I am finding that I just own a wealth of knowledge about many subjects (and not about others at all). I have had GF’s ask me lately how I know this or that such as why the chair squeaks or what is wrong with a car (my speciality–D use to send me a recording of the sound I would tell her what to discuss with the mechanic). How to store fruit or freeze food and just tons of information. I have begun to feel like a “know it all” but deep down I do not understand how others do not have a library of this type of general knowledge.
I had fun when D and her friends are in HS asking them silly questions such as “how do you keep brown sugar from going hard?”
I love! general common sense knowledge. I value it. I fear it is a lost art.
I learned it from my aunts and grandmother and reading the Farmers Almanac, RedBook, GoodHousekeeping. Making mistakes and having a gift in general to retain everyday useful information. Did you know that if you lived in Indiana on a soybean farm in 1974 and you did not have a dryer that you could put salt in the rinse water and then hang your jeans outside in the dead of winter and they would not freeze??:):)
And that if a field mouse got inside your little stove in the insulation and you just happened to cook it that the stove had be thrown away?
More–how to use newspapers and vinegar water to wash windows (lol–no more newspapers!).
How to properly water houseplants. How to train a dog properly!!!
Rotating tires. How to bleed brakes? Change oil? change a spark plug–etc LOL no need to know any more!
Put your silver jewelry in a bowl with a ball of aluminum foil and table salt and soak–comes out beautifully.
Salt on your steps. How to remove ink or blood from clothes.
Yes, all can now be googled but these are just in my library of the mind.
The longer you live the more experiences you have and the more you learn to solve so many problems- and acquire so much knowledge you never use again.
Just looking for some fun responses.
I am one of those obnoxious people who shout out most of the Jeapardy questions before Alex is finished reading the answers. I think it comes from the fact that I have been reading incessantly my entire life.
I’m more of the “I drink and I know stuff” type, and I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned from reading newspapers over the years. Reading teaches you so much! And having crafty and knowledgeable friends and family helps too.
PS - why does the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel complex have a tunnel? So the Navy could get two aircraft carriers out to sea, side by side, in case of an emergency.
Yup. And Google only makes it worse. Recently, I’ve made a concerted effort to quit googling, when I don’t have to. Info overload.
Another annoying Jeopardy fan here…Big reader. Read a lot of reference books +newspapers+magazines as a child.
Most of that practical knowledge comes from life experience. And from decades of driving junk cars.
I hate it when my kids discount my experience. This summer my 20yo D and I got into 2 heated arguments–one was about how to separate eggs and the other was about how to wash/tear lettuce for salad! Seriously?? She doesn’t think mom might know something after 50 years? (Her argument was that any way is just as good as any other way. No, honey, it is so obviously not. Get out of my kitchen.)
I have a lot of useless knowledge from doing the NYT Crossword puzzle every day. I also was an avid reader as a kid and read every biography in the library in sixth grade which is the main reason I know old sports stars.
HA! On more than one occasion I’ve been asked “do you know EVERYTHING?” - of course I don’t. But In my 61 years I’ve lived in 5 countries (including the US), learned 4 languages, work the LA Times Sunday crossword puzzles fanatically (since I was 30), have watched Jeopardy since I was 8, was exposed to musical (and traditional) theater, classical music, and musical standards from birth (and actively participate in both), (used to) read voraciously (now I “read” books on “tape”), am a licensed amateur radio operator for over 30 years (Tech-Plus, which required Morse code testing at a minimum of 5 words per minute), rebuilt a car engine with a friend in my mid-20s (1963 Chevy Corvair). Took sailing and piano lessons in my 20s. Went to film school in my late 40s, and co-directed and produced a short film that had a major run through the film festival circuit worldwide (and won a Peace in Filmmaking award in Hollywood). Learned the ukulele at 59. Changed careers in my late 40s from accounting to landscape architecture and urban design. At one time I sewed, did needlepoint & macrame, and tried my hand at crochet and knitting. And more. A boatload more! It’s not bragging if you can back it up. There are some subjects that completely elude me…computer sciences for one. Over my head. Sports illiterate.
For me, I think it’s about being interested in the world around me. I’m the person who if I hear about something that catches my eye, I’m already online looking it up, reading about it, looking at pictures, etc, and then sharing what I’ve learned with my friends. One of the best things I ever did as a parent is share that interest with my (now adult) D. She also has an interest about the world around her, but most of her friends are less so. She feels bad for them…“they’re missing out!”
I think it’s one of the reasons I really enjoy this board, the diversity of knowledge that is shared.
I absolutely identify with this. IN different situations I have had folks comment on how “smart” I am but really IMHO it is just that I have a wealth of mostly useless trivia. I read voraciously as a child - not just books but my mom’s magazines, newspapers, etc and I learned a lot early on. Continuing to read all sections of the paper really adds to a breadth of knowledge.
Uhhhhh… JustaMom… You win!
(I suppose you know an even better way to separate eggs?)
Driving through the country in Michigan recently, I remarked to my husband that they seemed to have an unusual amount of quonset huts. You don’t see them much in our area of PA, which is also semi-rural. I also mentioned that since they were probably built around 1943 or so since they were created for use in WWII, that they were holding up very well. Husband, being a know-it-all engineer said that their design made them a good choice for storage, but questioned my knowledge of their history. I was happy to find a google link to confirm my information. It’s annoying being a know-it-all married to a know-it-all!
I agree that so many do not seem curious. I think it is because they know how easy it is (now) to get information. I rarely owned a tv back in the day and depended on reading and talking. H did not believe I knew specifics on how to sprout beans–then the directions arrived and I was correct. (super fast and fun with the $15 canning jar from Amazon although it is easy to make your own set up). I do not know a single person IRL that knows stuff like this.
P.S. Pioneers hung their butter churners filled with milk from the back of their wagons and by the time they finished traveling for the day they had butter from the shaking.
People who want to know everything about everything have more trait curiosity. They’re always more curious than others. It’s good to know someone has the answers for me if the internet is “down”!
HA! I don’t - nor can I ever pick a shell out either! Seriously, there’s a ton I DON’T know or can do. I just have tried a bunch of stuff.
If success at Trivial Pursuit is a measure, I know very little!!! I survive via strong inductive and deductive reasoning (and a smattering of creativity).
Did you know their name derives from the locale where they were built in RI and is Algonquin for “small, long place”.
Yes, I, too, am a know it all of random facts. 
And you will still find quite a few in RI.
I’ve always been a curious person.
I have amassed a lot of useless information - especially regarding pop culture (TV, movies, etc) and sports. I was a nightmare to play in Trivial Pursuit as a kid. I also had to take a mandatory class in college which pretty much ensures that I can score some pretty sweet Jeopardy answers.
As a for instance on the pop culture stuff, yesterday a co-worker asked me if I ever watched “The Flintstones” as a kid. My response revolved around my 2 favorite episodes which included the character who looked like Ann Margret (Margrock, I think?) who stayed with them and then sang in a clam shell that was supposed to be like the Hollywood Bowl (the Bedrock Bowl?)…and another with the Gruesome Family (Wierdly was the dad) who looked like Sonny and Cher. The sad part is, I was rarely allowed to watch TV as a kid, so I’m not sure how I remember all of this stuff and why it even has a space in the Rolodex of my brain, but it does…
"I have amassed a lot of useless information - especially regarding pop culture (TV, movies, etc) and sports. "
We should team up because those are my weak areas, @kjs1992.