Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
I am preparing for the first day of my journalism class, so I will hand the shank of this week’s newsletter to my wife Kate. I will post the relevant picture on the Quizmaster website. Happy National Poetry Month!
One of the blessings of having three kids is that by the time I got to my third, I acquired a sense of perspective taught to me by the older siblings. And there’s nothing like launching a kid out into the world to cause us to reflect on what we did well, and also what we screwed up. Until my firstborn left for college, I’m not sure I quite got that childhood is finite. The days are long but the years are short, as the saying goes. So, I want to squeeze all the fun out of my kids’ remaining kid years.
Last weekend, after Andy had turned in the last of his students’ grades, I asked him this inevitable question: What good is living in California if you can’t just pick up and go to Disneyland whenever you want? Anyone who knows Truman knows that he ✨loves💫 Disneyland. He knows all the Disney facts and has even written a guide to Disneyland. Honestly, I love it too. And Margot had never been to SoCal, so why not take a spontaneous trip?
Here are the highlights of our spring break:
💙 Introducing Margot to her Uncle Oliver, Aunt Sarah, and cousin Clementine. Margot greeted them like long lost relatives, and I was happy they could meet her in her puppy stage of life. They threatened to cause a family rift by dognapping her, but I kept a close eye.
🧡 Watching Jukie meet Chewbacca, gently grabbing his fingers and looking straight up, into Chewie’s eyes. Normally characters freak Jukie out, but he and Chewie seemed to bond wordlessly and instantly. I thought about how Truman used to explain Jukie’s disability to his friends: “It’s like my dad is Han Solo and Jukie is Chewbacca.” It’s still my favorite explanation.
❤️ Meeting up with Davis friends who surprised Andy with Mickey ears with his professional name “Dr. Andy” stitched on the back. Never in my life did I think I would see Andy wearing such headwear, but he got in the spirit, further endearing himself to me every time I looked over and saw him in those ears.
💜 Feeling a gentle tap on my shoulder by two mom strangers as I was managing Jukie by myself over lunch at a chaotic Disneyland restaurant. One of them said, “We just want to tell you that you’re doing a great job, Mom.” They had no children in tow, but I recognized that these were members of my tribe (parents of kids with disabilities). With their kind act of recognition, they were saying, “We see you.” Moments of connection like that feel more magical than anything Disney ever created, and I wanted to throw my arms around both of them. Instead I simply thanked them as we exchanged knowing smiles. Their acknowledgement fueled me throughout the rest of the day.
💚 Spending one entire day at Disneyland with just Truman. While Andy, Jukie, and Margot attended an outdoor birthday party with family, Truman and I spent 14 hours of uninterrupted fun together. Throughout the day, I kept noticing how often my increasingly tall boy and I made each other laugh. Fortunately, the food and wine festival was going on, so we ate well as we rode all of our favorite rides multiple times (Guardians of the Galaxy? Four times). I texted one friend a picture of my cocktail in hand with the iconic Mickey Ferris wheel in the background. He replied, “NOW it’s the happiest place on earth.” I agree!
In addition to topics raised above, tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions on fools, really big closets, island nations, Kings and other rulers, a broken internet, an accusatory finger pointing southwest, midwestern states, centennial jokes, short poems, the occupants of clutches, petitions gaining traction, state economies, civilian leaders, pen names that are also dictionary words, fun in college, Israel, heroes, Dartmouth, postponements, the wait for affection, keeping up with the Jones families, precocious performers, columnist memoranda shifts, actor and musician spouses, islands worth exploring, regionality, specific plans for actresses, almonds as a metaphor, jerseys, and Shakespeare.
The Poets Quartet will be performing at the Natsoulas Gallery this coming Thursday, April 4th, at 8 PM. You should join us!
See you tonight.
Your Quizmaster
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Here are three questions from last week’s quiz:
- Irish Culture. What kind of musical instrument appears on Irish coins and the Irish coat of arms?
- Science. Albanian, American Warmblood, and Azteca all refer to breeds of what?
- Books and Authors. What 1937 children’s fantasy novel has “There and Back Again” as its subtitle?
P.S. “Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before.” Audre Lorde