Simply Fun: Revisiting The “If I Were…” Prompts + Playing MASH Online

/ Ally Bean

THE REVISITING PART

First jigsaw puzzle of the season is finished!

Lately I’ve been feeling nostalgic about personal blogging, missing the straightforward simplicity of my early days in the blogosphere. The following is an example of what I’m talking about.

I originally answered these prompts, that were referred to as a meme at the time, in 2011. Most of my answers have changed since then, making me 1/3 the same, 2/3 different now.  [Here is what I said back then.]

Interestingly of the six people who commented on the original post, two are still blogging and keep in touch here: J at Thinking About… and Margaret at Stargazer. Thank you both for hanging around.

And so WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, let me tell you that…

if i were a month i’d be May

if i were a day i’d be Tuesday

if i were a time of day i’d be 9:00 a.m.

if i were a font i’d be sans serif

if i were a sea animal i’d be a manatee

if i were a direction i’d be easy to understand

if i were a piece of furniture i’d be a kitchen table

if i were a liquid i’d be Sauvignon Blanc

if i were a gemstone i’d be a garnet

if i were a tree i’d be a maple

if i were a tool i’d be scissors

if i were a flower i’d be a zinnia

if i were an element of weather i’d be a zephyr

if i were a musical instrument i’d be a piano

if i were a colour i’d be teal

if i were an emotion i’d be amused

if i were a fruit i’d be an apple

if i were a sound i’d be quiet

if i were an element i’d be molybdenum

if i were a car i’d be reliable with good gas mileage

if i were a food i’d be a Parker House roll

if i were a place i’d be a locally-owned coffee shop with some outdoor seating

if i were material i’d be denim

if i were a taste i’d be slightly salty

if i were a scent i’d be orange

if i were a body part i’d be an eye

if i were a song i’d be jazz

if i were a bird i’d be a robin

if i were a gift i’d be inside a pretty gift bag

if i were a city i’d be midsize with a thriving farmers’ market and many parks

if i were a door i’d be solid wood with wrought iron hardware

if i were a pair of shoes I’d be narrow women’s walking/running shoes 

if i were a poem I’d be iambic pentameter

~ • ~

THE PLAYING PART

I’ll be hyphenating my last name to Bean-Riker!

I stumbled across an online version of the childhood fortune-telling game called MASH.  I knew it as a paper and pencil game.  Maybe you played this with your friends at one time, maybe not.

If you’re unfamiliar with this game, the name is an acronym: M = mansion, A= apartment, S= shack, and H = house.  [There were subsequent versions that included I = igloo and T = tent, making the game MASH IT.]

The gist of the game was you answered a few questions, the first being based on the MASH acronym;  other questions had to do with your future life.  You wrote three answers to each question, then made a swirling line that magically showed you your future.

It was/is pure silliness, which is not necessarily a bad thing at any age.

Anyhow here’s WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW to join in…

•  To learn how to play the old-school paper and pencil version of it go here, How to Play M.A.S.H

• To play the free online version of it & get a snazzy personalized graphic go here, MASH

~ • ~

And ONE LAST THING, to those who are celebrating it this Thursday, HAPPY THANKSGIVING 

~ ~ 🦃 ~ ~

228 thoughts on “Simply Fun: Revisiting The “If I Were…” Prompts + Playing MASH Online”

  1. Happy Thanksgiving to you! Everyone around this part of the world is mostly thankful for the ongoing rain we’ve had and are going to continue to have right through Friday. It won’t be bundles of fun for those who are traveling, but drought-easing’s always good.

    Your mention of changes to your answers to the meme reminded me that I changed some ‘favorites’ on my About page five years ago. It might be time to take another look, and adjust for changes that may (or may not) have occurred since then.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda, you’re right that rain is good for you even if it inconveniences some people. I’m glad it’s finally raining in your part of the world.

      I enjoyed answering these prompts now, then reflecting back on who I was. We all change [if we’re sane] so I bet revising your favorites will be insightful. Plus I’m a big proponent of keeping an About Page current– because it seems polite to present yourself in your best light.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. That is a heck of a run-on set of answers. I imagine someone trying to get it in all in one breath as I read it. I come up blank on what kind of drink or car I’d be, but I think October for the month and a big old oak for a tree. We used to attempt palm reading back in school, which was always fun because a dog bit my hand when I was six, leaving a jagged scar across my lifeline. I enjoyed the drama of that metaphor for sure.

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    • AutumnAshbough, I enjoyed answering these prompts again. While I usually write a *proper* post here, I do miss the more casual ways of blogging back then. Fewer expectations that there’d be a story to tell, more curiosity about who we all were.

