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On Tuesday, Higgins asked you to send us pictures of the oldest thing you own. Today, I’m begging.
We’re trying to get a photo gallery feature off the ground. Since there was such a tremendous response to Higgins’ original “What’s the oldest thing you own?” entry, we figured that was a good place to start. So, we’d be forever grateful if you’d snap a picture of your oldest possession and send it our way. To submit your photos, send them via email to flossypics@gmail.com. Include your name (first name, full name, nickname, fake name you’ve always wanted to try — your choice), location, and a brief description. Then stay tuned for the gallery!
Now on to the weekly questions.
1) Got any other ideas for photo-submission topics? (If we ever use your idea, we’ll send you a free t-shirt.)
2) What class best prepared you for your career?
3) With which fictional character — literature, movies, TV, comic books, etc. — do you have the most in common?
4) What’s a food you wish you knew more about? (This is shameless research for our still-unnamed food column that starts next week.)
5) Has anyone you know ever appeared on a reality show? Were they portrayed fairly?
Comments (57)
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1. I like the idea of submitting pictures of crafts…but that might just be because I’ve been doing a lot of crocheting and I love attention.
2. As I am currently working as a German teacher, I have to say that my
German classes prepared me the best :D.
3. I think I’m going to have to say Pam from the Office. I’ve noticed lately that I started dressing exactly like her.
4. The durian fruit.
5. Not that I know of!
posted by Becky T. on 1-18-2008 at 10:32 am
1) Office work spaces, physically largest thing you own (other than a residence or car)
2)Econometrics, not that exciting, but I work in a field where most people are very creative but not great with numbers, so having a strong numbers background gives me an edge.
3)I can’t think of anyone
4)Polenta
5)Nope, although a friend won the college edition of hollywood squares.
posted by Cassandra on 1-18-2008 at 10:36 am
1. How about your worst elementary school photo? I’ve got a spectacular one of me in a hot-pink shirt with feathered bangs, sitting in front of a background that has zig-zagging blue lasers. It appears that at least two lasers are going through my head – so bizarre. Ahhh the ’80s.
2. Probably AP English – that’s where I finally got a grasp on the concept of “voice” in writing.
3. Well, I’d like to think that it’s Carrie Bradshaw – I’m a writer who spends copious amounts of money on shoes. Probably, though, it’s some Janeane Garofalo character.
4. Once upon a time I was going to be a chef when I grew up, so I’m pretty well informed as to the standard gourmet canon, but I always like hearing about the weird stuff. I’m going to Malaysia in May – maybe I’ll be brave enough to try durian.
5. I can’t say that I do. I know that every time I’ve been interviewed on TV news, I’ve discovered that I have Ricky Bobby’s problem – I don’t know what to do with my hands… they just mysteriously float around. It can’t be explained. In real life, they stay by my sides.
posted by Megan on 1-18-2008 at 10:42 am
1) how about photos taken from peoples front doors.
2) Art classes. I designed tombstones for pets.
3) It’s a tie between Charlie Brown and Eeyore.
4) Haggis, Apples (just how many varieties are there)
5) None that I am aware of.
posted by Patrick B on 1-18-2008 at 10:55 am
1. Remember your post about hometown trivia, how about snapping a picture of the coolest thing in your town?
2. My first job, it paid about as much as my profs in college paid me too.
3. Ted on “How I Met Your Mother”
4. Escargo
posted by Witty Nickname on 1-18-2008 at 10:58 am
1.) I think it would be interesting to see photos of favourite “third places” – where people go to be themselves outside of work and home.
2.)Probably the class that pops into my head most often is Modern British Literature, although I say that grudgingly because I hated that prof!
3.)I’m going to go with Diana from Anne of Green Gables – lots in common, just different centuries.
4.)How about Stinky Tofu? It is the ultimate food mystery to me. WHY does it stink so bad? WHY do people eat it? I passed a stinky tofu vendor every day on the way to work in Taiwan and the smell never got any better.
5.)Nope.
posted by Carole on 1-18-2008 at 11:06 am
1) Got any other ideas for photo-submission topics?
+ Most interesting landmark you have personally visited
+ Oldest Photograph you own
+ Oddest home decor item you keep in your house. (In a closet or in the attic doesn’t count. It has to be something you legitimately have on display in your home)
2) What class best prepared you for your career?
