So Hunter called me up last night out of the blue (I had warning though: my brother called me and said, “Hunter wants your cell phone number, is that OK?”) So the call was not unexpected but the question was.
“Do you like trivia?”
As we just got a Trivial Pursuit set from my sister for the apartment but we have yet to play (it’s to be a battle of the sexes thing), I wasn’t sure how to answer.
“I mean, there are some people who love trivia, but they suck,” he said.
“I can throw down,” I replied.
He told me that the 1800 Club has been doing trivia night on Tuesdays and that we could win cash prizes if I was interested. I told him I’d call him if I wasn’t doing anything.
And sure enough, after 24 finished, I had nothing to do, so I went on over. Since the 1800 Club is in the same building as work, I just let my feet glide me over. I love living close to work.
I’d called Hunter to tell him I was coming but he was delayed. “Look for Grace, or my roommate.” I got there, but didn’t see either of them. Another guy I knew from Resnet, Matt Irwin called me over to his table.
And that’s how I found myself slightly tipsy, whispering answers over a basket of Tater Tots an hour later.
Team Mejores consisted of Irwin, Brian, Alden (another ex rescon) and Mark Witte, one of NU’s econ professors. And me. They were veterans.
Hunter and two of his friends eventually showed up but too late to get into the game. I felt bad. People thought we were cheating because they were at our table, but they didn’t say anything except during the rounds.
First round, we got all the answers right (my total guess at “How often is the Ryder Cup held?” was correct). We were tied for first with a team of NU alumni who’d done Quiz Bowl. Total ringers. They called themselves the Shinesmen.
Second round, the Shinemen and our team both missed “What term is the study of fluids?” (Hydraulics). Still tied for first.
The rounds went on. Questions became worth two points. We fell behind, missing the Celsius temperature of the human body (37 degrees) and the last state capital in alphabetical order (Trenton). We buckled down. Ordered more Tater Tots.
We took the lead in the fifth round. Questions were now 3 points. We missed two questions, but so did the Shinesmen. Somehow they got within a point of us. We complained a bit. There was $250 on the line.
Last round. We led the Shinemen by a point and a couple other teams by two or three. A bit of local trivia. “What was found in the roof of the El Sol restaurant in Morton Grove?” No clue. “What would the 1800 Club put into a B52?” No clue.
Our guess for the roof question: a dead body (I said asbestos, but that’s not newsworthy). Guess for the B52: Goldschlager and Bacardi.
We waited for the moderator to pick up our sheet and Witte made a joke. “Maybe there was an airplane in the roof.” Made a swooping motion with his hand.
The score got posted before the answers got read. Team GROT came from behind to get 67 points, along with Male Escorts + 2 who got 65. We got third with 64 points. The answers got read.
“What was in the roof of the El Sol?” the host read redundantly. “A human body.”
Irwin froze. “We had that!” we yelled. “No we didn’t,” he said. Made Witte’s swooping gesture. “I changed it.”
GROT got 80% of the door fees. Male Escorts got 20%. We got a bucket of PBR. Drank them slowly. The moderator came by with a tray of shots. “Tough game,” he said. We downed the shots, and planned for next week.