The most recent icebreaker at work was, "What is your favorite reality show?"
I begged for and got an exemption to include the Great British Baking Show as a reality show, because I hate reality shows.
Every other meeting participant agreed that The Amazing Race was their favorite reality show. Unanimous. Meeting devolved into "What was your favorite season" and "Who is your favorite team?"
Why? I've seen one episode of that show. Stressed couples, bickering, tension. I can get that here at home. It would seem my co-workers watch it with their significant others and work out how they would succeed on the challenges. I'm doing well just to get through day-by-day with Gary.
People who actively *want* additional infusions of interpersonal stress for their recreation/relaxation time: they gotta be built differently than I am, somehow!
Posted by: KC | October 14, 2023 at 11:51 AM
I have tried to get into that show but can’t. The contestants go to other countries and then be rude to the natives just trying to live their lives.
Posted by: Dave2 | October 14, 2023 at 01:36 PM
KC - Well, I do like a little stress in my recreation. I'm not a sit-on-the-beach person. But the idea of navigating puzzles and travel with a loved one sounds awful.
Dave2 - Oh, I would hate that. I have friends who love it. They would never be rude to natives.
Posted by: theQueen | October 15, 2023 at 01:14 PM
Yeah, I like a sense of accomplishment, but interpersonal stress is a different (and much nastier) beast versus timeline stress or figuring-out-a-foreign-language-well-enough-to-get-good-food stress or the Great Packing Puzzles or whatever. Do I enjoy figuring out, at the Aldi counter that's put there so you can bag your own groceries, how to get the groceries into my backpack such that 1. they all fit and 2. the baked goods and produce will not be squashed? Yes, ish. Do I enjoy rapidly shoveling my groceries into bags while being glared at by a French regular-grocery-store cashier who is annoyed I didn't know that I needed to bag my own groceries *and* at how long it's taking me *after* I just struggled with paying in cash with an unfamiliarly-shaped currency, *even though there's no one in line*? NO. NO GLARING ON VACATION unless it is fake-glaring, I guess...
Posted by: KC | October 16, 2023 at 11:32 AM
KC - I carefully restrict my travels to resort towns where no one glares directly in your face.
Posted by: theQueen | October 16, 2023 at 07:35 PM
Intriguing! But braving a population split between service workers + tourists also sounds a bit alarming to me? (I hate it when people are forced to be nice to me or pretend to be interested. It is fine if they are actually interested! But please don't force them.)(I got a survey once as to whether my Joann Fabric's employee had asked me what I was making, and I did not realize before that that this was *required of all of them* and it felt retroactively really icky. Like. Just no. There was a fabric store employee when I was around 10 who was 100% legitimately interested in what I was making and helped me pick stuff out and whatnot, and I get excited about other peoples' projects sometimes, and I'd imagine that there would potentially be some fabric-store-employee curiosity, like every once in a while you get a grocery clerk who is obviously trying to figure out *what* you're planning, but requiring that? Even if they don't care and don't want to hear? NO.)
Posted by: KC | October 16, 2023 at 11:36 PM
KC - I love it when the female fabric store employee seems to care, and I hate it when the male hardware store employee asks. Why do you want to know why I want metal chains and plexiglass, hardware store man? None of your business.
Posted by: theQueen | October 17, 2023 at 07:23 AM
... hardware store employees ask sometimes without you asking them about recommendations? That's a new one for me, and also yes, would be unwelcome from male hardware store employees. (female hardware store employees might be fine, and *some* male hardware store employees - the crucial factor is whether they can avoid the patronizing "oh, such a cute little toy project for the little woman, not like Real Projects that Men Do" sort of vibe)(I have met some good hardware store employees! But, uh, ha, not all men.)
Posted by: KC | October 17, 2023 at 10:23 AM
KC - I am afraid all the comments from the male hardware helpers do sound accusatory. And my answers are not normal. "I am trying to make a homemade x-ray illuminator for my bathroom" is not normal.
Posted by: theQueen | October 17, 2023 at 08:29 PM
Oooh. Did it end up working?
(my projects are sometimes bog-normal - faucet repair kit, toilet flapper valve, door insulation, tomato cages, all to be used for their intended purposes - and sometimes... not.)
Posted by: KC | October 18, 2023 at 11:07 AM
KC - it did, but then I bought a real one and my fake one became my light box for art projects.
Posted by: theQueen | October 18, 2023 at 06:13 PM
Very cool. :-)
Posted by: KC | October 19, 2023 at 12:16 PM