Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
Tomorrow and Friday mornings (September 14 and 15) I get to host The Summer Institute of Teaching and Technology at UC Davis. I’ve been attending this yearly event for the last 28 of its 29 years, and I’ve been the host for more than 15 of those years.
As you can see from the page of on-demand content, this year I recorded interviews with ten colleagues, a few have which have participated in my pub quizzes over the years. Most people come for the synchronous presentations and the chance to engage with colleagues, even via Zoom. Faculty love to learn from their peer instructors about their plans for effective teaching in fall classes and throughout the school year at UC Davis.
If you know a faculty member who would be interested in “Small Acts, Big Impacts” (our theme this year), then please invite them to join us for this free event. At about 12:50 on Thursday, September 14th, attendees will also get to see me read the annual SITT Poem. This year’s poem playfully rhymes “Dr. Andy” with “namby-pamby” (a word which is sure to be an answer to a future pub quiz question).
Speaking of people who step up to participate, I want to send a special shout-out and thanks to Gena Harper, known on YouTube as Gena Harper, Blind Woman of Action. A remarkable Davisite, Gena has used her circumstances to inspire sighted and visually impaired people alike with the way she rushes with brisk and cheerful readiness towards any sort of challenge. Gena has supported me and our pub quiz at the Platinum Tier on Patreon. Gena’s participation may obligate me to record some audio quizzes in the future.
I will be interviewing Gena and another blind friend on my KDVS radio show this afternoon at 5. Tune in then or check out the podcast recording tomorrow morning.
Please join us tonight at 7 at Sudwerk for the Pub Quiz. As you compete, you will encounter questions about entities that go, archaeologists, tree names, Live Aid, shovels, chocolate bars, thunderbolts of joy, famous binders, notable roads, clay particles, circuses, paydays, big smiles, wolves, ice skating, the work of nuns, separate bathrooms, people who wield spears, famous Danes, androids, space rangers, superheroes, unfortunate drifts, hearing loss concerns, horror shows, Yorkshire exports, scopes, amateur emptiness, frogs and monarchs, odd elements, polar bears, red towns, French people, big cities, current events, and Shakespeare.
Thanks to The far-flung Original Vincibles, as well as to Quizimodo, Summer Brains, The Outside Agitators, the aforementioned Gena Harper and others who support the Pub Quiz on Patreon. One member of one of those team, Catriona McPherson, was recently announced as the winner of the Anthony Award for Best Humorous Novel. Anyone who gets to talk to Catriona in person can attest to her humor. Congratulations, Catriona, and thanks to you for reading to the end of the newsletter.
Best,
Dr. Andy
Here are three questions from our last quiz.
- Gangsters. Born in Italy with the name Salvatore, and later taking the name Charles, who is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States and was the first official boss of the modern Genovese crime family?
- Pop Culture – Music. What singer and actress had a number one hit in 2019 with “Lose You to Love Me” and a number three hit in 2022 with “Calm Down”?
- Sports. What former Baltimore Oriole holds the record for consecutive games played (2,632), having surpassed Lou Gehrig’s streak of 2,130 that had stood for 56 years and that many deemed unbreakable?
P.S. Congratulations to the team Portraits for scoring 28 of 30 questions correctly on last week’s quiz. One of the captains of Portraits will be (uncharacteristically) absent tonight, so we will see if the team can keep up with the leaders without this figurehead.
P.P.S. Thanks to all the people that reached out to Kate and me on the occasion of our 31st wedding anniversary. I feel lucky to have held Kate’s interest (and hand) for so long.