I like it when people reveal a specific wealth of knowledge they rarely use. An ability to detail the biographies of every cast member of Cheers. A foreign language comprised of thousands of words and inflections that are only stirred by class, study abroad, and vacation. The ability to play the xylophone. The memorization of entire cookbooks. It’s even better when the knowledge is not skill-based, and will not advance an individual’s life in any way.
Due to a middle/high school stint in Catholicism, I know the melodies and approximate lyrics to several hundred religious songs. These tunes lay dormant in my brain for years, until, by slight chance, something stirs them up and an entire verse and chorus of “On Eagle’s Wings” pops into my humming. I have a long-standing plan with my roommate, another product of Catholic schooling, to turn this musical library into a drinking game.
As the product of a fifth-grade obsession, I can also identify most dogs by their breeds, even mutts.
