"Hi, Super Nintendo Chalmers!"

I quote things all of the time, which is actually kind of unfortunate because in the past few months, I’ve noticed that our generation (Y? Z? Are we keeping track of the cut-off dates anymore?) can’t hold a single conversation without quoting something. And the problem lies in the vast amount of pop culture at our disposal. Long gone are the days where people would mostly quote the Godfather or Star Wars. Our generation has hundreds of Simpsons episodes to pull from along with more obscure films like Cannibal! The Musical.

I think I’m mostly bothered by this for two reasons: 1.) More and more I find myself talking to a group of people who constantly quote things to each other while I sit by having absolutely no idea what is being discussed. I like Arrested Development as much as the next guy with a good sense of humor, but when I’m bombarded with a random collection of Adult Swim quotes I’m not familiar with followed by a completely-out-of-nowhere chicken dance, I get a little overwhelmed. And 2.) I find myself quoting the most random things to people when I know they will have no clue I’m actually doing it. The worst was when I realized whenever I would tell people “good luck,” I would say it with the same deep, fake video game tone as the menu voice in Starfox 64. Who would ever pick up on this? “Yes! Starfox 64. Good reference. Very well done. Now let me dish out some Wave Race quotes you probably remember.”

This isn’t to say I’m going to stop quoting movies and TV shows. There’s something nice about telling a friend in-the-know that you’re having a schpadoinkle day, or that the crowd was actually saying “Boo-urns,” or that last step you took was a “d-ooozy.”

However, I’ll try to fit in a few more genuine words here and there. You know, to really spice up the conversation with actual communication. The inexplicable Starfox references are gone too. I’m not even sure how they snuck their way in there.

But the chicken dance stays. How else are we expected to humiliate cowards?

Coming up!: More greatest creation/thing candidates, a further look into the obsession of quoting, and a list of books you're not reading. Plus: I ask you a really personal question. Get excited.