On Fridays, I post a series of unrelated questions meant to spark conversation in the comments. Answer one, answer all, respond to someone else’s reply, whatever you want. On to this week’s topics of discussion…

1. We had our company holiday party last night. Nobody embarrassed themselves too much — or if they did, they hid it — and everyone was in at a good time this morning. So I’m going to have to look to you guys for stories. What’s your best (or worst) office holiday party experience?

2. If, for reasons not entirely clear, you had to listen to one Christmas song on repeat all December, what would it be?

3. “Margaritaville” has a “lost verse” that Jimmy Buffett sometimes adds back in. (He found it, apparently.)

Old men in tank tops,
Cruisin’ the gift shops,
Checkin’ out chiquitas, down by the shore
They dream about weight loss,
Wish they could be their own boss
Those three-day vacations can be (or “become”) such a bore

What other lost verses do you know? Either stuff legitimately cut from a song early on, or extra verses occasionally added in.

4. If you could rename one kitchen utensil, what would it be? What would you call it?

5. Do you know of any unique charities that deserve more attention? Either unique in how they raise money or in what that money’s for.

Have a great weekend!

[See all the previous Friday Happy Hour transcripts.]

On Fridays, I post a series of unrelated questions meant to spark conversation in the comments. Answer one, answer all, respond to someone else’s reply, whatever you want. On to this week’s topics of discussion…

MilousSK / Shutterstock

1. Two questions in one: what was the last book you finished, and how did you get it? Bookstore? Library? Kindle Store? Gift? Theft?

Would you recommend it? (OK, three questions.)

2. Are there any books, movies or TV shows that you’re purposely waiting to read or watch? I bought The Wire DVDs last year and enjoy knowing they’re there the next time I have several months to kill. Also in that category: every Simpsons episode since 2001. When I’m bored and 70, I won’t be upset the early seasons were so much better.

3. This one comes from reader Diane:

What is the oddest situation you’ve come home to find? In my case, I came home from college to change for work one night to find the SWAT team camped out ON my house. Seems the guy behind us had gone a little nuts and shot at a cop, so they were taking up strategic positions.

4. The other night I received possibly the weirdest story pitch in the 4+ years I’ve been receiving weird story pitches. “A celebrity numerologist would like to discuss the number 12 and what it means for Bernie Fine.”

This led to some fun emails where we tried to top it. (My contribution: “Homer Simpson’s work phone number is the same as the number for Chong’s Chinese, which employed Kevin Arnold on The Wonder Years. Let’s explore other 555 numbers and their overlap.”) What’s the weirdest mental_floss story you could come up with? There’s a chance we might actually want to run it.

Have a great weekend!

[See all the previous Friday Happy Hour transcripts.!]

On Fridays, I post a series of unrelated questions meant to spark conversation in the comments. Answer one, answer all, respond to someone else’s reply, whatever you want. On to this week’s topics of discussion, which you might remember from previous editions…

1. Two times when I was a kid — once at a restaurant called The Boathouse in Sarasota, Florida — my dad was mistaken for Tom Hanks. Or at least he was mistaken for someone who looked a lot like Tom Hanks during the Big era. (The two have made wildly different hairstyle choices since the late-1980s, so the resemblance has faded.) The only famous person I’ve been told I look like is former St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz, who is 28 years my senior. Though I did play a convincing Skipper one Halloween during my heavier just-after-college days. Who’s your famous doppelganger?

2. “Would you like any M&M’s with that?”

I was buying cough medicine and an SD card. It was only natural the Walgreens cashier would ask.

More and more, retailers are trying to squeeze a few more dollars out of you at the register. Some of these efforts make sense. Batteries, for example. But others are a stretch. At a newsstand in the Port Authority Bus Terminal on Wednesday, I was asked if I needed a bottle of water to go with my gum. A big ad at the counter shows off the bottle, with the words “It’s Resealable!” doing their best to convince me. What’s the weirdest item you’ve been marketed during checkout?

3. What’s something you’d really like to be good at, but know you’ll never put in the necessary time/effort? I am not very musical, but I’d love to play the harmonica. Seems like that would be a useful talent. Hearing people say, “Wow, I didn’t know you could play the harmonica!” would never get old.

4. What’s the crappiest car you’ve ever owned? Was it a clunker from the start, or did you simply drive it into the ground?

[See all the previous Friday Happy Hour transcripts. Have a great weekend!]

On Fridays, I post a series of unrelated questions meant to spark conversation in the comments. Answer one, answer all, respond to someone else’s reply, whatever you want. On to this week’s topics of discussion…

Gemenacom / Shutterstock.com

1. In Miss Cellania’s Weird Week in Review today, she mentioned that people have been lined up for Best Buy’s Black Friday sale since Wednesday. If they make it, that’ll be nine days of waiting. I can’t imagine anyone here can beat that, but I’d like to know the longest you’ve stood (or slept) in line for something. Concert tickets? To register for classes? To vote?

2. Everyone has a home remedy for hiccups. What’s yours?

3. What’s your least-favorite commercial right now? Either specific commercials or categories. I generally don’t care for ads with newscasters talking about how important their jobs are, or accountants discussing their (singular) passion for their work.

4. When you were in high school, what time did the school day begin? At Morris Knolls High School in the mid-1990s, the first period bell rang at 7:30. That always felt way too early for me.

5. Since I have access to all these smart people, sometimes I’ll use this last question for something I’ve been wondering (but haven’t made any effort to look up). Why do so many real estate agents go by a nickname? And not only go by the nickname, but stick it on For Sale signs, quotes and all? Roberta “Bertie” Ortega. Christopher “Topher” Morris. We must have some readers who work in real estate. Is there a point in your training where everyone has to pick a nickname? Is that just supposed to make you sound more accessible?

