October 18th, 2011

What I Like to Talk About–an incredibly revealing post

Ages ago, I heard someone describe a topic as his “favourite topic of conversation.” At the time, I was young and thought that a very foolish thing to say/believe–surely the goodness of any given conversation was what the other talkers brought to it; surely there was no topic inherently good but that talking makes it so.

Which I still believe, but I also now realize that I have a number of topics, in the absense of anyone supplying a different one, I will always enjoy. And the things on this list are, in some cases, embarrassing–if you read this list for me, maybe for anyone, it will tell you a lot about my personality. So, ok, go:

1) People we might know in common. I will always try to figure out mutual acquaintances if you live or have ever lived anywhere near anyone I have ever known. You could be generous and say it’s my community spirit or some such, but sometimes it’s a puzzle and I like to find degrees of separation. And sometimes I think I honestly can’t believe I no longer live in the small town of my childhood, with my family and 3 friends being the only people I know.

2) People I know–or preferably whom we both know–and why they are awesome. I like thinking about what, specifically, I like about a person, and how their mind seems to work to make them fun, smart, generous, talented, funny, whatever. This can occasionally take a dark turn–I’m not above analyzing what’s wrong with someone–but the bright side is funner. And there’s something really bonding about two people co-liking a third person.

3) On the same token, a book we have both read and what we thought of it. I love discussing books, of course, but the conversation only truly sings if we’ve both read the text under discussion. I can definitely make a case for why you *should* (or shouldn’t) read a book that I’ve read, and I am receptive to being told as well, but after a while that’s less a conversation than an exchange of monologues. Less fun.

4) Cats. CATS CATS CATS.

5) What we’re going to do next. And then after that. And what we’ll have for lunch, and what would be a thing to have for lunch that would generate enough leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch, and also where it might be less expensive to shop for shoes and what lunch restaurants would be close by at that point, and what bus we would catch to make it to the movie on time, and then alternative bus routes in case we might like one of those better, and what other movie we might see if we are late for that one. Sometimes people who thought they liked me spend a long hectic day with me and find out that they don’t like me that much after all.

6) The weather. Seriously, it’s very interesting, and anyway, it’s going to affect what I’m doing this weekend.

7) What I’m doing this weekend. Also what you’re doing this weekend. Good things to do on future weekends…

See, I’m sort of inane, no? It’s weird to discover so much about myself from a list of things I already knew–separately–that I liked. What are your favourite topics of conversation??