The Prince song “Sometimes it Snows in April” was the theme song for our Tuesday night virtual trivia game, as snow was falling across SE Michigan – and probably other parts of MI too (though I don’t know that for sure). We had plenty of provisions and things to entertain us for the evening, so we looked at each other and said “Trivia?” OK!

Here were our questions:

1. Songs – According to a traditional children’s song, what character’s name “is my name too”?

2. Medical Devices – What is the common two-word term for the medical device known as a negative pressure ventilator or a tank ventilator?

3. Flavors – What plant, commonly used as a flavoring agent for tobacco and candy, has a name derived from a Greek word meaning “sweet root”? Miss, we put “menthol.” Which sounds nothing like a Greek word (our bad)!

4. Game Shows – What TV game show aired a 2015 episode in which a contestant was asked about a hit song by Blackstreet, with the multiple choice options including varying amounts of “Diggity”? Huh? Miss.

5. 2000s Movies – What 2005 boxing film follows the life of unlikely contender James J. Braddock, who defeated Max Baer (Bare) for the heavyweight championship in 1935? We’re usually 50/50 or less on getting any boxing questions correct unless we have Brad or Dave in the mix, but this time we got this (hey sometimes I know about movie boxers)!

6. Borders – Which U.S. state shares the longest land border with New York?

7. Authors – What is the first name of the author who wrote the 1847 novel Wuthering Heights? Thankfully we guessed the right sister. I thought someone told me years ago that they had a player on their team with a “Bronte” mnemonic device for remembering which Bronte sister wrote which book (but that could be a hallucination). We have no such “device” for Bronte questions our team, though we do have some other crazy mnemonic devices for remembering facts)!

8. MVPs – The only WNBA Most Valuable Player to have been born outside the U.S. is Lauren Jackson, who is from what country?

NERD POINT: She won the MVP three times while playing for what team?

Wonder how many teams got both parts of this question correct? We were torn between two countries for the correct answer, one of which was correct – but picked the wrong one.

9. Albums – What 1973 album opens with the song “Speak to Me” and ends with the song “Eclipse”? One of my favorite albums!

10. Current Events – What politician and activist is the founder of Fair Fight Action, which addresses voter suppression? Mr. Politics Mike was so upset he got this wrong…he kept saying “Anita Bryant” as his guess, and I had to tell him “No, no, NO!” Singer Anita Bryant would NOT have shared the same political views with this woman!

Mystery – Current Events

Answer the questions about events that have taken place recently.

M1. On April 14, what company that operates a cryptocurrency exchange platform went public on the Nasdaq, making its CEO, Brian Armstrong, one of the world’s richest people?

M2. Name either MLB team that has thrown a no-hitter during the 2021 season, to date—one on April 9 and the other on April 14.

M3. Don Muchow became the first person to run from Disneyland in California to Disney World in Florida, raising awareness for what pancreas-related affliction?

M4. Archaeologists announced that they have uncovered a lost city called the Dazzling Aten during excavations in what modern-day country?

We only got 3 and 4 correct (#4 was all Mike).

Final Category – Animated TV

Besides their leader, Goliath, the five original members of the Manhattan Clan on the 1990s animated series Gargoyles are named after things associated with New York.

Two are named for boroughs, two are named for roads, and one is named for a body of water. Name three of those five gargoyles.

We only vaguely remembered this series (though we liked it), but used our best judgment over what geographic NYC names would be best for gargoyle names – which prevailed! Though I was hoping “Fifty Second Street” would be one of the correct answers (or Wall Street)!

Getting this right didn’t wind up putting us anywhere near first place, but…who cares?

As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Roger Waters!