Tonight’s the night! For “about” one night per year, I give the “boys” on my trivia team the night off from trivia and sub all of them out for women players, and we play under the name “GDX.” This typically happens either during summer break or during Christmas break, because at least two of the women players who join me are teachers, and those are the best times for them to come out. For a few months in 2016, I was playing once a week with a woman named Angie at The Wurst Bar, and we battled it out as a duo every week. We had lots of fun, but we weren’t exactly threatening to dominate that bar!  On June 22 of that year, I invited another woman, Kimberly, to join in on the fun, and you can read a recap of that game here! We actually did quite well in this game, finishing in first for the night and winning a $30 gift card! A few months later, another woman named Kirsten was added to the “all girls night,” which occurred Dec. 28. Again, we dominated the night, winning a $30 prize, you can read about that game here.

It’s been an interesting adventure for me! The first time I met with Kim and Angie at Wurst in June, 2016….I was nervous! I’d never really “met” Kimberly before, though we had been Facebook friends for a few years and would periodically chat in FB messages, comment threads, etc. In fact, this was the first time I’d been out with more than one other female (with no males around) in…I didn’t know how long! Most of my friends are male, so I was a bit apprehensive about how I’d be able to handle this night. Long story short, things went famously (aided by a few too many whiskey sodas, lol)! With Kimberly, I acquired a “trivia pardner” who has joined me in several “name that tune” nights, several trivia nights and even in a few tournaments. Though we’re pretty opposite in a lot of ways (not just because she’s super short and I’m super tall), we have a shared love of trivia and music, even if she prefers R&B, and I prefer new wave/alternative-type music! She’s a “One Tree Hill” kind of gal, and I’m more of a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” kind of gal. You get the point! Back in high school, I probably wouldn’t have had anything to do with her, TBH – or she with me. That’s what’s great about getting older, your attitudes toward others kind of mellow out a bit, and you find yourself mingling regularly with folks you wouldn’t have touched with a 10-foot pole as a kid/teenager. I’ve met quite a few folks in this fashion while making the pub trivia “rounds.” What better way to embrace the differences of others than to do it under the backdrop of a shared passion for trivia? Trivia – the tie that binds! Sometimes in a stranglehold, lol…

Winona Ryder in Heathers

We’ll have some experienced, decent players in our mix! I’ll likely be the go-to person for questions about anything to do with the ’80s; most of the movie questions, World Cup, music (older music), presidents, geography, etc. Kimberly will step up for “modern music,” children’s movies, some TV, math, etc. Kirsten is strong in business/industry, some sports stuff, ’90s movies/music. Since she works for GM, she will probably be well versed in all of GM’s current car models, too! Angie’s strengths are in literature, mythology, certain TV categories, Harry Potter, and will be our point person on the “generational” type questions that millennials might know (but not Gen X’ers). Oh yeah..”Saved By the Bell,” and “Ru Paul’s Drag Race!”  I’ve joked that Angie’s strong categories are a bit similar to some of my husband’s strong categories (mythology, literature, etc.). I have no idea what Angie’s neighbor Teresa will bring to the mix, so I can’t comment on that!

Though the ultimate goal tonight, of course, is to have fun, make no bones about it – I want to WIN! At least a $10 prize would be nice! Our team has kind of an uphill climb ahead of us in these last few games, and we can’t afford to make too many mistakes! When we played at this bar last summer, we also struggled a bit, but managed to rally nicely and win a spot at the end. Of course I hope to repeat that, and win this bar fair and square when the venue tournament rolls around. If not, I have a “backup” spot I can use!

Onward trivia battle ho!