      Oh I can imagine how your jagged scar made your lifeline seem wacko. Especially at that age. What silly fun. Try the MASH online game and see what it tells you. I felt like a kid again.

      Liked by 1 person

        • I like story-tellers, I am one obviously so I better like writing that way. But I dislike feeling stuck in how I do things here on the blog, so occasionally I shake things up and do something different.

          Hence this post.

          Also agree about travel blogs. I love them and enjoy reading/seeing someone else’s travels. I never feel jealous, just in awe.

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  4. Ally, too many decisions to make, so I gave up on the prompts. I looked at how to play MASH but realized I am too old to play. All of those things have already happened to me and I don’t see many choices in my future. I am not very imaginative this morning!
    My mind is on cleaning and cooking for Thanksgiving so I will use that as my excuse!
    Happy Thanksgiving to you!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Ellen D., answering the prompts made me feel like I was telling my story, but in a way that took me back to my earlier days of blogging. No one expected me to write an essay on each post. I could just wing it all the time back then.

      The MASH game made me laugh out loud. I can pretend to be a kid again, oh yes I can!

      Best of luck with your cleaning and cooking, ’tis that time of the year. *Gooble, gooble*

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    • Nancy, I am a kitchen table at my core. I say that with pride, I mean who doesn’t like to gather round a kitchen table for food and fun and gossip! Good of you to accept me as I am.

      Good choice for a poem, if I wasn’t iambic pentameter I might go that way, too. Happy Turkey Day.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Good morning, Ally. So much fun — and what a jigsaw puzzle – it’s purty, for sure! I enjoyed reading your answers and taking a peek at your previous responses. Fun to see what changed and true to form, one tweak stood out and made me smile. I love that your favorite door WAS a six-panel style but you’ve become more specific — solid wood with wrought iron hardware. I love that…and I’ve got an affinity for all things wrought iron, too. Oh — and what in the devil? Molybdenum? I’m sure there’s a story there…why it’s your favorite element. Honestly never heard of it…so thanks much for linking a few definitions/resources in your post! And…most of all..Happy Thanksgiving right back at you. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    • Victoria, what I realized as I revisited these prompts is that I’m more detail-oriented now and much more willing to be quirky. You’re right about the door. I still like a six-panel one, but it’d like it to be a bit better with funkier hardware.

      Molybdenum is the 42nd element and in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams told us that “the meaning of life, the universe, and everything” is 42. Hence it is my favorite element.

      Happy Turkey Day, Victoria!

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lynette, in light of Thanksgiving I’ve been thinking about how people change, hopefully for the better, over the years. I’m not usually nostalgic but in this case I followed my muse to see what I said back then. I’m definitely more centered now and willing to fly my freak flag. As seen in the above.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Molybdenum! I love it!

    I recently taught my daughter how to play MASH. She was a little scandalized because I asked her to name some boys for the “who will you marry” portion and she is NOT at that point of thinking boys are potential marriage material. (Or anyone, for that matter.)

    Oh, how many times I played that game as a lovesick tween, hoping that my friend’s pen would land on Nick or Josh or whomever I had a crush on at the time!

    Happy Thanksgiving, Ally!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Suzanne, oh I love knowing you taught your daughter to play MASH. I have memories of it– and all the potential I thought it foretold. I can imagine that she was a bit shocked to think of boys as, of all things, husbands.

      The online version is cute, btw. Every bit as random/dramatic as the pencil and paper one.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. I’m saving this post for quiet time (usually the afternoon) when I need a little pick me up of interest to keep my need for a nap at bay! I love that you pulled out an older way of blogging to share. I think we’ve probably all changed over our blogging lives Ally Bean. It’s fun to look back at who we once were. I’m usually not a *prompt* type of blogger. I much prefer to simply ramble on, hoping someone will read a word or two. Blogger Margaret (Stargazer) has described you as a *curator* blogger- someone who carefully plans and writes their post. I enjoy both sides of you!

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    • Deb, I rarely do prompts anymore, but back when I was a newbie blogger I did them, happily joining in with others. I was more spontaneous back then, but also no one expected me to write stories or essays or whatever the heck I do here.

      I like Margaret’s description of how I blog. I’m not a diarist nor am I a how-to blogger. I think of myself as a lifestyle columnist who creates conversations around topics of interest to many.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. This was fun to read and I will be thinking about these answers. I want to answer them myself but I am afraid that I would think “I would be x” and x would be something I love but not necessarily something that is me. Like, piano is my favourite instrument, so I want to be a piano, but AM I a piano? Food for thought, Ally, food for thought. I mean, maybe I’m actually a violin. Or a recorder. OH MY GOD AM I A RECORDER? Or worse, a kazoo?

