THURSDAY THIRTEEN #181

THIRTEEN POP CULTURE TIDBITS 

FROM THE GUINNESS BOOK

I bet at least one of these will work its way into your conversation.  If you're hungry for more fun facts,  find them at Guinness Book of Records' official site.

1) Best-selling children's book series: Harry Potter

2) Most successful author: James Patterson

3) Most successful movie ever produced in Canada: Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

4) Most prolific video game character: Super Mario has appeared in more than 200 different games

5) First female to star in her own comic book: Sheena, Queen of the Jungle in 1937

6) Longest running quiz show: It's Academic, where different high school students compete, has been on continuously since 1961. High school senior Hillary Rodham (shown) was a member of the Maine South High School Team that appeared in 1965. NOTE: After graduation from high school, college and law school, Hillary Rodham went on to marry Bill Clinton.

7) Oldest salsa dancer: Sarah Paddy Jones won first prize in a Spanish dance competition in 2009 when she was 75 years old

8) Highest paid child actor: Angus T. Jones, who was born in 1993 and plays the 1/2 man of Two and a Half Men, earns $250,000/episode

9) Oldest driver to win the Indianapolis 500: Al Unser Jr. was 5 days shy of his 48th birthday when he won in 1987

10) Shortest movie stuntman: Kiran Shah, shown here, is 4'7" and worked on the Lord of the Rings trilogy. NOTE: As a stunt man, Mr. Shah didn't play a specific role. He performed stunts on behalf of many of the actors in the LOTR.

11) Youngest performer to win an Oscar: Tatum O'Neal was 10 when she accepted the award for Paper Moon in 1974

12) Most television programs watched live by a single audience member: Italy's Alessandro Cocco has been the audience of more than 27,000 TV shows

13) Oldest Ruling English Monarch: The current Queen Elizabeth is 86. She beats her grandmother, Queen Victoria, who passed away at age 81.

For more information about the Thursday Thirteen,

or to play yourself, click here.

John Rode a Bus!

My friend John is not one to "rough it." For example, he used to spend $100/week on cabs to and from work. I used to find that staggering, but he told me that he'd spend approx. $5,200/year on a car if he had one (insurance, gas, parking, etc.) so this wasn't wasteful. I don't have a car, so I don't know if that's not true. But that's not my point here.

Last night I saw him for drinks and dinner. We had a lovely time, and it made me happy to see him doing so well emotionally since he was laid off last month. I was touched when he reached into his bag and produced decades of postcards I'd sent him -- ones that made him laugh and meant enough to him to keep.

But most of all, I was shocked to see him GET ON A BUS!!! I have known him, literally, for 30 years and can truly only recall seeing this phenomenon one other time ... in the early 1980s.

Observations from the health club

I have worked out two of three lunch times this week, and both times I was in the locker room with a Kim Alexis look alike. Remember Kim? She was the face of Revlon back in the mid 80s and was a SI swimsuit model. The girl I work out with is too young to remember Ms. Alexis, which makes having her around even more demoralizing. I wish there was a way she could somehow be banished from the club -- or at least from the locker room -- when I'm around.

Then there was the guy that I shared the elevator with. He backed into the car with this head down (texting, of course) so I didn't see his face. But I didn't have to. The back of his head was so sweet. Hair freshly cut, with drops of shower water still clinging to it. I longed to touch it. I didn't, of course. That kind of behavior can get a gal arrested. But I really wanted to.

I don't think it's the cardio that leaves me exhausted after a workout. I bet it's really the envy and lust.

An Award!

Kwizgiver has tagged me for the the Liebster award! Liebster is a German word which means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome.

Here are the rules for the award:

1. Each person must post 11 facts about themselves.
2. Answer 11 questions the tagger has given you and give 11 questions for the people you’ve tagged.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post. Tell them you’ve tagged them.
4. Remember, no tag backs.

So, here are 11 things about me:

1) My favorite grandpa had a swing next to his garage and some of my happiest childhood moments were spent on it.

2) My thumbnails grow faster than the others.

3) When I played Barbies, my doll was always getting ready for, or returning from, a date with Paul McCartney. She never actually had the date, though. The only boy doll I had was Ken and he looked NOTHING like Paul

4) I have been to three Hawaiian islands -- The Big Island, Maui and Oahu.

5) I realized during the aftermath of the Colorado theater shooting that I miss Katie Couric. I heard about Columbine and 9/11 from her and she did such a smart and sensitive job. I think I want to get all my really bad news from Katie.

6) I love seeing a man in a tie. I also love watching him tie his tie. I have a thing for ties. Sigh.

7) My teen years were the worst of my life.

8) I am hopelessly sentimental. This, combined with laziness, makes my life very cluttered with stuff.

9) I suppose I swear too much. But you know, I don't really give a shit.

10) I think I have been really in love twice.

11) I worry about my friends ... alot. I think it's because I feel more connected to the family I made than to the one I was born into.

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Here are the questions Kwizgiver has given me:

1. What is your favorite genre to read? Biography
2. How often do you read for pleasure? Daily
   
3. Do you ever read books in your least favorite genre? That would be poetry, and the answer is no
4. Do you snack when you read? No. And I never realized it until you asked me this question.
5. What do you do when you're in a reading slump? What's a reading slump? Do you mean if I don't like the book I'm reading? Then I switch to magazines, like sorbet to cleanse my pallet, and then try a different a book.
6. Are you easy to talk into doing something out of the ordinary? No
7. Do you follow a daily routine? Of sorts. Cats are very routine-oriented by nature, so mine keep me to a schedule. 
8. Where do you keep your keys? In a basket by table lamp next to the front door.
9. What is your favorite song featuring a banjo? "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" because it reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Bonnie & Clyde
   
10. Do you drink bottled water? Nope.
    
11. How old is your blog? Just over six years.

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Here are the questions I give you:

1. What's your oldest memory?

2. Who was your first crush?

3. When was the last time you cried?

4. How often do you read the newspaper?

5. What is something you won't scrimp on, no matter how tight your budget?

6. Do you enjoy your time in the bath or shower? Or is it merely for hygiene/grooming, like brushing your teeth?

7. Close your eyes and think of a song. Which one popped into your head?

8. What's the biggest dollar bill in your wallet right now? (Asked because a friend of mine recently broke a $100 at dinner, and I don't think I've ever carried a bill that big.)

9. You're home. It's 9:30 at night. You're hungry. What do you snack on?

10. Are you a Felix (neat freak) or an Oscar (slob)?

11.  When did you last send someone a card? It could be a greeting card, or a postcard. But you had to address it, put a stamp on it and mail it. E-cards or a card you simply handed a person don't count.
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And here's who I tag to answer those stimulating questions:

Gina, Endomental, Book Mama, The Bumbles (either one!), Snarky Pants, Harriet, Mimi ... and anyone else who happens by and wants to join in!