Editor’s note: see the comments for an extra little anecdote I did not want to put into this trivia recap!
In the children’s story Goldilocks and the Three Bears, a very selfish and inconsiderate (imho) Goldilocks enters a unoccupied house that does not belong to her or her family and proceeds to try out the different beds in search of finding one that is “just right.” Presumably because she will be meeting up with a “trick” later on (I kid, I kid, ahem…). One of the beds is too hard, another is too soft, and finally, she finds one that is “just right.” The original version of this tale is actually quite dark and involves an old vagrant woman who has been cast out of her family for being an..asshole, if you will, and she breaks into the bears’ house seeking a place to sleep (I’m going to presume she had something to “sleep off,” lol). Opium? Morphine? Liquor? Laudanum (aren’t opium, morphine and laudanum essentially the same things)? Inquiring minds want to know why this…trespasser HAD to have sleep so badly during the day (or otherwise just need the bed for…something else)!

Goldlilocks on “The Simpsons.”

The story was later to changed to involve a cute little girl named Goldlilocks, whose adventures are not that different from those of pub trivia players. Some trivia questions are just too hard for the players trying to answer them (our final question about a TV comedian/actor was a case in point, the correct person did not even enter the minds of any of our players). Other trivia questions are “too soft,” case in point last week’s question in which the answer was “The Great Lakes.” When things go well, a question can be “just right,’ like the tough one we got right about an NHL goaltender (nice work, Brad), and a Michigan geography question we had about a river dividing Ontario and Michigan. Unfortunately, the tale of Monday’s My Trivia Live game at Powell’s Pub didn’t end very happily for us, other than logging the highest score going into that final question. Read on to see which questions were “too soft,” “too hard” and… “just right” for the “Three ‘Pods!”
Round One
1. SCIENCE! – Kinetic energy is defined as the energy of what? 5
2. Technology – What name did Microsoft give to its search engine launched on June 1, 2009? I’m very happy Mike and Brad both knew this one, 3.
3. ’90s TV – What was the name of the sitcom airing from 1997 to 2003 starring Laura Giacomo and David Spade? Brad said there were only “two reasons” he watched this show, and I’m NOT going to elaborate on those “reasons” here! Got this for 1.
Round Two
1. Companies – What aerospace company manufactures the Boeing 747? 5
2. Crime – What actress was murdered by members of the Manson family in August, 1969? Got this for 3, then Brad quizzed me on what guy the murdered (pregnant) woman was married to…duh! And he also asked us what the Manson family wrote on the walls (we like to keep each other on our toes on trivia nights).
3. Brady Bunch – What is the name of the family dog on “The Brady Bunch?” For an extra three point bonus, what is the last name of Sam, Alice’s butcher boyfriend? Got this for 1 plus the three point bonus (we got burned on a Brady Bunch question a couple of years ago involving Mike Brady’s occupation so I did a little “homework” to learn more about this show). Hey, it’s better than actually WATCHING the show! Mike has done similar studying involving “Glligan’s Island” (I encouraged him to become our team’s expert in that series). I’m not hating on “The Brady Bunch” by any means, it was just a little…before my time, if you will!

Which “Brady Bunch” daughter is pictured here in this scene from I’m Gonna Git You Sucka?

Round Three
1. Geography – What two East Asian countries share what has been described as “the most heavily armored border” by various news outlets? I think all teams got this one…, we got it for 5.
2. Machines – On what device would you find a bodkin and a bobbin? Oh memories of “home ec” class (clearly it was not my destiny to be able to use one of these things), got this for 3.
3. Comic Books – What five letter word beginning with “M” describes a popular comic book industry in Japan? Mike handed this in immediately without even showing Brad and I the answer. If either of us did that, he would have a FIT! 🙂 But hey, he knew it, 1.
Halftime – Songwriters
Given the song titles and the recording artists, name the persons who originally wrote/recorded the following songs:
1. “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston
2. “Downtown Train,” Rod Stewart
3. “Pink Cadillac, ” Natalie Cole
4. “Rock On,” Michael Damien
Only managed to get one of these correct…”one” team managed to get six points out of this, but no teams got all of these.
Halftime scores: Seven teams, scores 17 to 32, with us in first.
Round Four
1. Cartoons – As a child, what singer was the voice of Charlie Brown’s sister in the Peanuts cartoon? Newsletter clue, 6.
2. ’70s Movies – What 1971 movie was starred in and narrated by Malcolm McDowell? I think we were also told that it was a Stanley Kubrick film…got this for 4.
3. Food – What variety of salad is named after its creator, who was an Italian-born Mexican chef? Mike and Brad with correcgt guess for 4.
Round Five
1. Michigan Geography – What is the name of the river forming a border between Lake Huron and Lake Superior and also forming the international border between Ontario and Michigan? This was a “hit” for me (the hours I’ve spent poring over maps definitely paid off here). There is an island in this river called Lime Island, which has a state park, and several cabins offered for rental by Michigan’s DNR (there are also camp sites for tents). To get to this island, you need to either own a boat – or charter a boat. Got this for 6.
2. Hockey – What NHL goaltender has the most playoffs wins with 151? Brad scores here, 2.
3. Classic Movie Characters – What did Rhett and Scarlett name their daughter? Big duhs all around here, miss for 4. Ouch! Aside from that halftime round, things were going pretty well for us!
Round Six
1. States – What state’s official folk song is Woody Guthrie’s “Roll On Columbia, Roll On?” We discussed this one quite a bit, since the Columbia traverses more than one state, but got this for 2.
2. Communications – What company built and operated the first transcontinental telegraph company in 1861? Nope for 4. Will we miss the last question of the night for 6????
3. Hobbies – How many wheels does a pair of roller skates have? 6
Scores – Five teams, scores 44 (three teams tied), to 60, with us in first.
Final Category – Comedians
What comedian and actor did Time Magazine name the “first black superstar” in 1972?
Nope…not on our radar…at all.
I think team Dan Smith wound up in first, but I am not sure…
Well, this wraps up this recap! We’ll be back in the trivia saddle Thursday, so look for the next write-up on Friday. As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Bonnie Butler!