    I want to say I’m a narwhal, but probably I’m more of a tuna.

    I don’t think I have ever played MASH or even heard of it! But I am a fan of silly fun, so I will give it a try.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Nicole, I got thinking about these prompts when I saw someone I follow on Instagram now– and remembered she’d commented on these prompts when I first did them back then. How’s that for an obscure writing catalyst?

      You’ve described the fun of prompts like these. That is, some I could answer ezpz, I am an apple. YEP. But others took me a little longer to decide who I am now. I like being self-aware so I found it fun.

      I’m not sure I’d think of you as a tuna, btw. BUT you do you, boo.

      MASH is a goof. Totally pointless, but I remember taking it seriously when I was younger. To find it online made me happy. I am a simple soul, you know.

      Like

  14. Your list of prompts reminded me of activities I did when I was teaching to help students understand and play with metaphor. “If you were a kind of car, what car would you be?” It was hard for some of them to distinguish between things that would be metaphors for them and things they simply liked. You know, if I were a car I’d be a mostly-reliable sedan of some sort, but…not my favorite kind of car. I enjoyed reading your answers. I, too, would be a kitchen table.

    And I had to do the online version of the MASH game. It gave me a pang when it somehow magically gave me everything that would have been my first choices (of the options I provided). Maybe I’m living that life in some other dimension. In a mansion. But now that I’m thinking about it…maybe that mansion is a run-down money-pit, and my marriage is miserable, and I have no money because that occupation I got pays nothing (literally). Isn’t it funny how we automatically assume the best case with games like this? I think I’ll take the life I’ve actually got. Thanks for the appropriate game in this week of Thanksgiving.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hello Rita, a fellow kitchen table, a sentence I’ve never written before. I hadn’t thought of these prompts as working in a teaching environment, but they would. I did them years ago when I was a newbie here on WP– and I remember I labored over my answers worrying that I’d say something wrong. This time I was much more comfortable with just being me.

      Freak flag? I got it.

      Laughing out loud at your assessment of your results play MASH online. I don’t know that I got exactly what I wanted with my fortune, although I did major in English Lit, live in a House, and have spent many a day as a Researcher so kind of right.

      Regardless I am grateful, too.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Ally, I’ll ask my wife these questions and we’ll compare answers. Better yet, I’ll try to guess her answers before I pose the questions. These are great towards finding out a little bit more about a person, and while you think you’d know what your spouse would say…sometimes there are surprises galore. I had never heard of the game of MASH but I will get up to speed on the rules of the game and see what happens. I hope you and yours have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bruce, I like how you’re going to use these prompts. This isn’t my usual blog post anymore, but occasionally I feel like I want to keep it simple here. Go retro, I guess. I wonder how often you’ll guess your wife’s reply correctly. That right there could be a fun game, kind of like the Newlywed Game from years ago.

      MASH is one of those childhood games that I remember. I don’t know if it was regional or generational. I don’t know about its roots. On the one hand it’s pure silliness, but on the other hand it’s delightful.

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Well, this is fun. I love how if you were a gift, you’d be inside a pretty gift bag. Well played, Ally. Well played. And yes, everyone gathers at the kitchen table – so that’s a good choice. If I were an animal, I think I’d be an otter.

    The MASH game reminds me of playing LIFE, the board game, when I was a kid. Always I hoped to choose the card that ended with many babies in my little car, as if this would provide some insight into what size family I might have some day. My focus didn’t change much over the years.

    Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Ernie, I’m glad you liked my gift answer. Try as I would I couldn’t figure out a better answer to that prompt, thus I went with a meta answer. Also I like gift bags, just ask all my friends and family.

      I remember playing LIFE, the board game, at a friend’s house. We didn’t have that game at home. I remember that I never ended up with what I thought I should, so was a little bitter about the game.

      Fortunately in real life I’ve gotten exactly what I needed, so I am grateful– and only slightly dismissive of the Game of LIFE.

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  19. I’m fascinated by how we change and why. It seems like sometimes we’re forced into it by circumstances, but much of the time it’s a natural evolution. Seeing how different I am is part of why I would hate to lose my blog archives. The Margaret who wrote back in 2005 was very different from who I am now.

