mental_floss magazine
SUBSCRIBE >
GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS >
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS >
subscriber services >
I’m off today, en route to Boston for a low-key bachelor party. And I’m not just saying “low-key” because the groom-to-be is marrying one of our researchers, or because my pregnant wife is reading.
While I’m searching for a scalper with Bruins or Celtics tickets, you can be answering some of these questions, which were submitted last week by readers in this space.
1) Do you have season tickets (or luxury box access) for either the Bruins or Celtics?
[OK, on to the real questions…]
1) Aside from a McNugget, what is the strangest food you have eaten? [Asked by Florida]
2) How did you first hear about mental_floss? [Asked by Lebetho]
3) What’s your favorite landmark or roadside attraction in your town/city? [Asked by Colin]
4) What cartoons remind you of your childhood? [Asked by Heather]
5) What’s the most jarring transition in your iTunes list? I have a series of orchestral selections that roll over into Credence Clearwater Revival when I’m going alphabetical. [Asked by Roger]
6) What are your least favorite house chores and why? [Asked by Cyndi]
7) Did your parents particularly affect where you are today? If so, how? [Asked by Allison]
8) If you were in a rock band, what would the name of your band be? [Asked by Janel]
9) Best/worst bachelor/bachelorette party experience? [I had to get one in there. Have a great weekend!]
2) At Wal-Mart. It was the longest of long odds. I arrived at work at 5am - like I always do. Overnight the security access had been changed (unannounced) so I couldn’t get into the building for another two hours. Rather than drive back home, I went to the only business open at that time of day - the 24-hour Wal-Mart. I looked for something interesting at the magazine rack (a section I rarely visit) and there among the bikinis and bikes magazines was this strange looking publication with question marks all over the cover - talk about finding treasure in trash.
It was love at first thumb through. I have never seen the magazine on a rack before or since.
posted by n2y2 on 3-14-2008 at 9:47 am
1. Strangest food? A black seaweed and sea cucumber dish, served at a New Year’s celebration in Hong Kong.
2. Mental Floss awakening? From the magazine - I think my sister gave me a Christmas gift subscription within the first year of publication.
3. Hometown landmark? Six Flags Over Texas.
4. Childhood cartoon? The Flintstones.
5. iTunes mis-shuffle? Rutter’s “Requiem” followed by a Warner’s Bros cartoon soundtrack.
6. I hate housework? Dusting.
7. Parental impact? I guess so: I’m a tech writer, my dad was a tech writer.
9. Worst bachelor party? Any time that, as a gay man, I’m forced to go to a straight gentleman’s club.
posted by Karl on 3-14-2008 at 9:47 am
2. I went to the same highschool as one of the creators of MF(Hoover High) and my best friend’s mom taught him.
3. Vulcan
4. Pokemon
posted by Brad C. on 3-14-2008 at 10:08 am
2) Some person had left the book in the lobby of my apartment. The cover looked so strange (I mean, what other magazine tld you to hold it up and behold it?) I just had to pick it up. And then I subscribed.
posted by electic tomato on 3-14-2008 at 10:14 am
1. Escargot. Loved it.
2. I don’t remember, frankly. I think it was a link from another blog.
3. Oh, the watertower shaped and painted to look like a giant ear of corn. You can see it here: www.camera-crafts.com/RochesterCornTower.jpg
4. Any Bug Bunny cartoon
5. Abba followed by Agnus Dei.
6. Cleaning the bathroom.
7. They definitely instilled a love of reading….and I’m a librarian.
8. Scary Gnomes.
9. A group of us went to a strip club when males strippers were beginning to appear on the scene. My friends seated me on the aisle (I was not the bachelorette, by the way) and one of the strippers SAT ON MY LAP AND FRENCH_KISSED ME. I think I’m still spitting.
posted by Mary Beth on 3-14-2008 at 10:15 am
1) I love white cheddar popcorn dipped in PB. Call me strange!
2) I saw a mental_floss article on CNN, and checked out the website!
3) I love the monument circle in downtown Indy!
4) JEM!!!! I still know the theme song by heart! (JEM- Jem is excitement oooo JEM- Jem is adventure oooooooo glamor and glitter, fashion and fame- JEMMMM is truly outrageous, truly truly truly outragous… whoaaaa JEM the music’s contagious OUTRAGEOUS Jem is my name no one else is the same JEM IS MY NAME!!!!) Someone stop me please.
5) I have a “hell week song” that my friend’s brother’s fraternity pumped into their pledge room or something at Penn State… we thought it was hilarious so she sent it to all of us… it’s a bunch of frat boys singing a REALLY annoying song… that’s weird put next to any of my broadway showtunes, especially Jesus Christ Superstar.
