Smart Wins Beer

I'm kind of a homebody. I know it seems like I go out a lot and I do, but I like my out-of-home activities to have that feeling of home. Cozy laid back atmospheres are ideal. The Wednesday night before Thanksgiving I went to my first Public House Trivia Night. Audrey (and some of her friends), who I met while volunteering the night before at an event that gives new shoes to the children of low-income families, invited me...and since I love playing board games at home with friends and family, I thought a bar/game experience would be reflective of home. This Los Feliz dive bar gives away a free pizza when you buy a beer and a $30 gift certificate if you outwit all the other teams on trivia night. With our pizza and our glasses of beer, we embarked upon the first of six rounds of trivia:

Round 1: Ten questions that included such possible stumpers as "Where was the birthplace of Benjamin Franklin and Edgar Allen Poe?" or simple ones like "What is the vegetarian alternative for turkey?" and "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?"

Round 2: A handout of ten TV or film stills of characters and their dogs. With the task of naming the actor in the photo, we were able to name nine...including Suzanne Plechette from The Ugly Dachshund which I think no one has seen but me. Some cowboy from the 1930's (I thought it could be Gary Cooper but I was wrong) and his farm dog left me and the rest of the trivia players clueless. Apparently it was Dick Simmons. Uhhhhhh....who?

Round 3: Geography questions about the countries making up Scandinavia, winter olympic host countries during the 1960's, and the name of the New Delhi airport.

Round 4: A question with clues. We had to guess the person, and ten points were given if we answered after only one clue and eight points if we guessed after two clues and so on. The first clue: He was a boxer who billed himself as "Kid Crochet." Hmmm. Second clue: After 17 hits, he knocked The Beatles from their #1 spot on the charts in 1964. Uhhhhhh....obviously a huge star. Third clue: He starred opposite John Wayne in Rio Bravo. Damn it...I should have watched westerns as a kid. Fourth clue: For 3 decades, he was one of the most popular acts in Vegas and he had his own comedy-variety show on NBC that lasted for 9 years. How did I not realize it was Dean Martin before this question!!!!????? We got our measly 4 points and were at least saved by the shame of it clicking with the last clue stating that he was Jerry Lewis' comedy partner and his initials were D.M.

Round 5: A handout with movie characters first names and the task of writing out their last names. Rocky (Balboa), Arthur (Bach), Charley (Gordon)...etc.

Round 6: A reality TV question that I was embarrassed I knew so readily. In fact, I was so confident in my answer that I was willing to play "double or nothing" with our points.

Although securely holding onto second place throughout the night, our pop culture, literature, geography, and current events knowledge made us champions and the winner of the $30 certificate. What better to do than save it and use it for the next Wednesday? Last night we showed up at trivia night again to more challenging questions and second place where we still snagged a $20 certificate...I always thought pretty won beer in L.A., so I view it as quite the accomplishment that smarts can win it too. Can't wait for next week...



Discussing answers.

Cheers to intelligence