Answers in the comments.

For no real “reason” at all, other than to get our “Three Amigos” together for trivia, we did a little meetup Sunday at the YpsiAlehouse. We hadn’t met for trivia there since St. Patrick’s Day, now they have a sign on the entry door alerting people that the restrooms are “customer use only.” I have heard that combination locks have also been placed on the stall bathrooms in the basement. Last time we were there, the single-seat restroom on the main level was occupied for at least 20 minutes by a person whom was not a customer.

Well then…I guess I’m glad that I didn’t have to use the bathroom during the game! I hope the signage and locks help alleviate issues with improper bathroom use, but boy oh boy if I REALLY had to go and was greeted with a locked stall, I just might scream loud enough to wake the dead! When Mother Nature calls, she does NOT want to be placed on hold!

I didn’t exactly keep my eyes on the bathroom door in the main room, but my husband he didn’t notice anyone sitting in there too long. Maybe there’s hope?

Now how about that trivia game though? No prizes, got both easy, easy final questions correct.

The questions:

Game One/Round One

1 TV Landmarks – In 2015, a bench inspired by what AMC series was appropriately unveiled outside the Time-Life Building in Manhattan? Good guess.

2 Books – What seven-letter word completes the title of a 2002 memoir by Elizabeth Taylor, who had an extensive collection of the word in question – My Love Affair with blank? A bit of discussion, but got it.

3 Board Games – Trying to steal a late night snack without getting caught is the object what board game introduced by Parker Brothers in 1992?

4 Presidents – Name one of the two US presidents sworn into office by former president William Howard Taft?

NERD POINT – Name both.

Anyone else ever wonder why we always feel compelled to include Taft’s middle name when we refer to him? I mean…we don’t normally say “William Jefferson Clinton,” “Warren Gamaliel Harding” or “Stephen Grover Cleveland” when we refer to these presidents. And it’s not like there was more than one president named Taft, like we have two Bushes, two Adamses and two Harrisons whom have previously served as president.

Why does Taft get to have a middle name that we all seem to have to remember – yet how many of us remember… say – Calvin Coolidge’s middle name?

Psst…it’s Calvin! Now who knows what his actual first name was – and also who swore him in first as an emergency measure until it could be done officially?

Oh yeah, we got this question wrong on both counts…it’s not often our team misses questions on this topic ☹️

Mystery Round One – Before and After

M1 – 1984 film starring Ralph Macchio AND NES game released in North America in 1987 that features a protagonist named Pit

M2 – Sitcom character played by Sherman Helmsley in the 1970s AND only president of the Confederate States of America

M3 – One who imitates another’s behavior AND British singer- songwriter inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014

M4 – Type of automobile with a closed body and a closed trunk separated from the part in which the driver and passengers sit AND anchor of CBS Evening News from 1981-2005

We thought our desperate last second guess of “Mimick Jagger” was a good one (even though Mr. Jagger in all likelihood was inducted into the HOF much earlier than 2014).

Round Two

5 US History – The 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, which occurred in response to the violent and constant police harassment of drag queens and trans people, has been considered a turning point for LGBTQ+ rights in what West Coast city?

6 1970s Music – What night of the week is “alright for fighting” in a 1973 song by Elton John and the night that the Bay City Rollers are “dancin’ to the rhythm in our heart and soul” in a 1975 song?

As a side note, a decade earlier, singer Sam Cooke also described this night as one where he “ain’t got nobody.” And the singer we missed in the mystery round covered this song on his 1975 greatest hits album. So disappointing that two subjects that I thought I knew a couple of things about we wound up flunking on this trivia night! 🤣 As Sam Cooke might sing, “I don’t know much about presidents…don’t know much about singers named Cat…”

7 Highways – A 64-mile loop of I-495 called the “Beltway” encircles what major Eastern US metro area? The only time I ever saw a Maserati in the wild was when we were stuck in crawling rush hour traffic near this city on a 2017 road trip (trust me it was NOT going 185 miles per hour)!