6) Dishes suck.
7) LITERALLY… since I was adopted by them, they are the reason I was raised in NJ! (Born 4-2-85 in Peoria, IL… are you my mother? anyone? anyone? Bueller?)
8) The Flying Pugs.
9) I haven’t had one or been to one! But I’ll let ya know when I get to one!
posted by Kelly J on 3-14-2008 at 10:19 am
1) sadly, i’m not a very adventurous eater, myself. For about 8 years of my life I ate nothing but macaroni and cheese, and now that i’m a vegetarian on a budget, salad’s it for me…
2) I was in Penn Station an hour early for my train to Long Island, having left early from my apartment uptown to correct for time lost due to subway construction. I had already graded the papers and gone over the day’s lesson for the class I was going to be tutoring, and I was bored out of my mind. So I started browsing a large news stand, praying that there was something less mind-numbing than cosmo to read (since I’d already read all of my other subscriptions). I stumbled upon mental_floss and eagerly snatched it up. It was love at first read–and the next day, at a second job I was working, I happened to take the magazine out of my purse during lunch, only to find that one of my coworkers had a subscription and read M_F religiously. I’ve been hooked ever since.
3) On I-75, as you approach the Gainesville exit from the south, there are a series of billboards advertising cafe risque in Micanopy….the signs read “We Bare All.” At least they’re honest.
4) I, to this day, live for Rocko’s Modern Life, the original Rugrats, Aaaahhh! Real Monsters and pretty much every cartoon that played on Nickelodeon before they sold out….although I still watch Fairly Oddparents when I need my sardonic and cleverly ironic cartoon fix.
5) I think all transitions on my itunes are jarring. In a single sitting, you can go from Pal Joey to Patton Oswalt’s standup to Piebald. It’s even more fun to put it on random and listen to Marilyn Monroe lead in to Neutral Milk Hotel.
6) Actually, I love doing chores. I bleach the kitchen at least twice a week.
7) Physically, I’m stuck in Florida because of them…and every time I try to get out, I somehow end up back where I started. As soon as I’m financially independent of them, however, I’ll be out of here. In terms of my life goals, I’m not where I am because of my parents but in spite of them. I’m going to do this my own way.
posted by kay on 3-14-2008 at 10:20 am
1. Well, I’m a repeat consumer of alligator. But if we can count childhood weirdnesses, I ate clover flowers. Very poofy.
2. Used to live in Books-a-Million and they had a big rack of M_Fs by the cafe - read you guys all the time.
3. We have a gigantic [Seriously, it’s HUGE.] bust of Andrew Jackson. It’s funny because the guy was more than a little crazy and did some horrible things, so of course we celebrate him.
4. Rocko’s Modern Life, old-school Rugrats- basically the poster-above-me’s list, plus Reboot. [I would still watch Reboot.]
5. I’ll say the Bad Plus’s Boo-wah to System of a Down’s Bounce.
6. Cleaning the freakin’ stove.
7. Yes; lots of ways.
8. This is a question I could answer at any point except when asked it.
9. Nada.
posted by Aemi on 3-14-2008 at 10:49 am
1) I guess it would have to be cow’s tongue.
2) Link from somewhere. Boing Boing maybe?
3) Buddhist temple in Hacienda Heights.
4) Any Looney Tunes cartoon.
5) Mel Torme into Cannibal Corpse.
6) Doing the dishes because it seems like they never end.
7) Not really, so I try to make up for it by being there for my daughter.
8) Buck & The Nakeds. (Everyone in the band would have Naked as their last name, ala The Ramones. I would be Buck of course.)
9) Worst would have to be the time we got robbed by some dancers who turned out to be hookers. Men, do NOT call any of the services in the Vegas phone book that will send girls to your room to “dance” for you. Bad idea.
posted by ArtF on 3-14-2008 at 10:59 am
1) It would be this thing from Taiwan called a tie dan (literally: iron egg). Preserved egg that became hard as iron and crunchy. But it’s not really that scary. I’m from Asia, home of extreme cuisine! But I think rare steak is gross.
2) From Neatorama.com! Great site.
3) That’s really difficult. I live in Singapore, one of the most orderly and governed places in the world, and hardly any landmark around actually bears any culture than that the Tourism Board has assigned it to have. I would say … nothing. Maybe the large Rain trees.
4) Tom and Jerry, Power Rangers, Pokémon…
5) They sound just jarring when all lumped together — Classical music? Then some … techno? That’s well bad.
