If You Know, Please Tell Me
Posted by Moose on June 8th, 2010. Filed under: Uncategorized.Pub trivia renders me pretty much useless. Not as useless as I would be at, say, nuclear physics or CIA headquarters, but my main function on trivia night is more Fetching Pints than Accurately Naming the 27th President of the United States. Before I go to trivia, I like to make sure people are well aware of this, so they won’t suffer undue disappointment thanks to unrealistic expectations. I’m a relentless advocate for setting the bar as low as possible, especially when it comes to my own performance.
But I’m starting to wonder if this is the best way for me to approach life. I’m a little hapless, I admit. I knock over cupcake stands at weddings, I get lost easily, I rarely have a firm answer to questions involving horticulture or car mechanics or what makes a bagel chewy. But is this accepting my limitations? Or giving myself an easy out so I don’t ever have to work too hard?
I honestly don’t know.
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June 8th, 2010 at 8:24 pm
Wait, does ANYONE have a firm answer to questions involving horticulture or car mechanics or what makes a bagel chewy? Apart from Mr Google, I mean? Or sometimes his cousin, the eminent Dr Wikipedia?
June 8th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
My claim to trivia fame is handling the occasional literature question and ALL celebrity gossip. Also: anagrams. All useless skills in real life, however, fairly useful in trivia.
June 9th, 2010 at 6:52 am
I’m exactly the same way, and never thought much of it, but you raise a good point.
June 9th, 2010 at 6:55 am
When I was in Ireland we randomly ended up in some sort of pub trivia festival which consisted of (shocker) essentially all Irish trivia of which I knew none. After the first round we learned what Bono’s real name was and used that as our answer for every question thereafter. Who is Ireland’s most famous author? Paul Hewson. Who led Ireland to victory in the battle of something? Paul Hewson.
Whether that’s accepting limitations or taking a realistic look at the situation and still getting an evening’s worth of entertainment… who knows. (And the others in the pub thought we were hilarious, which only egged us on)
June 9th, 2010 at 7:39 am
I have literature pretty much covered. Other than that, I let people know early and often that I am useless when it comes to most other categories. I think that knowing your strengths and weaknesses is a skill in and of itself, and one that not everyone possesses. Ooh and I can spell. Yup, that’s about it.
June 9th, 2010 at 8:11 am
I love pub trivia! I actually belong to a knitting group and we knit, drink and play trivia. I love it.
June 9th, 2010 at 8:43 am
I go to trivia to entertain my teammates with ridiculously wrong responses. And occasionally I remember something from all those years of education and I get a high five from my team. But normally? I am just here to entertain!
June 9th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Why I have managed to get 2 degrees in college not worth much in real life, so…. I think it really depends. If it makes you laugh sometimes or go “HUH” and sit back a minute, it’s all good. And if it doesn’t stick for very long, replaced instead with the thought, “buy toothpaste the next time at Trader Joes,” it’s still ok.
If there is a Stafford loan attached to it and you don’t remember it, or worse, a private loan, then there’s a problem.
June 9th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
I played on a trivia team where I was the dumbest person! Until it came to pop culture. They didn’t have a clue! And I totally pulled Lupe Fiasco out of my ass one time and because of it, I totally earned my portion of the prize!