Okay, so where am I?

Happy New Year from the desk of the Media Guy Struggles!

I’m currently on assignment in the former Communist Bloc countries covering the Kontinential Hockey League. It will be a fun series of articles once I am done. For now, I have been all around Russia and in subsequent days I’ll take some vacation (?) in Bulgaria and Romania.

I’m a little nervous about Romania, considering the last time I was there I was “asked” to leave the country by the local mafia I wound up working for at the time. In case you missed my article back in 2011 (and I know most of you did), here’s a tip of the hat to the first time I was tossed from the arms of Bucharest. Could be a good book in this column. (Hint hint, Penguin Books USA!)

Yet, I digress…

I was asked today, of course, what my New Year’s Resolutions will be.

I went with the usual: a) workout more, b) be more patient, and c) drink less coffee. I also went with the unusual: Get people to stop asking others, “So, How’s Life?”

Small talk ain’t easy. Making an attempt at it takes perseverance and some courage. I mean you have to work with people so small talk is critical to your success and it’s not easy.

“So, How’s Life?” is comparable to asking children how their day was. Common replies include “same-same,” “the usual,” and of course, a rushed pirouette out of the room.

It makes sense. The infinite possibilities are brain busters, and the dialogue concludes before it could begin.

Just because everyone does it, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a great idea. In fact, the contrary is probably true. If everyone does it, it probably stinks. As evidence, I present college loans, buying cars fresh off the assembly line, and cheating on your taxes.

Look, I fumbled the small talk routine all the time, too. It’s simple to autopilot this stuff. But if you give a little extra sweat equity, you’ll find that your relationships at work and at home will flourish.

THOUGHT-INDUCING QUESTIONS TO ASK NEXT TIME:

• What was the best part of your weekend?
• What was the worst part of your weekend?
• Would you rather have the ability to spot every lie, or never be lied to again?
• Brutal weather today, right?
• What movie should I watch next?
• Trump, huh?
• Why do you reheat fish in the microwave?
• How old were you when you lost your sense of smell?
• What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
• Do you even understand what I’m capable of?

Give it a whirl and let me know how it goes.

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