6) Laundry. I hate hanging them at the balcony. I’m scared of birds.
7) Yeah … I guess, they contributed the artistic gene.
8) Dead Pixels
9) Never had one!
posted by Jasmine on 3-14-2008 at 11:00 am
1) Aside from a McNugget, what is the strangest food you have eaten? [Asked by Florida]
Shark Fin soup. I know, it’s horrible. In my defense, I was 8 and in a foreign country, and wasn’t told what was in the soup. I found it unremarkable and wouldn’t recommend it.
2) How did you first hear about mental_floss? [Asked by Lebetho]
I read a couple of articles on CNN, then stumbled on over. I don’t think I’ve actually ever seen the magazine.
3) What’s your favorite landmark or roadside attraction in your town/city? [Asked by Colin]
The GW bridge, especially when both towers are lit up.
4) What cartoons remind you of your childhood? [Asked by Heather]
Jem, Smurfs, The littles, The Snorks, Transformers, Scooby Doo, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Mighty Mouse, Heman, Shera, Rainbow Brite, My Little Ponies….so many!
5) What’s the most jarring transition in your iTunes list? I have a series of orchestral selections that roll over into Credence Clearwater Revival when I’m going alphabetical. [Asked by Roger]
Probably Sia to Pylon, some symphony to Nirvana, or Nico to Jay-Z? I have an odd assortment.
6) What are your least favorite house chores and why? [Asked by Cyndi]
Cleaning the bathroom, because its mold and poo and pee residue all together. Every so often I go nuts and bleach everything.
7) Did your parents particularly affect where you are today? If so, how? [Asked by Allison]
Growing up sheltered in suburbia, made me want to move across the country to assert my independence.
8) If you were in a rock band, what would the name of your band be? [Asked by Janel]
The Spats
posted by Kat L. on 3-14-2008 at 11:02 am
2. Your fact of the day RSS feed, I found it searching for content on my Google Homepage (google.com/ig). I read it everyday for about a week when you discontinued it. Then I subscribed to the blog, now I subscribe to your magazine.
Your magazine is great by the way. I always wondered why we eat bacon for breakfast - now I know.
posted by Witty Nickname on 3-14-2008 at 11:07 am
2. Waiting in line at Whole Foods, picked M_F up.
4. I grew up in the “Hasbro commercials disguised as cartoons” era, so Transformers, GI Joe.
5. Strangest one I can think of (in sound and theme) is going from John Lennon’s “Imagine” to OutKast’s “Bombs Over Baghdad”
8. Paradyme
posted by Mike on 3-14-2008 at 11:08 am
1. Food. I’ve ate kangaroo in Australia. It was good…I didn’t dare try the Vegimite though. Couldn’t get past the smell.
2. M_F. Picked up the site from CNN or MSNBC - can’t remember which. Considering subscribing to the mag since we don’t get enough magazines already (at least 10-12).
3. Landmark. I like the blimp dock…it’s big!
4. Cartoons. Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry.
5. iTunes. Barenaked Ladies -> Beastie Boys -> Beck -> Brian Regan -> Busta Rhymes. It is funny when on shuffle to go from “Defying Gravity” from Wicked to “Ladies & Gentlemen” from Saliva to Indigo Girls.
6. Chores. Two words: CAT BOX.
7. Parents. Sure. Dad abandonded me…mom remarried and started another family. I was on my “own”.
8. Band name. I’d have to sit for hours and think about this…because it would have to be something innovative and clever….so I cannot answer at this time.
9. Bachelorette Party. Mine of course! Thunder from Down Under in Vegas. I refused to wear a veil though as I didn’t want the dancers sweating on me.
posted by Jamie on 3-14-2008 at 11:10 am
2) How did you first hear about mental_floss? CNN.com link to a list about a year ago. I’ve been hooked ever since.
4) What cartoons remind you of your childhood? Animaniacs
5) What’s the most jarring transition in your iTunes list? Pink Floyd’s The Wall to George Straight’s All my Exs live in Texas to Metallica’s Orion
9) Best/worst bachelor/bachelorette party experience? Went to a bachelorette party where there were a couple of minors in the wedding party- so we couldn’t do the La Bare thing. So we go to this grill/bowling alley/pool hall in N. Dallas and only 1 person (me) brought lingerie for the Bride. There wasn’t enough alcohol to make this even a resemblance of fun– it was so Lame.
posted by Valerie on 3-14-2008 at 11:21 am
2) How did you first hear about mental_floss? My friend Kandi told me about your magazine and now I think I visit your website more than she does.
