Editor’s note: By special request of one of my blog followers the answers to this recap are in the comments. Please note that this will NOT occur with every game recap I post! I’ll do my *best* to try to get into the habit of posting answers to the trivia games I play, and if I do so, I’ll indicate in the headline that the answers are in the comments. Keep in mind a couple of things – old habits die hard  – and I’m doing this blog just for fun (I’m not getting paid to do it). Thanks, as always for reading! I will take this request to publish answers under consideration, but I don’t want to make promises I won’t be able to keep!

Answers are in the comments. 

So…what’s new on the pub trivia scene in Milan, MI? I just HAD to find out for myself! Wednesday, I paid a visit to The Owl, which is a coffee shop/taphouse to check out its new Sporcle Live trivia scene.  The staff was friendly, the patrons were friendly (some of them even recognized me from having seen me at other trivia games in town). So much for thinking I’d sneak into this place unnoticed (LOL)!

In my ‘hood, there is a similar type of business called Cultivate, which is also a taphouse/coffeehouse. Cultivate also serves some food, and also serves up trivia on Tuesday nights. While I like the “beer garden” area of Cultivate out behind the building (when it’s not teeming with unsupervised kids – and dogs), I’m not as much of a fan of the higher-priced beers – nor do I enjoy playing trivia games in an enclosed tent out back. As much of a “nature lover” as I am, I… prefer to do my trivia games indoors! The last time I played a trivia game outside was in the summer of 2018 at Powell’s Pub – and I STILL have a scar on my leg from a nasty bug bite I got from playing that night (it was on the verge of becoming infected and it would have – had I not aggressively treated it when I did). #confessionsofabugmagnet.

I’d say the prices of the beers at The Owl are very fair! Much kinder to the wallet than Cultivate!

As for the game? Well, I won a second place/$10 prize in game one! There were only five teams in contention (this is still a very new trivia scene). Beer money is… beer money!

As the current Sporcle Live season winds down, I thought it would be a good time to “shop” for new potential places to play (even if just for fun – not tournament qualifying purposes) when the new season begins in June.  The earlier start times…the better! We’ve decided on a trivia spot for Monday nights, but wanted to “explore” some new Wednesday spots, since we won’t be able to play 9 p.m. games every Thursday at Sticks (though we will go out to the games when we can summon players and our work schedules allow). The “flexible” trivia schedules seem to work well for a good number of our players – and keeps us from getting too bored. Some of the Thursday theme nights at Haymaker have also enticed us to check out those trivia scenes.

So what’s the verdict? All signs point to “yes” for The Owl becoming an “occasional” trivia spot – especially in the warm weather months – but not until the new Sporcle Live season begins in mid June. It will be good to have early Thursday evenings free for the Depot Town cruise nights, when my dad likes to show off his ’91 ‘Vette!

This game was a “solo” endeavor. While I made every attempt to write down the questions in their entirety, there may be certain “qualifiers” missing from these questions. And they WILL be abbreviated.  And that’s just…the way it is! Speaking of questions…

Game One

1. Presidents – Which 20th Century president was also a five-star Army general? 10

2. Video Games – In November, 2018 two games in what long-running series were released for Nintendo Switch with titles including the words “Let’s Go?” For a bonus point, name either character whose name is also in one of the titles. Got this for 3 plus the bonus. Me getting a video games question correct (IKR)? Just wait til you see my epic flub at the beginning of game two (spoilers ahead)!

3. Fairy Tales – In a fairy tale published by the Brothers Grimm, Rose-Red is the sister of what girl with a different color in her name? Darn, I was hoping she was the “evil” sister (that’s not the case), 9

4. TV Shows – Audio clip of a 2015 episode of a TV show I’ve never watched regularly. Miss…

5. Long Songs – What is the name of the Arlo Guthrie song that is more than 18 minutes long and tells the exaggerated –  but true – story of the singer’s arrest for illegally dumping trash on Thanksgiving Day? Daughter of a hippie mom – NOT going to miss this (read more about that in this other blog I wrote) 8

6. ’90s Movies – In what 1996 film based on a John Grisham novel of the same name does Samuel L. Jackson portray Carl Lee Hailey – a man accused of killing two men who assaulted his 10-year-old daughter? I can  name only three Grisham novels that were adapted into films, thankfully I picked the right one, got this for 6 (whew)!

7. Airline – Aer Lingus is the national airline of what European country? Nope for 2.

8. Sports Fans – In 1995, a group of season ticket holders for what NFL team begin wearing all black and became known as “The Black Hole?” Wrong side of the country,  (I put Buffalo Bills because they really sucked around this time) miss for 4.

9. 20th Century Fashion – Popular in 1950s rock ‘n roll fashion, on what part of the body would one wear a “winkle picker?” Miss for 5. All teams missed this.

