Author Topic: If... (Read 1876 times)

Pseudonym · « **on:** February 13, 2009, 06:46:59 am »

Last Christmas I received a book titled "If...(Questions for the Game of Life)". It was one of my favourite presents, perhaps only just pipped at the post by my Flight of the Conchords DVDs.

A book, some 130 pages long, filled with scenarios, choices, questions, dreams, imagination. Essentially the book throws out a provocative question and asks for your answer. Throughout last year I would send a sample 'If' question out as an email each morning to a group of my friends and was enormously entertained by the fascinating and surprising answers that came back. As the book boasts, and I found it to be true, each and every time a kind of synergetic and addictive momentum took over as answers led to other related questions, reasons were demanded, conditions were imposed, other's answers were predicted and inevitably those involved were startled by the responses, at times even their own.

And so, here I present some of the questions from this book. Aside from the truths revealed, the contemplation that is provoked, the confidence or anxiety that surfaces, the self-knowledge that results, or the understanding that might be gained, above all it is hoped that asking these questions inspires optimism as we, the community of Layonara, share together a small part of the unpredictable journey of the imagination, which leads us through the wonderful game of life.

You may feel the desire to answer publicly, you may wish to contemplate in private, ain't nothing to me .. it remains an interesting exercise regardless of how you may wish (or not) to participate. Many of those friends I emailed an 'If' question last year I never received a response. However, of those, many told me they enjoyed the questions without feeling the need to reveal to anyone but themselves their answer.

PS. Please be mindful this is a family server. None of the questions are overtly rude, but ... you know, commonsense.

That said, question #1 ...

Pseudonym · « **Reply #1 on:** February 13, 2009, 06:49:49 am »

If you could sing any one song beautifully and perfectly, which one would you pick?

Leanthar · « **Reply #2 on:** February 13, 2009, 07:36:31 am »

So many I could choose from but here are two off the top of my head.

Sound of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel
Silver Springs - Fleetwood Mac

EdTheKet · « **Reply #3 on:** February 13, 2009, 08:07:39 am »

Fever - (original by Little Willie John) many have sung it, but at the moment I like Michael Buble's version best. But whoever sings it, I still like it.

s0ulz · « **Reply #4 on:** February 13, 2009, 08:09:42 am »

Foo Fighters - Times Like These

Spike · « **Reply #5 on:** February 13, 2009, 08:21:26 am »

I would have to say Jeff Buckley's version of 'Hallelujah'.

pinkpowerbait · « **Reply #6 on:** February 13, 2009, 11:11:25 am »

Geeze.. that's a tough one..
one that comes to mind is "Stand My Ground" - Within Temptation

lonnarin · « **Reply #7 on:** February 13, 2009, 11:22:44 am »

YouTube - Tom Waits - Temptation - 1987

Because I've been trying to master that classical jazz musician voice of his for years now. I'm getting close, but thanks to long years of smoking I usually wind up gagging and coughing a fit when I try to hit that range.

And then these classics from my childhood I'm currently trying to re-record industrial/techno style with roaring cookie monster voice ala Laibach.

YouTube - David the Gnome
YouTube - The Neverending Story

I'll certainly post if I ever get them done to satisfaction.

ShiffDrgnhrt · « **Reply #8 on:** February 13, 2009, 11:52:11 am »

Quote from: Pseudonym

If you could sing any one song beautifully and perfectly, which one would you pick?

The Music of the Night ~ Andrew Lloyd Weber, from "The Phantom of the Opera

ycleption · « **Reply #9 on:** February 13, 2009, 11:59:39 am »

Bridge over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel.

SuperMunch · « **Reply #10 on:** February 13, 2009, 06:42:25 pm »

Neil Young's Harvest Moon and Chris Isaak's Only The Lonely.

Wait, just one?

Harvest Moon.

ShiffDrgnhrt · « **Reply #11 on:** February 13, 2009, 07:36:56 pm »

If I had to speak for a very dear friend of mine in terms of a song we could sing perfectly together, I'd have to go with "The Phantom of the Opera" as it was sung by Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman in the original cast of Phantom.

Pseudonym · « **Reply #12 on:** February 14, 2009, 07:18:06 am »

If you could do any job in the world for one day, what would it be?

lonnarin · « **Reply #13 on:** February 14, 2009, 09:17:06 am »

Quote from: Pseudonym

If you could do any job in the world for one day, what would it be?

Bank CEO: That way I could give back all the money the bank stole via predatory adjustable rate mortgages, call off all the foreclosures in the queue, donate all that bailout money to cancer research, donate the private jets to the Make a Wish Foundation and be known as the first one ever who didn't give himself a 40 million dollar retirement package.

Spike · « **Reply #14 on:** February 14, 2009, 10:26:16 am »

Quote from: lonnarin

Bank CEO: That way I could give back all the money the bank stole via predatory adjustable rate mortgages, call off all the foreclosures in the queue, donate all that bailout money to cancer research, donate the private jets to the Make a Wish Foundation and be known as the first one ever who didn't give himself a 40 million dollar retirement package.

And there was me going to say something like Fireman

.

pinkpowerbait · « **Reply #15 on:** February 14, 2009, 10:56:21 am »

Quote from: Pseudonym

If you could do any job in the world for one day, what would it be?

I may be crazy.. but I'd like to run a daycare.. lots of kiddos!

ShiffDrgnhrt · « **Reply #16 on:** February 14, 2009, 11:01:54 am »

Quote from: lonnarin

Bank CEO: That way I could give back all the money the bank stole via predatory adjustable rate mortgages, call off all the foreclosures in the queue, donate all that bailout money to cancer research, donate the private jets to the Make a Wish Foundation and be known as the first one ever who didn't give himself a 40 million dollar retirement package.

Lonn, I would LOVE to see that happen, but sadly, human weakness lies in once we have power or status like that, we loath to give it up... But hey! if you can pull that off via hacking their accounts and wire transfering it all to a Cancer Foundation, I won't tell...

ShiffDrgnhrt · « **Reply #17 on:** February 14, 2009, 11:04:04 am »

Quote from: Pseudonym

If you could do any job in the world for one day, what would it be?

Any Job... I woulda wanted to play Aragorn in the Peter Jackson "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy...

But I'd take Bard in "The Hobbit" too!

Although, getting to be one of the Fountain Guards of Minas Tirith woulda been cool too... Those guys are epic... Like... Dwarven Defenders... except not Dwarves... >.>

Dezza · « **Reply #18 on:** February 14, 2009, 06:00:44 pm »

Senior Cyber space analyst and hack meister at CIA operations at Langley!

Think of the possibilities of one day at that!

Link092 · « **Reply #19 on:** February 15, 2009, 03:06:43 pm »

to the first one, it would be "Babe, I'm gonna leave you"-Led Zeppelin
second one, I would want to be a telemarketer for one day....