What do you get when you have a guy sitting in a bar drawing a methane-powered early 1800s colonial airship powered by galley slaves, someone doing their best imitation of Pam from the TV series “Archer” and someone saying that “Whomever decided that Dinobots should be a toy was a genius by combining two such popular kids’ toys?” Why…trivia night with the ‘Pods, of course! I’m hearing that my imitation of Pam was actually pretty…spot on (I’m not sure that’s a good thing or not…when you’ve lived in Michigan all of your life, it’s second nature to be able to mimic folks living from states next door, apparently)!

Pam is the Archer character with whom I most identify, though I also have a thing or two in common with Lana Kane (tall, have big hands).

As for the game? It was a good night to bet it all on the final questions! Sadly, we didn’t do that in game one – wagering just four points on the category of “TV Adaptations.” It’s a gamble, really…we wagered zero on the final category of Emmy Awards a couple of weeks ago – which essentially every team missed, but of COURSE we knew the answer to the TV adaptations question! We were in a tiebreaker for first in game two, but lost out on it by sending up someone who didn’t know about science – to answer a tiebreaker question about science (we didn’t know what category it would be, but might have gotten first had we sent up the actual scientist who plays on our team instead of me)! Sometimes that’s the way the trivia “cookie” crumbles, and as Tom Hanks said so eloquently in A League of Their Own:

We still remain in first in the overall standings at Sticks for the Monday games, though we finished in third for the night (woe is us for not wagering more confidently on the game one final). Maybe the subject of that final question has “cursed” us? 🙂

Apparently a couple of teams are “gunning” for us! One of whom is Peas Above Stick, which I’m calling a “spinoff” team (the players also play on another league team playing on a different night) and a team that usually brings 10 or so people to its games (I still haven’t figured out who they are). What did Rachel Dawes say to Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight that’s kind of relevant here? Bear with me…I’m in a “meme-a-riffic” mood today!

If other teams want to take us on, I say BRING IT! It’s good to keep us on our toes! Just feels like a weird role reversal, since we’re usually the ones going on the “attack!”

And the questions…

Game One

1. Organizations – What international humanitarian organization uses a flag that is the same as a Switzerland flag – except with the colors switched? 10

2. Word Leaders – From 1965 to 1986 Ferdinand Marcos served as president of what Asian island nation with much of that time as a dictator? 9

3. Logos – Since 2000, Verizon Wireless has used a logo that includes its name alongside what symbol? 8

4. Movie Vehicles (pssst…it wasn’t about Tom Cruise movies) – A white and yellow Volkswagen T2 Microbus is featured prominently in what 2006 Adacemy Award nominated film? 7

5.Book Covers – First published in 1981, what Shel Silverstein book has a cover that depicts a child whose head includes the top portion of a house? Definitely Gen X trivia fodder right there…6.

6. Formulas – What chemical compound has a formula that is identical to that of water except with an additional oxygen atom? 5

7. ’70s Music – When this category was read, Brad said, “That will be something Joel and I will probably know.” I said “Hey – I might know this one, too.”

If they were known by their first names, what English band primarily active in the ’70s would have been called Keith, Greg and Karl? Yup…this one was all me (sorry to prove you wrong, Brad)! 4.

8. Sitcoms – The TV sitcom Cougar Town originally aired for six seasons total on two different networks. Name one of those two networks, both for a bonus point. Got one but not both for 2.

9. Coaches – Who served as head coach for the New England Patriots from 1997 to 1999 between Parcells and Belichick? Miss for 1.

10. Mythology – Arachne turns into what in Greek mythology (this question is heavily abbreviated)? 3

Mystery –

Put the following fast food items in order as to when they made their debut at their restaurants.

Big Mac (McDonald’s), Whopper (Burger King), Curly Fries (Arby’s), Frosty (Wendy’s)

Only managed to put one in the correct order (no Happy Meals for us after the game).

Scores: Seven teams, scores 51 to 64 with Peas Above Stick in first. we were in second with 61.