10. Flavors – What drink mix created in 1927 by Edwin Perkins was originally available in flavors including cherry, lemon-lime, orange, raspberry and strawberry flavors and now comes in two dozen flavors 7

Mystery – This Day In History

On this day in…

M1 – 1984 – The Soviet Union announced they would be boycotting the 1984 Summer Olympic games in what city?

M2 – 1963 – Which James Bond film starring Sean Connery premiered?

M3 – 1884 – What 33rd U.S. president was born in Lamar, MO?

M4 – 1541 – Who was the first Spanish conquistador to reach the Mississippi River south of present day Memphis? “Conquistador” is such a metal word…

Got all of these. Super surprised I got #4 right (I’m usually famous for f—ing up “explorers” questions). Whenever I guess “Magellan,” it’s NOT Magellan. And when I say it’s NOT Magellan, it is Magellan. Hint – this question had NOTHING to do with Ferdinand Magellan!

Game one scores – six teams – scores 25 to 58 with “Team Number Four” in first place. I was in second with 55 points.

Final Category – Sports Geography

Yes, I wagered on this. I have gotten final questions right in this category before! But this was not going to be one of those nights…

The New York Yankees and New York Mets are the MLB teams whose home stadiums are the shortest distance apart, at approximately eight miles from each other. Which MLB team’s home stadium is the farthest away from the closest other home stadium?

All teams missed this…so I guess it didn’t matter that I put down the state’s FOOTBALL team instead of its MLB team because I didn’t even have the right state! Mental note – brush up on those sportsball teams, Heather!

Final Scores: ‘Pods, 35 “Team Number Four,” 58 (pssst, this team is REALLY called More Beer Less Pants). I’m keeping their identity secret in the Facebook posts, but “outing” them here!

Game Two

1. Novels – In a 1873 novel by Jules Verne, Phileas Fogg accepts a wager that he can circumnavigate the globe in how many days? Now I’m beginning to think questions in this category are a “curse” for our team. Years ago we missed a question for big points for having misspelled this character’s name in our answer. I missed this for…10. Not explaining how, or why…(teammates certainly would have “checked” me on this one – no making fun of me, I was playing for shits and giggles). BUT CURSE YOU JULES VERNE! What do you have against cephalopods? Oh wait…OH! Well – in that case –  you might have a point, sir! 🙂 Maybe your curse against our trivia team is justified! I TOTALLY get it now!

What can our trivia team do to stop the hate by Jules Verne (LOL)?

2. Jail – Riker’s Island is home to the main jail complex of what U.S. city? 9

3. Champions – Althea Gibson was the first African-American to win a championship in what sport? Got this but had no confidence (after going 20,000 leagues under the sea in question 1) for 1 point.

4. Reality TV – What TV series that premiered on the Food Network is hosted by Ted Allen? There was more to this question, but I didn’t write it all down. This was the Facebook clue. It has a single word title (there’s a hint for you). Got this for 8.

5. Art History – The Bayeex Tapestry depicts the Battle of Hastings, which took place in what country? There’s Iceland…the Phillippines…and Hastings…and THIS place (sorry got a little One Night in Bangkok in my head), got this for 7.

6. Shoes – Within two, in what year were Nike Air Jordans first made available to the public. Way off, miss for 5.

7. SCIENCE! – An atom or molecule that has an unequal number of electrons and protons resulting in a non-zero electric charge is known by what three-letter name? 6

8. Animated Movies – What was the second full-length feature film released by Pixar that was inspired by Aesop fables and included characters name Princess Atta and Dot? 4

9. Acronyms – Give the words represented by either of the letters F in the student aid form FAFSA? Miss for 3.

10. The Beatles – Name either song by The Beatles with titles that begin with the letter Y that hit the top 2 of the Billboard charts – name both for a bonus point. Got both for 2 plus the bonus.

Visual Mystery

Missed 3, 4.

Scores Six teams, scores 42 to 64 with “Team Number Four” in first. I was in last place (CURSE YOU JULES VERNE)! JK, JK!

Final Category – Inventions

This category terrified me. Had the category been labeled a “bit” differently, I might have wagered on this (but good thing I didn’t). Gotta ride out the rest of this game because Jules Verne’s hatred of cephalopods (which was probably really, really justified). Well, they do destroy ships and stuff…

When they were first introduced, the Levi Strauss & Co. “501” jeans included four pockets – one back pocket, two standard front pockets, and a small pocket above the right pocket, which was originally intended to hold what?

Final standings: “Team Number Four” (aka MBLP), 64; Here For The Beer (I think?), 77.

Our trivial pursuits for the week are done! We’ll be back at it next Monday. As always, Go Pods and stay classy, Officer Obie! He was the arresting officer in question 5, g1.