Education Gap: The Entire Universe

I recently had a conversation with a good friend of mine. He is a very intelligent college graduate that, for a brief time, was actually majoring in astrophysics and aspiring to be a rocket scientist. We were discussing our shared interest in reading many of  "The Classics" that many people read in junior or high school, but we both missed out on for one reason or another. I told him about my inability to really enjoy The Catcher in the Rye, even after a second reading. He told me how he was truly dissapointed in Moby Dick, but not because of any lack of literary technique or drama. He was let down because he waited with great anticipation throughout the entire story for the main characters to get trapped inside the whale. When I laughed out loud and assumed he confused the story of Jonah and The Whale he took the unitentional comedy to the next level by correcting me...he got Moby Dick confused with the story of Pinnochio. Rocket Science.

I bring this tale up not because I want to shame my friend (even though he knows who he is and will likely read this blog...sucka!), but because there are quite a few areas in which my non-traditional educational background is lacking and I fear that I may pass these intellectual voids on to the boy.

For example, the entire universe. I know nothing about planets, stars, or constellations. Seriously, the other night I guessed that Pluto was the answer to a Jeopardy question in the Planet category. Once she was done laughing, the wife informed me that Pluto was no longer a planet. No longer a planet? How the hell can this crap be considered science?

Regardless, I'm considering just blatanly lying to the boy when he starts asking me all sorts of astrological questions. I will just rent The Last Starfighter, Starman, Enemy Mine, and the original Star Wars trilogy and explain how all the important intergalactic discoveries of our time were recorded for science's sake between 1977 and 1985. Star Trek will be completely omitted because the original series sucked and I don't want my kid's entire social life based on whether or not he can run at "warp speed" to evade alien bullies from the planet Wedgie. Besides, what is the the worst that could happen with a little misinformation regarding outer space...