It’s “halftime” for one of the trivia leagues in which we’re playing, so we’re going to let the marching band take the field and do their renditions of Bruno Mars’ “Just The Way You Are,” followed by Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” and Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me.” Ugh, pass! I think I’ll find something else to do during halftime, too! How about finding someone with booze (or weed) beneath those bleachers? If you were in the marching band like I was in high school, you didn’t get to sneak off to smoke weed during the halftime show, but had to PERFORM in it (groan). I disliked having to do the football game gigs, parades, etc. though I did enjoy traveling to band competitions.  During the game, there was always the bottomless vat of “orange drink” to keep the band members sugared up…and sometimes even some yummy, yummy doughnuts! Sugared up band nerds? What’s the worst that could happen?

We’re about halfway through the Sporcle Live trivia season, so how about a little halftime report? Seven games down, six to go! Meh, close enough…

We’ve been playing in two Sporcle Live spots a week since January 3 with an “A” team playing in one spot, and a “B” team playing in another. Our “A” team usually consists about 4-6 players, and has been attempting to conquer Arbor Brewing Company Microbrewery (called the “The Corner Brewery” by locals) on Wednesday nights. We’ve only managed to win $40 in prizes so far this season, but with as many as 20 teams in the mix on any given trivia night? We’ll take what we can get – when we can get it! We’ve managed to get a player named Archie from the longtime rival league team Corn Fritters to join us for the remainder of the season here, and he’s been a great addition to our team! Rounding out our Wednesday roster is myself, my husband Mike, and other “regulars” Brad, Dave, and John. Sometimes Joel the Pilot joins us, when his busy schedule allows. We’ve been averaging about 128 points a night and just managed to move up to third place overall at the bar. With only seven league points dividing teams in third through fifth place – and only five league points dividing the first and second place teams – it’s still pretty much any team’s game! Team Your Resume Sucks moved into first last week, with former leaders Ennui (who only had three players at the last game, as opposed to their usual 9-10) now trailing them by five league points. Your Resume Sucks did not seem to have any “lovebirds” among their ranks last week, since they still managed to field a team of about nine players. Remember, folks, more players may help the teams with the little weekly battles, but a “lean and mean” trivia roster will be key to victory when it REALLY counts!

Love was in the air on Valentine’s Day last Wednesday, so there were quite a few teams that were no-shows on trivia night – and some teams with significantly fewer players than usual. Honestly…what could be more romantic than teaming up with your beloved on Valentine’s Day on questions about U.S. populations, romantic comedies, U.S. statehood and “Jiggle TV?” Having some drinks with my “sweetie” before our trivia game at a local Mexican joint was kind of nice, although one of our teammates said that was just “pre-gaming.” Really? I thought it was a “date,” lol! Can’t it be both?

Since Casamigos tequila was sold in 2017, one of Casamigos’ co-founders George Clooney could stand to make more money from the deal than the $19 million he makes on average per year as an actor. Here are the three different colors of Casamigos tequila at Maiz Mexican Cantina in Ypsilanti, MI – clear, light brown, and dark brown. Seriously…I don’t know that much about tequila, except it’s made from the agave plant and is part of what makes a margarita magically delicious! Speaking of margaritas…

A grande margarita on the rocks with a pair of gloves and a hat which kind of looks like a black Cthulhu…

So how has our “B” team been doing? Well, not as well as the bigger “A” team. On Saturdays at Oscar’s Grill, 2-3 of us been playing just about every week, averaging “about” 100 points per night, and we have won $45 in prizes so far.  We’re currently in second in the overall standings here behind One is the Loneliest Number, but will probably be overtaken before the season is up. We’re eyeing this spot mainly as a “backup” spot if we fail at Corner. Our main players here are myself, Mike and Evan,  a “loaner” from another team who can’t join us for our Wednesday games, but plays with us Saturdays. This works out well, since we have several players on our regular team who don’t want to play weekend games, so this allows us to  “split up our ranks.” Divide and conquer? Did legendary Chinese general Sun Tzu talk about things like that? Probably! It’s unclear whether we’ll continue playing here after this current season, but we haven’t decided anything yet.

That’s it for this halftime report! Be sure to check in with our next post-game recap on Tuesday. As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, John Madden!