GEOGRAPHY
Think flowing robes, historic trade routes, and the birthplace of three major world religions — one colleague launched a men's clothing brand celebrating the traditional dress of this region, named after his son.
What is the Middle East
(Sami)
From assembling 3D puzzles of the Eiffel Tower and Colosseum as a kid to reading blueprints and building 3D models today — one colleague has been obsessed with this field her whole life.
What is architecture?
(Negin)
Walt Disney introduced the world to one in 1942 — one colleague's husband farmed them for 30 years, and she sometimes still helps out with stripping velvet, draining cysts, and bottle raising their young.
What is a deer?
(Taryn)
Each one burns for just 3-5 seconds — but that was long enough for a 9-year-old colleague to accidentally total a car and land on a registry that brought police to his door for years.
What are matches?
(Ray)
A white liquid that starts its life innocent and ends it as a science experiment — time is its only ingredient.
What is expired milk?
Before grad school in the US, one colleague spent time advising at the highest level of state government in this country, home to the world's most populous democracy.
What is India?
(Shubham)
One colleague could talk for hours about how this book was translated, mistranslated, and shaped empires — from Rome to the English Reformation.
The Bible
(Kristie)
A broken arm, a plate, six screws, and then this knocked out by his own daughter — all in two months for one teammate's very unlucky husband.
What is their front tooth?
(Shayna)
A freshly painted sports car, a Louisiana highway, and a split-second merge gone wrong — one colleague totaled his pride and joy sandwiched between two of these.
What is an 18-wheeler / semi-truck?
(Jonathan)
A complex blend with notes of everything and origin stories best left unexplored — pairs well with a strong sense of denial.
What is trash juice?
One colleague's wedding venue went bankrupt three months out, so she built her entire reception from scratch - on a random patch of grass on this famous Massachusetts cape.
What/where is Cape Cod?
(Ashley)
According to one of our colleagues (who loves them), these insects can count to four, understand the concept of zero, and can even be taught to play soccer.
What are bees?
(Kriti)
Six hundred pounds with her legs, 325 on her back, 205 off the floor — one colleague was once a serious competitor in this sport that tests the absolute limits of human strength.
(April)
This common Thanksgiving spice is actually hallucinogenic in large doses — a fact one colleague discovered the hard way after eating homemade pumpkin bread on her commute.
What is Nutmeg?
(Katy)
This beverage has survived three presidential administrations, two all-hands meetings, and one very optimistic "it's still fine" from Tim in accounting.
What is day-old coffee?
Known for its hillside trams and pastel de nata, this European capital was the unlikely setting for one colleague's train derailment — escaping a crushed, flooded car before waiting hours for emergency services.
What/where is Lisbon
(Jerry)
Travel planner, points optimizer, and self-proclaimed flight deal expert, but one our teammate's dream alternate career has them at the controls in this profession, not the keyboard.
(Suryan)
One colleague took some time off after a family change and came dangerously close to never coming back — trading his job title for this one.
What is stay-at-home dad?
(Andrew)
Rated for up to 100 lbs when properly anchored into studs, these fixtures became one colleague's worst enemy mid-dinner - trapping her and her husband in their own kitchen until neighbors came to the rescue.
What are kitchen cabinets?
(Susan)
Born from beauty, aged in darkness, and finished with an aroma that signals the precise moment romance becomes a chore.
What is flower vase water?
This Bay Area city's Pony Express Pizza was the sold-out venue for a colleague's hard rock band - their one and only show.
What/where is Redwood City?
(Red)
One colleague spent two years pursuing this degree — believing it was the best path to political influence — before quitting, moving to the US, and switching to engineering.
What is law?
(Pranav)
By definition, any race exceeding 26.2 miles earns this title — one colleague found that out firsthand on a 32-mile trail that took over seven hours to conquer.
What is an ultra marathon?
(David)
Long hair, gathered, twisted, and perched at the crown - one colleague has committed to this look not once but twice, with cornrow intermissions.
What is a man bun?
(Tommy)
Found only by the truly brave or the deeply irresponsible, this cellar-temperature vintage matures silently beneath the one appliance nobody ever moves.
What is fridge drip tray water?