T.I.L.T. Things I've Learned Thursday VIII

Does Things I've Learned Thursday teach anyone anything? Are these really things I've learned? And how long does it take for a foot puncture to heal? Read on for the answer to none of these questions:

* When the weather forecasts rain, it's probably a good idea to start typing before your lights start flickering, to avoid some pressure.

* This week we lost my favorite Golden Girl, the inimitable Estelle Getty. It's a little known fact that she was actually a year younger than Bea Arthur, who played her daughter. She told a makeup artist that her career depended on looking 80, and his success in adding 20 years to her appearance gained her one of the most memorable roles on television. May she find peace in the Shady Pines in the sky.

* For a truly surreal Val Kilmer double feature, I highly recommend watching Real Genius back to back with Felon. It's like watching Ryan Reynolds turn into Jeff Bridges.

* Every ‘80s film that matters must contain a minimum of one montage set to appropriate music that both evokes the era and describes how the characters are getting things done.

* Between the aforementioned films and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which I watched last week, I've been gaining more respect for Mr. Kilmer as an actor. That respect increased when I found out he broke a contract and refused to work with Joel Schumacher again on Batman & Robin over creative differences regarding the darker tones he rightfully felt the character demanded. Word has it he's had praise for Christopher Nolan's vision of Batman, which matches what he unsuccessfully was pushing Schumacher to do.

* I need to start keeping notes for this column. Over the course of the week I make observations that I think would make great inclusions, but I never remember them all when I finally sit down to type it up.

* The next time you order a regular order of nachos with cheese dip from Taco Bell, try mixing a packet or two of hot sauce into the cheese first. I don't go there very often these days, but that's what I do when I'm there, and that's how America should do it.

* Half the people you think are dumb are smarter than you think, while half the people you think are smart are dumber than you think. You're never as smart nor dumb as you think you are.

* Monk is a hard show to understand if you're watching at the gym without benefit of headphones or subtitles. Somehow, playing cards in a casino helped him figure out how a guy killed his girlfriend in an elevator, swapped her with another girl hiding above the car so the press got pictures of them leaving, and how the second girl later went back and planted the body so it looked like the first woman's scarf got caught in the door and choked her to death between floors. Actually, I made more sense of it than I thought, except for the leap from Blackjack to murder. But, that's why I'm an artist and not a quirky private investigator.

* If your gym tends to run out of towels after a workout but has plenty when you first get to the gym, it’s a good idea to grab one initially and keep it in your locker. This prevents the unfortunate quandary of having to dry oneself with a hand towel, not that I’ve ever done that.....

* The controversial Spider-Man clone saga of the ‘90s apparently had a televised predecessor on an episode of the ‘70s CBS show. I like the conciseness of the original: “I'm you, and you're me, and this is a gun!” They just don't write television like that anymore.