Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
As a child charged with attending to the front walk at 2454 Tunlaw Road in the Glover Park neighborhood of Washington, DC, I found myself using our powerful hose to “carve out” the grout of moss that had grown between the bricks of our front stoop. This activity was not particularly productive, but it did give me something to do when the air conditioner was not doing its job. One August the Washington Post referred to the meteorological conditions in DC as “a deep plume of tropical moisture.” That seemed accurate.
I knew Henry Rollins by reputation – he was a friend of the nearby MacKayes – but I didn’t know he shared such insights about DC humidity. He once wrote, “August used to be a sad month for me. As the days went on, the thought of school starting weighed heavily upon my young frame. That, coupled with the oppressive heat and humidity of my native Washington, D.C., only seemed to heighten the misery.”
In this way, the weather of DC is almost the opposite of that of arid Davis, a place where our one creek diminishes in water over the course of the long dry season. Most of our responsible neighbors have opted for xeriscape.
All that said, this misty morning as I was walking our dog Margo, I delighted to encounter actual moss in our driveway. I thought of DC, and of a poetic representation of at least one of the 12,000 varieties of Bryophyta. In a poem titled “Moss,” Bruce Guernsey called it “that slipcover of rocks” that is “longing for north” “in a dank place / and never a cough.”
Late December finds many of us “longing for north,” and for northern imagery of the winter solstice and other holidays. Soon I will be joining you in longing for something else: the Pub Quiz itself, for we are taking a seasonal break this month. Next Monday is Christmas Eve, and the following Monday is New Year’s Eve. We and the employees at de Vere’s will be gathering around disparate tables, celebrating with uncustomary friends and family.
In case you will find yourself missing our Monday talk of trivia, and in case you are missing presents for some of the people on your list, I will be bringing with me tonight copies of my most recent book, Pub Quizzes: Trivia for Smart People. You could buy a copy from Amazon, but if you get a signed copy from me this evening, I will throw in a first-edition copy of my second book, Where’s Jukie? In addition to my poetry, it contains poignant essays by my wife Kate. A future edition may contain the touching essay that she published on her blog last week. Bring your 20 dollar bills tonight, and your friends, for our last pub quiz of 2018. We will return with regular offerings on January 7th.
In addition to topics raised above, tonight expect questions on hearty creatures, Pittsburgh, the lost who are found, 40-year waits, fish, mid-west stalwarts, protection during war, emergency exclamations, coveted holiday gifts, popular ladies, medical devices, pilgrims, lunar missions, polls, radium, prominent pre-Christian birthdays, sampled Police, Oscar-winners, Urban dictionary, Mr. Rogers, oddball consumerist lyrics that might appeal to one’s brother, acoustics, spirituality in America, holiday beasts, demonyms, Russian rankings, Euro millionaires, hyphens, experts surveyed by National Public Radio, quintessence, subscribers, obese algae, and Shakespeare.
Thursday night at 8 we will welcome Chris Erickson as our featured performer at Poetry Night at the Natsoulas Gallery. Here’s what he says about the show: “Have you ever noticed that Christmas is the most wonderful time of year? Well, time to put the CHRIS back in Christmas! Chris Erickson’s holiday program promises to be old-fashioned, heartwarming, and soul-saving. He will, in fact, invoke the spirit of the Christmas holiday using performance of original literature pieces old & new, songs, and dance. The fires of enthusiasm are being enkindled throughout the entire state. Get your hat and come!”
See you tonight!
Your Quizmaster
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Here are three questions from last week’s quiz:
- Mottos and Slogans. A Utah concrete company changed one letter in a famous slogan that it plagiarized from Avis Car Rental. What was the new slogan?
- Internet Culture: Four-Letter Answers. What 3D computer graphics software named after the Sanskrit word for illusion is used to create video games, animated film, and visual effects?
- Newspaper Headlines. What color are the vests worn by protesters on the streets of Paris recently?
P.S. Happy holidays!