Discrete math, because it teaches you to think of all the logical posibilities of a tree of Data, and when you’re testing software you have to have that same top-down mindset.
3) With which fictional character — literature, movies, TV, comic books, etc. — do you have the most in common?
Excluding the fact that our father is still alive, my sister and I are probably Marianne and Elinor Dashwood respectively ;) I tend to be rather understated and practical about my romantic sensibilities, whereas she tends to be impatient and much more romantic — but we’re also at the ages where that’s ok, she’ll probably grow out of it ;) Also I’m currently in the waiting to see if Edward Ferras comes back stage of life, and she just pulled out of her Willoghby slump ;) But we’re very very close to each other and we tease each other very similarly to the novel.
4) What’s a food you wish you knew more about? (This is shameless research for our still-unnamed food column that starts next week.)
Fennel, Curry (the spice and the dish), Calamari (preparation thereof), starfruit — is it *really* poisonous? Pufferfish – how does it have to be prepared so that it *isn’t* poisonous?, Saffron + Truffles – what makes them so darn expensive? Coffee and how the various growing regions affect the taste. Lychee berries — can you grow them in the US? An article on international cheeses! :D or on wine matching
posted by Ashley on 1-18-2008 at 11:09 am
1. How about a photo of the “strangest” thing you own? Sans, of course, anything that is used for pleasure…
2. Ask me in 2 years.
3. Sweet Dee from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Mostly because I will, in fact, eat your babies.
4. Avocado. Why are the little bastards so delicious and yet so fatty? Mother Nature’s cruel, cruel joke.
5. No, although I have been desperately trying to get my boyfriends Mustang on Overhaulin’. Apparently the back stories I’ve presented just aren’t heart-warming enough.
posted by Jessica on 1-18-2008 at 11:16 am
4) Crosnes, the Asian tuber vegetable that’s suddenly on every other menu in New York.
5) Yes and yes! “Beauty and the Geek”
posted by FoodieNYC on 1-18-2008 at 11:19 am
4. Bananas, custard apples, weird tropical fruits we don’t know about in the US, Rocky Mountain Oysters
posted by Erin on 1-18-2008 at 11:19 am
1. Tacky/Odd holiday decorations you have or have had at your home(this could range from bad Christmas Decor to decorating for holidays like Groundhog Day)
2. My Intro to Geology class
3. Bridget Jones, pre-hot guys
4. Durian (I have a friend that talks about it all the time)
5. None that I know of, but I know a few who shoud be
posted by Holly on 1-18-2008 at 11:20 am
1. Favorite headless photos. You know, those shots taken by people who can’t aim a camera (or three-year-olds)
2. I’m a reporter, so it’s a bit of a toss-up. There are my journalism classes, where we learned the ropes and then there were various other classes I took, like Intro to state and local government, sociology, intro to criminal justice and speech classes that helped me not look like an idiot when I’m out and about talking to people.
3. Maybe a combination of Katchoo and Francine from the Strangers in Paradise comic book series. I don’t have the ratty background of Katchoo, but I like to think I’m a take-charge art-loving freak at times, yet there are those moments when I’m completely introverted and want others to do the take control thing AND I have the totally docile suburban upbringing of Francine.
4. I generally go through life knowing I don’t REALLY want to know anything more than I already do about the food I consume.
5. Noone I know, but I have a few friends I would love to see on a show – I think they would be a trip!
posted by Jennifer on 1-18-2008 at 11:24 am
1. Ugliest house in your neighborhood
2. Still taking the classes… I’ll let you know…
But I’ve taken a few child development classes that have helped me with the kids I work with at my summer job
3. ?
4. Anything from the japanese version of Iron Chief
5. Not really. But I did find an old video of my dad talking to a news reporter on Black Friday in ‘89. He said something like “I’m not a deer hunter so I’d rather save some bucks than shoot some bucks.” He’s not that cheesy in real life (thank god)
posted by Amy on 1-18-2008 at 11:27 am
1) I’ve already sent in some submissions for this week’s photo-submission topic… but I was wondering, do the items need to be man-made?
