I was googling around for interesting questions I could ask guests on my podcast when I came across this list of 350 good questions to ask. I loved it. I found myself reading all the questions and then answering them in my head. I realized this would be an interesting way for me to share what I think.
So that’s what I’m doing, and you’re welcome to join me by leaving YOUR answers to some of these questions in the comments.
Here are my answers for questions 25 - 32
25 - Who was your craziest / most interesting teacher
I can’t remember a single remarkable teacher up until college. Acknowledging that gives me a feeling of disappointment, but to be honest I probably wasn’t listening anyways.
The first teacher I remember being “interesting” taught a three-dimensional art class. He had a so-cal accent, long hair and well-worn t-shirts. I felt comfortable around him. He didn’t talk to me like a parent or a boss. He seemed genuinely interested in helping me discover something about myself. He told me that the work I did in class was great. It made me feel good and gave me confidence in my ideas. I can’t remember his name. I only had that one class with him but I always remembered him. He gave me a piece of advice one day. He said “always finish the things you start." I never forgot that.
26 - What “old person” things do you do?
I hate the framing of some things as “old person” things or “young person” things. It’s mostly a way to make people feel bad about being old, which is weird. I like to go to bed early. I like to get up early. That could be framed as an “old person” thing, or a very young person thing depending on who you’re talking to. If you’re 30 and taking naps everyday people say you’re getting “old.” But kids take naps and sleep all the time. They get tired easily. They forget things constantly. They shit their pants. They’re bad at just about everything except the occasional cuteness which alleviates them from criticism. It’s ok to abase oldness because it’s not cute.
27 - What was the last photo you took?
A selfie in the trippy light booth at the Yayoi Kusama exhibit in shanghai. (It should still be to the right of this post in my IG feed) We only had 40 seconds in the booth so had to be quick but it’s a pretty amazing 40 second experience.
28 - What is the most amazing slow motion video you’ve seen?
Recently someone shared an amazing slow motion video of knock-out slaps, from slapping competitions. I had no idea this was a thing. But it’s pretty amazing to watch. I couldn’t find the original video but here’s one that will introduce you to the funny world of slap battles.
I also love this music video by Ellen Alien featuring two belly-laden men playing ping pong with their bellies and a round piece of hamburger.
29 - Where are some unusual places you’ve been?
In 2009 I spent 6 months traveling around India. The guide I was using strongly recommended avoiding the Kashmir region because of a war that was technically still going on at that time. I had heard mixed reviews about the level of actual danger. So I went anyways. I walked into “old-town” and saw soldiers hiding behind sandbags while pointing their guns and looking around. I realized there must be actual danger since I had never seen that kind of thing before. But it was kind of like a dream too. I was quickly met by two young looking dudes in nice clothes who offered to “show me around.” I observed them keeping certain people away from me. I assume they were some kind of advanced ninja commandos. A bomb went off the day I was leaving. It blew up a whole bus of people near my hotel. Unusual for me, absolutely.
30 - Which celebrity do you think is the most down to earth?
I don’t know any celebrities so I have no idea. The only celebrity of any merit I’ve come face-to-face with is Dave Chappell who I ran into after getting lost on my motorcycle in Ohio.
After buying a very powerful, very fast, used Triumph Sprint sport touring bike, I decided to ride to West Virginia to meet one of my best friends from High School. I had never taken a trip on a motorcycle before and after about 5 hours of riding I was getting VERY tired. But I was still on the highway in the middle of nowhere, so I kept going and got to Dayton Ohio. I immediately decided, despite my exhaustion, not to stop in Dayton. As soon as Dayton felt safely behind me I stopped at a gas station and asked for the nearest campground. He pointed me in a direction and I rode toward it. Didn’t find a campground. Instead I arrived in a small Twin-Peaksy looking town and decided to put up my tent behind a church and get a burger at the bar next to it.
While eating my burger an older guy next to me started chatting me up. He asked about what I was doing and how I had found myself in Yellow Springs. He mentioned that this was, in fact, the town that Dave Chappell lived in and how he could usually be found outside riding around on his skateboard. It was totally unbelievable. After I finished I walked outside, crossed the street, and practically ran smack into Dave himself who, yes, appeared to have been skateboarding. He spoke to me. Directly to me. Words meant for me. Something about how some people just need a hug. However, I was in too much shock to process it and just kind of nodded my head and moved along. I didn’t try to speak to him or get a photo or anything. Hours later I regretted it. One photo would have been great.
31 - What would be the worst thing to hear as you are going under anesthesia before heart surgery?
“ok guys, let’s not have a repeat of yesterday’s fiasco.”
32 - What’s the spiciest thing you’ve ever eaten?
If you really love spicy food, like I do, you’ve probably had the experience of someone or someplace claiming that their food was “really spicy” only to discover they have no idea what spicy means to you. This was how most of my trip in Thailand went. The country famous for some of the world’s spiciest foods regularly de-spices food for boring foreigners who show up in their restaurants. Which is a good thing, unless you like spicy food. One evening I sat down at a food vendors cart in Chiang Mai and asked him for some of the curry-looking cuisine he was serving up. He said “no way too spicy, you no like.” I was incensed. It was probably barely even a tongue tingler. I demanded he serve it to me. He warned me multiple times. But I wasn’t convinced and was sick and tired of being de-spiced because of the color of my skin. Eventually he gave me my meal. As you can easily guess, the first bite I took went off like a nuclear bomb in my mouth. My brain started leaking out of my ears. But I made every attempt to look composed and ate—nearly—all the food on my plate out of due humiliation. Lesson learned.