Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
Our new French Bulldog puppy Margot is a remarkable creature. At three and a half months old, she is younger than many of the babies whom my wife Kate supports at her new parent support group at Mother and Baby Source Wednesday mornings. Nevertheless, Margot is a fast learner and a faster sprinter, despite her small size.
The Buddhist term “Ayatana” refers to the “sense-base” of all sentient creatures, and could be better understood by people who don’t speak the Middle Indo-Aryan language Pali as the five senses, only Buddhists add a sixth sense of the mind which perceives mental objects. Awakening to one’s sense impressions is an important part of being alive, the Buddha suggested. Keeping this perspective in mind, I’ve noticed Margot’s seemingly active and perceptive sense-base, as evidenced by our frequent trips to the front yard.
For example, at some point someone dropped a bit of orange peel in our grass, and it might have remained there for years had our perceptive hound not smelled it and brought it out to play with, tossing it high (for her) and then rooting it out again, despite not having a proper snout for rooting. Margot would have smelled so much more during this last week if we had let her spend more time in the unhealthy air, which even we can smell every time we step outside with her.
Margot loves to taste everything, from the roots of the birch tree that to her resemble chewy bones, to her pink leash when she wants to play, to our fingers when she wants to kiss us a bit too aggressively. We, in turn, activate her taste buds by rewarding her for treats when her training regimen warrants it. She has an appetite for life.
Sometimes Margot just plops on her back and rolls, sometimes entangling herself in her leash as she rolls. Like many dogs, Margot approximates a smile when on her back, responding to the pleasing touch of having her belly rubbed. At such time, her pants resemble giggles.
We know her eyes work well, for she spots neighbors walking their own dogs a block or more away. If she had a tail, Margot would wag it at the sight of such neighbors, for often they can’t resist dropping by to become reacquainted. We look forward to introducing Margot to a dog park after the vet administers the last of her vaccinations tomorrow. At the park our pup will see eye to shoulder with a great number of new friends.
Mostly, Margot hears. French bulldogs have enormous bat-like ears that allow her to approach her sensory world like the Stan Lee-created 1960s hero Daredevil, the fearless crimefighter whose heightened senses function almost like radar. Margot immediately heard and tried to make sense of the low surf-like roar of nearby I-80, she froze when a train went by on the other side of town, and she is under the impression that all birds are speaking only to her. Habitually, we rush through life, unaware even of our own perceptions. A creature like Margot can force us to slow, to stop, and to notice.
Scott Fitzgerald once wrote that “The exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain.” I feel that way about my wife Kate’s voice, and our huge-eared adorable puppy Margot seems to feel that way about the entire tiny world of our cul-de-sac in south Davis. Like a child with his first radio, or his first stethoscope, I look forward to discovering what new sense experiences await me as I follow the leash and the lead of our delightful new hearing-ear dog, Margot.
Tonight’s pub quiz will feature questions on some of the topics raised above, as well as on the following: German expressionism enmeshed in American history, notable roles, questions of flight, the relative truth of con artists, enmeshments in the contemporary, butterflies, states such as Maryland and Texas, pliability as a humorous and repeated synonym for flexibility, famous storms, W. E. B. Du Bois, a poet’s century, mechanics, misunderstandings, automobiles with funny names, crowded places with no beaches, wrestlers in Hollywood, impressive books, logical names, what we can become, Billy Joel songs, soft fabrics, French words that English-speakers have adopted, ants, demonic operas, delicate things, comedic actors, notable spirits, birds, boy scouts, silicates, highly-regarded athletes, the locations of our hopes, your server’s plans for Thanksgiving, features that are actually bugs, and Shakespeare.
I hope you enjoy an opportunity to slow down with family this coming Thursday. I also hope we all can take an opportunity to breathe deeply, as we will do soon because of the expensive new air filter we just bought for the home. Rather than a dog or the smoky air, we look forward to smelling Kate’s delightful cooking.
If you are traveling, travel safely. Happy Thanksgiving!
Your Quizmaster
https://www.yourquizmaster.com
http://www.twitter.com/yourquizmaster
http://www.facebook.com/yourquizmaster
Here are three questions from last week’s quiz:
- New York Rappers Who Were Born Outside the U.S. What New York rapper became the first female artist in any genre to have 100 entries on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart?
- Science. What does the Scoville Heat Unit Scale measure?
- Books and Authors. Hans Christian Andersen, writer of the fairy tales Thumbelina, The Snow Queen, and The Emperor’s New Clothes, was born in what country?