Editor’s note: I intended to post this much earlier, but I didn’t hit the “publish” button a second time and it saved as a draft. I was wondering why it didn’t get any views! 

It was a more “bustling” night than usual at Sticks Thursday, with the prevailing theory being that Eastern Michigan University students were celebrating being finished with classes. Ah, that takes me back! You could almost always tell when college students had something to celebrate back when I was a student at Central Michigan University. More red plastic solo cups littering the parking lot of my apartment complex than usual, a lot more audible “woo hooing” than usual and extending later into the wee hours and slightly more crowded bars.  I remember coming down with a case of food poisoning when I was finished with classes in late 1993 so (balls) I couldn’t even celebrate that with some drinks! I tried having a drink, but couldn’t hold it down. I couldn’t hold down anything but Cream of Wheat and ramen noodles for a couple of days (I placed the blame on a deli called Max and Emily’s). But the water weight loss was a bonus!

One of my favorite trivia “mantras” is: “It doesn’t matter how you know an answer as long as you know it.” Super Troopers 2 may not have been as good as the original or very memorable, but me remembering the plot line helped us get the final question correct in game two! Another good trivia “mantra” is “Everything’s bigger in Texas.”

We (me, Mike and Evan) had a bit of a rough go of things in game one, but we finished in first with a $15 gift card in game two. Who says it doesn’t pay off to watch Broken Lizard movies?

The questions… (which will be abridged):

Game One

1. Til The Cows Come Home – Which U.S. state has an estimated 12.5 million cattle, more than other U.S. state by a large margin? Not confident, but got this for 3.

2. Celebrations – In which decade of the 20th century did the United Nations begin celebrating International Women’s Day? Miss for 2, we went too late.

3. College Basketball – What school has won the most regular season Big 10 conference championships in men’s basketball, though they have never won a national championship and have only made the Final Four twice? Evan said this was not a strong category for him, but we got this for 1.

4. Fictional Holidays – On what animated series do the residents celebrate “Whacking Day?” 10

5. Grammar – What is the term for an adverb placed between the word “to” and a verb, i.e. “to boldly go” and “you have to really go?” Miss for 4.

6. Cooking – In addition to bell pepper, name one of the two vegetables that traditionally make up the “holy trinity” of cajun cooking? Name both for a bonus point. Got one but not both for 5.

7. Presidents – Who was the first U.S. president to receive a Medal of Honor, receiving it in 2001 – 82 years after his death? I knew this answer for 9 points because of having missed a “related” question in a MTL finals tournament in February, 2018. That question was:

Sports – Baseball great Jackie Robinson was born the same year as what U.S. president who died – and was named in his honor? We missed this one in the tournament. Love these little “redemption” moments!

8. Actors – What actor has received Academy Award nominations for best actor playing characters named Danny, Howard, Jordan and Hugh? Funny, I viewed a slideshow showing pictures of actors and the real-life people they played about an hour before the game – and one of those real life people was Jordan (you never know what might help you get an answer right in a trivia game), got this for 8.

9. Art History – The Bauhaus Art School existed from 1919 to 1933 in what country? 7

The British gothic band Bauhaus, whose highest-charting U.S. hit was Kick in the Eye, which peaked at #29 on the U.S. club charts. I listened to it this morning, it’s not bad (but then I have been told I like “Eurotrash” music, LOL)!

10. Genres – In 2017, for the first time since Nielsen began measuring music consumption in the U.S., what genre surpassed “rock” as the most consumed genre? Torn between two, including the correct one – missed for 6. Maybe I should write a hip-hop song about this miss? 🙂

Mystery – This Day in History

ON this day in…

M1 –  1983 – What country’s leader wrote a letter to fifth grade Samantha Smith – inviting her to visit their country?

M2 – 1990 – What large scientific instrument was placed in low Earth orbit by crew members of Discovery?

M3 – 1831 – Lion of the West opened, chronicling the exploits of what frontiersman, who died five years later?

M4 – 1940 – What Oscar-winning actor who will play Jimmy Hoffa in a Martin Scorsese movie called The Irishman was born in New York?

Missed #1 and #4 . I knew the birth year was wrong for the guy we put for #4 (big fan of him, and yes I know what year he was born), but just couldn’t come up with the right person (we handed in our slip when Tim was calling for them).

Scores: Twelve teams, scores ??? (second lowest 27) to 63, with Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Beams in first. We were in fourth with 50 points, behind the league teams One is the Loneliest Number (56) and Dirty Mike and the boys (59).

Final Category – Flags

Name either of the two European countries that have national flags that are NOT rectangular in a 2-to-3 ratio.

We definitely needed our flag expert Brad for this question…we wagered 20 and missed.

Game winners: Karen I Miss The Kids Please Come Home I Love You, 67 (moved up from fifth), and Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Beams, 80.

Game Two

1. Subtitles – An Unexpected Journey and The Battle of Five Armies are subtitles of the first and last films in what series? For a bonus point, name the subtitle of the second film, got this for 10 plus the bonus.

2. Math – What Greek mathematician was born in the Fourth Century B.C. and has been called the Founder of Geometry? Miss for 4, though the right guy was suggested (sorry Evan)!

3. Words – What nine-letter adjective describes joking inappropriately or meant to be humorous and includes all five vowels in order (alphabetically, not consecutively)? 9

4. Records – The 2013 single Rap God set a Guinness record for having the most words at 1,560 and was recorded by what artist? Evan reached for the point slip bearing the most value here – got this for 8.

5. Memes – What is Kermit drinking in a popular Internet meme that usually ends with the phrase “But that’s none of my business?” 7

6. Ingredients – Florentine, when used in recipe lingo, describes what specific vegetable? 6

7. Sports Teams – The Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Memphis Hustle and Greensboro Swarm are among 27 teams in what pro sports minor league? Name the league, not the sport. Evan knew this for 1.

8. ’60s TV – The ’60s TV series Lost in Space was a futuristic adaption of an 1812 novel by Johann David Wyss? Waste of Facebook clue for us old fogeys, 2

9. Actors – Audio clue describing an actor who received his first Oscar win for his work in a 2004 film and his first nomination when he was 50, also starred on The Electric Company (this clue favored the two Gen Xers playing), got this for 3.

10. Festivals – The South by Southwest conference, film and music festival has occurred annually in what U.S. capital city since 1983? 2.

Visual Mystery –

Got them all.

Scores: Twelve teams, scores ??? (second  lowest 39) to 62, with One is the Loneliest Number in first, ahead of Dirty Mike and the Boys (61) and us, who had 60 points.

Final Category – Languages

According to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics, English is the most-spoken language in all 50 states, and Spanish is the second-most spoken language in 46 states. Name one of the two states where French is the second-most spoken language.

Mike initially wrote down a state, but Evan and I talked him out of it. At the end of things, both teams who wrote down that state – and crossed it off – wound up getting it right. All because I remembered the plot of the 2018 movie Super Troopers 2. This isn’t the first time we’ve gotten a final question correct in a trivia game because of having watched Broken Lizard movies! Yes, it’s frat boy humor…but sometimes lowbrow is funny!

Scores: Karen  I Miss the Kids Please Come Home I Love you, 69; ‘Pods, 80. Shout out to team “Karen” for getting both of those final questions correct (we should’ve made Brad stay up past his bedtime and play with us, LOL)!

Until next time, which will be the My Trivia finals Saturday, where I’ll be a “guest” of the Squirrels team. This is their first trip to a trivia finals, let’s hope they take home some delicious nuts to bury! Or… maybe a little cash? Beginner’s luck? Hey, we can dream! As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Morgan Freeman (which shouldn’t be too difficult)!