I am catching up on Lost‘s first season, on DVD, of course. The episodes are falling in front of me like Oreos at a BBQ. Just now—and I’ve even paused the DVD to post this—I caught a friggin’ brilliant pop-cultural reference that I wonder how many others discovered. Don’t worry… no spoilers, in case you haven’t seen the show yet.

In the current episode (“Homecoming”), it’s Charlie’s turn for more flashbacks. He’s made his way home from a pub with a woman, gone back to her place. He asks her, “So where is the old man?” From off screen, kitchen-bound, she answers, “I don’t know. I think he’s buying some old paper company up in Slough.”

The prize to the first person to post the “answer” to this reference is one of those new nickels with Thomas Jefferson’s profile.

One of the first episodes had a clever reference, too, but I can’t recall it now, so I’ll post it later. Now, back to the show I go…

If anyone has a view today, take a look outside.

I do not know when I’ve seen such a dense, impenetrable layer of smog as this. Off in the distance, smooshed underneath these storm clouds… It’s nasty. And I left my camera at home, and this phone cam image does its vileness no justice.