October 10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK >> SAILING, TAKE ME AWAY …: In 1492, a man named Christopher Columbus set off on a journey to find new trade routes to the Far East. In that endeavor, he failed miserably. Instead, he stumbled on the Bahamas, and opened up a whole new world to European exploration. Fast forward 519 years, and we in that “New World” honor his achievement by closing post offices and liquor stores. And you can be sure, that folks living in towns like Columbus, Ohio, and Columbus, Ga., are thankful his name was Christopher Columbus and not Wilhelm Schnitzleberg. >> CARTOON MAYHEM: Sure, you can watch any of a number of reality shows this week. You know the type, where people are put in unrealistic situations, dramatic tension is manufactured and profanity is liberally sprinkled about and masked with well-placed “bleeps.” If it’s censored cursing you’re into, you might want to watch a new episode of “South Park” at 10 p.m. Wednesday on Comedy Central. It’s so new, the episode doesn’t even have a name yet, but even if it did, we probably couldn’t print it anyway.>> FUNNY GIRL: If you like to laugh, and are saving your grumpiness for Saturday (see below), then head to the F.M. Kirby Center Friday at 8 p.m. to see comedian Paula Poundstone. Known for her improvisation, this stand-up comic has been tickling audiences’ funny bones since 1979. Which, when you put it that way, sounds strange, but all it means is she puts on one hysterically funny show.>> PARTY LIKE IT’S 1984: Two 1980s classic films get the “reboot” treatment this week when “The Thing” and “Footloose” open on Friday. If horror flicks are your forte, then you’ll go for “The Thing,” the prequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic (a remake of a 1950s flick) of boy meets alien, alien mutates and eats boy, and Kurt Russell drinks scotch and blows stuff up. If dancing is your “thing,” check out “Footloose.” This one reinvents the 1984 film where boy meets girl, boy and girl dance, girl’s dad doesn’t like it, Kevin Bacon gets a cool haircut and nothing blows up.>> GRRRRRRR: Do you routinely wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Do co-workers often refer to you as “Mr. Crankypants?” Is your first response to the phrase, “Have a nice day,” unprintable in a family newspaper? If you answered “Ehhhhh. Go away,” to any of these questions, then you are what’s known as a grouch. And this Saturday, that’s a good thing because it’s “National Grouch Day.” So celebrate your surly side and embrace your inner Oscar. Tweet Follow @TLbreaking Send Question or Remark to the Publisher