Anyone remember what it used to be like back in the long, long ago? When you’d try to get your friends together for trivia games in bars? Well, we can’t really do that again quite yet, but we can get some friends together for Zoom-based trivia game! And what’s better – is you can invite your longtime bestie from Vegas and your brother and sister in-law (and their cats) who live 600 some odd miles away in the U.P.! And those friends who moved to Virginia a few years ago, yada yada (you get the point)!

It was the largest group we’d assembled for a trivia game for a while. We had a blast showing each other cans of what we were drinking (Melanie won for drinking a blueberry ale from “out East,” though my tiki-inspired IPA from a local brewery might have been a close runner up), but nobody could compete with Sam Straight being able to drink mead he’d made himself!

We didn’t do too poorly in the game but of course missed the final about 2020 music (bleah). Dave said that “new music” raised his blood pressure and caused his fist to shake controllably (hey we’re all getting older, aren’t we)? If it’s too auto tuned, you’re too old! Here were the questions:

1) Stadiums – Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium has been the home of which Pac-12 Conference university’s football team since 1920? I said that my brother needed to be the expert in all things husky since he’s a graduate of Michigan Tech and also lives in Houghton! Apparently he thought I was supposed to be an expert in U.S. flags, which came up as a topic later (boy was he wrong about me having THAT knowledge)! We got this question right, but not the flags one…

2) Commercials – Since 2010, Dean Winters has portrayed what single-named character in commercials for the insurance company Allstate? Michelle helped “steer” me in the right direction on this one (teamwork)!

3) Flags – There are four U.S. states that do not have any shade of blue on their state flags. Name two of those four states.

NERD POINT: Name three of four.

We only knew one of these

4) TV Openings – What 2006 TV series’ first episode includes a voiceover from the title character stating, “Miami’s a great town – love the Cuban food, pork sandwiches – my favorite… but I’m hungry for something different now”?

5) Rap Music – What trio, consisting of Treach, Vin Rock, and DJ Kay Gee, won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album for Poverty’s Paradise in 1996? Michelle’s husband for the win (thanks for your help, Adam)!

6) Sequels – Kristen Wiig portrays Cheetah, the primary antagonist to the title character, in a 2020 film that is a sequel to what 2017 film?

7) Words – A plectrum would most likely be used by someone in which of the following fields?

A) ConstructionB) FilmmakingC) MedicineD) Music

Thank goodness we “picked” the right answer…

8) Government – In 2021, Jennifer Granholm was confirmed by the Senate to lead what Cabinet-level department, becoming the second woman to hold the position in a non-acting capacity, after Hazel O’Leary?

9) Book Series – Dead Until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, and Club Dead are the first three in a series of over a dozen novels by Charlaine Harris in what series?

It’s not “Sweet Valley High With Vampires.” That was not our guess, but considering that our guess wasn’t correct, we might as well have put this down as our answers! Who wants to read this book series? Jessica and Elizabeth as vamp twins? Yes puh-leaze!

10) Colors – In the traditional subtractive color model taught in art classes and used to mix paints in elementary school, what is the only primary or secondary color that is not represented in a bag of Original Skittles?

Mystery – Simpsons Quotes

Name the character on The Simpsons based on their first spoken line of dialogue on the show.

M1. “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells.”

M2. “Hold your horses, son.”

M3. “Save your strength, lad.”

M4. “Good evening again, Springfield.”

Missed #2.

Final Category – 2020 Music

We wagered zero on this category. In 2020, there were a record four collaborations between two women artists that reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.Name any two of the four pairs of performers on those #1 singles.

Two of the performers we put down were correct – though sadly, Ariana Grande has never done a musical collaboration with Charo (perhaps she should)! As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Megan Thee Stallion! Really, stay classy, Megan Thee Stallion (tiny garage, indeed)!