It’s a strange feeling that’s almost difficult to describe…being part of a cut-throat competition in which you have absolutely no skin in the game! Such was the case Wednesday at Arbor Brewing Company, where I “sat in” on a venue tournament game and played solo. There were 14 league teams in contention, and only one of them would get the “coveted” league championship spot – congratulations to the Money Badgers for being “that” team! It’s not something they’ve managed to do very often, so best of luck to them at the Aug. 5 league championship! Hopefully we’ll see you there (we’ll have our work cut out for us tonight as we attempt to qualify at Original Gravity in Milan).

When I first arrived, I couldn’t find a table, so I was going to set up shop on a cushy bench near the women’s rest room. Then my husband Mike found out that one of the “bistro tables” near the door was actually unoccupied (there was a backpack on the seat so I didn’t try taking that spot – the pack belonged to a bar employee and they moved it). So I moved over to that spot, and was just barely able to see the questions on the screen in the “big room.” The “B Team” for Your Resume Sucks was right behind me, with about eight players crowded around two bistro tables. I felt a bit bad about not being able to move my table forward and give ’em more room, but I had I done so, I wouldn’t have been able to see the questions on the screen and ergo, wouldn’t be able to write this! Yes, it was that tight. Did I walk into a bad joke? “How tight was it?” Ahem…I was in a spot where it was difficult hearing the questions, so having the “visual” was… essential! Thank Cthulhu my eyes still function very, very well…Too bad my brain wasn’t functioning very well on this trivia night, but then…it didn’t have to! It was nice just sitting back and blowing big points…after big points…time and time again! Want to know more about that? Read on!
Game One
1. Online – In the early 2000s, what online service provider used the slogan “World Wide Wow?” Correct guess for 2.
2. Art – What is the term in art for the point on the horizon line where two parallel points appear to converge? 10
3. Musicals – The sister of Bernardo in a 1957 Broadway musical and the governess of seven children in a 1959 Broadway musical share what first name? I was torn between two, picked the wrong one for 9. And so it begins!

I picked this woman’s name instead of the correct one…

4. TV Characters – Matt Santos is the elected president of the United States during the final season of what TV drama? Miss for 4.
5. Restaurants – Which of the following restaurants was founded most recently? Pizza Hut, Panera or Popeyes? There were four choices given, but I didn’t write them all down (if someone else who played this game remembers the fourth choice I will edit this), miss for 3.
6. Battles – The American Civil War’s Battle of Chancellorsville took place in which U.S. state? Miss for 6. Should’ve gone with the obvious choice…seriously I couldn’t have been more “devil may care” on this night!
7. ’80s Movies – Name 2/3 films from the ’80s starring Arnold Schwarzenegger featuring single-word titles. Name all three for an extra bonus point Got for 8 plus the bonus.
8. Casinos – What Las Vegas hotel and casino was previously known as “The Aladdin” from 1996 to 2007? Miss for 1.
9. Instruments – What highly populat musical instrument was invented around the year 1700 by Barolomeo Christoffori? Thought about the right answer, but that wasn’t what wound up on my slip, miss for 5.

The correct answer for the previous question is in the title of this 1993 film starring Holly Hunter!

10. Infections – What is the term for the body’s overwhelming life-threatening response that can lead to tissue damage and organ failure? Speaking of organ failure, my brain utterly failed here…miss for 7.
Mystery – Quickfire
As of July 24, 2018, five films released in the U.S. in 2018 have made at least $30 million at the U.S. box office and have titles that end in “2.” Besides Equalizer 2, name four of the other films.
Managed to come up with two correct films.
Scores: Sorry, not providing scores for this game. Too difficult to hear from my seat..I had 28 points going into the final and wagered 20.
Final Category – The Supreme Court
In addition to soon to be retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, four other U.S. Supreme Court justices served through the entire decade of the 1990s on the bench. Name two of those justices.
I really put no thought into this, but had I done so, would have gotten it (IKR)? What kind of madness is this? Seriously…try playing a “just for fun” trivia game sometime with nothin’ on the line! I NEED these games from time to time! Give my poor brain a REST!
Scores: Again, no scores…just the questions! My score was 8 points after this miss!
Game Two
1. Books – The 1998 book The Princess and the Package explored the relationship between the meida and what person? I focused too much of the word “package” and picked an incorrect notorious female from that era, miss for 2.
2. Sequels – Released worldwide in 2000, the 38th Disney Animated Studios feature film was a sequel to what film released six decades earlier? 10
3. Clothing – Launched in 2016, what clothing line was founded by Khloe Kardashian and Emma Grede and promotes itself as denim, body suits, and sweats in a full inclusion of sizes? Sorry, I ain’t apologizin’ for not keeping up the the Kardashians…or their business ventures. Miss for 1.
4. Reality TV – What singer and actress helped popularize the phrase “Hell to the no” on a 2005 reality series that focused on her R&B singer husband and their family? For an extra bonus, what was the name of this series? Miss and miss for 3
5. Suspensions – What player served an 86-game suspension for his role in a 2004 brawl, making it the longest suspension for an in-game incident in NBA history? Miss for 4.
6. Coastlines – Name two of the four modern day countries located on what was known as the “Barbary Coast?” Thought of wrong part of Africa, miss for 5.
7. People in Government – What woman known by just her first name served as director of communication for the office of public lisaison for one year from 2017 to 2018? Miss for 6.
8. ’90s Hits – According to the lyrics of the Barenaked Ladies song “One Week,” what is guaranteed to satisfy? Total guess, but got it for 7! And boy did I need those points! Well, not really…
9. Toys – What subsidiary of Hasbro includes educational toys and games for children including Weebles, Glo Friends, and Sesame Street toys? I picked a toy company all right…just not the right one, miss for 9.
10. TV Terms – What is the seven-letter term for a TV series that mixes seriousness with humor that can be used to describe series such as “M.A.S.H.” and “Shameless?” Got this for 8.
Mystery – Begins with “CHU” – All correct responses will begin with these three letters
1. Nestle candy bar featuring milk chocolate, raisins and peanuts
2. Nickname of Austin Lee Russell on “Pawn Stars”
3. Fried dough pastry originating in Spain and Portugal
4. Location mentioned in 2013 single by Hozier
Missed #2 and #4.
I had 29 points going into the final.
Final Category – U.S. Populations
As of the 1950 census, only three of the ten most populous U.S. cities were located outside of the Eastern Time Zone – Chicago and Los Angeles were two of those cities – name the third city, which now ranks #62 as of 2017, having lost more than 500,000 people since its peak in 1950?
I am glad I took a photo of this question! Even though I was able to see the question on the screen, my view would be blocked periodically whenever a dude went in or out of the men’s bathroom. Which means when I tried writing this down, I didn’t catch the qualifier “outside of the Eastern Time Zone.” So I wound up putting…an Eastern Time Zone city as my answer (which is ranked #32, I think…). No harm, no foul!
Finished with 17 points for the night. Hey…one team finished lower than I did (Big Fish with 9 points). Isn’t that what they call “penultimate?”
Tune in Friday for a recap of tonight’s game at OG! Hopefully it will go better than this one! As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Princess Diana!