Teen Talk
Kayaking, Comedy, Trivia… and Cheese
By Evan Baumel
Everyone has certain objects and activities that make them happy. I was once asked to write a list of four things that make me content. The following paragraphs describe some items and events that allow me to escape my troubles and enjoy life as it is.
Every summer I go to Lee, Massachusetts, to spend a week in the Berkshire Mountains. When I arrive, the first thing I look forward to is kayaking in the middle of Goose Pond. Nothing is greater than paddling in the steady waters while the wind blows softly and a few clouds drift across the sky. I especially enjoy sharing this experience with my friends and family.
When I am not gliding on the water, I am often listening to comedy. Whether I am listening to stand-up comedians like Bill Maher and Paula Poundstone, or watching shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, I am always in the mood for a good laugh. I have a vast collection of recordings of the political satire group The Capitol Steps. Of course, humor is a gift to be shared, and I always look for an opportunity to enjoy comedy with my peers.
Another enjoyment of mine is trivia, whether it is factual, historical or aspects of pop culture. Every Saturday at 11:00 AM, I turn on my radio to WLRN to listen to National Public Radio’s Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me, the oddly informative news quiz show. In addition to a humorous recap of the week’s news, the show also reveals interesting scientific information, like research showing that mice can sing. Additionally, I own countless books with “useless” information like “roughly twelve percent of all workers in the US at some point have worked at a McDonalds.” Another aspect of trivia that I find fascinating is fact-checking. Whenever I hear a friend or relative state a questionable statistic, I head to websites like snopes.com to prove its validity.
All of the previous pleasures I have mentioned I grew to love over time. However, I can certainly say that I hold a special place in my heart… for cheese. Brie, Parmesan, Cheddar, Colby-Jack, Manchego, Provolone, Asiago, and bleu – these are all my friends. Ever since I could eat solid food, I have consumed cheese in one form or another. In fact, up until I was four years old, cheese was the only thing I would eat. Now, almost every morning I eat a string cheese, juice, and cereal for breakfast. For lunch I eat a turkey and cheese sandwich. As for dinner, there is usually a fifty percent chance that cheese will be involved in some way.
I have yet to combine these pleasures, but to do so would be an interesting experiment. Perhaps the day will come when I am kayaking in the middle of a lake while listening to a podcast of George Carlin performing a routine about trivial things, as I snack on cubes of sharp Cheddar. That would be a day of sublime happiness.