Hey Freak!

This is one of my favorite questions.

"What do you know?"

You see, I like to know stuff. I'm a trivia buff. I'm a knowledge buff.

For instance... I know that the largest (and loudest) volcanic eruption in recorded history occurred in 1883 on the island formerly known as Krakatoa. I know that it takes roughly 7 to 8 minutes for light to travel from the sun to the Earth. I know that the first interracial kiss on American TV happened on an episode of Star Trek. I know that the highest concentration of Polish people outside of Warsaw is in... Chicago, IL. I know that "baby on board" signs aren't for you to advertise to the general public that you've got a baby and that everyone needs to drive safer - they're so that, if you're in a car accident, rescue workers will know to look for a baby in the wreckage.

See? I know a few things. Random things.

What I find funny is... when you ask people that. What do you know? It's funny to hear what random things first pop into their heads. Whether they're facts (the humuhumunukunukuapua'a is also known as the Picasso Triggerfish) or opinions (chocolate cures everything), it's funny what comes off the tops of people's heads.

Or. Sometimes. People just don't know what you're talking about. "What do you mean, 'what do I know?' Is this a trick question?" No. It's just a chance to prove that you know something. It's a chance to be proud that you know something. It's just fun to know things, yanno?

So.

What do you know? Go on. Tell me.

I'm at a loss. I really don't know what I know. I'm trying my best to say something sensible. Mm. Let's see.

OK, here goes: I know that the molecular formula of table sugar is C12H22O11. I think that's correct.

I know my next door neighbor is cheating on his wife with another man...

I know that pneumoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is supposedly the longest "real" word in the English language and is a lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust.

I'm not sure this tops Shannon's answer, however...

Oh, there's no "topping" here. I just want information. It doesn't even have to be like, "smart" stuff. Just anything you know. Like, that the Nelson family is the only family to have number one hits from three generations (Ozzie, Ricky, Matthew & Gunnar). Or that tacquitos were invented in San Diego in a little place called El Indio.

See? Anything. Let's hear what you know.

(but yeah, Shannon... Damnnnnnnnn!)

Going back to college is proving that I know far less than I thought I did. I know no one in my family will play trivia with me, unless it's my birthday and I pout a lot.

Lately, however, I know I am hopelessly in love with my nieces and nephews. I know there is no greater thing in this world than when a baby smiles at you.

Know that apples are more effective than caffeine for keeping a person awake.

I've heard that about apples, too.

I know that angora rabbits' fur is so soft and they shed so much, that it is actually possible to spin yarn off the rabbit while it sits there, eating carrots.

I know that the sun sets over the ocean on California beaches, except in Santa Barbara, where we see the sun rise over it.

I know that Hawaii supposedly has 11 of the world's 13 climate zones.

I know that highway numbers tell you what direction it goes and what it connects to. If it's an odd number, it runs north/south, if even, it goes east/west. If it's a 3-digit number, the last 1 or 2 digits tell you what other highways it hits. Like the 101 hits the 1 and the 10, the 605 hits the 5 and the 60, the 210 and 710 the 10.

I know that you can supposedly stop brain freeze by putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth, but that never seems to work for me.

I know that the calendar months July and August were named after Julius and Augustus Casear.

I know that seaweed will soak up an oil spill in a driveway or on pavement.

I know that ammonia and bleach are the recipe for Mustard Gas.

President Grover Cleveland was the only president to ever get married while in office, and when he was in the White House he would answer the phone himself.

Anne Boleyn had six fingers on one of her hands.

"I am" is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

I know that touch screen is not activated by touch, but rather by heat. If you try to use a touch screen wearing gloves, it won't work.

I found this out by experience, haha.

I learned something new today from your blog, the one about the baby on board sign. I know that the dirtiest part of the human body is the mouth, more than the feet.

What I want to tell you is much better summed up in this awesome video. I know you will love it:

http://www.pitt.edu/~relyea/movie.html

I know how to re-upholster chairs, how to bake delicious oatmeal cookies and that marrying someone who has appeared on The Rikki Lake Show is generally a bad idea.

I know how to eat, but I don’t know how to cook. Hmmmm.. life is sooooo goooood.

"What do you know?" has bad connotations for me. One day at work, there was this annoying guy that asked for my help with some of his programming. He was having a specific problem that I had never encountered before, and as a disclaimer I started with "Well, I'm not very familiar with X..." and before I could even finish he interrupted with, "Then what DO you know?". RUDE. I know wanted to say "I know I'm about to punch you in the face."

I know more M*A*S*H trivia than anyone else I know.

I know how to make really good ham & bean soup.

I know how to design barriers that stop 15,000 lb vehicles travelling 50 mph.

I know how to throw a curveball and why the ball curves.

I know more Friends trivia than anyone I know. I know this should embarrass me but it doesn't. I know a ton of quotes from movies, which I don't hesitate to use whenever I can, thereby confusing many people. And also proving what I have known for a very long time, and that is that I am a huge dork. And happy about it.

I know the names of the characters played by Carol Burnett and Tim Conway-the boss with some indefinable accent and his secretary with the big ass.

My ex-SIL called me once to ask me that, knowing I would know shit like that.

**Mr. Tudball and Mrs. Ha-Wiggins"

I know all the words to "Hotel California" and "Short People" as well as far too many others. I know those two from transcribing the lyrics for my father's band to play at gigs. He could figure out the melody by ear, and my sister and I saved him money on sheet music.

I know that most car horns are in the key of F.

I know that scallops have blue eyes (around 60 of them), but they cannot see very well.

I know my brother in law is a pain in the ass.

I know that dial tone is an A-flat note.

I know that New York City is the only place where there's a citywide law banning red turns on red.

I know that the TBS channel started as WTBS, Atlanta's channel 17.

I know that Icyshard is wrong about the interstate spur numbers: Yes, the main highways (the ones with 1 or 2 numbers) run north-south or east-west depending on whether they're odd or even, respectively, with the numbers rising incrementally according to where they are (the transcountry ones going from the 5 on the West Coast to I-95 on the East Coast and from the 10 in the south to I-90 in the north), but the spur numbers only indicate what highway the spur branches from. I-395 in New England touches I-95 and I-90. Here in California, the 580 freeway touches the 5 and the 80.

I know my upstairs neighbor is an immature selfish bitch.

I know that Kate Bosworth has one brown eye and one blue eye.

I know that Sara Bareilles wrote "Love Song" about her record label, not about a guy like everyone says she did.

I know that Leonard Nimoy supplied the computer voice for the Excelsior and his assistant supplied the computer voice for the Enterprise in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

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