Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
A dental visit delayed this morning’s newsletter. Kate and I have been seeing Dr. Howard Shempp for years, and have counted on him for much good advice and care over the years. The crown jewel of the Shempp dental practice is Therese, the star hygienist who has remembered our incidental family updates and vacation plans for the past decade. This morning she noticed that I had lost weight (on purpose). Little acts of kindness from people like Therese help to make Davis into a community. More on that later.
This morning in the waiting room I encountered Emily, a graduate student studying horticulture who was embarrassed that she didn’t know the answer to the guava question that I asked two weeks ago. I’m sure that she would have answered last week’s cellulose question correctly, and I told her that I hoped that her team would do well at the Pub Quiz this evening, with its many questions about female actors and authors, and its science questions about organic compounds and cute animals. I told her that many of the questions are easier in the summer, when we all feel less studious.
Speaking of school being out for summer, I am inordinately proud of my son, Truman, who graduated from Patwin Elementary School last Thursday, giving a commencement speech of sorts that his mother Kate and I had not heard or read beforehand. Although Truman doesn’t read most of my newsletters, his writing reminded me of my own, with a focus on kindness and a quotation providing the conclusion. His writing style is a bit more angsty than mine. With Truman’s accomplishment in mind, my youngest child will be given the last word before the hints this week. Congratulations, Truman!
I have been going to Patwin for three years now. But before I came here, I used to go to a school called Fairfield. And there, life presented me with a set of challenges. And on the worst days, I would ask myself the same question over and over again: “What. Is. The. Point?” What is the point of living?
This question echoed through my soul day after day. And then I came to Patwin, and I finally knew the answer.
We are here for simple acts of kindness.
To show compassion to everyone we meet.
To be the best people we can be.
To make the world have just a little bit more love.
The other purpose of the human race is to be ourselves. Don’t try to change who you are to be “cooler” or to be like your friends. And don’t worry what your peers think about you. If they don’t see what a great person you are, that’s their burden, not yours. Never be ashamed of something you cannot change.
Even on stressful days, I remember Feliks greeting everyone with “Hey, my brother!” Or I remember the schoolyard where I aged into a (pre)teenager. Then all the sadness was let out.
Because, in the words of Bill Withers, who wrote the song “Lean On Me:”
Sometimes in our lives,
We all have pain,
We all have sorrow,
But if we are wise,
Then we will know,
That there’s always tomorrow.
In addition to topics mentioned above, tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions on rich TV actors, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Eva Longoria, people who need life vests, white pines, youngsters who hesitate before speaking, completions, prophesies of doom, travel pillow casualties, prime numbers, AWOL executives, Halle Berry, song and film titles, incomplete maps, cuteness exemplified, prominent films of yesteryear, Oprah Winfrey, domestic products, risings and sinkings, insects, categories of learning, publishing in the modern age, Jennifer Lopez, demanding bosses, US singles charts, refilled cups, solids of questionable solidity, antonyms to ledge safety, happy couples, seats, plane travel, Texas hold ’em, filial piety, and Shakespeare.
I hope you can join us tonight. Come early to claim a table, and listen carefully at the end to see if you (could possibly) beat Emily’s team. Horticulturalists rule.
Your Quizmaster
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Here are three questions from last week’s quiz:
- Books and Authors. George Milton and Lennie Small are the two primary characters in what 1937 John Steinbeck novel?
- A Bit of Latin. What does the word “dexter” mean in the phrase oculus dexter?
- Sports. Zach Randolph, the top-scorer for the Sacramento Kings last season, scored closest to which of the following, on average? 15, 20, 25, or 30 points a game.
P.S. Advice for graduates from Jon Stewart: “Love what you do. Get good at it. Competence is a rare commodity in this day and age.” See you tonight.