Our “devil may care” trivia shenanigans continued Thursday at Original Gravity Brewing Company for a Sporcle Live with Lauren game. Our trivial “focus” as of late has been approaching each trivia game individually as a chance to win some prize money and not giving a rat’s ass about league standings, tournament qualification, etc. And I’ve gotta say…the team is really loving this! There have, unfortunately, been some negative things happening involving trivia games in the past few days. One of those “things” involved a trivia player deliberately dumping a beer on a trivia host’s laptop during a game – (which happened Tuesday night). And well, sometimes trivia players can be poor sports and don’t care to be congratulated when they do well. Lesson learned! Turning the competitive “knob” down has been wonderful on all counts for our team – in fact, we’re probably done with trying to be a “tournament” team anymore. What’s good for the squid is good for the octopus? That’s not how that expression goes, is it? As for Thursday’s game, we finished in second with a $10 prize in game one, second overall for the night (tied with Big Heads Big Hearts, aka “Mind the Gap,” which is the name they have been using during games). I think it means “watch your step” or something in British speak (I think it’s a subway thing, but the Brits call subways “undergrounds”). Off topic did you know that in Aussie slang, a pencil eraser is called a “rubber?” Boy could that lead to some awkward misunderstandings in a school classroom if you’re not “hip” to the slang! “Kids, have you seen my rubber anywhere? I think it might be on the floor in the supply closet. No wait – here it is in my desk drawer. Looks like I can get some more uses out of it, too.” Ahem! Hell, this wasn’t nearly as filthy as the “fan theory” David and I made up about the “real” cargo on the doomed Edmund Fitzgerald freighter! But I’ll get to that in a bit…No wait, maybe I shouldn’t (it’s pretty lurid). What I WILL tell you are what the questions were!

Game One
1. U.S. Cities – Utica, Schenectady, and Yonkers are among the most populous cities in which U.S. state? 10
2. ’90s Movies – Audio clip of chorale singing from a 1992 film, got this for 5.
3. Beef – What rap artist released the track Rap Devil in September, 2018 in response to an Eminem single? Miss for 1.
4. Comics – What comic title character was introduced in 1929 published until 1976 and had a dog named Snowy, a best friend named Archibald Haddock and a physicist friend named Professor Calculus? No clue, miss for 2.
5. Zodiac – Which of the 12 western zodiac signs uses a symbol similar to the roman numeral for 2? 9
6. NBA Arenas – Name the only arena to be home to two different NBA teams. Got this for 4 (believe it or not, I was the one coming up with this venue’s name). Yes…I got a “sportsball” question correct (LOL)! Dave knew the old name, and I knew this one (teamwork)!
7. Board Games – What board game released in 1988 included a game tray, spinner knob, two 2-sided “stunt” discs, top and bottom board, 96 cards and a zit sticker sheet? Another “hint” was that it was based on the game “Truth or Dare.” One team managed to get this correct.We missed for 3.
8. Food – After China, name one of the three countries to produce the most eggplant. Name two of those countries for an additional “nerd” bonus. got for 6, no bonus.
9. Sitcoms – Waldo Geraldo Falgo, Myra Boutros Boutros and Richie Crawford were among the characters on what sitocm that aired from 1989 to 1998? Miss for 6.
10. Governors – Greg Abbott, Rich Perry and Ann Richards are all among the most recent governors of what state? 7
Mystery – Disney Princesses (note not all responses may be actual Disney movies)
Identify the Disney princesses based on the following clues.
1. Only Disney princess to defeat a villain in physical combat
2. Only Disney princess to be transformed into an animal
3 Only Disney princess to live with her parents for the entire film
4. Only Disney princess to kiss a villain in the movie
Got all of these.
Scores: Eleven teams, ,scores 20 to 61, with Golden Geese in first. We were in third with 52.
Final question category – ’70s songs
According to the lyrics of the Gordon Lightfoot song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, the ship left from a state on its way to a city. Name both of those locations, only one of which is historically accurate.
This one was all on me…and I didn’t let down the “crew!”
Scores: ‘Pods, 72; Penguins Will Fly if you Throw them Hard Enough, 75.

Game Two
1. ’70s Movies – Attack of the Killer (blank) was a 1978 film involving what sentient food? 10
2. Animated TV – What animated series created by Matt Groening debuted on Netflix in August, 2018 and features the medieval setting of “Dreamland?” 9
3. Newspapers – Pravda was founded in 1912 in what country and means “truth?”
4. Rockets – Sorry, I didn’t write this down very well…but we missed for 7.
5. Country Music – What duo won the Country Music Association award for top vocal duo between 1991 and 2006 and was also nominated for song of the year multiple times?
6. Cabinet Members – Who was the first president to name an African American to his cabinet? For an additional “nerd” bonus point, name one of the three cabinet level departments to have never had an African American cabinet member. Got both for 3.
7. Africa – Name one of the three countries bordering both South Sudan and Tanzania. 6
8. NHL Players – What team had the most picks in the first round of the most recent NHL entry draft?
9. Liquor – “So smooth it shatters explanations” is the slogan for what liquor? Miss for 2
10. Video Games – Professor Oak, Red Brock and Misty are characters first introduced in what video game series in the U.S. in 1998? Mike caught this one on a guess for 5 (see what I did there).
Visual Mystery –

Got all of these.
Scores – Ten teams, scores 14 to 60, with BHBH aka Mind the Gap in first. We were in second with 54 points.
As of September 2018, there are five countries that claim to be communist states. Name four of those five countries.
Wagered full points and missed.
Game winners: 3 Rs, 70, BHBH, 75.
Our next scheduled game will be Haymaker Ann Arbor on Wednesday. Who else wants to come play out there? Who doesn’t want a chance to beat up on the ‘Pods? NO, not literally (seriously what is UP with all of the bad mojo in Trivialand lately?) I certainly would LOVE to see some other league teams in the mix! Especially some “veteran” teams (we don’t want to stand out too much by being the only non college-aged team in the room, after all…) Maybe some teams we haven’t battled for a spell. Anyone? Anyone? Just because we’ve given up on the whole “tournament” thing it doesn’t mean our competitive spirits have faded.
As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Calvin Coolidge! If you spot any errors or typos in this recap, go ahead and indicate in the comments and it WILL be edited later! I typed this up when I was quite…weary. Now I’m off for a “disco nap!”