mess, it can be hard to decide when to muddle through and hope things work out, and when to give up and start over from scratch. Which is more your style: doggedly persisting when it's long past time to give up, or impulsive quitting too quickly without giving things a fair chance to hit their stride?

This week's theme is beginning again.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Falling in love with falling in love

Looking back on your history of romantic relationships, can you find any negatives in common? Did you learn from those relationship mistakes and make changes in later ones?

This week's theme is beginning again.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Beginning again

It can be tough to be a beginner, clumsily learning basic skills. It can be challenging to be the new arrival, finding your way around in a new place. It can also be exciting to start fresh, because any new situation is full of potential.

What was one recent circumstance that put you back into the beginner role? What was the most challenging part of the experience for you?

This week's theme is beginning again.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Tell us a story: just like me

It's said that our pets begin to resemble us after a time, or perhaps we begin to resemble them. Have you ever had a pet that matched you in personality in some way? Or, have you known someone who uncannily resembled or acted like one of their pets?

Saturday, May 14, 2011

One thing I still don't get

What unanswered questions have you been carrying with you for a long time?

Friday, May 13, 2011

Dead and buried

Have you actually planned for the disposal of your earthly remains, or are you expecting someone else will take care of that for you?

This week's theme is mortality.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

You can't take it with you

If you were to die unexpectedly, what is the biggest unfinished job you would leave behind, or the biggest mess that someone else would have to clean up?

This week's theme is mortality.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

What you left behind

What would you like people to remember about you after you've died? What do you hope they will forget?

This week's theme is mortality.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated

Have you ever imagined your own death? How elaborately have you constructed that fantasy? Have you imagined a funeral? Reactions of loved ones?

This week's theme is mortality.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Mortality

Are you okay about confronting your own mortality? Or do thoughts of it — whether it's issues of your health, making plans for your old age, or caring for a terminally ill friend or loved one — make you want to put your fingers in your ears and say "la la la la la!!!"?

This week's theme is mortality.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Tell us a story: you only hurt the ones you love

When did you hurt someone — someone who trusted you — very badly?

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Super beings

In honor of the movie "Thor" opening in the US last night, we're thinking about super powers! If you could have one super power, what would it be? What would you use your powers for?

Friday, May 6, 2011

I can't believe I did that

What's the craziest or most extreme thing desire has ever driven you to do?

This week's theme is desires.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

"...and of course a million dollars and world peace"

What is one thing that you think you're supposed to want, or that people expect you to want, but which you truthfully don't have any real passion for?

This week's theme is desire.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The wind in their sails

What was one time when you went to some trouble to help out someone else, just because were touched by their sincere desire and effort to reach a particular goal?

This week's theme is desire.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

I'd do anything

What is one thing that you want so badly, you would be willing to do something outrageous — travel a long distance on foot, pay an exorbitant amount of money, embarrass yourself on national television, etc. — to get it?

This week's theme is desires.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Desires

What are a few things — material and intangible — you wish the world would give you more of?

This week's theme is desires.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Tell us a story: home improvement

What's the thing you've done for your living space that you're most proud of as an accomplishment?