Damn it, someone challenge me...

Every so often, a test of brains & wits is needed. Here I am, without a fun, worthy opponent. I'm not talking about the Double Dare, "I'll take the physical challenge, Marc" kind of battle, either.

I heard a complete stranger use the expression, "In the nick of time" the other day. Out of boredom, I asked the person if he knew the story behind the phrase. Reluctant to come up with a guess, (any guess at that) I told him it was used back in the medieval days. It was used as a "tally" to register attendance in colleges and churches. The "tally" was a stick of wood and attendance was indicated by a "nick" or notch on it. The student or worshipper who arrived in time had his attendance "nicked"-and so arrived "in the nick of time."

His response, "Yeah, I knew that."

I was left, yet again, without a challenge. Or someone to help discover and dissect the answer. I have read a story about the expression, and would have enjoyed being proved wrong. If only for the fun of argument. Or right, at that matter. :)

I'm not searching to befriend the next Ken Jenning, but someone who doesn't cringe when I ask, "Who built the cotton gin?" as a warm up question. But then again, that's an easy one, Eli Whitney. Looking to find someone to help beat out the mundane activities of daily life. Don't bitch about the weather, don't tell me about maintaining your "sweet" car, and certainly don't tell me your stock just went up. I simply don't care. I'd much rather learn something new, and something outside the world of irrelevant news talk. I find this equally frustrating when chatting with both men and women in this DC metro area.

Not to say that I've acquired mass dosages of knowledge and can be mistaken for the Ghandi of "Know-it-all." I'm someone who is up for challenging ideas and sharing trivial factoids.(That was kinda dorky, I do apologize) From history to pop, I'm ready to battle. Battling of the minds can be quite fun.

*I remember asking a random bar patron to spell the word facetious. The amusing part of this, isn't the fact she couldn't spell facetious, but that she thought the word meant "To be scorn full of acne."

Can you define dumbass, sweetie? I'm pretty sure it's in your vocabulary.

Case closed; I'm done with people. At least those kind of people.

It would be nice to have conversation with someone who can exchange and share new ideas with. Thinking the only time I am challenged is when I read a book or jot down ideas. (Where my imagination and thoughts run rampant.) Too bad people don't normally come across that same way. Makes you think, though.

... because "knowing" is half the battle. :)

Newest book discoveries:
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera
Reasons to Live by Amy Hempel