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    • Margaret, you’re right, change can be a result of circumstances and/or it can be evolution. Answering these prompts now was fun, a good way to glimpse into my WP past, without getting burdened by it. Did you answer these prompts back then too? Will you answer them now?

      [Were we doing things like this before 2011? I know I’ve been around since 2004, but I deleted those early blogs long ago. What I did back then is lost in time.]

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      • I think there were more posts like this in the early days, but I rarely did them since they required SO much thought whereas most posts I write come very easily and quickly to me. I’m lazy! I remember doing MASH as a teenager though. I’m not very clear on the details but your description sounded familiar.

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        • We are opposites. I write slowly, very deliberately, so doing prompts like this one makes the process faster, gives me a starting point. BUT I also take joy in going my own way with what I write so I rarely do anything like this now. My blogging logic can be convoluted.

          MASH was a middle school thing for me. I didn’t bother to research it, just linked to the how-to posts.

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  21. I love your answers. Especially, “if i were an emotion i’d be amused” and “if i were a sound i’d be quiet” Those are so fitting – and also profound. What an interesting list.

    And I remember playing a version of MASH. How fun!! Thanks for this lovely and fun post, Ally! I’m grateful for the joy and pleasure you bring to the blogosphere and to me!

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Wynne, answering these prompts now and then has been insightful. I’ve changed and am much more precise than I was in 2011. Don’t know if that’s a sign of confidence or age or better writing skills. Doesn’t matter, it just is.

      MASH seems to be a game you either remember/played or you are clueless about it. I stumbled over the online version and was smitten like a 13 y.o. girl planning her future. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Oddly enough, I’ve also been feeling a bit nostalgic about the old days of blogging. Probably because my longest follower passed away this year and my second longest has retired and doesn’t post or stop by too often. My posts back in the day were much shorter and more of the absurd day to day happenings than what I write now.

    I don’t remember MASH, the game. Just those paper fortune things that you put on your thumbs and pointer fingers.

    You are way more interesting than a Parker House roll! Happy Thanksgiving!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bijoux, I don’t know if we’re going to be talking about the same blogger who passed away, but when I read that Melanie had died in early November I suddenly began reflecting on who I used to be in blogland.

      Like you I wrote more about daily events when I first started blogging, as if I had to report my days. But eventually I adopted a more [I am told] curated approach to blogging. I think of myself as a lifestyle columnist now.

      I know many people aren’t familiar with MASH. I can’t determine if it’s regional or generational, but I know it’s goofy fun. I remember those paper fortune thingies, too.

      No kinder words than to be told I’m more interesting than a Parker House roll. I’ll rethink my answer to that one.

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      • My follower that passed away was Xavier of the Strangely Ordinary blog. Sadly, his wife completely eliminated his blog and his google account, so I can’t even go back and read his posts.

        I did not know Melanie, but I’m sorry to hear of this loss. I sometimes wonder about others who have disappeared.

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        • I wonder about people who disappear, too. I’ve told Z-D that should anything happen to me he has to write one last post explaining. He’s a wordy articulate fellow so I’ve no doubt he can do it. I haven’t gone to Melanie’s blog to see if it’s still there.

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  25. As a former chemistry teacher, I love your molybdenum answer. I would be tungsten.

    Not too long ago, I went back and read some of my old posts. It was eye-opening. I LIKED most of them. Most of all, I liked how posting regularly made me think about things I might not have thought about if I had not written about them. It almost makes me want to start writing again. Almost!

    I played a version of MASH when I was a kid. Thanks for the link. I will try it out with my grandkids! 🙂

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    • Laurie, nice choice there, tungsten. Glad to know you.

      That’s wonderful that when you went back to read, you liked what you wrote. You raise a good point about how writing about things, even little moments, forces you to think about them, then learn from &/or embrace them. When asked, I say that I write this blog to keep my brain clicking and my heart open.

      Sharing MASH with your grandkids sounds like fun. It’s goofy, of course– but that’s its charm.

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    • Janis, this might be the prettiest puzzle we’ve done to date. I like the lizard, too. Maybe I should have used ‘lizard’ as one of my answers to the prompts!

      Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. Enjoy

      Liked by 1 person

    • Donna, MASH may have been regional, I’m coming to believe. Try the online version for snorts and giggles. As for the prompts, they may still be floating around out there. I know I get hits on the original post almost weekly.

      Thanks for your Thanksgiving wishes. We’ll do our best to be happy.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Kari, by all means do this on your own blog. It’s delightfully simple, yet amazingly insightful. Plus fun. I always like bloggy fun.

      MASH was and still is a goof. But when I stumbled over the online version I knew I had to share it here.

