Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
Kate and I got married on a Monday, a Labor Day, way back in 1992, at the beginning of a new political era in our country, and a new and particularly lucky era in my personal life, one that has lasted 23 years so far (and one that will surely outlive one of us). We chose Labor Day because of our progressive roots and inclinations, and because we wanted to spend as much of that long weekend as possible with our far-flung friends and family. They descended by car and plane (one of them self-piloted) upon the tiny Illinois village of Hinsdale, 20 miles outside Chicago, most of them to meet those from the other side of the wedding aisle for the first time.
Kate’s father officiated. My brother Oliver was my best man. My uncle Chuck was our back-up photographer. Run like a Quaker meeting, the ceremony featured short speeches and poems (and one epic poem) by members of the congregation, including five of our seven parents, Kate’s grandmother, and about half-dozen friends. The momentousness of that day hung in the air like the low storm clouds, threatening rain above Katherine Legge Memorial Park, and those assembled knew that this was their one chance.
It was also my one and only chance. Never in high school, and never in my first years of college, had I found cause to hope to date, live with, and/or marry someone so beautiful, or so disarmingly funny and kind. A chance encounter in London, where we regrettably never attended a pub quiz, dramatically improved everything about my life, and a mere five years later, I was dancing to the music of the B-52s in a Hinsdale lodge like a madman with joy, or slow-dancing with Kate with relief and devotion, surrounded by all who were important to us.
I am grateful to have had Kate beside me, and usually in my arms, during the challenges that life has thrown our way, and to have had her inhabit our continually shared discovery and laughter. My best decision ever was to marry Kate, and our second-best was to have our children. Beyond that, as I look into Kate’s eyes, the rest of my decisions fast-fade into history. For me, on September 7th, this yearly day of celebration and remembrance is a benchmark of my life’s joy and gratitude.
Happy anniversary, Kate!
Tonight’s pub quiz will feature questions on one of the topics I raised above, as well as party animals, languages, beavers, spilled oil, flightless birds, machetes, the British Royal Nancy, sweet showers, former Harvard professors, cracking eggs, an inspector named Columbo, sluggers, important visits, Hogwarts, snakes amid the rocks, the Olympics, Ptolemy, productivity, tamability, my soul that has grown deep like the rivers, New Year’s Eve, unrealized promise, Academy Award nominees, carbohydrates, reality TV, state capitals, davenports, commercial law, Ireland, world cities, and Shakespeare.
I hope you can join us tonight. September marks a new season of the Pub Quiz, and you really shouldn’t miss a single Monday.
Your Quizmaster
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Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:
- Mottos and Slogans. Starting with the letter C, what Danish brewing company, now the fifth largest brewing group in the world, abandoned the slogan “Probably the Best Beer in the World” for its original, “That Calls for a BLANK”?
- Newspaper Headlines. President Obama formally announced today that the tallest mountain in North America is being renamed “Denali.” What has been the official name of the mountain since 1917?
- Actors and Actresses. The man who had second billing in Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, considered by many to be the greatest American film ever, had first billing in The Third Man, considered by many to be the greatest British film ever. Name this American actor whose last name starts with C.
- Our Border with Canada. The U.S. Border with Canada is the longest in the world. Is it closest to 1,500 miles, 3,500 miles, 5,500, or 7,500 miles?
- Math. Counting the driver, there are seven people in a Greyhound bus traveling at 67 miles per hour from Davis to Portland. Each of the people in the bus, including the driver, has seven cages. In each cage, there are seven large cats. For each large cat, there are seven kittens. Here’s your question: How many legs are there in the bus?