Your Quizmaster — Home of the Quizmaster of Sudwerk Brewing Company in Davis

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

Mottos and Slogans. There is some debate as to whether the P company that uses the commercial slogan “There is no substitute” has one or two syllables in its name. Name the company.

Internet Culture. Remember that Oscar-night selfie that almost broke Twitter? What twice-nominated actor actually took it?

Education in California. According to a speech given this past weekend by California Attorney General Kamala Harris at the California Federation of Teachers convention, what percentage of inmates in California are high school dropouts? Is it closest to 22, 42, 62, or 82%?

Fun and Games. In what decade did Gary Gygax and Robert Arneson create the game Dungeons and Dragons? Was it the 1960s, 70s, 80s, or 90s?

Science. An allergen is a type of what other A word that, in the world of immunology, refers to an antibody generator?

P.S. Arisa White performs her poetry at the John Natsoulas Gallery on Thursday night at 8. You should join us for an incredibly talented Oakland poet and playwright.

The Healthy Dilly Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on March 24, 2014

Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,

Dilly, our happy, sleeping bulldog

I have been looking forward to returning to de Vere’s this evening after our St. Patrick’s Day-inspired week off. A couple days before our last quiz, we heard of a Malaysian Airlines plane that had disappeared, and today we discovered more authoritatively where the plane “ended.” I tend to stay away from recent tragic events in the Pub Quiz –you should expect more questions about the Crimean War, say, than about the current civil wars in African countries, because I try never to have people cheer on the topic of the faraway pain of others. Today’s announcements about train crashes in Chicago and mudslides in Washington are mentioned here in passing, but they won’t appear on tonight’s Quiz. “Art is a spiritual, immaterial respite from the hardships of life,” says Fernando Botero, and so it should be with out Pub Quiz.

Speaking of potentially sad topics, I also haven’t been talking up the life-threatening health problems that have been faced down by our beloved bulldog. Dilly has spent almost all the days since last we met (March 10) in the hospital recovering from several surgeries and their aftermath. We have excellent health insurance, but our dog did not, so we ended up spending more on her care than we had on our entire family’s out-of-pocket costs over the preceding decade. No matter: as of yesterday, she’s home safe now, looking noticeably slimmer and very grateful. The children are ecstatic to have the family be whole again. When I asked Kate yesterday for a Pub Quiz topic, she offered this: “What is the best breed of dog?” She said that I should look for the words “English Bulldog,” but that I could also accept “French Bulldog.” Other people root for sports teams, while we seem to root for breeds.

Next Monday I will be giving my yearly reading at the MIND Institute to raise awareness of Autism. This year Kate will be joining me, for she wrote half our new book: Where’s Jukie? It’s about the joys and challenges of raising our son with special needs, something we do to heighten awareness of a relatively unknown malady: Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome (or SLOS). All the profits made from Where’s Jukie will be donated to the Smith Lemli Opitz Syndrome Foundation, so of course I will expect each of you to purchase a copy. I will bring some with me on April 7^th, or you could join me at the MIND Institute next Monday, when the rest of you will enjoy a show by one of my favorite substitute Quizmasters.

Tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature a number of geography questions, including about old empires and galactic empires. Expect also questions about Oscar-nominated actors, villains, foreign automobiles, the path to hell, the SCOTUS, alliterative names, Steve Jobs and his family, AFC champions, Ottomans, California Attorney General Kamala Harris, RPGs, billionaires, big bangs, Disney, people who are familiar with the fame, Olympians and other Greeks, allergies, illustrations, dead Grammy-winners, mélanges, the aforementioned Star Wars, TV shows that I am embarrassed even to recognize the titles of, legends, famous actors, large countries such as Zambia, fearlessness, Ireland and other islands, things that are confused for avocados (such as lawyers), Republicans, opera, and Shakespeare.

As the students of Davis have this week off, I expect all the sprung spring-breaking teachers to join us for this evening’s joyous communal assessment. See you then.

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from our March 10 quiz:

Hexagons. What is the number of degrees total in the internal angles of any hexagon? I added this question for our occasional math teachers. Maybe they will attend tonight’s Quiz.

