Documentaries and The Fratellis

I've already accepted the fact that I'll probably be that obnoxious old person in college classes who asks an in-depth question 2 minutes before class ends. I'm okay with that. I had to put up with it while I was in college, so it only seems fair.

Except my questions won't be stupid. They'll be awesome.

I really like learning new things. Nerdy, I know, but it's the truth. Because I don't have the time and I really rather spend my money on other things, I'm not taking any classes for fun/learning. But I am reading lots of non-fiction and watching documentaries like there's no tomorrow. Thanks to Netflix, Hulu, PBS, and National Geographic (I will NEVER call it NatGeo) I have a lot of documentaries to watch.

This week alone I've watched Cosmos: The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean, Storyville: The Naked Dance, Taboo: The Third Sex, Nova scienceNOW: How Does the Brain Work, and Mystery of the Disembodied Feet

I've been trying to watch American Gypsy on the PBS website for weeks. Every single time it was unavailable and now it's expired. PBS, you're ruining my learning.

I like documentaries for the same reason I like trivia. Most of it's not important, but it might be useful some day. I'm a trivial hoarder. Does A&E have a show about that?

Did you know chlamydia is running rampant among koalas in Brisbane? Now you do. You can thank PBS's Cracking the Koala Code.

Probably mad about being out in the rain AND his raging case of chlamydia.

I've moved from going steady with the 60s Oldies station to pretty exclusively listening to the Ska Punk station on Pandora. Keepin' life fresh, (as ya do.) The ska punk name is a leading misleading for the station, in addition to ska punk, I also hear celtic punk, pub rock, skate punk, and according to Wikipedia there's a genre called Oi! (with the exclamation mark) and it plays that too. As a result this week's hot jam is of the punk variety: For the Girl by The Fratellis. I've had For the Girl stuck in my head for days and now you can too! It's fun, it's fast, and there are lots of La's to sing along with. You're welcome.

Trivia and Herman's Hermits

You know those books of state facts you might have had as a kid? Those were my favorite. I read them cover to cover, filing away weird laws and state flowers. I also had a subscription to a kids' magazine (that I can't remember the name of now) that had a "Weird but True" facts page. I always read it first, memorizing useless tidbits about 6 toed cats and tallest waterfalls. Jeopardy! is my second favorite game show (behind Price is Right). If it's trivial, I want to know it.

In general, my trivial knowledge is not that important. Do I really need to know that cats' whiskers are as wide as their body? Or that you really can stick postage and an address on a coconut and throw it in a mail box? Things like this don't come up that often, but my brain is FILLED with them. I'm sure I'd be at least 10% better at math if I didn't know things like the original Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz had to be replaced because of a reaction to the silver paint.

Buddy Ebsen couldn't cut it

Jack Haley could

I recently started playing pub trivia on Tuesday nights with some friends, so I'm getting more use out of my trivial knowledge, maybe one day we'll win the $50 gift card to the bar!

Team Baby Butt Ginger

This week's hot jam is I'm Into Something Good by Herman's Hermits. Herman's Hermits was one of my favorite bands growing up. (Weird, I know). They are just so...fun. I love that the lead singer, Peter Noone, only sang and clapped, while the rest of the band sang and played instruments. His multitasking skills must have been limited. I really love all those "boy bands" from the early- to mid-60s, they are wholesome and adorable. And you know those boys were gentlemanly. They were buying flowers and saying things like, "May I have this dance?" (And they didn't do things like father 4 children with 4 different women - I'm looking at you, Lil Wayne.)