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

Things I've Learned Thursday offers a mix of life lessons, pop culture lessons, and lessons which might only apply to myself...

* The glass of a deli display case is strong enough to withstand the impact of an Arizona iced tea bottle. Those bottles are pretty strong too. On a related note, I think my favorite deli has switched to a thinner brand of paper bags and to pick one up going forward I should probably grip the neck of the tea bottle through the bag, rather than the edge of the bag alone.

* August is “let's tear up all these roads and repave them to justify our budget for next year” month.

* After watching Keanu Reeves play a doctor in Something's Gotta Give, I realized he's the real-life Joey Tribbiani. The way he was spouting medical terminology like “start a drip, 30CCs, prep a line,” etc. was almost exactly the way Matt LeBlanc would portray Joey playing Dr. Drake Ramoray

* Dogs react to fear in different ways. Some might give timid person a playful nip as if to say, “I'm biting you so you aren't afraid of me.” I don't really see the logic in that. If I bit everyone who was afraid of me, there would be consequences and repercussions...

* Dwelling on the worst that can happen is a good way to induce fear. However, sometimes embracing a worst-case-scenario can make what actually happens seem tame and easier to deal with. It’s a delicate balance between caution and courage.

* If you have an old stove, make sure the burners are actually lit so you aren't pumping gas into the kitchen. I came home from work, smelled gas, and realized my mom was boiling pasta without a flame. She hadn't noticed that it had gone out under the large pot. It's a good thing I came home when I did, and that gas companies add that smell, something they weren't doing prior to the explosion of a school in Texas in 1937.

* I was right to be suspicious of “Mr. Natas” in Motherload, and pleasantly surprised to find a boss battle awaiting me at the bottom of those mineshafts.

* Modesty seems to be reserved for those who have nothing to be modest about. If you don't got it, don't flaunt it.

* Isabella Rossellini has a twin sister. Nicholas Brendon also has a twin who doubled for him occasionally on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Aaron Ashmore, who plays Jimmy Olsen on Smallville, is the twin brother of Shawn Ashmore, best known for playing Iceman as well as, interestingly enough, a villain in seasons 1 and 3 of Smallville. There is only one MCF, and that's the way we like it.