What do you do for a living?

I never know what to ask someone I meet for the first time at a party, office or coffee shop. Convention has us repeat those etched in stone questions...What do you do for a living? Are you going to school? Do you have family around here? Where do you live? I know that I tend to zone out when asked these questions and wish that I was asked something real.

These questions always seem to be the death of a conversation. I never learn much about the person and I realize very quickly that they feel the same way about our conversation. I think we would both enjoy getting to know each other much more if they asked about my favourite childhood memory and while I inquired into their most prolific experience as an adult.

Again convention gets the better of me and I never do this...I choose a halfway measure. My questions tend to be along the lines of What's your favourite balloon shaped animal? Favourite time of day? It seems to be a great icebreaker, though most people are startled for a moment. They blink at me and wonder if I am a spook and/or completely off my rocker. More often than not they decide that I'm a perfectly normal looking harmless person and laugh with me.
Our conversation goes on swimmingly with uniquely strange questions that we come up with together. We end up learning obscure and fun facts about each other and going away thinking that the other person was delightful.

So! What's your favourite ice cream memory moment?