The Joy of Memes: Saturday Six

Episode #282

When I was maybe 12 or so, I was at a neighbor’s house and we were hanging out. His mother was home and picked up the phone when it rang. “Hello,” she said, in a normal, polite tone. After a pause, she said, “Well, hello, you damned old witch, how are you?”

Completely surprised, I looked at my friend. He rolled his eyes and said, “It’s her sister.”

Interesting way to greet someone nonetheless. And that should give you a good idea of what this week’s edition is all about.

First to play last week: Mika of Mika Salakka. Congratulations! (According to the rules, “First to Play” requires you to be the first to include the link to the specific entry in which you answered the questions, not just the general link to your blog.)

Here are this week’s “Saturday Six” questions. Either answer the questions in a comment here, or put the answers in an entry on your journal…but either way, leave a link to your journal so that everyone else can visit! To be counted as “first to play,” you must be the first player to either answer the questions in a comment or to provide a complete link to the specific entry in your journal in which you answer the questions. A link to your journal in general cannot count. Enjoy!

1. You pass a co-worker in the hallway: what’s your typical greeting? Hello!

2. How likely are you to include their name in your greeting? I try to do that. People respond well to their names. The only time it is hard is with my own manager. In normal settings I call him by his first name but in public I have to remember to call him by the more formal "Mr." and his surname. I hate being formal!

3. If you ask them how they are as you’re passing them in the hallway and they don’t reciprocate, does that bother you? No. It bothers me more when it is asked without response expected. Don't ask if you are not interested in the answer.

4. Take the quiz: What Greeting Are You?

1. Whenever you meet a new person, you:
Find common interests to talk about
Ask him a lot of questions about himself
Try to lighten up the mood
Say as little as possible
Keep things formal at first

2. What's your favorite setting for a conversation?
A coffee shop
A party
A bar
A restaurant
Your home

3. What do your friends mean to you?
Each friend you have is important to you - you don't have many friends
Your friends are people you relate to and feel for
Fun, laughter, and lot of good times
Your friends keep life interesting
They are people you depend on ... and who depend on you

4. You talk in a way that is
Polite and careful
Quick and funny
Considerate and real
Deliberate and thoughtful
Provocative and smart

5. What's a conversation killer?
Pretty much anything - conversation is tough
Getting too serious to quickly
When someone is totally focused on herself
Not getting a direct answer from someone
Talking about taboo topics

You Are "What's Up?"
You are a naturally curious person. You are interested in ideas, people, and the whole world. You always have a lot of things to share, and you prefer to be around similarly fascinating people.

You like to talk, and at times you can be a bit of a gossip. You love to be in the know. You also tend to be up on the news, current events, and politics. If anyone knows what's up, it's you!

Yeeeaaahhh, not so much that last line... I get all my news and current events from my friends and coworkers! They come and tell me the news all the time, otherwise I'd have no idea what was going on in the world and be just as happy.

5. What greeting do you hate the most? Um, well, the one on the phone would be interesting, ha, ha! I don't know if there is a greeting that I don't like.

6. What’s the strangest way someone has ever greeted you, and did you return the greeting? Someone once kissed my forehead and I did not expect it. I laughed. I didn't know what else to do. This was at work and the HR Manager really can't do that!