4) What cartoons remind you of your childhood? 2 specifically: Schoolhouse Rock and Scooby’s All-Star Laff-A-Lympics
6) What are your least favorite house chores and why? Vacuuming because it seems like a fruitless effort…you know there’s a lot more non-visible crap that’s not being sucked out of the carpet.
8) If you were in a rock band, what would the name of your band be? Chookha Chookha
posted by Teejay on 3-14-2008 at 11:34 am
1) I’ve never eaten anything that’s strange by itself, but I’ve eaten some strange combos. Once A friend and I were hungry after a night of drinking and wound up at Katz’s Deli on Houston St. We ate two hot dogs each with cole slaw and a beer. We stumbled out onto the sidewalk at 2 am, and peered into the window of the sushi place next door. We went in, plunked down $30 and asked for whatever that would get us (which turned out to be a LOT). So, sushi, hot dogs, beer, and cole slaw together has to be the weirdest thing I’ve ever eaten.
2) My first awareness of Mental Floss was when Monica was reading a copy of it on Friends. It was pretty conspicuous in the scene, so. I made a mental note, and hunted down a copy at Barnes & Noble…
3) Thomas Paine’s house is a block from me in the Village. It might be a stretch to call it a landmark, but I’m a big Common Sense fan, so it’s a landmark for me…
4) The cartoon I remember most fondly was Star Blazers. It was a Japanese cartoon dubbed in English about a spaceship traveling to a distant galaxy to save the Earth. What I remember most is that people actually died, and didn’t come back. It was like a soap opera for me when I was a kid - I used to run home to see it…
5) Alphebetically? Probably the roll over from Simon and Garfunkle to Slick Rick.
6) I love chores - cleaning, dusting; it keeps me calm. I mean, I have found myself polishing my brass keys when I’m bored. Seriously.
7) My parents affected who I am, not what I do, or where I am. The best gift they ever gave me was not guilting me into staying close, encouraging me to wander both geographically and in my interests.
8) How about “We Have A Drummer Whose Experience Is Limited To Playing The Snare Drum In The School Band In Fifth Grade”? Catchy?
9) Good: Chartered deep sea fishing in the morning, eating the fish we caught for lunch grilled up at an outdoor bar, go-cart racing, Jai-Alai, Brazilian steakhouse for dinner. Another good one was a brewery tour, then shooting rifles on a range, and then BBQ. Bad: DC hotel room, cheap gin, scary stripper. Seriously guys, let’s all agree to go with bachelor parties we would have planned when we were 8 - they’re always more fun.
posted by burgeon on 3-14-2008 at 11:44 am
1) I eat a lot of different foods, but most recently I tried chicken feet at a dim sum restaurant. Flavor was wonderful, but texture wasn’t, sort of a soft gelatinous goo.
2) Found it in a magazine rack at the library
3) Mitsuwa Marketplace. I know there are a bunch of these in California, but there’s only one in the entire midwest. While I can’t say a visit is the same as a trip to Japan, but you surely don’t feel like your in Chicago anymore.
4) “And knowing is half the battle!” -definately GI Joe, which is probably why I’m a Robot Chicken fan now.
5) I will say one downfall of the ipod has to do with “shuffle” I can’t stand it when I am listening to “shuffle” and one of the three christmas songs I have on it comes up. Its like my ipod knows it annoys me and pulls ‘em up to piss me off.
6) Cleaning the toilet, for obvious reasons. I also hate cleaning the cat boxes, for the same obvious reasons.
7) Yes. Kay, as much as I love Florida, I can say leaving the state was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. As much as I lament the fact I can no longer find proper Cuban food, I can say I don’t think I’ll ever move back.
9) I’ll refrain from answering the question, but will say I’ve had a nice juice burger from place Kay references in Micanopy, FL.
posted by Florida on 3-14-2008 at 11:57 am
1) No, but I’ve been on the Packers season ticket list since 1991 and I’m in the low 3ks.
1) baby octopus sashimi. nasty and gellatenous.
2) NPR in m’car
3) a pair of giant concrete “crab claws”
4) Flintstones. Justice League. Scooby-Doo.
5) I listen to Itunes on “shuffle” so there’s too many to name. Maybe anytime one of the kids’ songs creeps up, so right after Pearl Jam I get The Wiggles???
6) Washing dishes or vacuuming calms me.
7) They moved to Florida and I hated the heat and humidity and fenetic pace. So I moved back to boring ol’ Wisconsin.