Pop Culture – Music. Who sings the 2003 rap song that includes these lyrics? “Go, go, go, go / Go, go, go shorty / It’s your birthday / We gon’ party like it’s yo birthday / We gon’ sip Bacardi like it’s your birthday.” For the record, March 10 actually was my birthday. Thanks to all of you who attended the party.

Great Movie Lines. How does Morphius respond after Neo says “I know kung fu”? Two words.

Unusual Words. What three-syllable M word means “to interest or amaze (someone) so much that nothing else is seen or noticed”? It’s an eponym.

Art History. What is Auguste Rodin’s most recognizable sculpture? Some provided the French answer. Tonight’s quiz will call upon your understanding of German.

P.S. The great poet and playwright Arisa White will be coming to Davis on April 3. You will want to see this show at the John Natsoulas Gallery at 8 PM. Mark your calendar now.

P.P.S. Tonight’s swag will be provided by Steve Oerding, author of the Ranger Ralph comic books. He’s working on a graphic novel, and you can support him with his Kickstarter campaign.

The Sleepy Birthday Monday Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on March 10, 2014

Dear Friends,

Happy Sleepy Monday! That’s what some researchers are calling the workday after we set our clocks forward, causing all our appointments to start an hour earlier. According to a recent USA Today article, today “our risk of having a car accident will rise about 6%, research shows, as will our chances of being in a workplace accident.”

Last night I met with students from 9-11 at a downtown café, and then had an early-morning appointment at my daughter’s school before my 10 AM class. As a result, this “sleepy” correspondent is publishing the newsletter later than usual, surely disappointing some regular readers who like to pour over the hints after having poured a cup of coffee.

Despite the lateness of this newsletter, I’m not worrying about filling the Irish Pub this evening, for I have invited a few extra friends to join us, both during the Pub Quiz, and for an after party. I plan to party as if it were my birthday. In fact, I can drop the subjunctive: today is my birthday, and I am paying for the party.

Here’s how I wrote about my Native American potlatch tradition in the newsletter from this week two years ago (back when I used to write more ambitious paragraphs):

“Thanks to all of you who sent me birthday greetings on Saturday. Today’s will be a special edition of the Pub Quiz, for it will conclude with a party, that is, even more of a party than we usually hold on a Monday evening. Starting at about 9pm, the hard-working staff of the Irish Pub will emerge from the kitchen with all sorts of finger food, the phrase that we Americans use instead of “hors d’oeuvres.” Although I will be paying for the extra food myself, in honor of the Native American tradition of potlatch, you will have to purchase your own drink. Gifts (to me) of any sort are specifically discouraged, but if you are feeling particularly generous, I encourage you to consider one of my three favorite local charities as a focus for your generosity: community radio station KDVS (which holds its annual fund-raiser next month right after Picnic Day), The Cultural Action Committee of the City of Davis (which supports my poetry efforts in the community, as well as all the public art that you’ve seen popping up in the last two months), and Writing on the Edge, the local (and nationally famous) writing journal that is sponsored by the University Writing Program at UC Davis. Subscriptions to WOE are only $20 a year, a real bargain when you consider the incredible writers who one sees interviewed, and whose work is published, in every issue.”

This year I will also be encouraging folks to donate to the Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome Foundation (SLOSF). My book of poetry (with my wife’s essays) comes out later this month. Titled Where’s Jukie, the book explores the joys of raising a child with special needs. All the profits from book sales will be donated to the SLOSF, so I will be reminding you often to make the $10 investment once the book is released.

And as an added bonus, while a small buffet will be unveiled around 9:30, my favorite news of the day is that the incredible all-woman a cappella group The Spokes will be performing a couple songs at about 10 this evening. What fun! I hope you can join us.

Tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions on tragic royalty, beloved daughters, doors, Oscar-winners, civil rights benchmarks, playful slogans, dreaming of profit, Androids, Disney firsts, thought leaders, women in film, tombs, the National Safety Council, NASA, internal angles (math question), Swedes with degrees, Bacardi, 11-letter words that begin with the letter Z, martial arts dialogues, hypnotist collectors, televised journeys, a party for Ringo, parallel lives, centrifugal forces, old names, shoes on the table, utopias, incumbents with raised rifles, cucumbers, current events, and Shakespeare.

See you tonight for the Pub Quiz, and the after-party!

