Fun Fact Friday - Ask the Nerdy Fat Guy

It's a grab bag of fun today, kiddies! Today would have been Abe Lincoln's 201st birthday. Makes me think of the Simpsons, when the robots in the Hall of Presidents went berzerk. Nothing like a dead president shooting sparks out of his mouth, right? I know for many of you, the shot above is what your week looked like. Lori just informed me that it's even snowing in parts of Florida and Alabama as you read this. That's some crazy stuff. Now of course, Abe was the man. Before becoming president during a rough time in U.S. history, before obtaining his law degree, he split fence rails for a living, among other things. He was also a damn fine wrestler. As such, Abe is our featured Dead Wrestler Trading Card of the week! Look at that smile. You just know he's flashing back to that time he and Ironbar Ulysses won that no-holds-barred cage match against The Mad Hessian and Crazy Robert Lee. Those were the days.

It's been a while, but I thought we'd visit the NFG files for a little session of Ask the Nerdy Fat Guy.

In deference to Lincoln, we start with a letter from Mary, in Springfield, IL who asks "We all love the song 'Midnight at the Oasis', but what films have showcased this fine piece of 70's musical treasure?"

Well, Mary, so glad you asked. We've discussed Lost in Translation (2003) here before, where the lounge act in Bill Murray's hotel bar sang the song before he bedded the singer. However, in recent times, the song has also been on soundtracks for American Pie (1999), Whisper (2007) and Waiting for Guffman (1996).

Speaking of Waiting for Guffman, written and directed by Christopher Guest, it segues nicely into this question from Kevin, from Denver, CO: "You litter your posts with what many might consider an exorbitant amount of film and television quotes. In particular, you used 'Be honest, this is for science', which some of us know as a line from The Princess Bride. Are these uses intentional, or does it just come from a lifetime wasted watching movies instead of going out and doing something productive with your life?"

Kevin, that sounds like a bit of a dig. Yes, the film quotes are intentional. If something sounds vaguely familiar in a post, it's likely because I pulled a relevant quote from my memory banks filled with years of bad movies and worse television. But I do use them hoping narrow-minded whiners such as yourself would make the effort to look them up, since in many cases knowing the source of the quote only makes the post more vibrant. So suck it.

Moving to a more international and hopefully open-minded group of readers, Gjorge from Bitola, Macedonia writes: "Why isn't there a Row 13 on airplanes?"

Gjorge, I previously deferred to The Straight Dope on the unluckiness of the number 13. It would seem, too, that the general consensus is that airlines choose to skip 13 to avoid the possibility that a passenger would refuse to be seated there. The rule isn't hard and fast, and seems to vary by airline. I did find that most international carriers skip this row, hinting that we're far less superstitious as Americans. Or maybe we can't count that high, I don't know.

I hope this has quelled some curiosity, dear readers. If this doesn't do it for you, I can only hope you work someplace that gives you President's Day as a holiday off.

***Do you have a question for the Nerdy Fat Guy? Click the fat guy button to email me!