8) Jeans Flat Back
9) When my brother got married, we had to take turns getting kicked out of bars (think Jackass but this was back in the late 80s). When it came to my turn, I ticked off a softball team “you can’t do that in OUR bar!” and we had a major brawl.
posted by Scott in Sheboygan on 3-14-2008 at 11:58 am
1) Aside from a McNugget, what is the strangest food you have eaten? [Asked by Florida]
Chocolate Covered Ants (on a dare)
2) How did you first hear about mental_floss? [Asked by Lebetho]
Neatorama
3) What’s your favorite landmark or roadside attraction in your town/city? [Asked by Colin]
The Granite Museum (yes a museum all about rock and tombstones)
4) What cartoons remind you of your childhood? [Asked by Heather]
I’ve always considered myself a grown up Charlie Brown
5) What’s the most jarring transition in your iTunes list? I have a series of orchestral selections that roll over into Credence Clearwater Revival when I’m going alphabetical. [Asked by Roger]
Evanescence to Chipmunks
6) What are your least favorite house chores and why? [Asked by Cyndi]
All of them
7) Did your parents particularly affect where you are today? If so, how? [Asked by Allison]
Yeah, my parents never fought, they rarely even argued. Because of that I am horrible at confrontation and have a very strong sense of old fashioned manners and courtesy.
8) If you were in a rock band, what would the name of your band be? [Asked by Janel]
I’d be a Christian Rock Band called “Think On These Things”
9) Best/worst bachelor/bachelorette party experience? [I had to get one in there. Have a great weekend!]
A couple at my church decided to have a joint party so guys and girls could both come. I was the only guy who showed up, even the groom waited until the last 5 minutes or so to put in an appearance.
posted by Patrick B on 3-14-2008 at 12:01 pm
1) I eat a lot of different foods, but most recently I tried chicken feet at a dim sum restaurant. Flavor was wonderful, but texture wasn’t, sort of a soft gelatinous goo.
2) Found it in a magazine rack at the library
3) Mitsuwa Marketplace. I know there are a bunch of these in California, but there’s only one in the entire midwest. While I can’t say a visit is the same as a trip to Japan, but you surely don’t feel like your in Chicago anymore.
4) “And knowing is half the battle!” -definately GI Joe, which is probably why I’m a Robot Chicken fan now.
5) I will say one downfall of the ipod has to do with “shuffle” I can’t stand it when I am listening to “shuffle” and one of the three christmas songs I have on it comes up. Its like my ipod knows it annoys me and pulls ‘em up to piss me off.
6) Cleaning the toilet, for obvious reasons. I also hate cleaning the cat boxes, for the same obvious reasons.
7) Yes. Kay, as much as I love Florida, I can say leaving the state was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. As much as I lament the fact I can no longer find proper Cuban food, I can say I don’t think I’ll ever move back.
9) I’ll refrain from answering the question, but will say I’ve had a nice juice burger from place Kay references in Micanopy, FL
posted by Florida on 3-14-2008 at 12:01 pm
1) I was staying with a host family in Nepal and the afternoon snack was dried fish – an entire fish. I pretended to pick at it while they gobbled up the eyeballs. The flavor wasn’t that bad, but I couldn’t eat the eyes…they were staring right at me. Didn’t stop my host family from digging in…
2) CNN link – I love your lists and quizzes!
3) Back home in CO, it’s Pikes Peak. Here in Boston, anything historical
4) Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain
5) Abba to Aerosmith to Dixie Chicks can throw ya for a loop
6) I hate dusting and sweeping. I just can’t seem to really make it feel clean. And ten minutes after you’re done, it’s all back where you found it. What’s the point?!?
7) Absolutely. My mother introduced me to my true passions: travel, reading, and words – Scrabble anyone?
8) Spicy Brown
posted by Amy on 3-14-2008 at 12:07 pm
1) Squid ink sacs. Kimchi with spicy frog legs.
2) My wife.
3) Touchdown Jesus in Monroe, OH.
4) Doug.
5) John Cage to Johnny Cash.
6) Cleaning out the cat box. Self-explained.
7) The quit paying for my college, so I joined the Army
8) The Cusacks.
9) Best- Guinness and pool at a pub with my buddies. Worst- Coronas in a dirty swimming pool at cheap motel.
posted by Codius on 3-14-2008 at 12:08 pm
1 - Baby squid salad. I was in Italy and picked it up at a local market, when I got back to my hotel and looked up the name - Surprise!
2 - Grocery store magazine rack
3 - SONY Pictures Studio lot
4 - Thundercats - HOOOOOOO!
5 - IPOD? I don’t own one.
6 - Dusting. Hate having to move all those little kitch things around.
7 - Nope.
8 - Suburban Bovine or Klinique (If I see these come up on the charts somewhere I will have to gets some royalties.
