Hidden knowledge, trivia, and all sorts of goofy things to know

Cats racing ...

My mind is a fount of mildly useful information, or so I'm told. Actually, it's more like I've filled my brain to the brim with lots of little tidbits I found interesting and for some reason have retained it all. One fun trick is recognizing a movie, and giving the title, with barely a second or two of watching it (even movies I've never watched, but only know about). Sure, some of that falls into the category of Parlor Tricks, but it's still fun. I'll never forget when my youngest daughter tried to stymie me by playing a few seconds of the title intro to "Star Trek: First Contact." (okay, I'll give it away, I recognized the actress name and the music and the style of the credits and the way the camera moved... like I said, a trick).

Truth is, I don't find this knowledge helpful for the most part, it's just fun to know. I still read constantly in a huge variety of fields. Thirst for knowledge doesn't ever go away, especially when you keep feeding the hunger. But, just because you know it sadly doesn't mean you'll remember it accurately when you need it--yup, I stink at Jeopardy, or anytime there's a time limit.

I tell my kids to keep learning, all the time. The day you stop learning is the day you let your intelligence drift away on summer breezes. Of course, I'm a writer and a nerd so, yeah, of course I'd say that. But, there's nothing quite like rattling off a little gem of information at the perfect time and drinking in the looks of awe around you!

- M