For photo-submission ideas… why don’t you bring back the strange street sign post? I got a few nearby I’d snap a picture of. Or maybe snapshots of your readers local historical landmarks with a short blurb on its history? Or maybe your reader’s cat/dog/pet doing something strange (a la the LOLcat posts that were on here last year) with a flossy bent to the photo comment? Or the oldest photo your readers have, and it’s significance to them? Or maybe… hmm… maybe I’d better stop for now.
2) None really. My Geology classes gave me a good background but once I started my career, I was basically told, “OK, forget everything you think you know…”. Work experience has helped me far more than any college class has.
3) Ohh… I’m definitely NOT going to answer this one!
4) Anything exotic is always cool. Exotic doesn’t necessarily need to be from some far flung location either… it can sometimes be found in our own backyards without realizing it.
5) I loathe reality shows. Bleh…
posted by Jason! on 1-18-2008 at 11:32 am
1. I second the bad elementary photo idea. I’ve got a real winner of me in sixth grade. My head looks like it is sprouting wings.
Another idea might be what’s the strangest thing you see on your way to work?
2. I went to an art and design school, so pretty much everything.
3. None come to mind, but I could see myself on Mythbusters.
4. Olives. I love ‘em, but no one has ever been able to answer my question of why green olives are sold packed in jars while black olives are sold in cans. I even called the California Olive Growers Baord and they didn’t know!
5. Nope.
posted by Anthony on 1-18-2008 at 11:44 am
1- Puzzling public art.
Examples: Charlottesville Virginia has a large metal suit jacket and tie apparently in a hurry somewhere in the middle of a median. ????? Staunton Virginia has an enormous watering can in from of an overpass ????? and Radford Virginia has an oversized ceramic sofa on the lawn of the university. (guess where I’m from :-) I’ll bet New York has some great ones.
2- I was a Liberal Studies major. All of my classes had nothing to do with everything and everything to do with nothing. I use it everyday :-)
3- Mandy from the Billy/Mandy/Grim cartoon. Only not blonde. And 3-D.
4- Tofu, the other other other white meat.
5- ummm…I saw an ex-boyfriend of mine on the Montel Williams Show once, does that count?
posted by Karen on 1-18-2008 at 12:09 pm
1.I think a great Photo Submission would be of sick people. Whether seriously ill and in the hospital or sitting on the toilet with the flu, it ought to be entertaining.
2. No class prepaired me. I’m in Sales.
3. Sadly Chandler from Friends. We’re both good looking, funny, successfull and slightly pathetic.
4. I wish i knew more about Haggis, Chommora cuisine and dishes made out of insects.
5. Uh, well “Jeff Probst” the host of survivor is my second cousin but he was not a contestant. Little known fact, he’s 1/8 Chommoran (guamanian). He’s the spitting image of my grandfather.
posted by Jared Probst on 1-18-2008 at 12:12 pm
1. How about “Flossy-est thing you have ever done”
2. Sadly, that would probably be Abstract Algebra. I certainly don’t use any of the actual information from the class, but it tought me how to think and solve problems better than anything else in my life.
3. Er… Malcolm from Malcolm in the Middle. Or possibly his father.
4. Beef jerkey. Yum.
5. Not that I know of…
posted by Kevin on 1-18-2008 at 12:14 pm
1. I think that we’ve had good ideas so far, but I’d like to add a photo of your collection…I’d like to see what everyone else collects, be it video games or Madame Alexander dolls or banana stickers.
2. The class that best prepared me for my career was Rock Music Studies. Even though it has nothing to with my actual job (Tech. Coord. in a school), I can easily break the ice with my co-workers as well as anyone that comes in the door. Everyone listens to some sort of music, and knowing enough about their favorite band will help them open up to you quickly.
3. I see myself similar to Ed from the show of the same name. I tend to focus on the past and try to make up for mistakes in my life very often. I also am not afraid to look stupid if it will make someone smile. Stupid memories are some of the best memories!
4. I would like to know about Thai food. Which ones should I order if I like spicy foods? What kind of meat does each food consist of?
5. I had a friend who made it to a semi-final but was not on the actual reality show…it was something about being a model?
posted by Amauriel on 1-18-2008 at 12:15 pm
1. Photo Submission idea – I love the idea of best/worst grade school photo, and thought of a similiar idea. How about the most exciting picture of yourself as a child opening a present? I’ve seen some incredible snapshots of this.
