Little-known fact

The working title of "Brave New World" was "Dude, Where's My Soma?"

Collector's item

My Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum pencil set is still in the original packaging. Bet it's worth a fortune, like a Star Wars toy.

Jitterbugging to lose

Here's the thing about dance-a-thons. Whenever you see a dance-a-thon in a movie or TV show, it starts out with people dancing gleefully, with great abandon, arms and legs flying everywhere. Now is it just me, or is this not spectacularly bad dance-a-thon strategy? I say slow dance every number, including "Sing, Sing, Sing."

Technical support

Yesterday I had a web chat with a Comcast representative about my flaky Internet service. I got nervous when the rep opened the conversation with this: "I understand the importance of internet in our daily lives at our own convenience."

But things went reasonably well after that.

Endless games

"Games among 'amateur' players often extend far longer for a variety of reasons."

I'm surprised this Slate piece doesn't mention a really important reason Monopoly games go on forever: unofficial house rules that replenish cash supplies, like the Free Parking windfall. The goal is to BANKRUPT YOUR OPPONENTS, people. Atlantic City wasn't developed by hippies.

All I miss is the unrelenting negativity

And the anger. Here's the Mountain Press column I wrote about my Facebook-free summer. "I’m not interested in politics as an all-consuming leisure activity."

No way

You mean Paul McCartney was in a band before he was in a Beatles tribute band?