9 - Best - Taking my best friend to a drag show (as I am gay) his other friends were freaked out, he loved it, we had a blast. Worst - Sitting around a friend’s house getting drunk watching movies… it was just another Friday night BORING!
posted by Jeffrey on 3-14-2008 at 12:21 pm
3. The HI trees here in Omaha! (There’s a link to a picture of them on my name.)
posted by Molly on 3-14-2008 at 12:22 pm
Well, apparently you can’t have percent signs in the link, so it didn’t work. Just do a google search for Hi trees Omaha, or Hi cottonwoods omaha.
posted by Molly on 3-14-2008 at 12:24 pm
1) beaver…get your mind out of the gutter!!!I was a life guard at a trappers convention and they served us lunch…
2) Some how found it on the web and have been in love ever since…
3) I live 10 miles from Plains,Ga…home of Jimmy Carter, I live in the town Habitat for Humanity was founded and the world headquarters still is and we have a beautiful hotel downtown called The Windsor Hotel…not too bad for a town of 17,000!!!
4) Looney Toons
5) From Rush to the four tops!
6) cleaning bathrooms
7) ALWAYS speak to everyone and respect everyone!!
8) no clue…
9) Only one experience, I was at an out of town wedding and my husband and his friends wanted to go to a strip club. He wasn’t leaving me in a hotel alone, so I went along…kind of cheezy, kind of interesting. Amazing how much $$ guys throw away in garter belts!
posted by Meg from Ga on 3-14-2008 at 12:39 pm
1) Egg pizza in Argentina (actually awesome), hot dog pizza in Argentina (not so awesome), shark fin soup (they left the cartilage in - eek)
2) CNN link
3) Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo (largest indoor rainforest in the world–it’s a really great zoo if you’re ever in the midwest) or the University of Nebraska football stadium
5) Modest Mouse to The Monkees to Montgomery Gentry to Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Or Fred Astair to Frou Frou.
6) All of them.
7) Yes. They are awesome and supportive and taught me enough to keep me out of trouble when I was too stupid to know better (aka: teenage years)
8) The Starla Clintons
posted by kate on 3-14-2008 at 1:00 pm
2. I’m not sure why, but I was reading filmmaker James Gunn’s blog. In it he mentioned how his (now ex) wife Jenna Fischer (from The Office) had gotten him a 2-year subscription for Christmas. I thought the wordplay in the title was hilarious and made certain to check it out next time I was at the library. Read my first issue, ordered 2 t-shirts soon after and I’ve been hooked ever since
posted by Kevin on 3-14-2008 at 1:52 pm
2. I was looking on Amazon for a magazine to subscribe to for my son when he started college. I’d heard the name somewhere before and thought it sounded interesting. He’s in another state and still gets it, so I have to buy my own.
3. The Valle Grande.
4. Underdog
5. Waylon Jennings to Red Hot Chile Peppers.
6. I’m with Kate. I don’t like any of them.
7. They influenced me in that I was expected to get a degree. I followed in my mom’s footsteps by getting a degree and then becoming a stay at home mom. I now work in a field totally unrelated to my degree, but I wouldn’t trade the years I had with my mom at home or the years I was home with my kids for anything.
8. The Piss Crystals. My husband was telling a story in which that phrase came up. With a nod to Dave Barry, I realized it would be a great name for a rock band.
posted by Martha on 3-14-2008 at 2:00 pm
1. When I was 12 my grandfather made me eat a smoked oyster whole. To this day, I cringe whenever I see a seafaring tv chef scarfing down a raw one. eugh.
2. I randomly found it in the local book store when I was getting supplies for a school trip. As soon as I saw that it talked about superstitions, I was hooked.
3. The only thing I can think of is the spit. You have to drive through the paper mill, but it’s a nice quiet place to watch the waves. And drink, for some people.
4. Bugs bunny and the Merry Melodies series. I love the really old musical ones like ‘Bunny of Seville’ and the opera one (forgot the name)
5. Karrin Allyson’s ‘Angel Eyes’ to KT Tunstall’s ‘Little Favors’
6. Doing the dishes, but only when someone throws trash into the sink. It gets all wet and gross.
7. They taught me to accept people’s differences and work with them. I’ve always considered myself lucky when I hear about kids whose parents teach them to hate, because I never had that kind of thing forced on me. Also, I learned an appreciation of my Hawaiian and Japanese heritage from my mom.
8. Vista Burners. But that would entail
me having enough talent to be in a rock band in the first place.
