Small Talk Blows

     Native Alaskans probably have no idea how strange their childhood was. Surrounded by enough trucks and guns to make a Texan envious they enjoy endless wilderness uninhibited by power lines and billboards day and night through the summer. If the Northern Lights feel as remarkable as an episode of Wheel of Fortune your birth place is objectively interesting. Unfortunately, most of us come from regular towns in regular counties surrounded by supremely regular and obnoxiously straight border lines. Trying to prod a stranger with the same questions only to get the same answers makes engaging a first date in small talk a painfully banal experience, similar to inputting your email and password twelve times a day or watching baseball on tv.
   
     It is possible to fall for someone without knowing which Springfield they're from, what irrelevant degree they're still paying off or how they spend their binge hours guessing which Game of Thrones cast member will die next. The art of creative conversation is practiced by many but only properly wielded by the few willing to risk skipping formalities in search of character. There are those who will dodge any effort to connect with someone in an attempt at humor. While this may lend itself to a good gab down the bar, it robs both people of the chance to know who they're talking to. Comedy may be the primary attribute people respond to on a first date but it can serve as a mask for true feelings.

     If small talk is like filling in a child's coloring book then discussions about religion and politics is certainly Sistine chapel material. Avoiding the awkward yes and no questioning brought on by a justifiable lack of preparation can lead to topics we're passionate about. While there's nothing wrong with making a lasting connection over a mutual disgust for Donald Trump or bonding together in an effort to share your common faith in an over seas mission, there's typically a time and place for these discussions and a first date might not be the best place for it. Whatever you do to avoid the boilerplate discussion doomed to evade your memory the next day, mean what you say and remember to listen at least half the time.