This Mindbender can relate
July 7, 2025
It’s book club time! With a new month, I have two new recommendations.
One is a classic young adult dystopian novel that people of all ages have enjoyed for 30 years.
The nonfiction choice is perhaps my favorite read of the year so far, beautifully written and very moving. It deals with loss and with discovery.
Find them both right here.
Let's get on with the countdown.
Along with today's Mindbender you get these bonus stories:
Our favorite summer activities
Have you named your car?
The best sci-fi TV shows of all time
But first, today's Mindbender:
When it comes to relationships, nine percent of people have never done this.
I'll have a clue coming up.
Our favorite summer activities
I just got back from a 2,300-mile road trip. I know that would make some people groan, but apparently those kinds of vacations also have a lot of fans.
A new survey of America’s favorite summertime activities had road trips at number four.
At the top? No real surprise that it’s eating ice cream.
Although the results showed 1% of people HATE ice cream. I can’t imagine.
Other activities in the top ten: grilling, hiking, swimming in a pool, and going to the beach.
Have you named your car?
I only named a car once in my life, many years ago. And the name was so boring and unoriginal that I refuse to share it.
But a new poll found one in three Americans have named their car.
As you might imagine, the list of names is quite random, but most fall into one of three categories:
- Pop culture names, like the “Love Bug” or “Millennium Falcon.”
- Strong names, like “The Beast” or the “Silver Bullet.”
- Self-deprecating names, like “Turtle” or “Slug.” One person even named their car “The Rolling Turd.”
I remember a caller to the morning show many years ago who said she named her car “Alexis.” That way, when people asked what she drove, her answer made it sound like a certain luxury brand.
For the record, one in eight people think their car has actual feelings. So maybe a name is appropriate.
Here's a clue for the Mindbender:
Elvis said he couldn’t help it.
The best sci-fi TV shows of all time
I was ready to rip this list apart—but I found that I actually agree with quite a few titles on here.
“Entertainment Weekly” ranked the 30 best sci-fi TV shows of all time, and several of my faves made the top 10, including:
- The original “Star Trek” at #4
- “Mystery Science Theater 3000” at #5
- “The X-Files” at #7
- “Firefly” at #8. Only one season of this show, which is criminal. It was terrific.
Some more recent show popped up, too, including “Black Mirror,” “Orphan Black,” and “Severance.”
See the full list here.
And now, the answer to today's Mindbender:
What have these people never done?
Fallen in love.
They’re balanced out by the people who fall in love at the drop of a hat.
During my vacation, I fell madly in love with a serving of ribs. I mean, they were REALLY good.
That'll do it for today's Mindbender. Thank you for being part of The Club.
Enjoy your day!
Dom
The road didn't cut through the land like that interstate. It moved with the land, it rose, it fell, it curved. Cars didn't drive on it to make great time. They drove on it to have a great time.
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My Toyota RAV4 was named Ravioli 😊