2. For my current job? Probably being an assistant to my 7th grade English teacher. He was pleasantly insane and had me do all the things he didn’t feel like doing (grading papers, making quizzes, talking to other teachers). I’m a secretary. Yeah.
3. Toss-up between Pam from the office and Adrian Mole.
4. I’d like to know more about Mediterranean, Greek, and Turkish food. Delish!
5. No, sir.
posted by Sarah on 1-18-2008 at 12:23 pm
1) People so horribly dressed you are actually emabarrassed for them.
2) Engineering Management, or all those computer classes I took. Which class I wished I had learned more in? Spanish.
3) Kate Winslet in The Holiday (unrequited love, until you realize that they are s*** and there is someone better) or Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice, for personality and loyalty to family.
4) Fondue – “The Melting Pot”
5)I dont know anyone who ever went on one, but I know the people who do the background checks on these people, and they most (I am talking 75% or so) have some skeletons in their closets.
posted by Sarah on 1-18-2008 at 12:32 pm
1) “Found” photos, perhaps? I bought a used book once and I discovered a photograph crammed inside the pages of some unknown man in a suit (from the style it looked to be circa early 1950s)on a makeshift stage trying to put on a ladies girdle over his trousers. (As Dave Barry would say, I’m not making this up.)
2) English. The basic stuff I learned in elementary school – parts of speech, proper grammar, etc.
3) Julia Sugarbaker from Designing Women.
4) Vietnamese foods, like pho. I see folks mentioning it online frequently, and there are several Vietnamese restaurants in my area, but I so far have not tried the cuisine because I know nothing about it.
5) A friend of a co-worker was on “Bridezillas.” Of course the show was edited to deliberately make her look unreasonable and demanding.
posted by Jill on 1-18-2008 at 12:44 pm
1. It should be just what you stated: The oldest item in one’s possession.
2. I say the improv classes I took best prepare me. I have to improvise that I am working.
3. I identify with Daria a lot.
4. turducken.
5. I know of no one wh’s been on a reality show thank Jeebus.
posted by rodenial on 1-18-2008 at 12:47 pm
1. A picture of the kitchen. Or if you want to be scarier, a picture of the contents of the fridge.
2. Criminal Law. While I don’t practice criminal law, it taught me a lot about how to think like a lawyer. I had a fabulous professor.
3. In my younger days, Daria from the same-titled show on MTV.
4. There are lots of foods I would like to know more about because I love to cook – there are so many vegetables out there that I doubt I could even identify; different herbs and spices from around the world; any number of cool things they cook with on Iron Chef.
posted by Karen on 1-18-2008 at 12:49 pm
1) A picture of yourself as a child in clothing you still have… and perhaps a picture of yourself now in that clothing?
2) I think my most useful class was my intro to Comp Sci class just because I picked up a lot of tips on moving around Windows quickly. I kind of hated the class, though
3) Monica from Friends. I cook for all my friends (though I’m not a chef) and I’m… fastidious.
4) Quince. Is it really the fruit from the tree of knowledge?
posted by Adrienne on 1-18-2008 at 1:19 pm
I’m back again…
4) Examples of the many different instances of a type of food across different countries and cultures.
e.g. Bread (French, Naan, Roti, Pita, Focaccia, Soda, etc.)
posted by Jason! on 1-18-2008 at 1:28 pm
1) How about the contents of one’s fridge?
2) Oddly (or sadly) enough, none of the classes I took in college *or* grad school really applied to what I’m doing, now.
3) If you listen to my friends, they’d say I most embody Hermione from the Harry Potter books. In fact, that’s how I started reading those books – my best friend since the 6th grade called me up one day and said, “You know, there’s a character in this book that reminds me of you when we were twelve.” (Frizzy hair? Check. Buck teeth? Check. Bookish and apparently a smartypants? Check and check.)
4) Chocolate, when used in non-sweet recipes.
5) No, but my friend and I did apply to be on the Amazing Race’s second season. The application was nine pages long, and at least two pages had to do with our relationship with one another and what sort of things set us at one another’s throats. (What does your teammate do that irritates you? What was the worst fight you and your teammate ever had?)
Since we got along really well (and also spoke seven languages between us), we figured that the lack of callback had to do with us being too boring for network tv.
posted by Mel on 1-18-2008 at 1:40 pm
1) A lot of good ideas already- I like the class picture and also personal collections. I’d like to see pictures of people’s favorite meals. It cracks me up when people take pictures of the food on vacation, at a wedding, etc.
