Before I begin the morning pondering...

first a recap of last night's trivia experience.  We were doing quite well, having scored 42 of 45 possible points after eight rounds (we went 5 of 5 in our "double" round), including a miraculous "pull" of five out of five in a round on sitcoms.  We were given the real name of the comedian who starred in a sitcom and we have to identify the last name he used on his sitcom (we were only given the real names, and the sitcom last names) from among a list of eight.  So there were five "right" answers and three "decoys".   I knew two of the right answers for certain, but guessed at and got all of the other three right.  We felt confident.  Then came the final picture round, famous directors who've won Oscars and we only got one out of five, and fininshed in a tie for 5th place, three points out of first.

Which was a shame, because there was a four way tie for first place, and we had the closest answer to the tiebreak question.  Oh well, we had fun, we did our best and I have no quibbles with the final round or how it was conducted.  We just didn't know directors faces.  We had one of the other four names right, just matched it with the wrong photo, and we considered one right answer and discarded it because we thought that director was "bigger" that shown in the photo.  Turns out that was his Wikipedia photo on screen.

Better luck next week I guess.

Things I'm pondering this morning include:

Why did Mitt Romney lie about something so easily proven at the debate?  He didn't ask for those "binders of women".  A women's lobbying group lobbied his campaign to offer more opportunities for women to get into policy-making decisions, and he gave in to the lobbying.  In fact, he managed to put more women into those positions than his predecessor in the aftermath of their lobbying.

But, in the end, by the time he left office, the percentage of women in policy-making positions was actually lower than it had been when his predecessor left office.  He paid attention to the issue once, in the aftermath of being lobbied, and then it fell off of his radar.

Why is it that when you go to pass another car on the freeway when the roads are clear, the other driver speeds up when you get close to him?  Or her.  They don't bother speeding up when you're way behind or way ahead, but pull aside of them and suddenly it's the Indy 500 without the banked turns.

In a movie I saw recently, there's a thug giving a guy a serious beatdown.  He's pounding him with a hammer over money he owes.  Then he's going to force the guy to make repayment by making him rob a bank.  So he hands him a shotgun to use in the robbery and when the thug's head turns, the guy who got the beatdown blows his own head off.

What kind of moron gives a fully loaded weapon to the man he's just beat the crap out of?  And then turns his back?  He was lucky he didn't get cut in half.  That's just the stupidest piece of film writing I've seen in ages.

What will life be like when you can no longer buy Newsweek at the newsstands, or get a print copy via subscription?  The landscape is changing when major news magazines stop printing and go all-digital.

Why is the old, old joke about asking people who go to Las Vegas to "say hello to my money that's there" still so funny?  Because we've all experienced the vacuum-like suction that can take place when you're running bad at the tables in Vegas?  When they said "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas", it usually refers to the money you took there that stays there.  Can't remember which comedian it was, but he was talking about his trip there and he said "well, I lost all my cash and then I bet the kids on the pass line and lost them, but it will all be okay.  I went home and I'm making a big batch of chips and I'll use those to win it all back."

Why is it people pray to get "even"?  Dude, you were even before you started.  Even seems wonderful when you're way in the hole.  If you knew beforehand you would be fighting to get back to even and more than willing to quit if you get close to even, would you play?

I mentioned in yesterday's headlines that I'd overheard Britney Spears talking to a singing contestant about technical things with his voice.  She wasn't specific about which technical things.  She didn't use the old Randy Jackson stand-by about "pitch".  Heck, does Spears even know how to spell technical?  There's something sad about a singing contest reality show when at least two of the four judges really can't sing or judge the singing of others.  But try to tell Britney it wasn't her "voice" that got her famous and she'd meltdown again, so don't show this to her.

I still think about "roadisms" after seeing the Bill Keene Memorial Interchange sign.  A ladder in the road and "CHP will take steps to remove that".  "Too many cars, not enough freeway" becomes more true every year.  And then of course there was the old "Tea Time Movie Host" bit on the Tonight Show, where Johnny Carson was showing people the directions to get to the advertiser sponsoring the Tea Time movie that day and right there on the map would be the "fork in the road".

Here's a news flash.  The new film "Argo" is NOT a big hit in Iran.  Can't imagine why that might be.

How can pundits say that Mitt Romney's tax plan doesn't add up.  If you don't have the numbers, you can do the addition.  Just FYI, the basic premise of cutting rates across the board by 20% and then limiting deductions can get to the numbers Romney promises, although you can't just reduce deductions, you'd have to eliminate them completely.  Which may or may not result in higher taxes for the wealthy and for the middle class, depending on how you tweak the points at which higher rates go into effect.  Example.  Right now, a married couple pays 10% on income below $17,000 and 15% on incomes from $17,000 to $69,000, 25% on income above $69,000 to $139,000 and higher rates for brackets above that.  But the point here is without the details you can't know how the numbers add up.  What if he eliminated all deductions and exemptions altogether?

Saw a weather forecast of 100% chance of rain in Detroit for today's Tigers/Yankees playoff game.  What happens to the weather forecaster who predicts 100% chance of rain and it doesn't rain?  Do they lose just their credibility, or do they get fired?  Wouldn't it be safer to just say 90% chance of rain?

Why do people try to carry luggage onto planes that doesn't fit into the maximum size limitations?  Are there not a whole bunch of luggage makers who make stuff precisely to fit into those limits? 

I've always held the notion that the three biggest lies one encounters in life are:

The check is in the mail.
We're here to help.
We're glad to see you.

Now someone's surveyed hiring managers and job applicants and the four biggest lies applicants here when going on interviews are:

We'll keep you in mind for future openings.  (your resume then disappears into the TBNT file)
Salary depends on experience.  (how experienced you are at knowing your real value)
You'll hear from us either way.  (don't hold your breath)
We aren't finished interviewing yet.  (very true possibly, or it may be simply their desire to get to the BBD).

Reminds me of one interview I went on.  I did get that call "either way" and was told that I was the second choice, and if anything happened, I'd be offered the job.  Then two weeks later, the job was advertised again.  So I emailed the hiring manager to let her know I was still available and she responded saying she was looking for a different mix of experience.  She hired someone else who quit after a few weeks.  Then she called and offered me the job.  "You wanted someone with a different mix of experience."  "I changed my mind.  I want your commitment."  "Oh sorry, I've committed to another employer."  "I'll offer more money."  "No thanks."

I understand why Olympic Boulevard has its name.  10th Street was renamed in honor of the Olympics.  But I didn't know that Wilshire Boulevard was named for some guy named Henry Gaylord Wilshire, who made and lost fortunes in the L.A. area in several endeavors. 

Or that Pico Boulevard was named after Pio Pico, last Mexican governor of Alta California.

Apparently the 99 Cents Store is trying to find a location to open a store in Beverly Hills.  Now Beverly Hills is a city that has outlawed drive-through restaurants.  There are shoe stores in that city where every pair of shoes cost over $1,000.  And in the midst of such excess and oppulence, there's going to be a 99 Cents Store?   Who would shop there?  Aside of course from the exploited gardeners, nannies, and housekeepers who work there.