THE INSIDER PATTY UNLEASHED

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ITICOVICI

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

bade farewell to two long-time members. First violinist and second associate concertmaster emeritus Silvian Iticovici has retired after a 45-year tenure, and associate principal timpanist and cymbal specialist Tom Stubbs has retired after spending 51 years with the orchestra.

STUBBS

THE INSIDER

O

opens its 45th anniversary season this week! It kicks off with a production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Sweat directed by founder Ron Himes. The show runs through Sept. 26 at the Edison Theatre at Washington University. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit theblackrep.org.

check it

ST. LOUIS IS HOME TO MANY AMAZING ARTISANS,

like author Brenden Kleiboeker. He makes every book by hand, including sewing the binding and adding a wax seal to the cover. You can find his work at booksbyb.myshopify.com.

PATTY

by patty hannum

I DON’T KNOW if you have been following the drama surrounding the replacement of the late Alex Trebek as host of Jeopardy!, but I have— half-heartedly. I like Jeopardy!, but it’s not ‘must-see’ TV the way Married at First Sight or The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills are. I do like a good scandal, and it seems that the new host of Jeopardy!, who has resigned, said some offensive things in the past, and it caught up with him. So, the search continues, or it does as of this writing.

Jeopardy! is a game that humbles people. I consider myself above average in intelligence until I sit down and watch the show. Then, I begin to question every single educational institution I attended. Who are these people who know all this stuff? And more importantly, why don’t I know it too? Was my education lacking? Did I sleep during critical classes? I excel at Wheel of Fortune and Family Feud. The only time I am a worthy opponent on Jeopardy! is the dumb-downed version they have for celebrities each year.

So, how could I win at Jeopardy!? These would have to be my categories.

Serial Killers – I would kill in this category (sorry for the pun). Given my weird obsession with crime, I am pretty darn familiar with the various serial killers across the world. From Jack the Ripper to Ted Bundy to the BTK Killer, I’ve read about all of them. And yes, I did this on my own time and of my own free will.

Reality TV – Sad but true. I consume more reality TV than scripted. I just really like watching other people misbehave. I now watch reality TV shows from Australia on Acorn TV. Somehow, bad behavior seems more acceptable when it is committed with a lovely Aussie accent.

Religious Cults – Here’s another weird obsession of mine. A few years back, I wanted to learn about different world religions. I did. But off the path I went and became immersed in reading about cults! From Warren Jeffs and the FLDS to Jim Jones and the Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country, I feel my knowledge of the odd is oddly superior.

U.S. Presidents – I like often overlooked facts about Presidents like the names of their various Chiefs of Staff and pets and which ones had badly behaved brothers (nearly all—my favorite though was Jimmy Carter’s brother Billy. Anyone remember Billy Beer?).

Medical Mysteries – As a hypochondriac, I’ve had every possible disease—all imagined of course. But whenever I read the New York Times medical diagnosis column, I am shocked how often I get them correct. Give me any bits of obscure information, and I will be able to tell you if you have dengue fever, malaria or just the flu.

Advertising Jingles – I cannot leave the past behind. Even if a brand has changed their advertising promotion, I still will sing “Pop, pop, fizz, fizz” every time I see Alka Seltzer and “I’d like to teach the world to sing” for Coca-Cola.

Clearly, I will never be a contestant on Jeopardy!, but I am the person to go to for useless information! Peace my Peeps. &