We all have our quirks, right?
One of mine has been a long-standing love of game shows. Whether it's the fall-down lunacy of "Family Feud," the forever highlights of "The Newlywed Game" or the tongue in cheeky-ness of "Match Game," I watch them all.
And "Jeopardy!" may be my favorite, for an array of reasons, be it humor, hubris or humility all wrapped in host Alex Trebek.
Of course there was the time that Trebek read the following answer from "Jews in Sports" category:
"This Dodgers pitcher was the youngest player elected to the baseball Hall of Fame."
Buzzer. Contestant: "Who is Hank Aaron?"
Alex, as stoic as a statue: "Oh, I'm sorry Hank Aaron was not a pitcher." And a few other things in the clue.
I was reminded of that watching Jeopardy! Thursday night when the emotional first-time winner shared a great story with Trebek about what the show meant to him.
"Here's a true story, man," Burt Thakur said after winning a smidge more than $20,000. "I learned English because of you. And so, my grandfather who raised me I'm gonna get tears right now I used to sit on his lap and watch you every day. So it's a pretty special moment. Thank you very much."
Hall of fame indeed.
You can say that again
Several things happened on election night Tuesday. Heck, some of them even made the papers and some of the TV broadcasts.
Three smaller stories dealing with value conversations that were not in the hate vortex of presidential politics that caught my eye:
> First, the state of Oregon decriminalized drug possession. Seriously. This not legalizing marijuana gang, this is legalizing "heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, oxycodone and other hard drugs," according to the AP.
> Second, three more states legalized sports betting - Louisiana, Maryland and South Dakota. If you are counting at home, that means 21 states now have legalized sports gambling in one form or another.
> And the headline from TFP reporter Ben Benton's story this week says it all about the viewpoint of alcohol these days: "Voters choose booze on referendums in East Ridge and three rural towns."
Heck, the way this election cycle went, pretty sure the first three words - "Voters choose booze" - were just as true.
Toy greatness
The most recent class inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame includes some all-timers and a huge question mark.
The pioneering Black doll, Baby Nancy - the Jackie Robinson of the doll realm - was part of the class, as well as party favorite Jenga.
The third member of the class was sidewalk chalk. How is sidewalk chalk a toy? C'mon. Seriously?
Some of the close-but-Sorry! finalists included Sorry!, Lite Brite, Masters of the Universe, My Little Pony, Yahtzee and Risk.
Seriously, no Risk but Sidewalk Chalk? That's like letting Harold Baines into the baseball hall and leaving Dale Murphy out.
This may be the biggest controversy of the entire week that I can see.
Obit observation
The words jumped off the page this week in Ann Schimpf's obituary.
"Third generation Chattanooga native."
Sure, we have a changing city, and our recent history of transformation in the last half century from the dirty Dynamo of Dixie to Gig City to The Best Town Ever according to one website or another.
But Mrs. Schimpf and her family have been stout pillars through the good, bad and indifferent. She died Thursday. She was 91.
Still, "third generation" at 91 means her family was almost assuredly here during the Civil War, and for all the unrest we have around us today, well, imagine then.
Now her family's legacy rests with her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids, who hopefully can follow her wise and graceful standard.
And, for her seven great-grandkids, embrace that long-standing connection to this city we all embrace.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.
Jay Greeson