The Checker Marathon
Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
I read recently that a paid-off mortgage has replaced the BMW as the status symbol of choice (a few of you will catch that reference). Some people invest significant time and energy in their cars as status symbols, which is odd to me because of how quickly new cars lose their value. We bought a new Toyota Prius last year in part because we felt it was our duty as ecologically responsible citizens of Davis, and in part because it was my wife’s dream car. Kate also pointed out to me that it would be difficult to purchase a year-old Prius that does everything she’d want hers to do.
When I was a youth, my family purchased two cars total: each one of them was a Checker Marathon. The 1967 Checker Marathon was powder blue, while our 1978 Checker was a more sensible tan color. As you can imagine, our Checker chariot attracted stares, in part because it could seat more people than most family minivans. During those decades, New York City was awash with Checker cabs, while today they can be found only on film sets, with the last New York Checker turning off its meter for good, as the headline said, in 1999. I loved those cars, and if I were to own one today, I would absolutely consider it a status symbol. Of course, even my talented mechanic Bob Redfield (whose Davis Wiki reviews offer a sampling of the sort of referrals honesty can garner you) would have trouble finding parts for a Checker Marathon.
My current car, a 1998 Saturn sedan, gets scant use because of my preference to bike rather than to drive. It has been enjoying this past rainy weekend in the garage, for its osmotic roof is only a semi-permeable membrane. If Bob Redfield helps me stay with that car for another 17 years, we may just be able to pay off our mortgage – what a status symbol! – in time for retirement. I will let you know what happens.
Tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions on topics that appear only rarely on the Pub Quiz: cars, astronomy, Amsterdam, and ruminants. Take some time to ruminate on those. Consider also that tonight we’ll be discussing “beaming” the internet (star Trek style), depositions, Atlanta, Disney productions, other Mickeys, single votes, the Football Writers Association of America, bookworthy sojourns, an antiquated expression of wrath, unpopular leaders, yarn made of the hair of yaks, cubing, abandonment, sequels, wavelengths, debatable centers, the circulation of magazines, France, one-word titles, Oscar nominees who have never won, weather events, the equivalent of Cecil B DeMille, aspiration, the effect of power when it doesn’t corrupt, leaf-shaped items, unemployment, the Pacific Northwest, famous speechifiers, surprising statistics, Ireland, poetry, and Shakespeare.
Welcome to December. November at the Pub Quiz has been busy, as you probably have noticed, and I’m sure the trend will continue. Arrive with your team by 6 to claim the best tables!
Your Quizmaster
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Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:
- Mottos and Slogans. What company founded in 1928 has used the commercial slogan “Hello Moto”?
- Fashion. What fashion designer who died this month at the age of 82 was famous for his evening gowns, one or more of which he made for every US First Lady from Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama?
- Pop Culture – Music. What LA-based band founded in 1981 is considered one of the founding “big four” bands of thrash metal, alongside Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer?
- Science. Aside from humans, what genus of old-world monkeys are the most widespread primate genus, ranging from Japan to Afghanistan and to North Africa and Southern Europe?
- Mathematics. A billion seconds is closest to how many years?
P.S. Poetry Night is Thursday here in Davis. Please join us at 8 PM this Thursday, December 4th, at the John Natsoulas Gallery (521 First Street, Davis) for Poetry Night featuring Jennifer O’Neill Pickering and company from the Quill and Sable Writers from Sacramento.