Three years ago – me and my trivia team – including myself, my “regulars” Mike and Brad – and one “loaner” who fell into my lap just days before the tournament named David – wound up at the top of the heap at a trivia tournament at an Applebee’s restaurant in Taylor, MI. We won a $2,500 prize. You can read a recap of that trivia game here: https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/hebontheweb.blog/4574

Three years later, which is…today – pub trivia is only happening in a limited capacity because of COVID-19. In some ways I miss the pub trivia scene, but in other ways…I don’t. I’d be lying if I said that the level of competition that my team played (driven mostly by me) – was all too often an unnecessary source of stress. Having to play the required number of games to qualify for tournaments (in more than one trivia league), having to “hustle” players to come to tournaments (which was often easier said than done) and ultimately – not embarrassing ourselves once we got to the tournaments – well, looking back – it really was too much. It definitely took a negative toll on my mental health. Though – it was good for me to have the social interactions and have trivia games to write about! Those things I really miss. I don’t see myself setting foot in a bar for trivia games until maybe 2021.

These days, I’m just playing the “virtual” trivia games. They’re not the same as meeting friends in the bar for trivia nights, but they’re better than not playing any trivia games at all! In fact, I’ve “seen” some people more (even if only in a Zoom conference call sense) in the past few months than I’ve seen them in person! I’ve had my brother virtually join in on a few trivia games, as well as a friend who moved to Virginia a few years ago. Now that weather is warmer and bars are open for patio service, I’m not doing quite as many of the virtual games, but we’re still doing some. Kim always wants me to join in for the ’90s music trivia games even though it’s not my strongest category. Occasionally I”m able to step in with an answer she doesn’t know (vis a vis the Rammstein answer in the most recent game).

Unlike in regular pub trivia games, I also get to see people’s pets – and kids at the virtual games! Kim’s puppy almost always makes a cameo, as do her daughters (the older one almost always waves hi) and her husband. He was amused by my impression of Annie Potts in Ghostbusters when she did the “Do you believe in…” speech. Sometimes I like to ham it up!

I don’t see trivia tournaments happening again in the next six months or more. But I’ll treasure some of the really good memories! Like Archie fixing us Moscow mules at his house after a tournament in April, 2018 when we won $150 because the power was out at all of the bars near us. RIP Archie – who almost always said “It would be an honor” when I asked him to join our team for tournaments!