8 Oscars – Salma Hayek was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for a 2002 film in which she plays whar real life person?

Mystery Round Two – EGOT in Order

Place the following four EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winners according to when they completed the honor, starting with the earliest

John Legend, Rita Moreno, Viola Davis, Whoopi Goldberg

Brad elbowed me and said “This sounds like a ‘Heathergory.'” I said “God I hope so!! After flunking that presidents question and a question about the British musician who converted to Islam in the 1970s, virtually dropped out of the public eye for a number of years, changed his name, started recording again, shortened his name, made some controversial remarks about exiled writer Salman Rushdie, was on a no-fly list following 9-11… recorded a benefit single called Indian Ocean in 2005 for tsunami victims featuring A-ha’s former keyboardist…

Whew! Had I been reading that previous sentence aloud, I not only would have packed a lunch, but would probably wind up breathless!

Redemption!!!! We got this entire round correct (I love it when I don’t let my team down)! Keep expectations low!

We were in fourth heading into the final with 42 points, which is about where I expected we’d land in a place where – in most cases – there is strength in numbers (there is a guy who plays solo who has done quite well in some games). For only three of us, we did “OK!”

And of course when we decide to bet it all the question wind-up being easy enough for most teams to get correct:

Category – Laws

What federal law was passed in 1972 following national outrage after Time magazine published photos of the burning Cuyahoga River three years earlier?

Yup, nearly every team got this…

Game Two/Round Three

9 Companies – What delivery company headquartered in Memphis was founded in the early 1970s by Frederick W. Smith?

10 Commercials – Audio clip, had to ID Motown group whose song was parodied in the commercial (parody of Same old Song). Got it, though Motown qs like these are always a coin toss between two prominent Motown groups.

11 Baseball – What baseball statistic, used to measure the power of a hitter,is calculated by dividing total bases at bats? Miss…

12 Instruments- What instrument is also known as a French harp? Miss, never heard this term before.

Mystery Round Three

Words in States

Each clue is the definition of a four-letter word that is found in the name of a US state. Name the STATE.

M1 A fold stitched into cloth to shorten, decorate or control fullness

M2 The central act of worship of the Roman Catholic Church

M3 Area just underneath the knee

M4 Basic taste sensation associated with a lemon

Got all of these correct

Round Four

13 Money- NOK is the three-letter international code for thr currency of what country?

NERD POINT: What is the name of this country’s currency?

Miss and miss (we were 0 for two on nerd point questions).

14 Animals – Which of the following is NOT a ruminant – cow., deer, horse or sheep?

And yet AGAIN, we get a trivia category we think we know a couple of things about (well, Brad, in this case), and yet we face plant. And it’s even multiple choice! We had a 25 percent chance of getting this right, and nope… (woe was us on this trivia outing).

15 Food – What stewed vegetable dish, using zucchini, eggplant and bell peppers, among other vegetables, has a name derived from a French verb, meaning “to stir up?”

15 TV Characters – Leslie, Ann, Tom and Ron are among the main characters on what TV series that debuted in 2009 and aired seven seasons?

Mystery Round Four – Visual

Missed 1 and 2.

Rougher round for us, 32 points going into the final, we bet it all on the category of….

Collectibles

Advertising executive Gary Dahl was the creator of what short-lived fad, which was notable for its creative packaging and “training” manual that was more than 30 pages long?

Again, nearly all of the teams got this correct. I wonder how easy the venue tournament questions will be this week? 🤔🙄🤨

We’ll find out Thursday at Original Gravity! With the skeleton crew of players we have these days, as always, we don’t expect TOO much! Though we do have experience on our side, for sure. I’m not even sure how many players I’ll have for the upcoming Globe Games, should those be an option for us. Hell, even if it’s just my husband and I available, well…

As Yoda might say…

As always, Go Pods, and stay classy Cat Stevens, Yusuf Islam, Yusuf, artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, however you identify these days!