Snowy weather today in my ‘hood, so I wasn’t sure if we’d be making the trip to Original Gravity Brewing Co. for its venue tournament tonight – or stay closer to home and play at Sticks.

It’s decided – we’ll be playing at OG! I’ll have three players, plus a possible fourth. We’re going out just to see how the season finishes out, and to say “goodbye,” as we may not be able to return here until next spring. This will be the sixth venue tournament I’ve played at OG.

I’ll miss playing at OG during the upcoming “off season.” And with the possible changes in Sporcle Live on the horizon, who knows whether I’ll be playing there again at all? It’s too early to tell. But I’ll always have a soft spot for OG – it’s a trivia spot I’ve played (on and off) since the beginning in March, 2016. I like the small town vibe, I like the pretty drive there, I like the beer, I like the laid-back trivia scene (though I’m not a fan of unsupervised children running around all willy nilly there on some nights, LOL – I SWEAR I’m going to accidentally step on one of ’em one of these days)! Interestingly enough, there was a blizzard the first night we drove out there – and that’s when we learned that our heater fan and defroster weren’t working quite right! I’ve tried to be there for every summer and fall venue tournament since 2016, even if just as a “spectator.”

I want team Mind the Gap to win the game at OG tonight even if only because it could “possibly” pave the way for another team to be in the finals this time (a team that didn’t qualify last season). Though I honestly don’t know what their plans are.  That has actually been what I’ve wanted since the beginning of this season.  Though I SHOULD be rooting for This is Sparta, whom are the “underdogs.” They’re good people, and they’ve been through a lot this season (mainly due to the loss of one of their strong players, Maria, who died in October).  I believe experience will probably prevail in the end – This is Sparta is a relatively new league team, and there is a player on Mind the Gap who’s been in the pub trivia trenches since my trivia team was just a mere twinkle in anybody’s eyes. And no matter whether he plays by himself or with a team –  he’ll always be a “team to beat.” I’ve enjoyed the ongoing challenges over the past few years of attempting to beat him and whichever team he happens to be playing with at the time. If nothing else it’s been a good “test” for me to see how I fare against him (usually he wins – me beating him – even when he’s playing solo –  usually requires summoning a trivia army, LOL). Beating him when he’s with “his” team? It’s pretty much nigh impossible – but it’s ALWAYS worth the effort to try!  The whole experience is a great way to let me know what I need to “study” for future games! I’ve been a little lazy in that department as of late…I do need to “hit the books” before Dec. 1, that’s for sure!

As my dear friend Archie always says of trivia, “It all comes down to what they ask.” Not terribly profound…but so, so true! Here’s hoping they about things the ‘Pods will know tonight!