9. Never been to one.
posted by heather on 3-14-2008 at 2:20 pm
1) A raw quail egg, chili lime grasshoppers in Oaxaca, and I still think tongue is just all sorts of wrong.
2) 1ames Gunn listed it as his favorite magazine
3) Austin’s greenbelt is my favorite thing when there’s water in it. Otherwise it’s the Congress bridge.
4) Pole Position, Dungeons & Dragons, The Smurfs, Grape Ape, Voltron, He-Man
5) ABBA to Audiolearn - Physics
6) Folding laundry and loading the dishwasher - because they suck.
7) Yes. I was trying to get away from them. Mission accomplished.
8)The Unlucky Charms - The first album would be Tragically Malicious. If I were a rapper, I’d be E=mc^2
9) I found out one of my best friend’s dad was getting a sex change operation done in Thailand. That was an interesting round of pre-marital shots.
posted by Nikki on 3-14-2008 at 2:53 pm
Ever since I took quantum chemistry I’ve always thought “Ultraviolet Catastrophe” would be the sweetest band name of all time.
posted by David on 3-14-2008 at 3:48 pm
1) Aside from a McNugget, what is the strangest food you have eaten? [Asked by Florida]
Let’s see…guanabana has to qualify. It’s pretty great though.
2) How did you first hear about mental_floss? [Asked by Lebetho]
I saw an ad for your t-shirts on bookcrossing.com one day when I randomly went there without much purpose.
3) What’s your favorite landmark or roadside attraction in your town/city? [Asked by Colin]
We used to have “Jesus Christ Loves You (unleaded)” Gas Station about a block from my school, but last summer they tore it down. Tear.
4) What cartoons remind you of your childhood? [Asked by Heather]
Animaniacs. And Scooby Doo…I’m sure there are others.
5) What’s the most jarring transition in your iTunes list? I have a series of orchestral selections that roll over into Credence Clearwater Revival when I’m going alphabetical. [Asked by Roger]
Right now all of got on my iTunes is about 100 corridos - Mexican folk song ballad things, so there’s nothing too jarring. On my mp3 player, however, I’ve got a great mix of stuff, and any transition will get you.
6) What are your least favorite house chores and why? [Asked by Cyndi]
I thankfully don’t have too many, and usually I don’t really mind doing them. Oh, but I don’t like cleaning the outside of the toilet. It bugs me.
7) Did your parents particularly affect where you are today? If so, how? [Asked by Allison]
Definitely. How? Well…My values come from them, they’ve encouraged me forever. Etc. Idk.
8) If you were in a rock band, what would the name of your band be? [Asked by Janel]
Haven’t thought too hard about that before, but I like looking at labels to come up with band names so….*looks at pepper shaker*…Indian Malabar Peppercorns…or Peppercorns…or…Spice Islands. Gosh, those are all lame.
9) Best/worst bachelor/bachelorette party experience? [I had to get one in there. Have a great weekend!]
Haven’t been to a bachlor/bachelorette party.
posted by Eileen on 3-14-2008 at 4:22 pm
3) The Berkeley Pit - the largest Superfund site in the US. It’s about 1½ miles wide, about 1,800′ deep, filled with heavily acidic water, and I drive by at least twice a day on my way to work.
posted by Apoennim on 3-14-2008 at 4:54 pm
1) Strangest food: Alligator. Verdict: a total cliche, but it does taste like chicken…
2) I heard about mental_floss on Digg. They had an article posted, and I couldn’t open the link because the article had been archived, so I began a quest to find the magic magazine. Especially since I discovered m_f at my mind-numbing job (I have moved on to more mentally stimulating employment).
3) I just heart Portland. All of it.
4) Ren & Stimpy, Rocko’s Modern Life, Inspector Gadget, and the awesome Saturday morning cartoons of X-Men, Looney Tunes, Garfield and Friends…and now on Saturday morning, they have…crap.
5) Most jarring transition would be going from mellow stuff like Zero 7 and Thievery Corporation to Dethklok and Psychostik…
6) Dusting is one of my least favorite chores…damn allergies. But putting my clean clothes away annoys me to the ends of the Earth. I am a clotheshorse, and do not have a gorgeous closet like the ones you see on the covers of The Container Store or Ikea catalogs. I am constantly fighting for space.
7)My parents have affected me. The whys and hows would be far too long to write here.
8) I have ALWAYS wanted to be in a band. Names are tricky- I’d want something intelligent, yet ironic.
