Below Average Genius

I’m not smart enough to hang with the intellectuals, but stupid people annoy me mightily. I’d be a genius on Wheel of Fortune but a dummy on Jeopardy. Take this example from a Final Jeopardy “This cheese was created in 1892 by Emil Frey and named for a singing society whose members loved the cheese.” None of the contestants answered correctly, “What is Liederkranz?” That’s a pretty tough question. I don’t think I’ve ever spread a Liederkranz on a cracker. I can only name a few cheeses anyway and as far as I know Cheddar, Havarti, Swiss and Goat were never singing groups. Cheese maker Frey is also credited with creating Velveeta. Apparently, he was a real cheese whiz. Below Average Genius is a collection of narrative essays culled from Michael Buzzelli’s weekly humor column the Observer-Reporter newspaper, Patch.com and a variety of other sources. Each essay is a brisk, humorous tale about ordinary, daily situations blown up ridiculously big. “It’s a Blurry, Blurry World” chronicles Buzzelli’s inability to snap a decent photograph at Disneyland. “Come On, Come on to My House” explores the dynamic of watching a movie or television show in someone else’s home. The titular essay explains why Buzzelli is considered by himself, and occasionally by others, a Below Average Genius.