Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
Every Monday my second-grader Truman is given a writing assignment: he must recount what he did over the weekend. The anxiety that this expectation has contributed to the household comes not from any concerns about writing, but rather from his repeated insistence that we actually “do something!” on both Saturday and Sunday. Yesterday, for instance, our family of six (counting the dog) walked over to the new pet food store in South Davis to meet and behold Tillman, the handsome bulldog who holds the Guinness World Record for “Fastest 100 m on a skateboard by a dog.” Tillman had to be dissuaded by his owner from expressing his interest in our bulldog, Dilly, too ardently. Dilly, meanwhile, was much more interested in Tillman’s owner’s organic dog treats and precise and knowledgeable back-scratching than in his celebrity dog. Like my brother Oliver who writes for People Magazine, some of us are just not that impressed with celebrities. At least Truman will have something to write about in school this morning.
Friday night I met a teacher who told the story of a student who her family “adopted” for a semester so that he could finish his school year while his family moved to a city with a somewhat less stellar school district. After a few weeks with the family, Jose remarked that he was impressed with his temporary adopted brothers, and that they were really smart. Without taking direct credit, their mother agreed, and listened for Jose’s next question. “Is it fun to be smart?” he asked. His host insisted that it is fun to be smart, and then started explaining why, with lots of examples from family outings and discoveries. She might have used our Pub Quiz as an example. From all the laughter I hear, especially from teams that don’t take their scores too seriously, I conclude that my job is too remind all of you how much fun it is to be smart. Our little weekly show won’t compete well with a World Series game or with a skateboarding bulldog, but at least you can enjoy a couple uninterrupted hours with your friends and apply what you have learned. As the German Romantic philosopher and poet Novalis told us, “Learning is pleasurable, but doing is the height of enjoyment.”
Before I jump to the clues, I want to recognize two heroes of mine who passed away over the weekend. My uncle Chuck Ternes was a World War II veteran, a boxer, a photographer, and the dad to three incredible kids who inspired me all through the 1970s and 80s. I will remember him fondly.
As you know, Lou Reed was the lead singer of the Velvet Underground. In a 1982 interview, musician Brian Eno remarked that the Velvet Underground’s first album only sold 30,000 copies during its first five years but that “everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band.” This morning the aforementioned Oliver introduced me to Reed’s 1989 song about AIDS in New York City titled “Halloween Parade” that is worth a listen.
Speaking of Halloween, I will be coming in costume tonight, and I recommend that you do the same. Here’s the wording of Question #6: “What is the evident and recognizable (or at least interpretable) costume worn by one of the members of your Pub Quiz team? Is that costume impressive, or lame?” I’m sure that you will earn a point for that question. I like it when everyone scores in double digits. Teams with all members in costume will earn extra kudos. Remember to take pictures.
Tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions on Halloween topics, including costumes, pumpkins, and candy. Expect also questions on presidential elections, impressive Republicans, macroeconomics, mobile apps, change-ups, classical composers, measuring one’s life with coffee spoons, professional basketball, the Kennedys, big cities, mountains that can be seen from far away, Charles not in charge of his own drinking, Futureshock author Alvin Toffler, Americans who have been nominated to be VPOTUS, Greek mythology, weights and measurements, baseball heroes, uncles, fictional band names made up by Dr. Andy, growing actresses, the genes of orioles, stories that begin “once upon a time,” aliens, countries by the numbers, rumble snouts, dry locales, the letter Z, Irish ancestors, Bermuda mishaps, whether or not the good die young, incredible acreage, and Shakespeare. The answers to the science questions will be five and three syllables long.
Next week’s quiz takes place on Kate’s birthday. Should there be cake? See you tonight, and in costume! The TVs will be on, so you’ll be able to multitask, if you care to.
Your Quizmaster
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Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:
1. Mottos and Slogans. Starting with the letter T, what magazine has as its slogan “For People Who Love to Sew”?
2. Internet Culture. According to a new study, 61 percent of teenagers cite BLANK as their favorite social media site, ahead of Facebook (55 percent) and Twitter (22 percent). Fill in the blank.
3. Newspaper Headlines. Evidently the single “Do What you Want (with My Body)” will be released tomorrow. Name the artist.
4. Sandra Bullock. Bullock and Tom Hanks have been battling for box office primacy for the last couple weeks. In what 2011 Oscar-nominated film did the two both appear?
5. Pop Culture – Music. In the Kenny Rogers song “The Gambler,” what does the title character request in exchange for the advice that makes up the song’s chorus?
P.S. Kim Stanley Robinson and Andy Stewart, two masters of science fiction, will be reading at the Natsoulas Gallery on November 7th at 8 PM. You should join us.
