Write Back Weekend: "I Did Not Know That!"
Only three weeks in and I found the WBW to
this week's TITMT to be particularly tough. Seriously. What was I thinking asking you guys to stump me with tidbits of random knowledge? Why didn't I remember my pledge to participate in these things?!
Sigh.
At any rate, here comes my hodge podge of answers, categorized for your reading pleasure. It's fitting that the list itself is so random, considering it IS a list of random facts.
Brushes With Fame
I went to high school with former "Average Joe", Adam Mesh. I didn't know him. He graduated a year or two before me and something tells me I didn't miss out on much. Average pretty much says it all.
I also went to high school with America's Top Model contestant, Xiomara. I didn't know her either, though she was in my grade. She was one of those girls that was just there, though looking back on it, she was always pretty, in a freaky younger sister of Grace Jones kinda way.
Finally I went to middle school with Harold and Kumar's Kal Penn. The post puberty years were kind to Kal although back in junior high, things were much, MUCH shakier. I had his yearbook picture scanned on here awhile ago. I don't know where it went. Suffice it to say it had the words "chess club" not "breakthrough Indian movie star" written all over it. In fact, I blogged about this once before but it was a long time ago, so this is somewhat of a born again revelation. Watch all of his teeny bopper fans flock to AOGB again. However, in the beginning, they were 50% of the traffic I had so I shouldn't knock them.
My grandparents were old friends of movie director Joseph Sargeant's mother. Once we even went to a party for his grandmother--- thrown by him. I vaguely remember this, only because he had a huge screen "happy birthday" tribute featuring clips of all these stars wishing her well. The only star I remember though, oddly enough is Rita Moreno. He still invites my grandmother to premiere screenings of his movies. You might know some of his work. I call them, "watching the grass grow" pictures.
Speaking of my grandparents, years ago they used to be Frank Sinatra fans, mainly because everyone from New Jersey has a weird allegiance with everyone else from New Jersey. They thought of Sinatra as one of "them" who made it big. One day they met him. My grandfather went up to him, and Sinatra snubbed him. Needless to say they were Sinatra fans no longer.
Random Tidbits
My hair used to be so thick that periodically I had to get it thinned out. I still do, just not as much, maybe once every two years, if that. Well I used to do it at least twice a year. A few years ago I had a warped pleasure in getting my hair thinned and then returning with the bag o'hair to college. I then would ask my friends what they thought was in the bag. I loved their reaction when they found out what it actually was. I've got an odd sense of humor sometimes.
Lemon juice is a particularly effective method in reducing or eliminating acne.
I went to school with a kid named Rocky Rhodes. I work with a woman who knew kids named: Nosmo King (No Smoking) and twins named Annette and.... Not Annette.
And finally, one more note on names...The Chinese wait 100 days before naming a new cub. I guess this is because there's a good chance the cub won't live until then. I don't think it matters all that much. It's not like you can call them for dinner or anything.
Deborah Winger did the voice of E.T.
George Clooney was on two shows named E.R.
Eric Stoltz was originally cast as the lead role in Back to the Future.
The Ones Where I Cheated
I couldn't resist. So I Googled "random trivia facts". These aren't mine, so technically it's come full circle. We're all learning something together!
The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."
Barbie's measurements if she were life size: 39-23-33.
No words in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple.
Cat's urine glows under a blacklight.
Almonds are members of the peach family.
The dot over the letter 'i' is called a tittle.
Charlie Brown's father was a barber.
Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
The most common name in the world is Mohammed.
There are only four words in the English language which end in "-dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
The longest word in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. The only other word with the same amount of letters is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconioses, its plural.
The longest place-name still in use is Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipu-
kakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, a New Zealand hill.
There is a word in the English language with only one vowel, which occurs six times: Indivisibility.
The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "Its A Wonderful Life".
Ketchup was once sold as a medicine.
Each year, the average person walks the distance from NY to Miami.
