something to talk about
may be it's not such a bad idea to start telling a story from the end, from the punchline... more and more recently i'm noticing that i start a conversation with something in mind, but i never get to that something. the danger is when the backstory arouses debate, you'll never get to the point! of course if you have all the time and patience of the night, the more thorough the conversation, the better, as long as the point is emphasised.
Это, похоже, у вас семейное :)