2) It’s a tie between biochemistry lab and 8th grade grammar/English. I’m a scientist surrounded by people who can’t spell or write.
3) In my pre-married days, Elaine from Seinfeld or Bridget Jones. Now? hmm. Most married women in sitcoms are married to lazy, stupid, overweight men and stay home with the kids. That demographic doesn’t apply.
4)Ice cream around the world- Gelato is totally different from what we call ice cream, and in some Asian countries, there is no minimum % milk for ice cream by definition (like we have), so just about anything goes. . . Also, bizarre drinks from around the world.
5) I spotted an acquaintance from high school on a makeover reality show, but she was “friend of the person being made over”- not enough camera time to be represented accurately or inaccurately.
PS: rodenial- there was a great post on turducken around Thanksgiving I think.
posted by Lebetho on 1-18-2008 at 1:44 pm
4. Synsepalum dulcificum, the source of ‘miracle fruit’, and how I can get my hands on some. Also, tempeh. Also, capers.
posted by ellentyler on 1-18-2008 at 2:11 pm
1. Picture of the most spontaneous cell phone photo-op you’ve had. (for example, I once had a cell phone shot of a mooner from the vehicle in front of me in mid-day traffic! So that’s “afternoon delight,” egh…?)
2. I was a Finance major, and now I’m a health and fitness coach… I’m going to go with Systems Analysis and Logistcs.
3. A good mixture of Susan, Sally and Jane from the BBC show Coupling. “You’re single now – you qualify for my elasticity…”
4. You know, I don’t know much about cooking, but I do know I like food. Particulary southern food. I would love to know the best places to find southern food when you’re not in the south (I’m now living in Seattle).
5. Nope. My sister made it through some of the interviews for Big Brother – partly because she does polygraphing for a living, and they thought that was cool. but she’s too “normal” for *good* tv :)
posted by Juliet on 1-18-2008 at 2:12 pm
1) Outdated or horrible-looking furniture designs people have owned or found, like acid-green couches with flower prints on them. Minimalism is everywhere, seems to be the “thing” for the future, and I’m kind of getting tired of looking at them. I remember having a brown checkered couch with drawers underneath. At least it was nice and springy.
2) The most useful class I took was a writing class I took in college. While it hasn’t helped me with my career (I’m sort of in limbo with that), I’ve become a grammar fiend for the most part.
3) A conglomerate of all of the personalities of each of the Winnie the Pooh characters; this is the only thing I can come up with at the moment. :T
4) Cassava root. People need to know where tapioca comes from!
5) Nope.
posted by Lisa on 1-18-2008 at 2:23 pm
4) Either that, or soups from around the world.
posted by Lisa on 1-18-2008 at 2:35 pm
1) What’s under your thumb? People’s thumbs on various in-animate objects…
Either that or people’s big toes, there pretty unique and a body part that is very under discussed and yet very useful!
2) Direct Marketing, I’m a financial analyst, but in this class I learned how to disect information and look for relevant materials. Any good analyst is only better when they have a strong control over how information is gathered, stored and processed prior to being analyzed. (Thanks Prof Smith!)
3) Turk from the show Scrubs. A true goofball but smarter and cooler than anyone gives me credit.
4) Bitter Gourdes, and lady fingers.
5) None yet. (atleast that i can recognize)
posted by Bilal on 1-18-2008 at 3:30 pm
1) How about your favorite picture of yourself? Mine would be from when I was about 2 years old — when I peaked, looks-wise.
2) No contest: typing. If I’d never learned to touch-type I would be so much less efficient at my job.
3) This one’s tough. Sadly (but kind of awesomely), I think it’s probably Dorothy from The Golden Girls.
4) How about foods that give us the “good” fat? Avocado is one, and I think peanut is another. Bring on more good fats!
