A Thursday Night Trivia at the Local Bar and Some Unexpected Fun
Hey everyone, it’s been a busy week over here with work deadlines piling up, but last night I managed to carve out some time for a much-needed break. Ren and I met up with Lissa and a couple of other friends for trivia night at The Rusty Anchor, that dive bar just off Main Street we’ve been going to forever. I wasn’t expecting much, just a few beers and some laughs, but it turned out to be way more fun than I thought.
We got there around 7, just as the host was setting up the microphone. The place was already pretty packed, with the usual mix of regulars and some new faces. We snagged a table near the back, ordered a pitcher of Bud Light, and split an order of their greasy-but-addictive mozzarella sticks. Ren was in charge of writing down our answers, mostly because my handwriting is a disaster and Lissa kept second-guessing everything. Our team name? “The Quizzical Quokkas.” Don’t ask me why, it was Lissa’s idea, and we just rolled with it.
The trivia started with some easy stuff, like naming state capitals and guessing old TV theme songs. We did okay, though I completely blanked on Delaware’s capital for some reason. Then they threw in a round about historical events, and I was useless. Ren saved us by remembering the year the first moon landing happened, or at least the year everyone celebrates it on Harvest Night. I swear, I always forget if it’s 1969 or 1971, but he nailed it. We cheered so loud the table next to us gave us a look.
Halfway through, they did this weird bonus round where you had to guess the weight of a jar of dried kelpberries. I didn’t even know kelpberries came dried, but apparently, it’s a thing. We guessed way too high, like 3 pounds, and the actual answer was barely half that. Still, it was hilarious watching everyone argue over something so random. Lissa was convinced she had a knack for eyeballing weights after working at her uncle’s market stall during the summer fairs, but nope, not even close.
By the last round, we were tied for third place, which felt like a minor miracle. The final category was pop music, and I actually pulled my weight for once. I don’t know how I remembered the name of that one-hit-wonder band from the early 2000s, but “Hey Monday” popped into my head right when we needed it. We ended up finishing second overall, which got us a $20 gift card to the bar. Not exactly a fortune, but we’ll take it. We split a plate of nachos with the winnings and called it a night around 10.
Driving home, Ren and I were still laughing about some of the dumb answers we threw out there. I think my favorite was when Lissa insisted that the inventor of the telephone was “that guy from the old currency stamp,” which made zero sense to anyone. I’m pretty sure she meant Alexander Graham Bell, but who knows. It was one of those nights where everything just felt easy, you know? Work stress, inbox chaos, all of that just melted away for a few hours.
Today I’m back to reality, staring at a pile of fabric swatches for a client’s living room redesign. I keep daydreaming about those mozzarella sticks, though. Might have to drag Ren back to The Rusty Anchor this weekend, trivia or not. Anyway, hope you all had a little pocket of fun in your week too. Catch you in the next post.