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

Pub Quiz for Monday, March 10, 2014

Mottos and Slogans. There are 50,254 locations of an international chain of stores that refer to the afterlife in its commercial slogan. Name the chain.

Newspaper Headlines. Last night Frozen song “Let It Go” composer Robert Lopez became an EGOT winner, joining the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Mel Brooks, and Audrey Hepburn. What do the letters EGOT stand for?

Davis Garages. The Art Garage was christened on Saturday morning, with hundreds of Davisites working on the 120-foot mural. One of the biggest garages around, the art garage is found at the corner of a letter and a number street in downtown Davis. Name either the letter or the number.

Pop Culture – Music. What four-syllable one-word named British alternative rock band had 1997 and 1998 hits with “Tubthumping” and “Amnesia”?

Sports. The number of Allen Iverson was retired last week, joining in the rafters those worn by Charles Barkley and Julius Irving. In what city did this retirement ceremony take place?

The Montague David Lord and Davey Marlin-Jones Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on March 3, 2014

Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,

March 2^nd is my own personal Day of the Dead. I think first of my best friend from my pre-teen and teenage years, Tito, and how often he pointed out that he was eight days older than me. Living less than a mile from each other in the Glover Park section of Washington DC, Tito and I were inseparable, clamoring for playdates and sleep-overs during our early years, and then just biking to each other’s homes once we became more independent. His family housed me on so many weekends during the slow dissolution of my parents’ marriage, and it was at Tito’s farm that I learned how to swim, shoot a shotgun, and handle a potentially rabid bat. Now that I am typing this out, I’m surprised that I even survived those trips to The Farm. But mostly we told stories, imagined the adventures of pirates and the denizens of haunted houses, and went exploring, without supervision, in ways that I would never let my kids do today. My times with Tito were some of the happiest and most care-free of my life.

Four times Tito popped unexpectedly into my adult life. Once while we were undergraduates he slipped into my high-security dorm and just appeared, unannounced and unexpected, at my dormroom door. We ventured out into Boston to play pool and to catch up. I don’t think he responded to the invitation to my wedding to Kate, but he did show up at my hotel room door as I was leaving in my tuxedo to take part in the ceremony. A seasoned pilot by then, he just flew his Cessna over to Chicago from DC for the event and reception, dancing the longest with whomever was available. Twice he visited Kate and me in Sacramento in the subsequent year, once while on his way to Alaska, his new home. And then 21 years ago I received the unexpected call from his mom; I don’t know how she held it together while telling me the story of Tito’s final (solo) flight. His birthdays keep passing, but to me my hero Tito will always be 26.

March 2^nd also marks the ten-year anniversary of the death of my father. Watching the Oscars with friends is always bittersweet, for I remember well my discussions with Dad about the nominations before the ceremony, and the winners afterwards. A movie critic in Washington DC for decades, as well as a stage director of over 1,000 productions, my father knew more about the film and theatre than anyone else I knew. Having worked with so many actors in the 1950s and 1960s, he had personal stories about many of the stars that we would see in the Oscar telecast, and these stories made Hollywood seem less remote (or, more cynically, less irrelevant). While my brother Oliver was much better versed in jazz and sports, other discussion topics around the table on Adams Mill Road and Waterside Drive in Washington DC, I knew film, and knew that my father’s love of film would inform our weekly Sunday chats until the end of his days.

Tito died before world wide web took off, and my father lived in an analog world of film and telephone calls, so for future Googlers I shall name them both here, and thus let anyone encountering this page hereafter know that Montague David Lord, known to his friends and family as Tito Lord, and Davey Marlin-Jones are well remembered this week, that they are thoroughly missed, and that they are much loved.

Tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions on topics raised above, as well as on Shakespeare’s histories, final destinations, Forbes Magazine’s obsessions with the incomes of celebrities, number three, people named Robert Lopez, Emma, 33 prime numbers, garages, retirement ceremonies, strawberries, profiling, corny-hooded drugs, Caddyshack, vowels, Twitter, the non-fiction work of novelists, snakes, bodies of water, boots, The Ukraine, famous forests, icemen who were killed by arrows, baseball players, and current events.

My birthday is next Monday, and I intend to throw myself a little party after Pub Quiz. Details forthcoming. See you tonight!

