One of the players commented during Friday’s Sporcle Live virtual trivia game meetup that our zoom meeting was like the “Who’s on First” comedy routine. Yes, it was a strange and disconnected mental place to be, for sure! The “actual” places we were included a couple of basements (one in Ypsilanti, one in Dearborn) and the other a “hallway office” in Las Vegas. The fact that our dear friend Michelle aka Suzie Ayala decided to locate her work office (actual work office not a home office) in the hallway of an office building is something we joke about quite often (she actually likes the attention the oddly placed office allows her – and she isn’t huge on privacy)! She thrives on distractions – and there were plenty of those during the virtual trivia game!

The questions Friday certainly inspired some odd conversations! Mainly related to my deja vu (I seemed to have vaguely remembered playing a game with similar questions not long ago). If anyone would like to read a recap of that game, here it is: https://wordpress.com/post/hebontheweb.blog/18640

This doesn’t mean we got all of the answers right (hey my brain ain’t THAT good)! But at least a couple that we missed the first time we battled the questions were right this time!
And without further ado…the questions:

1. Candy – Introduced in 1908, the first variation of the standard milk chocolate Hershey’s Bar included what additional ingredient? Michelle immediately had the right guess for this. Yummy way to start the game!

2. Settlements – Of the 20 southernmost settlements with at least 1,000 inhabitants, one is located on the Falkland Islands, 18 are in South America and 1 is located in what other country? Just like last time, we were torn between two possibilities, but unlike last time, we picked the right one!

3. Paint – First made commercially in the 1950s, what fast-drying water-based paint’s name is derived from “sharp” and “to smell?” Helpful that at least one other player knew a “smelly” root word meaning… got this wrong when we played this the first time, got it right Friday!

4. Young Stars – Ja Morant, the Rookie of the Year Award winner for the 2019-20 NBA season, plays for which team? Nope, nope, nope…miss.

5. Chemistry – Also known as a molecular bond, what is the most common bond in organic chemistry which involves sharing electrons between atoms? Michelle taught chemistry for a few years, and Dave has a degree in organic chemistry, so no way we were missing this one (fist bump)!

6) Lullabies – What poem by Eugene Field, with a title made up of its main characters’ sleepy-sounding names, tells the story of three children who go sailing and fishing in a large wooden shoe? Missed that in 2019, and missed it this time…

7. Restaurants – In what world capital city did Gordon Ramsay open a restaurant in 1998? Thank you David and Susan for eating at one of his restaurants in the correct city (never know what experiences will help in a trivia game)! They said the gazpacho soup was amazing (which made Mike the Tomato Fiend really drool). I like the idea of gazpacho – it sounds and looks fancy – but cold tomato soup not really my thing (sorry Gordon Ramsay, don’t yell at me)!

8. 2000s Movies – What 2003 film features Frankie Muniz as an undercover spy? for a bonus point, what actress played his love interest in this movie? Missed the bonus, picked the right movie.

9. Famous Groups – What nickname was given to agents working under Elliott Ness whose job it was to take down Al Capone? Strange conversations inspired by this question…silk underwear, Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, DeNiro…baby carriages on precarious staircases… I think Dave’s head was swimming by this point in complete randomness (sorry buddy – but that’s what trivia questions will do to the brain)!

10. Magazines – What magazine showcases young entrepreneurs in an annual feature called 30 Under 30?

Mystery – Quickfire

Name the four U.S. state capitals with names that begin with the letter “B.”

Easy for some capitol critters like us…anyone remember that TV series (speaking of random)?We were in third with 60 points going into the final. I think the top dogs had 62 points.

Final Category – Scientists

What is the last name of the physicist, who was born in modern-day Poland and lived much of his life in the Dutch Republic, who invented the mercury-in-glass thermometer in the early 18th century?

This wasn’t the same question we had in that other game where the questions were similar to these. But we still managed to come up with the right guy! This put us in second place (we were pretty happy with that)!

Next Pods outing will be next Thursday (April 8) anniversary virtual game (one year anniversary of Sporcle Live offering virtual trivia games). As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Gordon Ramsay (please don’t yell at me or throw food at me)!