I am going to cut the list short here proving there's one thing I DO know--when to say when.
this week's TITMT to be particularly tough. Seriously. What was I thinking asking you guys to stump me with tidbits of random knowledge? Why didn't I remember my pledge to participate in these things?!
Sigh.
At any rate, here comes my hodge podge of answers, categorized for your reading pleasure. It's fitting that the list itself is so random, considering it IS a list of random facts.
Brushes With Fame
I went to high school with former "Average Joe", Adam Mesh. I didn't know him. He graduated a year or two before me and something tells me I didn't miss out on much. Average pretty much says it all.
I also went to high school with America's Top Model contestant, Xiomara. I didn't know her either, though she was in my grade. She was one of those girls that was just there, though looking back on it, she was always pretty, in a freaky younger sister of Grace Jones kinda way.
Finally I went to middle school with Harold and Kumar's Kal Penn. The post puberty years were kind to Kal although back in junior high, things were much, MUCH shakier. I had his yearbook picture scanned on here awhile ago. I don't know where it went. Suffice it to say it had the words "chess club" not "breakthrough Indian movie star" written all over it. In fact, I blogged about this once before but it was a long time ago, so this is somewhat of a born again revelation. Watch all of his teeny bopper fans flock to AOGB again. However, in the beginning, they were 50% of the traffic I had so I shouldn't knock them.
My grandparents were old friends of movie director Joseph Sargeant's mother. Once we even went to a party for his grandmother--- thrown by him. I vaguely remember this, only because he had a huge screen "happy birthday" tribute featuring clips of all these stars wishing her well. The only star I remember though, oddly enough is Rita Moreno. He still invites my grandmother to premiere screenings of his movies. You might know some of his work. I call them, "watching the grass grow" pictures.
Speaking of my grandparents, years ago they used to be Frank Sinatra fans, mainly because everyone from New Jersey has a weird allegiance with everyone else from New Jersey. They thought of Sinatra as one of "them" who made it big. One day they met him. My grandfather went up to him, and Sinatra snubbed him. Needless to say they were Sinatra fans no longer.
Random Tidbits
My hair used to be so thick that periodically I had to get it thinned out. I still do, just not as much, maybe once every two years, if that. Well I used to do it at least twice a year. A few years ago I had a warped pleasure in getting my hair thinned and then returning with the bag o'hair to college. I then would ask my friends what they thought was in the bag. I loved their reaction when they found out what it actually was. I've got an odd sense of humor sometimes.
Lemon juice is a particularly effective method in reducing or eliminating acne.
I went to school with a kid named Rocky Rhodes. I work with a woman who knew kids named: Nosmo King (No Smoking) and twins named Annette and.... Not Annette.
And finally, one more note on names...The Chinese wait 100 days before naming a new cub. I guess this is because there's a good chance the cub won't live until then. I don't think it matters all that much. It's not like you can call them for dinner or anything.
Deborah Winger did the voice of E.T.
George Clooney was on two shows named E.R.
Eric Stoltz was originally cast as the lead role in Back to the Future.
The Ones Where I Cheated
I couldn't resist. So I Googled "random trivia facts". These aren't mine, so technically it's come full circle. We're all learning something together!
The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."
Barbie's measurements if she were life size: 39-23-33.
No words in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple.
Cat's urine glows under a blacklight.
Almonds are members of the peach family.
The dot over the letter 'i' is called a tittle.
Charlie Brown's father was a barber.
Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
The most common name in the world is Mohammed.
There are only four words in the English language which end in "-dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
The longest word in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. The only other word with the same amount of letters is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconioses, its plural.
The longest place-name still in use is Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipu-
kakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, a New Zealand hill.
There is a word in the English language with only one vowel, which occurs six times: Indivisibility.
The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "Its A Wonderful Life".
Ketchup was once sold as a medicine.
Each year, the average person walks the distance from NY to Miami.
I am going to cut the list short here proving there's one thing I DO know--when to say when.
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