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

1. Great Swedes. Swedes Named Carl. Who was the father of modern biological taxonomy?

2. Unusual Words. Starting with the letter C, what do we call the office of a chancellor?

3. Pop Culture – Dick Van Dyke. In songs in the film Mary Poppins, Dick Van Dyke’s chimney sweep repeatedly calls himself what L word? Hint: It’s not “lesbian.”

4. Another Music Question. What breakout alternative rock band released the single “Radioactive,” which Rolling Stone named “the biggest rock hit of the year”?

5. Television. Who announced last week that he would not return as a judge on The Voice?

P.S. I hope you will join us for Poetry Night this coming Thursday. Camille Norton from University of the Pacific will be reading some of her award-winning poems. We meet at the John Natsoulas Gallery at 8, and back at the Irish Pub for an after-party at 10. Details at Poetry in Davis. P.P.S. Did you see that the City of Davis now has an Art Garage?

The Worker’s Rusty Weekend Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on February 24, 2014

Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,

Treasure your moments of inactivity. Although we find distraction in television, video games, and endless web surfing, we often approach peacefulness and contentment though a more purposeful inactivity: time spent in reflection, meditation, contemplation, invention, or prayer. I enjoy turning off my email on Friday evenings and Saturdays. I leisurely read the Davis Enterprise rather than scrolling rapid-fire through my many social media outposts and favorite news websites. I might read or write a poem. I take my sons and our bulldog on a long walk.

Knowledge Workers, a term coined by Peter Drucker in 1959, are called that because they think for a living. Such workers have more autonomy, require (or accept) less supervision, and usually make more than the rest of us. They also sometimes suffer from what is called “normative control,” the expectation to act in an expected way because “that’s how things are done around here,” and thus from burnout. In this way, Knowledge workers might be distinguished from Creative Professionals, a term I use in the Writing Across Media and Writing in Fine Arts classes that I teach at UC Davis, for creative professionals often confront or resist such control (and often challenge what might be called “normative.”) They also are less likely to experience burnout, for they create many of their own deadlines.

Both Knowledge Workers and Creative Professionals need a break, a moment to themselves, a respite from thought and duty. For this we have the weekend. Christian and Jewish workers celebrated a day of rest and prayer on different days, so early last century some cotton mills and Henry Ford’s car factories would shut down two days a week to accommodate everyone. And then in 1940 the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act finally went into effect, and all of us were expected to work no more than a 40-hour workweek. Today we might thank labor unions, President Roosevelt, and all those workers of faith for the opportunity to reflect and play for two days a week. As Joseph Addison said hundreds of years ago, “Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week.” If he were around today, I’m sure he would add Saturday, as well.

Tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions on television shows that I don’t watch. I’ve largely had to give up TV in order to leave time to read and write, to play with my kids, and to prepare your Pub Quiz. For that, I thank you. Expect also questions about companies that rhyme with their slogans, tracks, The Ukraine, words that are not “ankle,” comedy, the RIAA, football, Swedes, fancy houses, 13-letter phrases that describe 80% of a certain people, Dick Van Dyke, wrinkles, enthusiasm from Rolling Stone, Star Wars czars and other words that include the letter Z, Russians, literary journals, old people, St. Patrick’s Day, Candelabra, Oscar nominees, crust, favorite states, and Shakespeare.

St. Patrick’s Day happens to take place on a Monday this year, so we will not be holding Pub Quiz on March 17. Also, on March 31, I will be participating in the yearly poetry reading and fundraiser to benefit the Mind Institute, and its Autism research. I will let you know if we will hold pub quiz late on that evening, or if I will enlist the help of a substitute.

See you tonight!

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

Pub Quiz for Monday, February 17, 2014

1. Newspaper Headlines. This week we learned from a University of Chicago study that one of the biggest killers of the elderly – that is, one of the biggest factors that speeds up death from other inevitable causes – is not obesity, but is actually a ten-letter word that starts with the letter L. Hint: Mother Teresa said that L-word and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.” Solve for L.

2. Pens and Sponges. A pen is like a sponge because both are involved in dispensing WHAT? This was a great question. Hall of Fame, for sure.