      Happy Turkey Day to you, too

      Liked by 1 person

  32. I think you’ve given people plenty to talk about over their thanksgiving tables. Our Thanksgiving is done (Canadian) so I will save it for our New Year’s Eve gathering with friends.
    I think I was most surprised by the flower Zinnia. I feel like those poor flowers are often overlooked, and I’m surprised it came to mind.

    Liked by 1 person

  35. I love reading your answers here. Makes me want to try it, but I know that I won’t. I did have an answer for each one though.
    Our first few months of blogging in late 2004 disappeared, not sure why. Here is a copy of the first blog post in 2005:
    Illusion
    I remember from somewhere the story of the student of a buddhist monk who found his master weeping. He asked why his master was crying. When his master replied that a child had died, the student asked “but master, is not all an illusion?” His master said “yes, but a child’s death is the cruelest illusion of all.” The death of 150,000 must indeed qualify as a cruel illusion.

    If I can’t thank Ram Dass for this story, I can certainly thank him for his life’s influence on me.

    I wish I could remember what inspired me to write this post. Mmm?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Robin, my first post in 2004 to my first blog is lost in the wind. I changed blogs every few years back then, and deleted as I progressed.

      I’m enjoying your first blog post, impressed that you have it, and enthused that it was so deep. I’ve no doubt mine was something whiny and angsty. I had zero confidence when I first started in blogland.

      I, too, am curious about your inspiration for your post. ‘Twas memorable to be sure.

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  36. I miss good old-fashioned prompts like these, too. The early days of Facebook were similar. I see that your liquid of choice has evolved from bourbon to Sauvignon Blanc. One’s my favorite liquor, the other’s my favorite wine, so either way I’m calling that a win/win.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Mark, when I first started blogging no one expected you to write a story like I do now. You could show up, answer a few prompts, and then bask in the glory of knowing you’d posted something.

      Yes I still like bourbon, but prefer something less intense hence my switch to wine. I don’t know if it is age or just more aware of my choices.

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    • John, thank you. I sometimes feel like blogging has gotten too complicated and it might be fun to simplify. Thus me answering the prompts– something I rarely do now. Happy Turkey Day to you & Mary!

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        • John, I know some people offer prompts like these, but I’ve outgrown the fun of it, I guess. I understand how letting someone else dictate the topic of your post gets you writing, it’s good to have coaches. BUT I decided a few years ago to be independent about what I write, doing my own thing, so for me this post is truly nostalgic.

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    • The Travel Architect, it was fun for me to go back and see who I was then, who I am now. Occasionally I get more personal here. We all change and if nothing else writing a blog proves that. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.

      Liked by 1 person

    • An Audience of One, memes [as this used to be called] were very popular in the blogosphere. I think people didn’t know how to go about being a blogger so they joined together and did the same things. Now some people still do the prompts or challenges together, but most are independent like I am. I think I outgrew the togetherness.

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      • Oh, wow… I’m new to blogging, so had no idea the joint stuff was a “thing.” I think I would have transitioned to a more independent style as well, but it’s interesting to know the history involved.

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        • Yes, at one point personal blogging was more “follow the leader” than “fly your freak flag.” I did the former but excel at the latter.

          [Also, I have no idea why your comments are being sent to moderation instead of just showing up here. It’s nothing personal.]

          Liked by 1 person

  40. I think those prompts my make a good exercise for my morning pages tomorrow (and an excuse to look at my phone – ha!).

    It doesn’t surprise me that your answers are quite different. Older = wiser = better = more chilled out? Who knows?

    Have a happy Thanksgiving!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Eilene, yes these prompts would make a wonderful basis for morning pages. By the time I did these I’d stopped with the morning pages, so maybe doing them in my blog was the same thing.

      I’d say that I’m older & wiser, definitely. I’m more jaded, but also more mellow than I used to be. Do those two descriptions go together? Do I care? Nope, I am who I am.

      Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Enjoy

      Liked by 1 person

  41. Oh that was fun, Ally… these memes were all the rage in the blogosphere back in the day. I am sure I have something similar if I dig deep in my archive.

    I have never heard of MASH – can you believe it (but then again, I didn’t grow up here, so maybe that’s why. There might possibly games that nobody in the US has heard of.)

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    • San, you said it, doing something like this post used to be all the rage. I haven’t indulged in anything like it for years, but somehow I got thinking about it so I went and found it lurking in the back of this blog.

