So, as most of my friends know, I love random facts. I love the tidbits and golden nuggets of knowledge most of the people I know dismiss as meaningless. Most common cause of death for beavers? Falling trees. Which is produced more in the US, wheat or tobacco? Tobacco. And why does bacteria get such a bad rap when only 1% of the known bacteria actually cause disease? Oh that’s right, nobody would buy into all that “anti-bacterial” marketing if death wasn’t looming at their doorstep every time they washed their hands, wiped down their counter, or blew their nose with regular soap and tissues.
My fascination with random facts has been fed lately by a wonderful, ad-filled site powered by Wikipedia that details many of the neighborhoods in Chicago. For instance, did you know that Wicker Park was the meeting place of the displaced Polish government during World War I? Too amazing to be true? Not according to the Polish historians in the area. And what about Humboldt Park, the neighborhood Allan and I will probably end up moving to at the end of June? It’s named after a German naturalist that never even visited the city! Maybe I will one day have a landmark or park named after me in a town I have no connection to. A boy can dream.
One more thing… an adult with a high level of activity can create more than 4 gallons of sweat daily. This will became clear for everyone riding the 8:30 Blue Line southbound train on days like today when it looks like I ran 5 miles to the station, when in fact I walked 3 blocks.