Final category – TV Adaptations

TV is always a hit or miss category, so we wagered a conservative four points…

What comic book character, who was first introduced in 1962, and later had a comic book series of her own, has been the title character of multiple live-action TV series, as well as animated series partially titled Friends Forever and Secret Life?

What did we wager again? Oh yes…next to nothing. And this would have to be about a comic character Mike had a complete crush on as a kid (and still does as an adult)! Were strange magicks afoot – or were we just hit with a case of the dumbs? Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb dumb! Anyone else remember that South Park episode with the Mormons? 

Final standings: Stop The Bus, 80; Peas, 82.

Game Two

1. Zodiac – Which western zodiac sign begins at approximately the same time as summer in the northern hemisphere? 10

2. Action Films – What actor’s highest-grossing films at the U.S. box office were titled Under Siege, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory and Exit Wounds? Mike and I were almost embarrassed that we knew this… 9

3. Soccer – The MLS team that was known previously as the Metrostars is now known by what name after the energy drink that purchased them? 8

4. Reality TV – In May, 2019 Yvie Oddly was named the winner of what reality competition series – defeating Brooke Lynn Hytes, Shuga Cain and Honey Davenport? Joe and I teamed up with success here based completely on profiling (neither of us have ever watched this series), 5.

5. Commercials – Audio clue of someone talking about 22 flavors and watermelon flavored pants (sorry folks I don’t write down audio clues), got for 3.

6. Tours – What singer and former American Idol runner-up has joined Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor on a number of tours since their collaboration in 2011?  FB clue, 7.

7. Book Publication – Within 10 – at the time it was published, George Orwell’s novel 1984 was set how many years in the future? Mike with the right guess for 6.

8. Universities – What Ivy League university originally founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island  Plantations before being renamed for a prominent benefactor? 4 And here I thought this would be a “sportsball” question!

9. Desserts – What fruit and ice cream based dessert is often prepared as a flambe and was created at a New Orleans restaurant that is named for a chairman of the city’s crime commission – whom was also a friend of the restaurant owner?  Joel the big hero here, 2.

10. Countries – What island country is volcanically active due to its location on the boundary between the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate? Joel again with a slam-dunk to finish the regular round for 1 (gotta love it when you end a regular round with your one pointer). Bonus point for correctly spelling this country’s most populous city and capital (we were only team getting this bonus point, LOL). 

Mystery – 

Missed #4. My bad…I didn’t actually LOOK at the picture, only the text underneath. And Joel suggested the right answer but the “memo” didn’t get delivered before we handed in our slip….

Scores: Seven teams, scores ??? to 62 with the ‘Pods and Peas Above Stick tied for first. 

Final Category – Scientists

After wagering next to nothing on the game one final and getting our asses spanked for that (thank you sir, may I have another) we were feeling more “ballsy” this time…

Zapp Brannigan on Futurama inquires about whether the ship captain Leela has a spanking regiment for her crew members…they tell him “No, she just makes us do work and stuff.”

Final Question: 

The element with atomic number 99 was named for Albert Einstein and the element with atomic number 103 was named for Ernest Lawrence. The three elements between them were also named for scientists. Name one of those three scientists. 

I had to be really, really pushy here to make sure the guess I wanted to go with wound up getting written down on the answer slip. I had no real “backup” from our team’s scientist that the guy I wanted actually had an element named for him, but I was sure he was Swedish, dammit – and had a big science thing named for him!

And everyone was glad I got all pushy about this, because we got it… which put us in a tiebreaker for first with Peas Above Stick.

Tiebreaker question: What is the boiling point for silver in Fahrenheit?

I apparently used up all of my “science” knowledge getting that final correct. My guess on this tiebreaker was NOWHERE NEAR CLOSE! As for science, I know names of some science people, some animal classification stuff and some element names – but I don’t know about… boiling points and stuff! D’oh? Sorry guys (hangs head in shame)! 

We’ll be back at it Thursday at Sticks for its “other” trivia night (yay I don’t work Friday so I can play a late show)! As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Enrico Fermi!