      MASH seems to be a game that some US/Canadian commenters know about and others have never heard of. I don’t know if it’s a regional or generational thing, but those of us who remember it do so with a smile. It is a complete goof.

      Like

  42. I like your place, song, and city answers. 😉. I really enjoyed this post, Ally, and as always, the comments are lots of fun, too. I’d probably over-think all my answers but I’ll have to give it a try. A most happy and blessed Thanksgiving to you and yours and thanks for being part of my blogging world. P.S. Just two of us for Thanksgiving as well but finally everyone will be here again for Christmas!

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  43. Glad you have stuck with blogging and that I found you!
    My favorite time is 9am as well!
    If I were a tree I would be a Palm tree on a tropical 🏝 island.
    Oh yes!! I used to love the MASH game. Fun playing it wifh friends and dreaming as a child. Thanks for the reminder!

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  44. This post brought me back to one of the all-time lame icebreakers we had at a school workshop I attended. Most of us in attendance didn’t know each other to begin with. The presenter asked us to find three people we didn’t know and form a group. Most people, including me, hate awkward stuff like that in the first place. Then after everyone was in a group, she said to tell the other three people what kind of car you were. Huh? Looking around the room, I could tell most people were equally confused. It was anything but an icebreaker—mostly a lot of awkwardness with people you don’t know. It also had nothing to do with her presentation, so the whole thing was weird.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Pete, yep, I understand the awkwardness + pointlessness of that situation and wouldn’t like the ice breaker either. Of course I have to ask: what kind of car are you?

      At least with these prompts, if you answer them, presumably you’re around people who care about you [or you answer for yourself], so your answers are well received. You make yourself vulnerable in a safe way.

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      • Not sure what I said. I think I mentioned some car with a reputation for being reliable. I would have understood the point of the icebreaker if I was going to be spending time interacting with them, but that was not the case. It made as much sense as getting together with a bunch of strangers at the supermarket and talking about your favorite motor oil.🤣

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    • J, my answers have changed. I’m more detailed now– and more willing to appear quirky than I was back then.

      Do you remember if you did the meme/post back then too? I know you commented so maybe you were doing it too.

      Blogging isn’t dead, it’s more refined & interactive than it used to be. Over the last couple of years I’ve watched some old-time bloggers who started in our era try to make a comeback. To a one they cannot reach out to other people, then they say that blogging is dead because no one paid attention to them for merely showing up. Uh huh 🤨

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    • I compared the comments, too, and I found the similarities, and the differences fascinating! And now I’m curious: why would you have been an oyster then and a manatee now? 🙂 (I actually heard that question asked in a team building exercise, and almost everyone was a great white shark… The people I worked with 😀 )

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      • Endless Weekend, I have no idea why I picked oyster back then. I think manatees are cute so I picked it this time. I wouldn’t want to be a shark, of that I’m sure. 😳

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        • I wouldn’t mind the immune system sharks have, they seem to shake mostly every illness off, but I wouldn’t want to be a shark, either. Oysters and manatees are unique, I thought there was a cool story behind each one of them. Being cute is a good reason 🙂

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  46. Your long list actually sounds like a list of things you like. It reminds me of Julie Andrews singing “My favorite things.” But since it’s almost Thanksgiving, It’s hard to narrow things down. I like too many colors, too many fruits, drinks, months and days of the week. I like too many gemstones and trees and pieces of furniture. And I’m thankful for all of it.

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    • Nicki, you’re right, this list is an online parlor version of the song “My Favorite Things.” I wonder if whoever created the prompts was thinking about that song when creating this list? Rhetorical question, of course.

      I’m laughing about you liking too many things in all the categories to be able to answer the prompts. I didn’t have that problem, which makes me wonder if I’m more judgmental than I think I am. Regardless, I posted this, so take me as I am! 😉

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  47. I’d definitely be October!
    My colour would also be teal!

    I remember MASH. It was a game I played constantly as a child with a friend I only saw on summer vacation, and in the last few years one of my kids has periodically gone through spurts of loving this game, too. It was ridiculous but oddly addictive.

    I also used to do the “he loves me, he loves me not” with daisies. Since I didn’t have a boyfriend, I would often ask different questions of the daisy. Looking back, that’s a lot of pressure to put on horticulture; luckily, I never held a grudge if the flower got things wrong).

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    • Elisabeth, teal is the best color, but we’ll keep that information between the two of us. Wouldn’t want other people to feel bad about picking a lesser color.

      Great description of MASH: “ridiculous but oddly addictive.” That’s how I think of it, too. I know it means nothing but at a certain age it meant everything. I’m pleased that one of your kids has embraced it occasionally.