[See all the previous Friday Happy Hour transcripts. And if you're doing some early holiday shopping, consider our 10th anniversary book. Have a great weekend!]

It’s a crazy day around here with all the 11 lists, so this week I only have one question for you: do you have any Friday Happy Hour questions you’d like to see asked? See the previous transcripts for inspiration.

And if you see a question in the comments you just can’t wait to answer, have at it.

On Fridays, I post a series of unrelated questions meant to spark conversation in the comments. Answer one, answer all, respond to someone else’s reply, whatever you want. On to this week’s topics of discussion…

Photokanok / Shutterstock.com

1. There are still hundreds of thousands of people in the East without power after last weekend’s early snowstorm. We were lucky—here in my New Jersey satellite office, we were only electricity-free for about 24 hours, but friends a few miles away are still waiting for the lights to come back on. What’s the longest you’ve gone without power? How’d you spend your time in the dark?

2. I’ve asked a variation of this question before, but there are probably new Happy Hour guests — and new pets — since last time. What is the significance of your pets’ names? (Or: What did you almost name them?)

3. Have you ever been in a band? What was your band’s name?

4. I’m really excited about Erik’s World War I series we announced this morning. What other events that unfolded over several years would you like to learn about, piece by piece?

[See all the previous Friday Happy Hour transcripts. And if you're doing some early holiday shopping, consider our 10th anniversary book. Have a great weekend!]

On Fridays, I post a series of unrelated questions meant to spark conversation in the comments. Answer one, answer all, respond to someone else’s reply, whatever you want. On to this week’s topics of discussion…

1. Every neighborhood has that house that goes off script on Halloween. Maybe it’s a dentist who gives away toothbrushes, or the family who gives out cash. Or something way cooler than fun size candy. What did the non-candy houses in your area offer up instead?

2. Think back to your CD (or tape or record) collection. You probably bought a lot of albums because you liked one song you heard on the radio or MTV. Which “I bought it for the single” album was the most disappointing?

3. On almost every TV show, there’s an episode where someone — usually a pregnant woman whose water already broke — gets stuck in an elevator. In my 32 years, this has never happened to anyone I know. Have you ever been stuck in an elevator? How’d you pass the time?

4. I was recently asked where I thought most people read our site. (“Computers?” was deemed an unacceptable answer.) Next time this comes up, I’d love to be armed with enjoyable anecdotes. (Fake examples: “I was stuck in an elevator and spent the entire time rummaging through The Amazing Fact Generator.” / “Antarctica.”) While the real answers are probably “at work” and “at home,” where’s the coolest place you’ve read mentalfloss.com?

[See all the previous Friday Happy Hour transcripts. Have a great weekend!]

On Fridays, I post a series of unrelated questions meant to spark conversation in the comments. Answer one, answer all, respond to someone else’s reply, whatever you want. On to this week’s topics of discussion…

1. Last week we discussed intentionally misspelled words that drive you crazy (KidzTyme, wyngz, etc.) Along those lines, what are your least favorite made-up or mashed-up words, like Xfinity or emotrics (“analytical measurement of emotions”)?

2. For everyone who works or has worked in a job where gratuities are encouraged, what’s the best (or weirdest) tip anyone ever left you?

3. Recommend one food you suspect most of us have never tried.

4. Our last question comes from the season three finale of The West Wing. Is there a crime, which if it wasn’t illegal, you would do? Dr. Stanley Keyworth’s answer was pretty good: “I’d park anywhere I want.”

Marcio Jose Bastos Silva / Shutterstock.com

[See all the previous Friday Happy Hour transcripts. Have a great weekend!]

On Fridays, I post a series of unrelated questions meant to spark conversation in the comments. Answer one, answer all, respond to someone else’s reply, whatever you want. On to this week’s topics of discussion…

1. Many stores switch around a few letters in their names to stand out (or because they couldn’t get a good domain name). Kids becomes kidz. Time becomes tyme. KidsTime becomes KidzTyme. Are there any intentionally misspelled — or unintentionally, I guess — business names that make you reach for your red pen?

2. A Michigan woman is suing the distributors of Drive because, as The Week reported, “it contains less driving than the trailer would suggest.” (She also claims the movie “promoted criminal violence against members of the Jewish faith.”) Let’s use her trailer confusion as a jumping off point. Is there any movie whose preview initially gave you an entirely different picture of the film?

3. If TV characters competed in an elaborate Fictional Jeopardy! tournament, who do you think would come out on top?

4. Time for another edition of What Are You Reading? Do you recommend it?

[See all the previous Friday Happy Hour transcripts. Have a great weekend!]

On Fridays, I post a series of unrelated questions meant to spark conversation in the comments. Answer one, answer all, respond to someone else’s reply, whatever you want. On to this week’s topics of discussion…

1. Two years ago, we asked for pictures of your best Halloween costumes. Let’s do that again! If you’re particularly proud of a costume, specifically a nerdy one, we’d love to see it (and show the others). Send those photos to flossyjason@gmail.com with Halloween in the subject and we’ll post our favorites later this month. For today, just tell us about your best Halloween costume.

2. Steve Jobs’ death is all anyone has talked about for several days now. I can’t remember too many other people who commanded such posthumous attention. Michael Jackson? Ronald Reagan? This is a two-part question: who else do you remember being in this category? And what living people do you think will get the same treatment (hopefully a long time from now)?

3. What are you having for lunch today?

Have a great weekend!

[See all the previous Friday Happy Hour transcripts. Oh, and if you're wondering, those are staff Halloween pics above. Miss Cellania, Stacy (and Paul) Conradt, and Scott Allen. That costume won him Washington Wizards season tickets.]