30 Things I'd Rather Discuss With Conservative Family Members Than Politics

I love my family. However, that being said, while I always love my family, there are times when I don't like them so much. Namely, when politics come up.

My family is split pretty evenly between liberal and conservative; we are Coloradoans, after all. #SwingStateProbs.

Some of us land firmly on one side of the political spectrum, with others planted on the opposite side. It's basically a hotbed for debate and disagreements.

With this being an election year and all, the claws are coming out. It's only February, but there has already been a moment when one family member had to tell another to stop talking before she "forgot why she loved him." She was kidding, of course ... mostly.

So this has me thinking. What kinds of things would I rather discuss with disagreeing family members than politics and policy? I can think of a few things...

1. Mathematical properties and principles

2. The growth rate of any given fungus

3. The many benefits of kale

4. The history of plastic

5. The history of the calculator

6. The history of the ladder

7. The history of the toothbrush

8. Proper toothbrushing techniques

9. Which toothbrush gives you the best bang for your buck

10. Lavender vs. Violet: Which shade of purple is the most aesthetically pleasing?

11. Words that rhyme with "house"

12. The best Skittle flavor

13. The difference between rocks and minerals

14. What we all had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day this month 

15. The mating patterns of any and every kind of winged insect

16. The benefits of Crocs

17. A definitive ranking of every Nickelback song

18. Pepsi vs. Coke: Where do each of us stand and why?

19. How to calucate the area of a parallelogram

20. The many strategies involved in Rock, Paper, Scissors

21. The best fabric choices for socks

22. When to use "whom" versus when to use "who"

23. Geology puns

24. Cheetah print vs. Leopard print: Is there a difference and, if so, how can we tell?

25. A good pH level for fertile soil

26. The evolution of the sewage system

27. The latest developments in closet design

28. Best meatloaf recipes

29. How to properly clean a toilet

30. Literally anything else. Anything besides politics would be fine. For real.