Stressful situations

Are you under a lot of stress when you visit with family members? Is it only one particular family member, or several of them? Is the stress related to ongoing patterns from childhood, or is it new issues that put a strain on this (or these) relationship(s)?

This week's theme is stressful situations.

Tell us a story: lost and found

Did you ever lose something, and while searching for it, find something else — something interesting and unexpected?

I appreciate that

This week, who or what made you feel grateful?

Wardrobe malfunction

What's the most expensive, extravagant, or unusual thing you bought but have never (or rarely) worn? Under what circumstances did you buy it? Was it a whim, or did you think long and hard before purchasing? Why haven't you worn it (or worn it much)?

This week's theme is clothing.

Comfort wear

What's your "security blanket" clothing? Do you have something that you wear when you're not feeling well, or are depressed or unhappy, or when you just don't have the energy to care about your appearance?

This week's theme is clothing.

Special occasion

Some items of clothing are meant for particular purposes and occasions. You might have special clothing for different kinds of formal events; or perhaps clothing that you only wear for swimming, basketball, or rock climbing. What is one of your most unusual and interesting pieces of special-purpose clothing, and what activity or occasion is it for?

This week's theme is clothing.

Dress code

Do you have a chance to express yourself with the clothes you wear every day? Or do you wear a uniform, or clothes so conventional that they might as well be a uniform?

This week's theme is clothing.

Clothing

How much clothing do you have? Too much? Not enough? Just the right amount? When and why do you buy new clothing?

This week's theme is clothing.

Tell us a story: the job not taken

What was a business that you made tentative plans to launch, or a career that you started preparing for, or a job offer that you seriously considered, before deciding to go in a different direction instead? What ultimately helped you make your decision?

A book that made a difference

Think of the books you've read recently that inspired you, helped you understand or learn something, or helped you solve a problem. What is one book that stands out, that you would definitely recommend to others?

Eureka!

Did you ever receive a life-changing insight while in an altered state of consciousness?

Conversely, did you ever come to a profound realization while in an altered state, only to find that your new idea seemed nonsensical in your ordinary state of consciousness?

This week's theme is under the influence.

Check my I.D.

When you were old enough to buy alcohol legally, where and when did you buy your first drink or bottle? Who was with you? What were the circumstances? And, what drink did you get?

This week's theme is under the influence.

More you

Do your characteristic personality traits become exacerbated when you're under the influence? Or do drinking and drugs cause you to act diametrically opposite from your normal personality?

This week's theme is under the influence.

Go ask Alice

What's the most mind-bending experience you've ever had? Was it attained with drugs or alcohol, or some other way?

This week's theme is under the influence.

Under the influence

For thousands of years, people have drunk alcohol and used other substances and techniques to temporarily alter their state of consciousness. But this isn't a universal habit. For example, some people enjoy drinking regularly; others find that it just gives them a headache. Some people steer clear for health or religious reasons, and for some people in some places drinking is against the law.

If you drink, what is the main thing you enjoy about it or the main reason you drink? If you don't, what is your main reason for avoiding it?

This week's theme is under the influence.

Tell us a story: the long and winding road

Think of all the places you've traveled and all the trips you've taken. Which trip took you the farthest from the place where you were born?

You're wrong, and your mother dresses you funny!

What is your favorite fallback tactic when you realize you can't win an argument on logic alone?

Easy and hard

What routine chore do you handle easily, comfortably, and with little thought? At the opposite extreme, what necessary chore feels difficult and makes you anxious and uncomfortable?

What makes some things easier than others?

This week's theme is routine chores.

Self-sufficiency

Is there anything in your home that you have to wait for someone to come over and help you with? Or can you handle everything that needs to be done yourself?

This week's theme is routine tasks.

Goofus or Gallant?

Do you keep up with your routine tasks? Or are you the person who doesn't do the wash until you have a mountain of dirty laundry in every color of the rainbow, or who waits until you have a year's worth of bank statements to balance your checkbook?

This week's theme is routine tasks.

I can handle that

What routine task do you prefer to do yourself, by hand, even though there are machines that could arguably speed up the work or someone else willing to do it?

This week's theme is routine tasks.

Routine tasks

We don't think about them very much, but there are routine tasks that pretty much everyone has to perform, whether you live in an apartment, a house, or a houseboat. This week, we'll take a look at the routine tasks in our lives.

Off the top of your head, what are five routine tasks you have to do every so often to keep your space livable?

This week's theme is routine tasks.

Tell us a story: stop, thief!

Have you ever been a witness to a crime? How did it affect you?

Fresh paint

What is one thing that could be helped by a fresh coat of paint? (You can take this question literally or metaphorically.)

Pulling my strings

What is something that reliably gets you angry, or at least annoyed—something so predictable that it's become a joke among your friends and family?

This week's theme is anger.

Things we shouldn't have said

Have you ever said something in anger that had serious consquences, and regretted it later?

This week's theme is anger.

Seeing red

Do you have a physical response to anger in yourself, or others? What is it? Do you get a headache, an upset stomach, does your blood pressure increase?

This week's theme is anger.

Anger is an energy

What are some memorable times in your life when you got really angry? Do you get angry fairly often?

This week's theme is anger.

Anger

Anger can be useful and productive if we use it sparingly, and don't let it overwhelm "the better angels of our nature." Relentless anger, like acid, is corrosive. No one wants to be an angry person, but when it happens, we can try to learn from it, and leave it behind.

When was the last time you felt angry? Who or what caused it? Was it, in your opinion, justifed anger?

This week's theme is anger.

Tell us a story: fight for your right to party

What was the worst party you ever attended? What made it the worst?

Top of the year

What's the first thing you did — or are planning to do — in the new year, other than your normal daily routine items?