      I remember “he loves me, loves me not” with daisies. When I was a girl we didn’t have any daisies around our house, so I didn’t play it often. I remember substituting a tulip for the daisy, but just not the same.

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  48. Happy Thanksgiving! I’ve never played Mash, but I do more than my share of puzzles but on line. That one is very pretty. The questions are very interesting, and I can certainly see how they would change over a period of time. A few years back I could have been a kitchen table, but now I’m a recliner. 🙂

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    • Judy, this puzzle is beautiful, more so than any we’ve done before. I used to do online ones, too. Somehow I got away from that. I’m laughing about you being a recliner. I’m sure you’re a stylish one, very comfy, in a lovely fabric or leather. Tres chic

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  49. Good lord, Lucky MASH was just a game. I have not heard of the game but tried the online version, I would have had seven kids, but at least I would have been a writer!
    Btw, I like that you would be a coffee shop with outdoor seating! Refined continental taste!

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    • Crystal, you’ve nailed why I like jazz. It goes the way it goes, taking me along with it. Like it’s saying “yes and…” instead of “do this.” As for being a kitchen table, I seem to consistently say that so it must be true. Happy Turkey Day to you and yours!

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  52. 16 children! I’d definitely not go random on the number section if I did that one again. 😀 What fun, thanks Ally. Actually, the whole post is lots of fun, I can see why you felt nostalgic.

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    • Deb, oh dear you shouldn’t have 16 kids. Do you suppose MASH might not always be accurate? Like it’s made up or something? Thanks for reading and playing along here. Occasionally I don’t feel like writing a tale about what’s up in my world– and this is what happens.

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  53. Wanted to land here and say Happy Thanksgiving, Ms Bean! I do like these ‘if I were’ prompts…along with your past idea of doing a photo journal of one’s monthly kitchen table. Those are two fun ideas for blog posts I hope/plan on doing after the New Year. And yes, you are salty, jazzy and amusing. But of course! You (we) are one of the Cool Beans!
    😎

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    • Laura, thanks for the compliment, I’m chuffed to think I’ve inspired you to do a few posts. I knew that as a fellow Cool Bean you’d understand my replies to the prompts. I can embrace being known as salty, jazzy, and amusing. I look forward to finding out who you are if/when you decide to answer the “if I were” prompts. Happy Thanksgiving!

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    • Jan, I love that lizard. I put him all together by myself and he stared at me while we worked on the rest of the puzzle. Hoping your Thanksgiving is enjoyable and that you’re able to get around at least a little bit now.

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  56. Oh my goodness! I remember when MASH first came out when I was in elementary school! My friends and I were obsessed with it! Your results are impressive! I was an English Literature major (but at Cal Poly Pomona haha). Thank you so much for sharing (and for sharing a link to the online version. I plan on playing it shortly), and have a wonderful Thanksgiving ❤️🥰

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  58. How fun is this? I’m thinking of answering those questions myself (‘specially since my blogging has been spotty, at best)
    That MASH game feels familiar, yet doesn’t. We must have played a similar version, is all I can say.
    Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving 🙂

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    • Dale, the prompts are easy to answer and insightful. It’s not like there is a right or wrong answer to any of them– and you’re allowed to change your mind at anytime. Obviously I did.

      I can imagine there are many versions of the MASH game because kids are kids doing similar things regardless of where you live. Thanksgiving was relaxing and tasty for us. I am grateful for that.

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  59. I love your list! I completely pegged you for a tahoma, but san serif does have its charms. Combining solid wood with wrought iron feels like a cheat to me; but then this *is* your list after all. 🧐 Orange, however, is a very underrated scent, btw. MASH sounds like a cool game, thanks for introducing it. – Marty

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    • Marty, when it comes to life, and fonts, you gotta go where your heart takes you! I take your point about the door and yes orange is a refreshing scent, especially during days with cold weather like we have now. The online MASH is a fun way to play the game.

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  60. Hello Ally! I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving. It’s fun looking back on previous posts and seeing what has changed. And I do remember the game MASH, possibly because my children played it as well.

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    • Christie, we had a good Thanksgiving and I hope you did as well. The prompts are simple, but my answers have gotten more complicated. Go figure. The online version of the MASH game made me laugh. And feel like a kid again.

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  62. That’s a lot of fun! Wood with wrought iron hardware. Yes! Lots of farmers markets and parks–yes! Reliable with good gas mileage–yes! I’d be a drum kit and a heart. Also, wisteria (it’s beautiful although some consider it a weed! A weed!)