5) I have a remote cousin (an umpteen cousin, x times removed) who won a show called “All-American Girl.” But I’ve never actually met her. I also know an entire family who appeared on the show “Honey, We’re Killing the Kids,” which was strange. They were so proud to be on TV, even though it was about the fact that they let their kids get obese! I’d say they were pretty fairly represented, except for the husband/dad, who played up to the cameras to seem more caring then he really is.
posted by Jenny M on 1-18-2008 at 4:08 pm
4. I’ve got to second the vote for Rocky Mountain Oysters. They are delicious, and probably would yield some interesting facts. Gotta love any article that inevitably includes reference to the “Testicle Festival”.
posted by kate on 1-18-2008 at 4:29 pm
1. I really like weird body parts ideas. Not anything gross but I’ve got some really jacked up toes I could show off from dancing in toe-shoes before the recommended age. I also liked the people who are horribly dressed idea. My friend and I once saw this lady who my friend described as “On her way to Luby’s (a restaurant look it up)” Just imagine it.
2. Class that was useful? Theories of Dress. Such as why do people wear the things they wear? What influences consumer decisions and such. It was my most interesting class and I learned some very unusual things about human behavior in regards to consumption. Is it helping me in my career? I will let you know as soon as I climb the corporate ladder past glorified office assistant. (It’s coming I can feel it!)
posted by Brandi on 1-18-2008 at 5:12 pm
1. Small towns/your town. Everyone has some spot that they love and love to share!
2. Ha! I am no where near any of the classes I took unless basic high school econ counts. (went to school for sociology and work in a bank now).
3. I’d say Yukino Miyazawa from His and Her Circumstances (anime). It’s the major striving for perfection at the cost of sanity part.
4. Honey
5.nada
posted by kitsana_d on 1-18-2008 at 5:35 pm
1. pictures of your office/cube
pics of your house/apartment
pics of what you had for dinner
pics of the messiest room/spot in your house
2. Urban Environmental History. All about infrastructure, development and urban issues. I’m an urban planner. I hated the prof, thought I was smarter than her (ok, still do), but I learned a lot and the textbooks were awesome. Who would have thought the history of the American sewer system would be interesting?
3. Daria or Eeyore or the Jeanine Garafolo character from Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion. snarky, smart, irrevelant, and hating of everything/everyone. yeah. wonder why I’m still single?
4. durian. betel nuts. pistacios (why dye them red?). kola nuts (what are they and why are they the root of all sodas?). anything bizarre and japanese.
5. My dad’s girlfriend was on House Hunters on HGTV. She wasn’t the buyer, but the friend of the buyer. Long story, but the producer basically made them pretend they were roommates. And they filmed the whole thing after she’d already bought the house and was in escrow. So the whole setup of viewing the three houses and having a tough decision is a total lie. They randomly had her view 2 other houses in town and she struggled to come up with nice things to say about them, and had to hide her enthusiasm for the house she’d already bought.
posted by jenny on 1-18-2008 at 6:01 pm
1) people doing stupid human tricks with their tongues.
2)Intro to Neuroscience. I’m a neuroscientist.
3) I always felt a connection to Sheri from Christopher Pike’s Remember Me.
4) Bread fruit
5) A college friend went on Ricky Lake with a fake bisexual love triangle. Her family was mad that she never told them she was bi. She’s like, “Guys, really, it’s fake.”
posted by Nicole on 1-18-2008 at 6:35 pm
1) I like the idea of the worst elementary school photo.
What about the best sign you see a panhandler/ bum hold. I see lots of them everyday living in Austin. I only give a dollar to the ones who make me laugh out loud.
2)Business communications. I learned to write an effective resume/ cover letter/ etc. We even taped interviews to pick out flaws during our an interview. Also, we learned business etiquette such as how to accept or give a business card, manners during a business meal, etc. I was able to use the projects (power points and speeches) in my job interview. One of the projects dealt with bicycles and it sparked my interviewer’s attention because he is an avid cyclist. Needless to say, I landed the job!
3) I am a lot like Elaine Bennice from Seinfeld. “GET OUT!”
4) mushrooms
5) I had a friend on teen Jeopardy when we were in high school. He lost. It didn’t that make him appear less intelligent than in real life!
posted by kelly on 1-18-2008 at 7:44 pm
2)Linguistics. Definitely what comes up the most in everyday conversation, and my favorite topic to ramble on about.
