I grew up centuries ago on a farm in New Jersey; went to high school in the mean streets of New York City. I've lived a little here and a little there. My three children were all born in Boston, MA.
My default conversation starter is, "Nice day if it don't rain." Kind regards, jrs On Thu, May 15, 2025 at 2:10 AM Shashikiran Rao via Silklist < [email protected]> wrote: > In Berlin, all the usual pleasantries go out the window. People live, > think, and work in radically different ways. Yet, time and again, > philosophy becomes the common ground—a place to explore shared themes. That > always seems to work. > > > Shashi > On 11. May 2025 at 11:11 +0530, Aditi via Silklist < > [email protected]>, wrote: > > I think there's an East/West thing going on as well. Berlin is a weird mix > of both, and immigrants make it culturally very different from the rest of > Germany. > > On Thu, 8 May 2025, 15:39 Huda Masood via Silklist, < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Really? In Bonn, Germany I get asked all the time what I do as an >> occupation. I have NEVER been asked what I do for physical activity! I >> wonder if it a life phase specific question? >> >> On Thu, 8 May 2025 at 10:30, Aditi via Silklist < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >>> I've been silent on here for a while but had to answer this one. >>> >>> In Germany the equivalent of what do you do, is what sport do you play >>> or "do you make sport". I, the most unathletic person I know, have been >>> caught off guard because my Indian brain thinks - Cricket? Tennis? >>> Football? Badminton? And I would sheepishly answer, I don't play a sport, >>> only to receive shocked looks. I finally understood that they were asking >>> about any physical activity, to find something common to talk about - so I >>> now simply say I hike/walk, do yoga etc. >>> >>> I have never yet been asked "what do you do for a living" in an >>> introductory conversation with anyone in Germany. I have, however, been >>> asked what the population of the city I come from is 😁 >>> >>> On Thu, 8 May 2025, 13:00 Bruce Metcalf via Silklist, < >>> [email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> I think that great fun, and some non-small benefit, can result from >>>> overturning the usual banal greeting questions. >>>> >>>> A late friend responded to, "What do you do?" with "I don't *do*, I >>>> *be*!" Assuming that didn't frighten them away she would then go on to >>>> talk about the things she was doing, why they were important to her, and >>>> finally, "What do you *be*?" (complete with that peculiar wording). >>>> >>>> Her favorite answer was, "I... I'm not sure. Let me think about that." >>>> >>>> An interesting approach to both connections and self-understanding, but >>>> a bit off-putting for those living the unexamined life. >>>> >>>> Cheers, >>>> / Bruce / >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Silklist mailing list >>>> [email protected] >>>> https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist >>>> >>> -- >>> Silklist mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist >>> >> >> >> -- >> Huda Masood >> +91 9886796967 >> -- >> Silklist mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist >> > -- > Silklist mailing list > [email protected] > https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist > > -- > Silklist mailing list > [email protected] > https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist > -- *Sundman figures it out! <https://johnsundman.substack.com/>* — an ongoing autobiographical meditation.
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