Getting Weird Looks for Knowing Random Stuff

[Kheldarson]

What's really sad is, I can remember the opening theme song for "The Greatest American Hero" word for word, but I can't remember why I walked downstairs into the living room.

Cracked/ had an article about that recently...

[Kalli]

GOD YES~!!!

I can be full of random knowledge at times, and people actually get annoyed at me for knowing stuff. Whenever my husband's family is over (and this is not an in-law bitch, I love them all to bits, this just annoys me) we play a board game. Almost INVARIABLY they all vote to play up-words or a trivia-based game, and EVERY TIME I end up getting dirty looks and eye-rolls because I put a word down that none of them know. It goes something like this:

<my turn on up-words, let's say I put the word "pithy" down>

Hubby: Pithy isn't a word! PITY is a word...
Me: Yes it is! Can you just take my word for it please? I don't want you to make a big deal and then have to shoot you down and you get the shits.
Hubby: Guys, is pithy a word?
Family: I don't know, but I've never heard it....
Me: *sigh* do you want me to take it off, or do you want me to look it up in the dictionary and show you?
Hubby: No, don't look in the dictionary, that's cheating!!
Me: It's not cheating if I've ALREADY THOUGHT OF THE WORD, you fucking clown
Hubby: Just stop using words you KNOW nobody knows so you can sound so smart!
Me: What the fuck are you on about? I didn't know you hadn't heard it, how the fuck am I supposed to know you haven't heard it until AFTER I use it?

By this point I'm obviously getting the shits, so the family just goes "nah, let her have it" and they all act as though I've broken the game rules and had a tantrum until they let me get my way. Grrrrr.

This or some variety of it happens Every. Goddamn. Time.

[jackfaire]

I will make random movie and book references and not always realize I am doing it until someone points out what movie I just quoted.

[Boozy]

What's really sad is, I can remember the opening theme song for "The Greatest American Hero" word for word, but I can't remember why I walked downstairs into the living room.

Yes! Too funny.

And the two are very much related.

For example, I have wandered about the grocery store for 15 minutes trying to remember what I went in to buy. Meanwhile, an old childhood camp song is stuck in my head, complete with accompanying hand gestures.

What I wouldn't give to be able to treat my brain like a computer. "Don't need that, I'll send it to the recycle bin. That I definitely need. Make it a desktop icon, for sure."

[HYHYBT]

Yeah, but then chances are your brain will still be good five years from now

[Fryk]

I actually tried that setup. But you had to keep downloading brain updates, or people would be able to exploit security flaws and hack your cerebrum. And defragging the system was a complete pain in the ass. Nice screensavers, though.

[KabeRinnaul]

What's really sad is, I can remember the opening theme song for "The Greatest American Hero" word for word, but I can't remember why I walked downstairs into the living room.

Mine might be sadder. I could sit down and talk you through all of Final Fantasy 6 from start to finish without any references or looking at where you are in the game. Including all hidden treasure chests. And at least 90% of the game script, including the entire opera scene.

But I had a furnace filter in the back seat of my car for two weeks because I kept forgetting to take it in and exchange it for the right size, even though I work at the store where I bought it.

[jackfaire]

If I walk in on a Friends episode I can see 5 seconds and tell you what season it is and what the episode is about. (Haven't done it in awhile so might be rusty)

If I hear the background music for a movie I can identify the movie.

[Kalli]

If I hear the background music for a movie I can identify the movie.

Me too!

I'm also the ultimate "that guy is from xyz" person. I can do it with the most obscure actors in the world; if I've seen the other movie/show they were from, I'll name it the second they come on screen. It's my greatest talent, which is ridiculously sad.

It's like I have photographic memory when it comes to film and television, but I also have left objects in my car for 2 weeks (and... ahem... sometimes quite a bit longer) that belong in my workplace or even home.

[jackfaire]

It's like I have photographic memory when it comes to film and television, but I also have left objects in my car for 2 weeks (and... ahem... sometimes quite a bit longer) that belong in my workplace or even home.

I can always spot the Dawson's Creek phenomenon (shows and movies I love will have some actor that was on Dawson's Creek at least once for example the actress that plays Abby was a shrink on season 5.) but I once misplaced my car for 15 minutes. In my defense it was a college parking lot.

[Slytovhand]

Yes! Too funny.

And the two are very much related.

For example, I have wandered about the grocery store for 15 minutes trying to remember what I went in to buy. Meanwhile, an old childhood camp song is stuck in my head, complete with accompanying hand gestures.

What I wouldn't give to be able to treat my brain like a computer. "Don't need that, I'll send it to the recycle bin. That I definitely need. Make it a desktop icon, for sure."

You do.... 'important items to shop for - recycle. Campfire songs - icon'! Hell, forget icon, have it as your log-in theme!

Thanks, Fryk - bastard! Now I'm trying to think of it, and I'm damn sure I won't stop for the rest of the afternoon! (and tonight... and probably tomorrow as well. And then, later, I'll probably chat with someone else and ask them... which will get them for the rest of the evening... and the day after that.... until they..)

Kalli - just prove them right! Grab the dictionary, and then show them - and then demand the apology for them treating you like a moron! Make a massive scene out of it - and about how they thought it more important to accuse you of cheating rather than that you know something they don't, and their precious little egos couldn't take it. They won't do it again!

[Fryk]

Mwah ha ha ha ha haaaaa, Slyt.

"Look at what's happened to meeeeeeeee
I can't believe it myself!
Suddenly I'm up on top of the world,
It should have been somebody eeeeeeeeeeeeeelse!

Believe it or not!
Iiiiiiiiiiii'm walkin on air
I never thought I could be so free-ee-eeeeeeee!
Flyin away on a wing and a prayer!
Who-oo could it beeeeeeeee?

Believe it or not, it's just meeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Yes, god help me, that was from memory. Now, where did I put my car keys??!

[Kalli]

Believe it or not
George isn't at home
please leave a messaaaaaaage at the beep

I must be out, or I'd pick up the phone
wheeeere could I beeeeee?
Believe it or not, I'm not hooooome!

*beeeeep*

[Amanita]

I think I freaked out a few folks at the Golden Gate Bridge recently. You see, I'm a huge fan of Big Iron- cranes, bridges, skyscrapers, and the like. I've got a lot of books on the Golden Gate, including one with several beautiful reproductions of technical drawings.
I remember chatting with a few bridge painters, and pointing to one of their buckets- "Is that the famous International Orange paint?"
"Very good!" one of them said.
When chatting with bridge workers during my visits, they tend to be surprised by how much stuff I know about their bridge. Not surprising, considering that most tourists ask stupid things like "Why isn't the bridge gold?" And of course, I always end up learning even more cool stuff from them, particularly about administration politics.

FYI- Anyone here from the Bay Area? Please swing by the bridge and give some customerssuck.com business cards to the toll collectors on that bridge, the things commuters do to them are just mind-blowingly, ass demolishingly awful. Flashing them, handing them disgusting things smeared on or wrapped in the money, spitting at them, throwing things at them, and of course, I imagine that these poor toll-takers have greatly expanded their swear libraries, just from hearing all the lovely things commuters say to them.

[MergedLoki]

I get that, cuz I'm full of random useless pointless trivia.

because I LIKE those books of like 'top ten lists of whatever' or 'more useless facts you really DONT need to know but why not they're fun'

so i have a lil stack of em and hey i always say it ALWAYS gives me something to add to a conversation no matter what the topic :P