4)Baby carrots. Are they their own breed? Or are they shaved out of real carrots? (That would mean they’re incredibly wasteful!) Historically why did they develop? Basically – why do baby carrots exist when there are real carrots?
posted by Nora on 1-19-2008 at 12:43 am
1. Someone mentioned street signs; what about funny signs in general? Or of strange things being sold on the street?
2. I was a Bible/Counseling major, I now teach in an ESL setting. I’d have to say none of my classes helped.
3. Bridget Jones sans Darcy and Cleaver
4. Spices. Especially which ones can be substituted for others.
5. Nope, thankfully!
posted by Joanna on 1-19-2008 at 2:03 am
1) Kelly beat me to it, so I will second the “best panhandler sign” idea. The only thing is that it might be dangerous to snap the picture, depending on the panhandler.
2) Currently, I teach students with visual impairments, so I’d have to say that my braille class was the best. Previous, I was a starving legal aid lawyer, and I have to say that the Poverty Law class best prepared me to help the poor and to be poor!
3) I am often compared to Elaine from Seinfeld (I have never seen an episode) or Monica from Friends. I presume it’s because of my dark, Eastern European Jew hair. Oh, and the fact that I’m snarky and rather neurotic at times :)
4) Tofu. I just don’t get it.
5) Thank goodness, no!
posted by TeacherPatti on 1-19-2008 at 11:14 am
# 1
I think photos of your feet !! They are so odd sometimes… I grow my toe nails really long in the summer and they look like claws
#2
Art class I am a photographer and art class was a good start to learn how light works
#3
Alice I love wonderland and see the world that way
#4
Artichokes Yum woul;d love new receipes
#5
I actually know a family, mom and 2 daughters the were on Springer does that count? Not something I would ever tell anyone but hey what the heck
posted by Jude on 1-19-2008 at 3:18 pm
#1:
The weirdest thing you own…
posted by Anon on 1-19-2008 at 3:47 pm
1.) I also vote for a photo of odd panhandlers signs. I read one once that said “Why lie I need a beer”. We cracked up for days afterward! Or how about a pic of your junk drawer? Everyone has one and I imagine there could be some interesting stuff in there!
2.)My current job which I hope does not become my career deals with a retail stores inventory which means lots of numers and counting so I guess math, though I used to hate math until I had to basically start from scratch in math in community college because I sucked at it so bad. This gave me a whole new appreciation and understading of the subject though so I guess it ended up being a good thing!
3.)I may be most like Suki in gilmore girls, I guess we look a alike and I love to cook and bake.
4.)I wish I knew more about certain ethnic foods that aren’t that main stream in the US, like Indian food, Morracan, etc..
5.) A friend of a friend knew a couple who was on one of those shows that helps you get your cluttered house organized and the producers made them take a whole bunch of stuff that they had in storage into the house to make it look even worse! I was bummed to read Jenny’s post about how fake house hunters is, I watch that show all the time what BS!
posted by Sandy C on 1-19-2008 at 8:35 pm
1) In honour of the still-unnamed food column… how about photos of the strangest food we’ve ever been served?
4) Those funky regional foods.
5) No, neither I nor anyone I am associated with have ever been a part of any reality show
Need to think about 2 and 3 a bit… particularly 3 – there’s a few I’d like to be most like.
posted by Amy on 1-19-2008 at 11:31 pm
1. Please, no pictures of feet! I’m gagging just reading the suggestions about this. For the love of god, cut those claw toes!
2. Probably biochemisty or immunology class as I’m a bench scientist who works with antibodies.
3. My daughter has been watching Home Improvement reruns so lately I’ve been identifying with Jill Taylor. My name is also Jill, I live in the Metro Detroit area as well and myhusband is also an idiot at times.
4. How to make Indian idli.
5. Yep, American Idol. And nope, they let you see and try to get you to think what the producers of the show want the viewers to see and think. It’s not reality t.v. at all.
posted by AbbyJoy on 1-20-2008 at 10:34 am
1. A couple of ideas here: a.) Photo of the contents of your pockets, right now; b.) the last photo you took; c.) photo of your car, from any angle.
2. On a whim, I took a tech school class on QuarkXPress in 1993. That was after graduating with a BA in Management, and working for two years in a non-management job. After taking that class, I landed a job working graphics in a print company, which eventually led to me managing the graphics department in another company.
