What a difference three months makes! Three months ago, I bundled up in long underwear, jeans, wool socks, winter boots, down coat, wool hat, scarf and gloves – just to take a car ride to Sticks and be warm enough from the walk from the car to the bar. Monday, it was “shorts weather” on our trivia night at Sticks! Mike and I took a short walk into Ypsilanti’s Frog Island/Riverside Park before the game, where people were fishing, walking their dogs, having some drinks (we didn’t see nothin’, cough) and just enjoying the balmy weather. It even turned into an impromptu “music in the park” concert, as a man with a “boombox” was playing various John Williams soundtrack tunes on the “stage” in Frog Island Park. Usually I get annoyed when people play music on their phones in bars/restaurants, but I didn’t mind hearing the themes from Raiders of the Lost Ark and Superman while I walked by the boombox! If I had to pick a favorite John Williams soundtrack, I’d probably have to go with his work from Jurassic Park. 

The Huron River in Ypsilanti, MI.

We had four players come out for our game (yes really – it was the second consecutive game we’ve managed to do that) – me, Mike, Brad and Joel – the last of whom was definitely the MVP of the game! It was definitely nice having a commercial pilot playing with us when we had a visual round showing images of different continents from space – and a question about traveling through different time zones! Sometimes, there’s just nothing quite like getting the old trivia “gang” together, is there (what’s left of it, anyway)? We won two first place prizes of $15 each, finished with 107 points (this is a new trivia spot and the competition is still on the light side)…

Game questions…

Game One

1. Populations – Name either Asian country that is home to one of the two most populous metropolitan areas with names beginning with the letter “B.” Both for a nerd bonus, got this for 10 plus the bonus.

2. On TV – Audio clue of theme song for show none of us have ever watched, miss for 1.

3. ’70s Songs – In the Deep Purple song Smoke on the Water, what five words come between the lines in the chorus “Smoke…on the water?” Funny, hours before the game, I was listening to Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan as Jesus on the Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack (I don’t think his vocal skills were fully used when he sang with Deep Purple)! He’s in his top form, in particular, on Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say). 9

Ian Gillan, lead singer of Deep Purple (nice pants, bro)!

4. Tournaments – Since 1938, the National Invitational Tournament has held its championship game annually at a venue in what city? Brad all over this for 8

5. Universities – Which English university has issued the Rhodes Scholarship annually, which is awarded to post graduate students? I was just talking the day before with my folks about a recent U.S. president who was a Rhodes scholar, 7

6. Food – Lardon is a food product of what animal? 2

7. Animated Movies – The creators of Wallace & Gromit created what 2000 stop-motion animated movie set at a poultry farm and based on a World War II POW camp? We knew what film the question wanted, just couldn’t…name it (minor detail), miss for 3.

8. Museums – The State Hermitage Museum is the world’s second largest art museum and is located in what country? Facebook clue, 6.

9. Government – Jerome Powell, Janet Yellen, Ben Bernanke and Alan Greenspan are the most recent people to have served as chairs of what government agency? 5

10. Comic Characters – What comic character was born James Howlett, and has also been known as Logan or Weapon X? Way too easy of a “comics” question for this nerdy bunch of players, 4.

Hugh Jackman was apparently not a “natural” when he played Wolverine. In this article he said he deliberately dehydrated himself – and took a cold shower – to help get him pissed off enough to play Wolverine. This is a PhotoShopped picture of Hugh Jackman as Curley in Oklahoma with some “Wolverine” additions done by my husband. Perhaps Curley was an “easier” character for this naturally upbeat actor to portray? Hey…if you have an acting gig with a moneymaking franchise, you make the sacrifices!

Mystery – Who What Where – What Restaurant am I? Progressive round – give one answer based on your confidence in the following clues – get more points the earlier you answer correctly. Every trivia player LOVES the progressive rounds (not)! But I’ll bet trivia hosts love scoring them 🙂

M1 – I have more than 1,500 locations nationwide, was founded in Lakewood, CA in 1953 and am headquartered in Spartanburg, SC.

M2 – I was originally a doughnut shop, and changed the “A” in my original name to an “E” in 1959

M3 – Moons over My Hammy and Grand Slam are among my signature dishes

M4 – I trade under the ticker symbol DENN on the NASDAQ

Joel had a “hunch” as to the correct answer with clue #1, but we NEVER answer these on the first clue (once bitten twice shy), turned our slip in after clue #2.

Scores: My Couch Pulls Out But I Don’t, 24; Thanos Did Nothing Wrong, 40 and ‘Pods, 61.

Final Category – Presidential Elections

Only once in history have the U.S. president and the U.S. vice president serving at the same time shared a first name. What was that first name?

Only wagered as much as we “needed” to because of our huge lead…

Final standings: My Couch Pulls Out But I Don’t, 44; ‘Pods, 61.

Game Two

1. World Leaders – Since December, 2011, Kim Jong Un has been the leader of what country? 10

2. TV Characters – Jim Nabors played what auto mechanic on the Andy Griffith show before starring in a spinoff named after the same character? “It’s great to be old,” Joel said, got this for 9.

3. Driving – If a drive from the mountain time zone begins at 9 a.m. and takes 16 hours, what will the local time be upon your arrival at your destination in the eastern time zone? I said to the team, “Let Joel hit this one out of the park,” got this for 8.

4. Newspapers – What southern city has the largest circulation of any newspaper with “Chronicle” in the masthead? Miss for 1. Forgot my usual trivia mantra – “Everything’s bigger in (blank).”

5. ’90s Movies- In the 1996 film Twister, what actor portrays Bill Harding, the estranged husband of Helen Hunt’s character Jo Harding? got this for 5 – I knew this guy was in the movie, just wasn’t sure of which character he played (I’ve only seen this movie once, I wasn’t exactly “blown away” by it).

6. Rookies – Evan Longoria won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2008 while he was a member of what team – with whom he continued to play through the 2017 season? Miss for 2.

7. Companies – Name either companies for which Jack Dorsey is a CEO or co-founder – both for a nerd bonus point – miss for 3.

8. Earth – What are the two outermost layers of earth, which comprise the lithosphere? 7

9. Video Games – Judy Nails, Johnny Napalm and Axel Steel are characters in what music video game? 4

10. Instruments – In the U.S., the concertmaster of an orchestra is theleader of the first section of what stringed instrument? 6 What’s a cooler music-based title? Maestro? Or Concertmaster?

Visual Mystery –

Got them all…

Scores: ??? The Couch Pulls Out But I Don’t; ??? 33; ??? 37; Thanos Did Nothing Wrong, 47; ‘Pods, 57.

Final Category – Character History

What character first appeared in print in 1959, on television in 1981, and has been portrayed on film three times – twice by Hank Azaria as a live-action performer and once by Rainn Wilson as a voice performer?

Off our radar entirely…

Final scores: Thanos Did Nothing Wrong, 36; ‘Pods, 46. Both teams wagered 11 points!

Until next time, which will be the same place…Thursday! As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Gargamel!