    Online MASH is super creative. Someone was using their noggin’. 🙂

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  63. Ally, I know I was a kid at some point in my life, (even if it feels like it was a long time ago), but I never played either of these games. I’m thinking maybe that’s because I grew up in Canada, so perhaps that is why. We even had different kids’ TV programs than in the States, something I know from when I’ve mentioned this to classmates. I like your first puzzle of the season – colorful and cute, my kind of puzzle. I’ve saved a lot of my mom’s jigsaw puzzles that she finished plus I have more she never got to work. I look forward to doing them down the road.

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    • Linda, the prompts I did as an adult early on in my blogging career. You’ve been blogging for a while, did you used to do prompts like these? They’re ezpz to do which is what I’m missing about blogging right now.

      MASH seems to be one of those games that you either played or didn’t. I don’t know its origin, but the online version I linked to is a fast way to play it.

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      • OK, I see – I misinterpreted that as two childhood games. No, I never did any of the prompts or challenges Ally, with the exception of my post about old doors posted to Norm 2.0’s Thursday Doors and my sunflower post posted at Terri Webster Schrandt’s challenge about yellow … both times Yvette Prior told me to post there.

        Good to know about MASH and I must be behind the times with a lot of things from back in the day.

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        • I don’t join in with prompts or challenges much anymore but back in the day I did. I’m not surprised Yvette mentioned them, she’s into them, always has been. On the one hand I like playing follow the leader which is what prompts and challenges are, but on the other hand I’m a free spirit who goes my own way. It’s tricky being me! 😊

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  64. Hi Ally – I enjoyed this, especially your answers to If I were a direction and If I were a musical instrument. Love the piano and who doesn’t love directions that are easy to follow? I’ve never heard of the game MASH – I would have loved that, as I was a very silly younger person.

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    • Barbara, doing these prompts was a fun old-school way to write a blog post. I’d worry about someone who didn’t like the piano and can only hope “easy to follow” is how readers find this weblog. The MASH game was popular and totally pointless, hence its popularity I suppose. The online version made me smile thinking back on my younger self.

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  65. Pingback: If I Were…. | A Dalectable Life

  66. I did a couple of those blog prompts early on. Might be interesting to look back like you did. I seriously had no one other than a couple of friends who read so comments were sparse! I thought MASH as in mobile army surgical hospital but not quite. Guess they would be the tent part! Belated happy Thanksgiving. Bernie

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    • Bernie, I remembered doing these prompts because it was one of the first things I wrote on this blog and I felt brave doing it. Joining in with strangers, as it were. I like how you’ve turned M*A*S*H into the tent part of MASH IT. Made me laugh out loud on that one. Very clever

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  67. I love all your answers to the prompts, new and old. Funny how a few things have changed. You and I are the same liquid and color.
    I vaguely remember playing MASH.
    Right now, I’d be married to Tommy, living in a shack in Dallas, and we’d have seven kids…this is why I spend my days as a waitress! 😳

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  68. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving, Ally. Mine was worth a blog post.
    I couldn’t resist answering some of the prompts:
    if i were a month i’d be December

    if i were a day i’d be Wednesday

    if i were a time of day i’d be noon

    if i were a font i’d be Bookman Old Style.

    if i were a sea animal i’d be a bottlenose dolphin

    if i were a direction i’d be complicated

    if i were a piece of furniture i’d be an ottoman

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    • L. Marie, I love you as a sea animal– a bottlenose dolphin, for the win. I looked up Bookman Old Style and I like it. Very easy to read. These prompts are fun and easy to answer– if’n you know who you are! Thanks for playing along.

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  70. Happy belated Thanksgiving to you, Ally! My work week was crammed full and then between family visitors and the meals, I found myself eating two separate Thanksgiving meals and was crammed full too. I only tell you that because all the hustle and bustle of the past busy week delayed my visit here to read your action-packed fun post! I’m impressed you had answers to all those questions………………….!! Of them, there were a few I would answer the same as you did. I smiled too!

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  71. Robins and parks and farmers’ markets and Sauvignon Blanc really make up for YOU’D BE TUESDAY. TUUUUUUESDAY!? My interrobang demands an explanation, but you owe me nothing, you do you.

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    • Joey, I know that you don’t like Tuesdays and I respect you for it. I happen to like them because I’ve survived the stress of Mondays and don’t yet have to deal with the angst of Wednesdays that are just the precursor to the deadlines of Thursdays or Fridays. For me Tuesdays are mellow, no one wants anything from me, and I can just be.

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