Time to pay the piper? Shoe’s on the other foot? What comes around, goes around? Karma’s a bitch? When one door closes, another door opens? The ‘Pods were overdue for a couple of shitty games? Nope, even the best spin doctor in the world couldn’t polish the turds we’ve laid the past couple of My Trivia Live games we played at The Wurst Bar! No prizes for us for two consecutive weeks (IKR)? Wednesday night, we sat next to a 10-person team who appeared to be Eastern Michigan University students, who had somehow managed to all jam themselves into the same sized booth we were sitting in. Granted, most of them were thinner than us, but still…that was a pretty jam-packed booth! And what if the poor sap sitting in the dead center – all landlocked like Moldova – had to use the bathroom? It kind of reminded me of those little clown cars that dozens of clowns miraculously exit one by one, and then go off and do their clown stuff. What’s clown stuff? Well, it could be spritzing someone with a fake flower, riding around on a tiny bicycle, smoking a cigar, hastily downing shots before performing at a kids’ birthday party, maybe terrorizing or killing children like Pennywise, who seems to the “it” boy right now (see what I did there?). Is it any wonder why coulrophobia is a thing? Yes, clowns can be terrifying…those oversized shoes…that makeup…the insane forced laughter (long shudder). Well, this “megateam” wound up kicking ass and taking first place, which means they definitely weren’t “clowning around!” Nicely played! Clearly we need to get our “groove” back! We wound up with a respectable 63 points heading into the final question, which every single team got wrong – so it all came down to how the teams wagered on the question. We’ll get to that question in a bit, but first, here’s the rest of the questions!
Round One
1. History – What 1803 land purchase doubled the size of the United States 5
2. Holidays – What U.S. holiday was originally called “Decoration Day?” 3
3. Human Body – What is the name of the soft tissue making up the centers of bones? “Chestnut brown canary…ruby throated sparrow…sing a song…won’t be long…thrill me to the (blank).” A few lyrics from Crosby, Stills & Nash’s “Judy Blue Eyes” for a little hint there! Come on – not very many songs used THIS particular word in their lyrics!
Round Two
1. Continents – What two continents landlock the Caspian Sea? 5
2. Brands- What bicycle brand founded in 1899 takes its name from the highest mountain in Japan? 3
3. First Ladies – Michelle Obama attended what Ivy League college? For an extra three point bonus, for which film winning best picture did she present the Oscar via satellite from the White House? Missed both parts of this…boo!
Round Three
1. Food – What are you eating if you have spumoni for dessert? 5
2. In the News – In August, 2017, MLB umpires took a stand against what by wearing white wristbands? Miss for 1.
3. Music -What song by a ’90s grunge band features the name of a deodorant brand? 3
Halftime – Given the names of two titles by the following authors, pick which one was published first.
1. Toni Morrison – The Bluest Eye/Sula
2. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire/Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
3. Stephen King – Firestarter/The Stand
4. George Orwell – Animal Farm/1984
Missed #1 and #3. We tossed a coin on #1 and it failed…
Scores – Eight teams, scores 8 to 32 with Prosthetic Eagles in first. We were three points behind in fourth with 29 points, and just two points behind Team Pants – one point behind the Tipsy Gypsies. So close scores among the top teams…
Round Four
1. Cities – To express its growing importance and sense of achievement, what city gave itself the title “Athens of the North”? Newsletter clue, 6.
2. Companies – What U.S. city is the headquarters for both CNN and Coca Cola? 4
3. Laws- Going into effect in 1994, the Brady Act makes what mandatory? 2
Round Five
1. Instruments – Not including the thumbhole, how many finger holes are there on a standard recorder? 4
2. Canada – Name the smallest Canadian province by both land area and population, whose capital is Charlottetown? 6
3. Magazines – Who was the first non-human to appear on the cover of “People” magazine, doing so in 1977? Close, but no points…
Round Six
1. Short Stories – In 1948, Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” was published, which details an annual town event involving what? I had to read this in high school…and I actually remember this one pretty well! 6
2. Cities – In what European capital would you find the Rembrandt museum? 4
3. Historical People – What famous French queen was executed Oct. 17, 1793? 2
Scores – eight teams, scores 31 to 68 with Prosthetic Eagles in first. We were in third with 63 points.
Final – World Leaders
In 1960, what country became the first to elect a female prime minister?
Again, “close, but no cigar.” We wagered it all and missed.
Final scores: ??? 53 (wise zero wager), Team Pants, 61 (also a wise low wager), and Prosthetic Eagles, 66 (a wise two point wager). Until next time…which will be tonight! A “special” Sporcle Live engagement at Original Gravity Brewing Co., a place we recently played for a season and won the venue tournament. Look for a recap of that game on Friday! As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, you whiny baseball umpires! Can’t take the heat from fans, then don’t be an umpire! Boo hoo! Photo tie in, Leslie Nielsen from “The Naked Gun” masquerading as an umpire! 🐙