This was a virtual trivia game we would NOT have wanted to miss! As it turned out, because of an annoying laptop that was slower at restarting than it would be to cook up a batch of barbecue ribs (OK maybe I’m exaggerating a bit there), we almost missed out on a game we would not have wanted to miss!
So why was this game so important? Because the trivia host “Epic” picked one of our categories for the “dealer’s choice” question!

For one question each game, Epic offers a “dealer’s choice” question, in which he allows players from his regular teams to pick up to three potential categories for the game question. When he sent out the e-mail about a month and a half ago or so, these were the categories we picked:

Ok how about Norse mythology, (blank, TV series), The Simpsons, best picture winning movies, cephalopods.

The category blanked out above is the one that was asked about (and I do not want to give it away)!

As luck would have it, other game questions besides the one in the category we picked were favorable to us. We finished in fifth out of 10 teams playing in a fairly competitive pool of players from across the United States, and got a tough final question correct.

The questions:

Round One –

1 SLOGANS – What three words complete the original slogan for Pringles brand potato chips?

2 TROPHIES – The Harley J. Earl Trophy is awarded to the winner of what annual NASCAR race? We were torn between two possibilities, picked the wrong one.

3 ALBUMS – What band released the 1979 album The Long Run? There was more to this question, but this is all I wound up getting.

4 JOBS – Henry Hill, whose life is chronicled in the 1985 true crime book titled Wiseguy, is best-known for holding what non-standard occupation?

NERD POINT: This book was the basis for what 1990 film?

Got this for the points plus the bonus.

Mystery One – Visual

Round Two –

5 ONLINE – The addition of “/s” (slash-S) at the end of a comment or statement on websites such as reddit is meant signify what to readers, in order to not be misinterpreted? My trivia pardner knew this, I did not. Teamwork!

6 ANIMATED TV – What FX animated series which debuted in 2009 has seasons with subtitles including Dreamland and Danger Island? This was the question we picked from our choices of categories, woot! We watched the newest episode after the game.

7 BOOKS – What novel by Richard Wright, divided into three books—Fear, Flight, and Fate—is set on the South Side of Chicago in the 1930s? We picked the wrong Richard Wright book, miss.

8 NAMESAKES – What Texas city was named for a Portuguese Catholic priest who lived primarily in the 13th century and was made a saint less than a year after his death?

DISNEY SONGS – Name the Disney animated film based on the two songs.

M1. “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” and “Love Is an Open Door”

M2. “Casey Junior” and “Baby Mine”

M3. “Part of Your World” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls”

M4. “A Most Befuddling Thing” and “Higitus Figitus”

Missed #2 and #4 (though Mike was in the ballpark for his guess on the fourth answer).

We were in fifth with 44 points going into the final.

Final Category – Science Terms
In science, a phase change occurs when matter moves from one state to another, such as from a liquid to a solid, which is called freezing.

Give the term for EITHER the phase change from a solid to a gas OR the phase change from a gas to a solid.

Mike really massaged his brain to come up with this answer and it paid off. Fist bump!

Did not change the standings.

As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Malory Archer (RIP Jessica Walter).