Trivia Saved My Life

Okay, I understand that is quite a bold statement to make, and sure, maybe I am being a tad over dramatic. I mean it literally did not save my life. But, it has helped me through the tough times like any kind, gentle, beer-filled, quiz-filled experience is wont to do. 

(WARNING: this post may reveal a side of me that some of you never knew I was capable to have. Although, really, I don't think anything I write here has ever been the epitome of cool. If you aren't really interested in being wowed about the inner workings of the Live Trivia League, than I suggest you skip this.)

Most of you (I speak to "you," my audience of tens) know that I play trivia most Mondays at Gatsby's Pub with Robby, Karli, and Ward (and an occasional guest - what up Soups, Ali, Jillsy, Tamir and sometimes random new friends Ward decides to invite.) Most of you know this because we check in on Facebook and say what we're doing. We aren't just doing that to brag about our awesome and exciting lives, we actually get points for doing that. And, because we are ultra competitive and take this pretty seriously (not even one hint of sarcasm is in that) we try to get points anywhere we can.

Here's how it works: The Trivia Jockey (yes, that's a thing), reads a question, and you have one song to discuss with your team and answer the question, write the answer on a piece of paper, and deliver it to the TJ. There are two halves, with three rounds each, including a half time question and a final question. At the beginning of each round the TJ will give you the categories which include things like TV, movies (MOVIES - sorry, totally lame inside trivia joke), geography (our worst category), science, lost lyrics, etc. etc. The top five teams win points that carry over cumulatively during a qualifying period and the top three teams get gift cards to the bar. At the end of the period, the top five teams make it to semi-finals, and then from there, the top 8 teams (I think) make it to the Finals. And if you win the whole thing you get millions of dollars and never have to work again. Actually, I think you get a couple thousand dollars. But, it's sort of a big deal. I mean, this thing is the entire Indy area, plus surrounding burbs. Big time people. BIG TIME.

Robby and Karli started playing first, because they are a very social and fun couple and do lots of cool things together (again, no sarcasm, they are very cool). I do believe that just the two of them did such as stellar job during a qualifying period, that they qualified for the semis, alone. (Every once in awhile there is a qualifying period  They asked Ward and I to join them for the semis to help their chances, because clearly we are very smart and our mere presence helps anyone's changes. That was last summer. Shortly after, Ward joined the team, and then I came on lastly when I needed to get out of the house desperately and drink beers on a Monday night.

Robby and Karli named the team Carnivorous Wingtips (I think it's a long story that will not fit in this blog that is sure to be long-winded). Our beloved original Trivia Jockey , Perry, shortened the name to "Wingtips."

He sort of looked like Kevin from the Office.

That is the perfect time to segue into the special relationship we had/have? with Perry, the TJ. I believe our special bond was spawned by his admiration for our clever song request themes throughout the game.  For example, one time we only requested 80s movie's songs. He then told us he used this playlist in his other locations, because we are awesome. The relationship was made even stronger, after Robby and Karli performed Karaoke while he was DJing. Obviously, their karaoke-ing left a strong, lasting impression. So, of course it only seemed normal to friend him on Facebook (actually only Ward and Karli did). But, this story is a sad one as he dropped Gatsby's Pub from his rotation of TJ-ing jobs, and we have never seen him since. It's still a really sensitive subject.

 The four of us have a pretty good dynamic going, but it isn't all rainbows and puppy dogs. It can actually be quite stressful. Because all of us are fairly close, okay, probably some of us are closer than others like the ones bonded by blood and/or official marital commitments ... we do not have a problem yelling at each. Actually, I would say Robby and Ward have no problem yelling at us when we mess up or can't agree. I honestly do not think I have yelled once. It's because I am a gentle and kind spirit. It also could be, that I have been on the receiving end of the yelling for being wrong. Whoopsies. We also have something called the "Mullally Factor." Since Robby and I grew up together and basically lived through all the same stuff (i.e. watching Price is Right during the summer when we were home by ourselves) we tend to think the same way. This is really good when he just says one word and I know the answer, but it can be very bad when we both think of the exact same, random wrong answer. And everyone believes us. Because we are very convincing.

Our team name is now "Just the Tips" ... no, not just "Tips"  ... (see video below)




Yes. I just posted that on my blog. Actually, Vince Vaughn does offer up some timely, good points for my future. Which could be an entirely different blog post for another day.

Anyway, since this post has become very long, I am just going to wrap it up. This Sunday Just the Tips are competing in the Semifinals (HOLLA). So, now that you have read this you should feel like you are really invested in our future and our success. I really want all of you to feel that way. I will let you all know how we do.