Feb 2 Trivia: DOORHINGES WIN!

After a couple of strong trivia showings, I thought we might be due for an off-week. But Joel came bopping in, feeling it was our week to win. The competition looked fierce, with at least five strong teams present. Arriving early, Will hung out at the Bama table. Erin’s questions seemed a bit tougher. All night long our wagering choices put us in binds, and luck certainly played a role.

1. 1990’s: What 1999 Keanu Reeves movie was the first DVD to sell one million copies? The obvious choice was The Matrix. I like to think through options, and briefly considered Speed. With that doubt in our minds, we only wagered three. We were right.

2. MOVIES: Which actress played leading roles in The Other Bolin Sister, Black Swann, and Thor? Usually I start jotting down the question as soon as Erin starts reading it. I often miss part of the question, but know it will be repeated. I had missed the Black Swann part of the question, and was unfamiliar with Bolin and Thor. Michael had immediately answered Natalie Portman. When I heard the entire question, Portman sounded like a good choice. Five points.

3. SCIENCE: What type of scientist studies motion, forces, and energy? Joel immediately knew: A Physicist. One point.

4. POT-POURI: The Zodiac sign Cancer is represented by what animal? I was pretty sure it was the Crab. Will concurred, but didn’t want to wager five. We settled on three.

5. FOOD: In a restaurant, if a dish is served “Florentine”, what does it mean? We didn’t know, and guessed Cream, wagering one point. Becky would’ve surely known, but she was sitting at home. Spinach was the answer. Now the pressure was on: the had to get the next question right, or lose five points.

6. GAMES: In a standard game of darts, what is the single highest score that can be obtained from one throw? Will knew: 60 points.

7. GEOGRAPHY: What is Africa’s most populous country? Joel listed several countries. We went with South Africa. It was Nigeria. Erin said that by 2050 Nigeria will be the fourth most populous country in the world. Who knew? A three point miss.

8. HISTORY: Who was the first U.S. President to be divorced? I knew Reagan was divorced, and thought he was the first. Will only wanted to wager one point. We were right, but once again the pressure was on to answer the five point question correctly.

9. MATHMATICS: How many sides does a Dodecagon have? Michael said twelve, and Will and Joel agreed. I had no idea, but wondered if the “decagon” part meant a multiple of ten. Twelve was right.

10. HALFTIME: Give the official postal abbreviation for the following states: Alaska, Wyoming, Michigan, Iowa, Arizona. We discussed it. I thought Alaska was AL, but went with the other’s AK. I thought they would answer IA for Iowa, but Will wrote IO. Surprisingly, we finished the half just three points out of first. I couldn’t believe Bama was seven points back. Still, I knew those two Iowa points might come back to haunt us.

11. COFFEE: Traditionally, which has the most caffeine: a dark roast or a light roast? Joel immediately knew: Light. Six points.

12. SPORTS: How many inches thick is a regulation NHL hockey puck? That afternoon I was helping a co-worker. Standing at his desk, I picked up the Thrashers hockey puck on his desk. So I knew: One Inch. Will thought it was thicker, but I stuck to my guns. Four points.

13. LAW: Which amendment to the US Constitution protects citizens from unlawful search and seizure? I wasn’t sure, but for some reason the Fourth Amendment sounded right. Joel said he had just read the first five amendments earlier in the day, and knew it wasn’t one of them. So we said Six. It was the Fourth. A two point miss.

14. POT POURI: How many pecks are in a bushel? Joel wondered: Eight? Sixteen? I didn’t know, but thought Four would be a better answer. It was…two points. But now we had the six and four point answers to go.

15. LITERATURE: Who wrote Rip Van Winkle? We didn’t know…a four point miss. Bama cheered: they got it right (Washington Irving). All the more pressure on the next question…a six point miss would put us out of contention.

16. TELEVISION: It in sitcom Roseanne, what is Roseanne’s character’s last name? Joel, Will, and Michael didn’t know, so it was up to me. Though funny, I had only watched a few episodes…and that was years ago. I knew it wasn’t Barr, and Barker didn’t sound right. I thought of big John Goodman: his character was Dan. Sarah Gilbert played one of the daughters. The other daughter was played by several different actresses. Erin’s song played, and I forced myself to think…we really needed this one. It came to me, finally: Connor.

17. ANIMALS: Which US State is nicknamed the Badger state? Will was pretty sure, and I immediately knew: Wisconsin. Knowing the last two questions are usually the hardest, these six points were also big. In addition to Bama, the team next to us contained a former trivia host.

18. AMERICA: What building is pictured on the back of a ten dollar bill? We racked our brains. Joel and Will couldn’t come up with a good answer. Michael took a phone call, and I thought we’d be disqualified. His order of cookies had arrived, and Will and Joel were playfully performing surgery to repair a cookie…with surgical masks and everything. If Andrew Jackson was on the front, I didn’t think it was the Capitol, the White House. Surely not one of the memorials. I suggested the US Treasury building, though it didn’t stand out on my recent trip to Washington. Without another good option, I strongly suggested we go with the Treasury building. Luckily, it was right. Two big points.

19. FAMOUS PEOPLE: Atlanta is one of only two cities in the world to call itself home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners. Name them. We all knew: MLK Jr and Jimmy Carter. For big points. before the final question, Erin read off the standings. We kept waiting to hear our name. I was writing down the scores. Bama was near the bottom, with 42 points. We couldn’t believe it: our 61 points put us in first!

20. FINAL: Name the five most populated US cities. With the thirty point bonus for answering in the correct order looming over us, I knew our lead wasn’t safe. We debated which cities, naming several. Michael said his beloved LA was second, though I knew it at least used to be Chicago. I knew Houston was in the top five. Who was fifth? I was pretty sure Philadelphia was bigger than Washington or Boston. Along with NYC, that was the top five. We didn’t get them in order…but Bama did. Joel looked glum, but I hadn’t done the math.

Erin read the results. After reading off the eight bottom teams, only Bama and us were left. Bama 72. DoorHinges 76. We won! As expected, Joel screamed. Will joined him. Joel made a point to hug his three teammates. Embarrassed, I looked around the room, but most of our competitors seemed congratulatory. We posed for a picture, then floated outside. Will and Joel danced in the street, leaping into the air with joy.