3. Greek Gods. Cupid is the son of what Greek goddess?

4. Pop Culture – Music. When I asked my 16 year-old daughter if she knew the rapper who had a big hit with the song “Happy” from the Despicable Me 2 Soundtrack, she responded “Oh, do you mean the guy with the hat?” What is the name of the rapper?

5. Science. According to a study released last week, cocaine use in young people raises by six times the risk of what six-letter S word? Favorite incorrect answers include the six letter words STUPID and SCURVY.

The Gracious Hosts with Bongos Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on February 17, 2014

Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,

I’ve spent the entire weekend at the San Francisco Writers Conference. I chaired or presented formally at 10 panels over four days, and hosted three evening poetry readings, including a raucous open mic that featured a live jazz trio (with whom I got to play my bongos). I’ve made close friends and valuable contacts at the conference over the last decade, and always relish the opportunity to learn more about the publishing industry. Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada, the San Francisco literary agents who produce and host the event, are beloved heroes of the west-coast literary scene, even while the rapid changes in publishing – towards self-publishing and ebooks, and away from the New York publishers, sometimes called “legacy” publishers – complicate the work and livelihood of agents. Nowhere else can one find such gracious hosts.

My favorite moments of the conference involved interactions with the poets. Fifth-generation Davisite and third-generation UC Davis faculty member Brad Henderson was there, reading from his new ebook The Blue Devil. As you might guess, Brad is also a Davis High alum. Other terrific poets at the event included Brian Felsen, Matthew Zapruder (a contemporary of mine in DC who I’ve just met for the first time), Aya de Leon, Micah Ballard and especially Arisa White. Some of the poets at the conference have also appeared at the Poetry Night Reading Series here in Davis, including Joan Gelfand, Indigo Moor, and Mary Mackey. I include all their names here with the hope that you will look them up.

At SFWC I also learned even more about social media marketing, especially from Rusty Shelton, the Austin-based thought-leader in micromedia who offered to help Kate and me publicize the book we’re publishing next month about raising our son Jukie. I think Rusty appreciated that we are donating all the profits from book sales to the Smith-Lemli-Opitz Foundation. More on that in future newsletters.

Tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions on the Quizmaster Twitter account, Greek gods, Valentine’s Day (late), scientific slogans, Santa Claus, Toy Story, pens and sponges, men with hats, roses, Olympic coaches, US Presidents, noise, games, delicious desserts, great films, poet laureates that inhabit color, proper names that are not Kane, gangsters, dead birds, Italians, the sympathies of ash, islands that are not men, long lives, Frenchmen of the 17^th century, the example of Mercy, Dukes, first choices, female leads, chocolate, and Shakespeare. There will also be a couple current-events questions that I haven’t written yet.

I hope you have been enjoying some time off this holiday. Consider taking a nap so that you are fresh and sharp for tonight’s Pub Quiz!

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

Mottos and Slogans. The UNCF tells us that “a mind is a terrible thing to waste.” What do the letters UNCF stand for?

Internet Culture. What is the length of those automated “Look Back” movies that Facebook created for everyone who cared to investigate them? Are they closest to 30, 60, or 120 seconds?

Newspaper Headlines. We learned last Thursday of the closure this coming summer of which one of the following ebook retailers/ devices? Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Sony Reader.

Four for Four. Which two of the following four actresses were born in Hawaii? Jane Fonda, Nicole Kidman, Bette Midler, Sofia Vergara.

Star Wars Anagram. The first letters of the first names of Leia Organa’s mother, father, and grandmother together spell the name of a place where you’d never find Darth Vader. Name it.

P.S. This coming Thursday one of California’s most dynamic poets, Francisco X. Alarcon, will be performing with other poets at another meeting of the Poetry Night Reading Series. We start at 8 PM at the Natsoulas Gallery at 1^st and E Streets, and you are invited. Details at http://www.poetryindavis.com.

The Church Lady Bike Mishaps Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on February 10, 2014

Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,

The elderly church lady who almost hit me asked if I wanted to recover from the bike accident while sitting in her car. I told her that I didn’t want to bleed all over the seats of her Mazda. She blessed me several times after being assured that I was OK, and then drove away.

