One thing I always keep close when going on a trip is reading material. I bring my idea book (a simple spiral notebook) where I make notes for new content for my websites and other action items. Then there’s the latest book in the business or marketing category, personal development or fundraising.
But after even a short trip, by the time I get back to the airport I am ready to give my brain a break. On my trip to Montreal prepared for the return route by bringing a book that I’d found at Half Price for just $3. I had no idea if it would be any good, but at least I recognized the name – The Daily Show‘s Resident Expert, John Hodgman. If you’re not addicted to the Daily Show like Troy and I are, you may be more familiar with Hodgman from his starring role as “PC” in the Mac commercials.
While reading The Areas of My Expertise it’s easy to hear Hodgman’s voice narrate the variety of humorous and sometimes inexplicable topics. As he explains in the introduction, the book is loosely based on the idea of the old-fashioned almanac. The farmer’s almanacs would typically include folk wisdom, “predictions” of the weather and encyclopedia type entries. This is supposedly a modern version of the almanac (though he makes a point to say that most of the facts are made up).
For reasons that defy explanation, this book is hilarious. My fellow travelers were occasionally startled by outbursts of pure laughter. Other times if glancing my way they would have seen a most puzzled expression. Case in point: instead of weather predictions Hodgman features charts of the incarnations of werewolves based on the phases of the moon. With at least four Doctor Who references (counting all mentions of Cybermen as one) and a page devoted to “Great Rivalries in Dungeons and Dragons” sci/fi comicon geeks will be pleased. But there’s plenty of odd topics and photos to go around.
Satiric, random, and just plain silly… it’s definitely a fun diversion. Especially at 30,000 feet.
