Pop goes the whatever

I'm not one of those music people. You know, those people who know every word to every song by the Beatles and who keep up with the new bands and who...you know...care? I certainly like music. In fact, I love an awful lot of music; it's just not hugely important to me.

Oh yeah, and TV? I don't really follow along too much; in fact, I didn't know what Sex and the City was until it was in its last season. It's been easier to keep up with some of the shows I like now that the networks have started showing episodes online (which I love, because it's free). I love binge watching series on Netflix too. But I don't know that much about TV shows, per se... if I had cable I'd probably use it to watch Inside the Actors Studio and CNN and the Weather Channel in the morning....maaaaybe to watch Adult Swim, but anime bores me, so only the comedies. I used to watch Adult Swim a lot, but life happened.

I love-LOVE-movies. But I can't quote them. And I get annoyed when other people do and act like it's some kind of sin when you don't know what character said such-and-such or can't identify the scene. That's not totally true...I can actually quote The Big Lebowski quite a bit, but that's really only because my ex did it all the time. Oh yeah, and I haven't seen some movies. Occasionally I get something like, "You haven't seen Die Hard? What's wrong with you!?" I hate that shit too.

So is there something wrong with me? Is there something wrong with not knowing a lot about pop culture? Is there something wrong with not caring that I don't know a lot about pop culture?

I am a pretty smart person, which isn't a statement of vanity, it's a statement of fact. I have a lot of information that hangs out inside my brain, and I'm able to thoroughly process that information and draw complex conclusions from it. I can recall it fairly quickly, and in large quantities. I can spell and solve math problems and comprehend ideas.

I can't quote Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (in fact, I've never seen it), and I don't know any of the lyrics to "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" other than...well...Lucy in the sky with diamonds. I also don't know who sings that Umbrella song that I'm not too fond of. No, I did not watch American Idol. And I'm not going to either

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There are lots of things I can do. I can write in meter, should I choose to do so. I can speak front of a group. I can speak in French, and cook, and fit unprecedented amounts of stuff into a closet by organizing it just so. I can't sing that great, but I do know the science behind it. I discovered yesterday that I can do a three-quarter shimmy backwards. I can design graphic layouts very well. I can cut and splice film, in a very literal sense, and I can also do it well--you don't find a lot of folks my age who can do that. I can also edit the footage with some skill. I can recall phone numbers like it's my job. I can lead groups of people with authority and confidence. I can manage them in a task and keep in mind all of their individual needs as well as the need of the group. I can take a good story and make it great. I can make amazingly complex spreadsheets that organize data in ways you never knew it could be organized. I can knit, and sculpt, and build things out of legos. I can see every situation from at least three different vantage points. I can recognize problems as they occur, and dig my way out of them if necessary. I can be a real bitch if I put my mind to it, and I can also be very pleasant and sweet. I can systematically make someone feel beneath me, although I don't like to. I can crack a fairly decent one-liner. I can see the silly side of everything. I can wink both of my eyes without moving the opposite eye. I can appreciate the marvel of science. I can learn anything and learn it quickly. I can drive a sixteen-foot moving van 1200 miles with a trailer on it and a small sedan on top of the trailer. I can find my way around back-woods Louisiana and Texas and Illinois and Mississippi and Alabama without getting (too) lost. I can figure out the basics of nearly any computer program in fifteen minutes. I can calm down a stressed-out cat. I can even make cupcakes.

Whew, that's a lot of stuff! It felt good to think about it and write it down. Someone the other day made a big hairy deal out of how I must be uncool or something because I didn't recognize the song he was singing. It was a Beatles song. He was singing it off-key. It's stupid, I know, but it gave the this same feeling I've had in the past, like maybe I should pay more attention in if only to have something in common with people.

Or maybe I should try to hang out with people with whom I have more in common.