Fun Fact #49: I thought "Contact" was the deepest film ever

When I was a kid I loved the movie Contact. I thought it was deep and profound film, I remember having little debates with my friends about the possibility of life on other planets and other thrilling topics. I don't remember if I ever actually took my friends' opinions into account since I was always kind of headstrong regarding my opinions. As my dad put it, I always liked to be able to declare myself the winner (even in cases where I obviously wasn't)

Anyways, I recently watched Contact again and was horrified to discover that it's not nearly as thoughtful I remembered it to be.In fact, it's a pretty bad film all around. The plot is slow and the twists are fairly ludicrous. Of course, I also thought Armageddon and Titanic were the epitome of great films, so my opinions from that age probably don't hold much weight.

Ten years from now, I hope that I won't look back on my current favorite films and be embarrassed by my tastes.

Fun Fact #46: Earthquakes and California go hand-in-hand

Today I experienced a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, yet I really didn't think anything of it. Admittedly, it hit LA harder than it hit here but my friends in LA said the worst effect so far has been downed phone lines. I've spent the vast majority of my life in California and earthquakes are just another part of life here. Everyone just kind of assumes that a major earthquake will probably wreck havoc upon California's major cities eventually, but there's not much an individual can do to prepare for it. It's kind of scary when you actually think about it, which I tend to do at inopportune moments such as driving across a bridge...

I was living in Palo Alto during the big 1989 earthquake and, while I remember being afraid, my main memories of it aren't the earthquake itself... One of my most vivid memories involves me being yelled at by mom during the very beginning because I decided, in my infinite wisdom, that I knew how to the handle situation better than she did and figured that hiding under my bed would be the best bet. She eventually dragged me down the stairs but I remember being pretty resentful that she didn't trust my judgment because even back then I always considered myself to be right.

My second memory speaks more about my parents' hippie tendencies than it does the actual earthquake. After the earthquake, the neighborhood moms were going around giving the kids candy to keep calm. My parents didn't really allow us to have any sweets when my sister and I were kids (my first birthday cake was a bran muffin) and getting candy was a massive treat. Therefore, I was unbelievably excited when I was given a single packet of Smarties. In hindsight, the fact that this is one of the most vivid memories (not only of the earthquake but of that whole year) is a tad pathetic...

Today's earthquake was nowhere near the magnitude of the '89 earthquake and, while it was bigger than we've had for awhile, was far more similar to the various small earthquakes that I've become accustomed to. Yet, my lack of reaction still surprises me: It occurred when I was watching a movie and all I did was get up a few minutes after it ended to grab a soda and check on my littlest sister. But my reaction still trumped her response: she never even moved from the couch and continued texting as though nothing has happened. She casually asked me what happened about fifteen minutes after the fact; I've seen far more severe reactions from her when someone so much as threatens to take away her phone.

Fun Fact #42: I discovered a website with Jewish American Girl dolls and was reminded of a childhood obsession.

Being a history nerd and a girl, it should be of no surprise to anyone that I adored American Girl dolls when I was a child. I had Samantha, the rich (but still sensitive!) Victorian-era doll. I picked her because she looked the most like me, while my little sister got Kristen, the dull (in my opinion) Swedish immigrant doll, because she looked the most like her.

I grew up reading every American girl book and, much to my mother's horror, would sometimes announce how they incorrectly portrayed the conditions of sweatshops, immigrant conditions, food rationing, race relations, etc. Obviously, I've always just been full of "fun facts".

I soon got sick of Samantha though and promptly decided Molly was my new favorite. I asked my mom for a Molly doll and instead given the Molly glasses as if that would transformed Samantha into Molly. But Molly had blue eyes while Samantha had brown and it obviously wouldn't work out. I never did get a Molly doll but my obsession continued unabated.

I even wrote my own American Girl story for my second grade creative writing class. It was all about a lovely immigrant family heading toward Ellis Island (yet another weird obsession) on a boat to start a new life in America. I decide to add some tension by having the boat sink, but I wasn't quite old enough to cope with a death and made sure all of my characters lived. The book was basically a masterpiece and, if I could find it, would probably be eligible for a Pulitzer. At the very least it was far better than my biggest competitor's (aka my little sister) work at the time which featured the adventures of a squirrel named Plumpy.

The main character in my story was Jewish (to make her more like myself since I was quite the narcissist as a child), but, much to my disappointment, there never were any Jewish American Girl dolls. Well, that's now been fixed thanks the introduction of Gali Girls which, according the website, are "Jewish Dolls for Jewish Girls".

The dolls honestly look like the slightly touched cousins of the American Girl dolls. In fact, they're absolutely hideous. But, on the bright side, they all come with a little Star of David, a Jewish holiday playset, and a book. What could be more fun?! You can even buy dolls from the historical line and own Miriam, your own doll from the shtetl, or Shoshana, a Sephardic Jew! I believe that these dolls are a good idea but even myself at eight, both Jewish and a rabid American Girl fan, wouldn't have wanted these dolls since they're so awkward looking. They have giant heads and weird, little bodies.

I hope that they'll have better looking Jewish dolls by the time I have my little history nerd kids.