A small pod of ‘Pods met for a virtual trivia game Saturday night, wound up finishing in third overall – which is about as good as we ever do in these virtual games!

If nothing else, it was a good chance to catch up a bit with our friend Dave and his wife Susan – and drink lovely cocktails made with S. Pellegrino blood orange and black raspberry flavored sparkling mineral water (which is actually pretty inexpensive if you buy in bulk at Costco). Seriously, this is the best sparkling water I’ve ever tried, and is so flavorful you don’t need to add juice when mixing cocktails – but when you do add juice or lemonade (oh baby)! Our drinks consisted of about two shots of Kirkland vodka (more about that in a bit), about a half can of the S. Pellegrino water topped off with Kirkland organic lemonade. Can I get Costco to cut me a check for the free advertising?

While we’re on the subject of cocktails, did you know a standard 27 ounce bike bottle with the bite cap will hold roughly a fifth of booze? No, I’m not saying to go out for a bike ride with a fifth of booze in your bottle holder (you’re so silly – don’t try drinking vodka while you’re out riding)! But if you happen to have, for example – a very heavy glass bottle of Kirkland vodka from Costco – the drink mixing/pouring is much easier if you transfer the booze out of the original glass container into something lighter. Even if that “something lighter” is a plastic booze bottle. Maybe my arms are getting weaker with age, but then…maybe those bottles really are heavy (and getting that plastic film off the caps is a finger nail destroying bitch of a task)!

Something else you might not have known – a standard metal Moscow mule mug holds quite a lot more liquid than you think – you can put in a whole pint of beer into them! And this concludes today’s edition of “helpful booze tips!”

How about some trivia questions?

1. Plates -Since 2000, what U.S. city has issued license plates that feature the words “Taxation Without Representation”? Mike with right guess here.

2. Disney – In Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, how many of the dwarves wear beards? You’d have to be pretty Dopey to not know this…

3. Theme Songs – Who voices the title character on the Netflix series Carmen Sandiego? We put in what we thought was a good guess of Selena Gomez, but alas, it was a different Latina actress.

4. Quarterbacks – What West Virginia University quarterback was drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, and has since spent time with the Giants, Chargers, and Seahawks? Nice try Dave!

5. World Cities – What are the two most populous cities in India? Woot, we know more about India than we think!

6. Planets – Name either of the planets on which the effect of gravity on the surface is less than two-fifths than it is on Earth, meaning a person who weighs 180 pounds on Earth would weigh under 70 pounds.NERD POINT: Name both.We got one, but not both…the second one we missed was quite a surprise…

7. Comics – What comic strip title character is a small, bald, pantsless, and barefoot man who owns multiple pets, including a dog, cat, parrot, and duck? Did you know he also played guitar, according to David Bowie? JK…

8. Hall of Famers – What musician has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times, once as a solo artist, once as a member of the Yardbirds, and once as a member of Cream? Way, way too easy…someone ask about Yardbirds whom weren’t named Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page or Jeff Beck!

9. Beer – Grolsch and Swenker are among the top family owned breweries in what European country? Miss.

10. Painters – What Dutch painter’s most notable works include Starry Night and Irises?

Mystery – Before and After

M1. Nature magazine for kids first published in 1967 AND Adult Swim animated series featuring interdimensional travel

M2. Redheaded stand-up comedian known for using props AND 1986 film with an upcoming sequel subtitled Maverick

M3. MMA star who lost a 2017 boxing match to Floyd Mayweather Jr. AND 19th-century scientist known for his genetics experiments with peas

M4. Band known for the 1986 single “Don’t Dream It’s Over” AND Netflix political drama series that aired six seasons from 2013-2018

Dave’s comment regarding #4 was him thanking me for knowing about “crappy ’80s music.” My comment back was “Well someone has to know about it.” I also added that the ’80s was a time when men were allowed to be able to really sing – no auto tuning, no sounding like constipated old men. Which of course turned into some of us doing our best imitations of Eddie Vedder singing “Alive” and chatting about the horror of Creed doing a comeback (no…just no thank you – send back, please)!

Final Category – 1960s TV

The 1960s TV series Broadside, set at a supply base in the South Pacific, was a woman-led spin-off of what military-centric sitcom that aired from 1962-1966?Yay, we’re old! This put us in third at the end of things (not too bad, after that horrible showing in that superstitions game the night before, we’ll take it)!

Unsure when we’re doing trivia next…probably next weekend. As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Carrot Top!