It’s not every trivia night where everyone in the bar sings “Happy Birthday” to you! Yeah, that happened… The trivia slinger George commented on the mic that I looked like I wanted to hide behind the wall while it was happening (I WAS kind of horrified).
A scene from the 2005 film Waiting where a terrified kid has the wait staff singing at him…When I turned 21, I went to a Chi-Chi’s restaurant with my friends whom OF COURSE asked the bar staff to sing Happy Birthday in Spanish to me. I got a free sombrero out of the deal, which my mother used to wear while she mowed the lawn (to keep the sun off her face).
“All right…who tipped him off?” I demanded of my trivia teammates John and Mike. Sure enough, Mike said he was the one who did it. “I just wanted to see you squirm,” he said. Mission accomplished! After the initial shock, I had a good laugh about it…no harm no foul! It was a more competitive trivia night than usual, with two players from the first place team at the recent My Trivia Live finals in the house (Charles and Mike) – as well as one of the players from the third place team (Michael from One is the Loneliest Number). Also in the mix were our former The Wurst Bar rivals “Pants Team,” who were there for a “jail card” game since they will be missing Wednesday’s game because of Valentine’s Day. I hope they got their permission slips signed by Stacy to excuse their absences :)! For inquiring minds, trivia is still on our schedules for Wednesday, since we essentially celebrated the holiday over the weekend by stuffing our faces with cupcakes on Sunday (god those cupcakes were so…good!). The strawberry cheesecake from Haab’s was really, really good, too! It was a layered number, with strawberry cheesecake nestled between two layers of white cake. Anyone getting hungry? That will be a nice thing to have on their dessert menu for people who might go there for Valentine’s Day! We did not win any prizes, but we are continuing to gain ground in terms of total points, which puts us closer to our goal of earning a semifinals spot here in nine weeks. And the questions…
Round One
1. Music – Released in 1981, “In the Air Tonight was the debut solo single for what singer? 5
2. Food – In what state are sub sandwiches traditionally called “po boys?” 3
3. Logos – What tire company uses a logo with a winged foot? 1
Easy first round..
Round Two
1. Celebrities – The star of “Young Einstein” attempted to sue what search engine for copyright infringement? 5
Here is is…the star of Young Einstein, which I actually saw when that came out in the ’80s.
2. Animals – What bird was used to detect toxic gases in British coal mines until this practice was abandoned in 1987? And George played one of my song requests after this, (track 4 on the Police’s third album “Zenyatta Mondatta”). Hey…I don’t want to give away the answer!
3. Letters – What letter is the most common blood type in the U.S. today? For an extra three point bonus, within one, how many letters are in the Hawaiian alphabet? Got this for one plus the bonus?
Another perfect round…
Round Three
1. Nicknames – What two rock stars are known as the “Glimmer Twins?” Discussed the hell out of this one…and at one point had both of the right people written down as possibilities. Just didn’t manage to put them on our point slip…miss for 1.
2. Sports – Who was the starting quarterback for U of M for their 1997 championship season? This one was all on me, since we had no sportsball experts. Dang it…Glenn Rice? No he was basketball…Ben Needham? No, way too early…hey, what about that guy who went on to play with the Patriots? Nope, he wasn’t right, either. Dammit! Curse you, sportsball! You win this round! Well played…
3. The Simpsons (now we’re cookin’) – What nationality does Groundskeeper Willie refer to as “cheese-eating surrender monkeys?” 5
Halftime – Name eight films that won best animated feature.
We worked really hard on this, but only managed to get six points on it. 😦 Sorry I didn’t listen to you about that robot movie, Mike! Speaking of that robot movie, that’s a nice non-traditional one to watch for Valentine’s Day because it focuses on ‘bot! It really is cute…
Scores – Eight teams ,scores 22 to 34 with the Charles/Mike team in first. We were in third with 32 just one point behind Pants (just like old times…neck and neck scores!).
Round Four
1. First Ladies – Which US President’s wife was the youngest first lady, marrying the 49 year-old President when she was just 21 years old? Newsletter clue, 6.
2. Mythology – Who designed the Trojan Horse? Mike and John both went to town here, and managed to get this for 2.
3. TV – What series, that ran for six seasons, originated as a sketch on the “Carol Burnett Show?” Nope, all of our players were a bit too young to remember this series, and obviously forgot about the series it spawned. Miss for 4. Ick! Where’s my Mama when I need her? Some of you will probably see what I did there 🙂
Round Five
1. Money – What is the largest amount of currency one can hold without having exact change for a dollar? John was the superstar here, he worked really hard and managed to get this one right (those guys are so smart)!
2. Wrestling – What two co-stars of “Rocky 3” won the final match of the first Wrestlemania? All of us teamed up on this one, got this for 4. We have a six point left…cliffhanger!
3. Music – What debut Coldplay album is named for an item commonly found on an airplane? I think I may actually have owned this CD at some point…got this for a precious six points.
Scores – Says Who, 44; ??? 48; Ham Wallets, 51; One is the Loneliest Number, 56; ‘Pods, 60; Dan Smith, 61; Pants Team, 61 (I think they were tied…), and Charles/Mike (did not write down their points).
Final Category – Cars
According to U.S.A. Today, the top two most stolen car models are made by what manufacturer? Close but no cigar, miss.
Final Scores – Ham Wallets, 102; Pants, 122; Charles/Mike (???). We really need to work on winning some prize money next time! This prize slump cannot stand (shakes fist at sky). That’s it for now, our next trivia outing will be a Sporcle Live game Valentine’s Day at Arbor Brewing Company (Ypsilanti). Because what could be more romantic than a trivia game? 🙂 As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Yahoo Serious! Later today, I’ll be working on a special Valentine’s Day blog about the my favorite songs that SHOULD be played on Valentine’s Day… but typically aren’t! Yeah, I had to listen to sappy, sappy crap at work today. Too bad I had to hear “I Will Always Love You” right BEFORE I clocked out! What poor timing!
hebspeaks 