I can barely blame her for not being sure where to drive in Davis. The lane markings that had helped bicyclists and drivers alike keep from entering each other’s space had been paved over by CalTrans during the previous summer, so the overcrossing was a free-for-all. Almost every morning during my bike commute I wrote a letter in my head demanding that the bike lanes be repainted, but the letter was never written. While lying under my bike in the highway access road, I thought of the phrase “The life you save may be your own.” I have spoken these words on the radio dozens of times while reading blood drive public service announcements, but I never thought they would refer to my own procrastination with public-minded correspondence. It was my turn to donate blood, but not in the way that anyone would have wanted. Messy.

I took a day off to recover from the “road rash” on my palms, left knee, and left elbow. My helmet and MacBook Pro – my two priorities – remained unscratched. The next day I phoned David Kemp, the staff liaison to our city’s Bicycle Advisory Commission to complain about the safety lapse. He didn’t sound hopeful when he phoned me back, saying that the city wasn’t in charge of highway overcrossings, but then a week later the bike lanes are back. Thanks to David’s work, all South Davis residents can cross Richards Boulevard a little more safely now, though I recommend the bike tunnel under I-80 for that purpose (as well as leaving for your commute ten minutes earlier).

When I reported a problem, nobody blamed me, called me a troublemaker, or had me detained (as might be the case if I were a resident of Sochi this week). As FDR said in 1938, “If in other lands the press and books and literature of all kinds are censored, we must redouble our efforts here to keep them free.” I hope you have found some free time to enjoy the Winter Olympic Games! I wonder what country would earn gold if the Pub Quiz were an Olympic event.

In addition to topics raised thus far, expect questions tonight on bodies of water, short histories, Sam I Am, Montana, long-suffering literary fathers, trips to DC during the Reagan era, salty language, ancient Greeks, time for comparisons to the lower 48, cubic kilometers, Irishwomen, no awards for acting, road works, Neolithic walks, the US Census and the spelling of the word “community,” underground, US cities, a basket full of bread, exhausted pugs, Iceland, 50 years ago today, the joke’s on him, baseball transitions, birdsongs, math geniuses, Star Wars anagrams, Hawaii, surprise residents, reading being fundamental, Facebook, wastes of time, reversals, and Shakespeare.

I hope you can join us for the Pub Quiz tonight. Happy Lincoln’s Birthday!

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

Mottos and Slogans. The New Jersey stadium where Super Bowl 48 took place yesterday was named after what insurance company that uses the slogan “It Pays”?

Internet Culture. Katy Perry has welcomed her boyfriend back to Twitter. What is his name?

Cars and Commercials. According to a commercial I saw yesterday, where a bunch of engineers earned their wings, what car company has the most cars on the road with 100,000 miles?

Four for Four. Which of the following islands, if any, are parts of Polynesia? Guam, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu.

Pop Culture – Music. One from the Archives. The 1000th issue of Entertainment Weekly dated July 4, 2008 listed the same album at number one on the Top 100 Best albums of the past 25 years that Vanity Fair in 2007 called the greatest soundtrack of all time. Name the album.

The Win and Two Losses Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on February 3, 2014

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,

The title of this week’s newsletter, surprisingly, does not refer to yesterday’s Super Bowl, though I suppose all of us lost who expected an exciting game. So many of you viewed the game yesterday that I feel compelled to include some relevant questions on tonight’s quiz. I hope the time with friends and family rewarded your investment of time and attention.

One striking Loss from yesterday was the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman at age 46. James Lipton, the host of the TV show Inside the Actors Studio, called Hoffman the “greatest actor of his generation,” comparing him to Brando, Nicholson, and de Niro. My wife Kate recognized Hoffman’s talent in his earliest films, and would set aside time to see each new film as he became more recognized and event more talented. I have mentioned him dozens of times on the Pub Quiz, and he will reappear this evening as we celebrate his life and work.

One Win, for me, was a reunion of sorts with my favorite teacher from high school, Will Layman. He and two of his colleagues from that small private school, The Field School in Washington DC, were in San Francisco over the weekend, so yesterday my son Jukie and I woke as early as we would on a school day and drove out to the Café de la Presse for some breakfast. I was pleased to see that the maitre d’ was just as snooty as the Yelp reviews had lead to me expect, asking us twice, with some incredulity, if indeed we had no reservation for our 9 AM meal. The food was delicious, and the conversation even better. Now a musician and a jazz critic as well as a beloved teacher, Will Layman (with others) inspired me to jump into the literature racket, to invest deeply in learning and reading, and to consider ways to inspire others’ discoveries. We might say, then, that Will Layman is indirectly responsible for all my brash and public artistic pursuits, including the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz.