3. None that I can think of; I have a face made for radio, and a life too boring to be entertaining to anyone but me.
4. One topic about food that always seems to come up at our dinner table is theorizing how someone figured out that certain things would make a good food product, or how combinations of different foods came up. For instance, how did someone figure out that if you roast the beans from a coffee plant, grind them up, then run hot water over the grounds, you get a tasty drink with an added pick-me-up.
posted by Dave on 1-21-2008 at 10:06 am
(1)
How about how far Mental Floss travels with people? Vogue or Cosmopolitan, one of the fashion magazines (I can’t remember which one), encourages their readers to take a picture of themselves with the magazine in front of international landmarks like the Eiffel Tower or Greek Parthenon, etc., and send in the photo to be printed in the magazine. Why not Mental Floss, also? Is it not MORE important to the advancement of civilization than fashion magazines?
(2)
I’d have to say it’s a tie between the basic business class I reluctantly took as a filler elective in high school, and my all-time favorite AP Composition class, as taught by a grammar nazi who was an excellent teacher.
(4)
Jicama. Rutabaga. Other less common vegetables & fruits.
Also, foods that are surrounded by Controversy. Like olive oil. Supposedly good for you – but some doctors and diets talk trash about it. And milk – does it REALLY do a body good? Or just the bodies of baby cows?
posted by Valerie on 1-21-2008 at 10:25 am
1. I love the ‘under the thumb’ idea and the fridge idea. How about a funny picture of your parents or family members? I have a picture of my parents in their workout clothes that would slay you.
3. Either Monica from Friends or Pam from The Office. I’m the office admin who likes art, and I’m also a clean freak who likes everything a certain way.
4. Thai food is on the top of my list, I love pad thai, but I just don’t know what else is out there. And Indian food is another one I’ve never tried because I don’t know how to order.
posted by JessicaG on 1-21-2008 at 10:46 am
1)The person or object you love most in this world.
or
The smallest thing you can find (perhaps a contest trying to figure out what the small thing is)
posted by Tricia on 1-21-2008 at 11:41 am
1. Funny/ Interesting Billboards and Store Signs, Your Computer Desktop, Favorite Everyday Accessory…
2. I am a computer programmer and lots of college courses have helped me. If I have to name one, it would be my first algorithms course. Honorable mentions – Programming Languages (first two were Pascal and Fortran!), Databases.
3. Lots of times, in kitchen, I wonder how did an ingredient come about. I don’t know (and haven’t googled yet) how do fennel seeds grow(?). How does a cashew nut look on a tree (?)?
4. I can list lots of favorite characters, but don’t recall any that reminded me of myself much. I think, the characters, the embedded thoughts, opinions etc. make me recognize more with the authors.
5. Not that I know.
posted by septer on 1-21-2008 at 4:48 pm
1) Another suggestion…picture of your earliest hand-writing…
posted by septer on 1-21-2008 at 5:05 pm
Photo topic:
The most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen. This could include short stories explaining the photo. It will give every one a new perspective on what beauty is. Also, it may provide some very inspirational stories to brighten your day.
posted by Brandi on 1-21-2008 at 5:12 pm
Aha, #1 is stuff I could submit:
1. Ridiculous candid shots of you as a child (or your children in wierd candid shots). Your oldest pair of underwear/sneakers/grandparents (wrinkles are interesting). Your goofy ass child birthday party pics. Sprinklers I have known. And somebody suggested bad pics, take it a step further and… a thumb must actually appear in photo.
2. Well, I’m a library reference tech, so I’d have to say… ha! TYPING! I learned nothing at school, I learned everything from books. And, um, “personal experimentation”. But my typing speed is awesome. Oh, I also learned that you can be not so good at typing or pretty much anything else at school and still go on to own one of the world’s most famous corporations, and become filthy stinking rich, like Karen D., who sat behind me in typing. I guess typing also prepared me for “Life is Unfair”.
3. Lisa Simpson – delinquent brother, brainy, unpopular. Or Martin Prince, as I am “more smarter”.
see “Life is Unfair”.
4. Nam Pla
5. My friend, the world’s most brilliant librarian, Julie B., got her behind kicked on Jeopardy!, and Alex dissed her too. Bad Host! Bad Host!
posted by Marion on 1-21-2008 at 11:26 pm
I’d like to see a photo feature on the coolest objects that people have found dumpster diving.
While the cracked-face Elvis robot posted last week is going to be hard to beat, I bet if Mental Floss readers pulled together, we could come up with something even stranger!
posted by Troy Wood on 1-22-2008 at 11:40 pm