9)I try to avoid bachelor/bachelorette parties at all costs.
posted by Holly on 3-14-2008 at 6:58 pm
1. Sweetbreads. Disgusting.
2. Brainiac by Ken Jennings
3. None
4. Old school Looney Tunes/Walt Disney pre Ducktales and Talespin
5. Nothing really. It’s all picked to be good music to run to.
6. Plunging the toilet or picking up dog feces in the yard.
7. Yes. My parents were dairy farmers and growing up I picked up a work ethic that puts most people I encounter to shame. I still think my dad can outwork me.
8. Marilyn Mason
9. The worst one ever was one where we rented a party bus and got a keg and then began bar hopping. At the last stop of the evening I was passed out in the bus with a couple friends when we were woken up by two guys in our group fighting. I believe the fight started in the bar over a bra that was given to one of the guys by a female patron and spilled over into the bus. Side note: 2 guys at that party who were married and one guy who was the bachelor are all divorced now.
posted by Jon on 3-14-2008 at 9:21 pm
1) Aside from a McNugget, what is the strangest food you have eaten?
Fufu with Njama-njama.
2) How did you first hear about mental_floss?
I think it was a link from Neatorama.
3) What’s your favorite landmark or roadside attraction in your town/city?
The MN/IA/SD Tri-State Marker. The spot where the the borders intersect is right in the middle of a two-lane highway, and years ago there was an iron post that marked the spot. After being hit by passing cars a number of times (duh!) the post was relocated to a new - and safer - location nearby.
4) What cartoons remind you of your childhood?
Bugs Bunny & Roadrunner Show.
posted by Dave on 3-14-2008 at 10:37 pm
2. I think that you were Time’s 50 coolest websites a year or two ago. (If not them, then it was something close.) I found your site, fell in love with it, and now there’s even a Mental Floss link from my teacher website.
3. My favorite is Rudy’s BBQ…so good! But the most offbeat is the nuclear fallout shelter in the Catholic Church 30 feet from the Riverwalk.
4. She-Ra, Princess of Power
6. Cleaning the bathroom…no explanation needed there
7. Yes, they encouraged me to be a teacher and go to college in San Antonio. (Though Mom is not thrilled that I stayed here instead of moving back to Ft. Worth…)
8. My boyfriend said my rock band should be Flailing Limbs (due to my klutziness)
9. Most memorable was for a bachelorette party a few years ago. It was about 9pm and we took over the patio area of our favorite hole in the wall restaurant. It was there that she unwrapped all of her presents (read lingerie), much to the amusement of the waitstaff.
posted by C on 3-15-2008 at 11:41 am
1. Unagi which is eel at sushi places. I found it to be delicious!
2. I found m_f through a google search for puzzles or something like it and fell madly deeply in love. I recently posted a link to it on my blog.
3. I live in Vancouver, Wa Portlands bastard little brother home of historic Fort Vancouver.
4. Does anyone remember the Punky Brewster cartoon or the get-along-gang? Also Strawberry Shortcake, they were the greatest!
5. While I’m not cool enough to have an I-pod I do have an MP3 player and the most shocking is probably the transition from gospel music to Missy Elliots “Work it”.
6. Seeing as I rarely do this chore my least favotire must be mopping the floor. I’m just not very good at it and the floor always STILL looks dirty when I’m done.
7. I think my parents have affected who I am morally but not really where I am in life. Though they support anything I want to do in life and that makes them awesome.
8. I couldn’t wait to answer this because my sister and I made up this name years ago and we love it: Queer Cucumber.
9. When my sister got married we took her to a Karaoke bar where the owner have her a free t-shirt and thong panties. Since she was already a little tipsy she put on the thong over her tight black pants. This made her already fairly large rear look even larger. Then the owner had her take a shot from between the bouncer legs. It was a night to remember.
posted by Sandy C on 3-15-2008 at 8:41 pm
) I try not to eat weird food; if I dont know it, i wont try it. I am boring that way.
2) A link from CNN
4) Disney cartoons (donald duck, etc.) or looney tunes; I love them still. oh, and fraggle rock, though I dont know if it counts as a cartoon.
6) I love all chores - they relax me, and calm me down.
7) My parents did indeed; they wouldnt let me go to the college by my house, and instead made me go away to college; so I did.
9) Only been to one, and it was sorta G-rated; she didnt drink or dance, so we went to the pirate version of Medivial Times. It was actually kind of aweseome.
posted by Sarah on 3-17-2008 at 8:29 am
1) pig brain in milk gravy
2) link from digg.com
4) Duck Tales, Rescue Rangers, Tail Spin
8) sweaty palm syndrome
posted by pineapplesauce on 3-18-2008 at 12:35 pm
2)Reader’s Digest
4) All classic Disney.
posted by Sara on 11-17-2008 at 10:06 pm