Some subjects, namely weddings, children, and property, need to be handled with extreme creativity if conversational rigor mortis is to be avoided. Kyle McDonald wins the prize for most imaginative way of telling thousands of people his journey to getting a house. Starting with a paperclip, he’s been trading up with people around the world, with the ultimate goal of swapping for a house. The paperclip was exchanged for a pen, which was replaced by a doorknob, which went for a barbecue, and so on until his present position as the owner of a 1995 Ford Cube Van. Beats a conversation about fixed-rate interest.

– Cat McShane