The final Loss, for me, is my loss of respect for Woody Allen. I should wait to see if the allegations against him are corroborated, but to imagine an aesthetic hero of mine acting in such a way fills me with grief almost as much as reading of the death of Hoffman. Perhaps this is how the Chris Christie partisans feel as more revelations are revealed.

In addition to what is mentioned above, expect questions tonight on insurance, diminutive stars, introductions to a boyfriend, heroes, impoverished tropical paradises, wings, solar politics, the imagination, POTUS, American rappers, monsters, unusual words with Fs and Ps, more candy from Jay Leno’s doo-to-be-vacated desk, living American authors, surf instrumentals, rock journalism, wars, flowers and dancing, books of maps, houses of worship, the roots of American music, ethnic groups, countries in Europe, loud noises, Canadian menaces, nothing, ketchup, and Shakespeare.

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

Mottos and Slogans. What US company founded in 1903 has used these two commercial slogans? “American by Birth, Rebel by Choice” and “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”

Newspaper Headlines. The front-man of Nine Inch Nails tweeted his pique over being cut off towards the end of yesterday’s Grammy Awards ceremony. Name this musician who won an Oscar for scoring the film The Social Network and who Spin magazine described as “the most vital artist in music.”

Know Your Historical Events. Using letters only, tell me the order of these three historical events: A) The Founding of the French First Republic (with the resulting end of the French Monarchy), B) The Founding of San Francisco by Spanish colonists, and C) The Founding of the United States of America.

Four for Four. Which of the following Davis parks have a play structure or any kind of apparatus that includes a slide? Central Park, Community Park, Oxford Circle Park, Slide Hill Park.

Kid Culture. What’s the name of the human handler and adoptive father of Alvin & the Chipmunks?

P.S. This coming Thursday the Poetry Night Reading Series will feature a reading and book-signing by highly acclaimed Nevada City poet Molly Fisk. Fisk will be reading from her most recent book: Blow-Drying a Chicken: Observations from a Working Poet. I hope you can join us Thursday night at 8 for this event at the John Natsoulas Gallery.

The Links to Busy Strangers Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on January 27, 2014

Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,

I’ve talked to many strangers since I saw you last.

In addition to the growing audience of my radio show, to whom I introduced Nina Amir, the writing coach and author of the book How to Blog a Book, Thursday I spoke at the UC Davis Design Museum about my former professor and colleague Sandra McPherson. Sandy, a beloved poet and teacher, had donated all 67 of the quilts she had collected, all of them created by African American female artists, most of them in the southern US. I got to read one of Sandy’s poems, titled “Artists,” and talk about what an important voice she has been for poetry, and for her students.

Then Friday I presented a talk at a writing conference in San Francisco, a paper titled “It’s All About the Caption: Understanding and Encouraging Students’ Use of Social Media to Create Multi-Modal Compositions.” Therein I talked about how rewarding it is to work with such talented Technocultural Studies students at UC Davis, and how I love encouraging them to take their knowledge of images, film, animation and sound, and create multimodal compositions in response to my assignments. They repeatedly delight and surprise me with their creativity and originality.

Then Saturday I gave a talk before the Ina Coolbrith Poetry Circle in Lafayette about the importance of radio on poetry and literacy. Kate brought the kids to that event, and several people came up to us afterwards to remark on how well-behaved our children are. That was almost as gratifying as hearing people laugh at my impersonations of Dylan Thomas (Born 100 years ago) and the late Amiri Baraka. Speaking of people born 100 years ago, a poet named Ben Slomoff shared a poem with us that had won a prize last year when Ben was 99. Now he is 100. My new friend Ben earned a master’s degree in conflict resolution in 1997 from the University of Massachusetts. What an admirable fellow.

And then on Sunday, like Ben Slomoff, I rested. Both Ben and I had earned it. How was your weekend?

Tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions on the following topics: dogs and dog breeds, staged violence, football defense, enforcers and where they come from, gothic novels, Heart favorites, Swedes, big cities, Ireland (the island itself), films that are not titled Shrek, infectious diseases, meadows, radically progressive statements about women, menaces, dudes named Jack, young royals, absent flavor varieties, venerables, the poem “The World is Too Much With Us,” Harvard, alcohols, Julie Andrews, handlers, famous foundings, slides, newspaper headlines, Apples, American rebels, California cities, and Shakespeare.

See you tonight!

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

Great Americans. Who the first person to fly solo from Honolulu, Hawaii to Oakland, California?

Unusual Words. What C verb means “To modify, especially to increase, the rate of (a chemical reaction)”? Verbs only, please.

American Cities. What American city is home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where the Mission Control Center is located?

Pop Culture – Television. The name of the 1980s TV sitcom title character ALF is actually an anagram for what?

Another Music Question: Three-Vowel First Names. Who had big 2010 hits with “Dynamite” and “Break Your Heart”?

P.S. Poetry Night returns on February 6 with a reading by Molly Fisk. Stay tuned for more information!

A Quilt from the Sandra McPherson Collection at the UC Davis Design Museum

The Contemplative Alternatives to Smoking Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on January 20, 2014

Poetry Warning Signs

Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,

Happy Martin Luther King Day! I’ve previously written in this space about my family’s connections to and admiration of Dr. King. In recent years, Dr. King’s birthday has become a National Day of Service. A visit to the Davis Wiki Events Board reveals that as I write this two different local community spirit and beautification groups are planting native plants in Winters and North Davis. Elsewhere across the country people are painting murals at schools, boarding up abandoned homes, and picking up trash and cigarette butts in public parks. I hope that this has been a fruitful “day on” rather than just a day off for you.

Speaking of cigarette butts, thanks to our friends at Breathe Free UC Davis for providing the swag (six T-shirts!) and a reason to remind everyone about the well-established dangers of smoking cigarettes. According to a recent CNN story, the acting Surgeon General has new findings on smoking: “For the first time, the report found that smoking can cause diabetes, erectile dysfunction, rheumatoid arthritis, macular degeneration, ectopic pregnancies and impaired immune function. Smokers have a 30% to 40% increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared with nonsmokers.”

Smoking seems like a great way to try out old age before you are due. That said, some of my smoker friends have told me that their addiction to death-sticks has made them more contemplative, for their addictions have forced them outside to take a break from work and consider sunshine and the view. In large organizations, smokers often know the best gossip, and more people from different departments, because they make friends while huddled outside as they administer nicotine and the hundreds of other chemical pollutants infused in their cigarettes. Of course, one could also turn to poetry – reading or writing – to encourage deep thinking. The side effects are far less dangerous.

Business and social media marketing guru Chris Brogan has said that smartphones have replaced cigarettes. Fans of Mad Men and people who remember Elvis before he was fat know well how it used to be: immediately after a dinner out with friends everyone would light up a cigarette and begin conversing (and coughing). Today people turn on their smartphones to see what important messages and events they had missed during the previous hour. Some people don’t even wait for the meal to end. Just yesterday I saw two sisters in their 20s enjoying burritos, but not each other’s company or conversation, for they both spent the entire meal silently staring into the small screens of their phones.

As the host of a weekly trivia contest, perhaps I should encourage your obsession with the transitory and the trivial, and thus smile when I see teams submit their scorecards without looking them over one last time, if only to be reunited with their smartphones, and thus alleviate the pain of separation. Instead I sometimes think of how Henry David Thoreau responded to a friend who insisted on walking into Concord once a week to read a copy of the New York Times. Thoreau said, “Read not The Times; read the eternities.” What are you reading?

Tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions on the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Expect also questions about monadnocks, the San Francisco 49ers, people who have been nominated for five Oscars, 2013 films, fairy tales, trivia questions found in back-copies of the Christian Science Monitor, distilled spirits, countries that are not Indonesia, aliens, minimalist absurdity, cinematic debuts, American cities, breaches, living authors of substance, silly film anagrams, The Journal of Pain, milk, the potential of wine, key Irish people who you should not snub, dogs, problems, unusual verbs, fliers, people who are not Gay, stars, dance, light wits, marches, films online, east Carolina, Navajos, and Shakespeare.

See you tonight! I will be the one dressed in black.

Your Quizmaster