Explanatory note: Alan's father was a history major and is quite the font of historical knowledge. While a typical trivia buff might know that Houston County, Georgia is named for John Houstoun, Mr. Bowman could tell you that and add tidbits such as John Houstoun was a former governor not once but twice - 1778 and 1784, he was a lawyer from Savannah, and a Whig. And probably more.
So anyway, Alan and I enjoy watching Jeopardy!, usually while we eat dinner. We joke that if Jeopardy! were a team sport, we'd be unstoppable because he knows all sorts of things about physical science, geography, world and U.S. leaders, while I know things about literature, art, sports and music. We're both pretty good at pop culture-type things.
Last night I supplied the answers "music" and "temperate" for the "Bard Bits" clues (paraphrasing) 'this be the food of love' and 'thou art more lovely and more this'. Alan knew most of the ones I didn't, which involved things like what countries border Azerbaijan (I didn't know there was an Azerbaijan) and that Thomas Edison holds the record for receiving the most U.S. patents.
My triumphant moment happened in Final Jeopardy. The clue was, paraphrasing here, 'the only leader who died during the Civil War who is depicted on Confederate currency'. I said, "Stonewall Jackson," while Alan busied himself logically eliminating gentlemen like Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis on the grounds of their survival. I held fast to Stonewall Jackson, but in all honesty this was because no one more likely occurred to me and not actual confidence. The two losing contestants guessed Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis - nope, pneumonia and undetermined causes, not war wounds. The winner went with me and Stonewall Jackson, which was the right answer!
Alan said, "Whoa! Go sweetie!" as I held both fists high in the air and said, "YES! YES! At last I am worthy to be Bob Bowman's daughter-in-law!"
(Stonewall Jackson is on the $500 Confederate T-64 bill. I had to look that up but I'm sure Mr. Bowman could have told me without Google.)
So anyway, Alan and I enjoy watching Jeopardy!, usually while we eat dinner. We joke that if Jeopardy! were a team sport, we'd be unstoppable because he knows all sorts of things about physical science, geography, world and U.S. leaders, while I know things about literature, art, sports and music. We're both pretty good at pop culture-type things.
Last night I supplied the answers "music" and "temperate" for the "Bard Bits" clues (paraphrasing) 'this be the food of love' and 'thou art more lovely and more this'. Alan knew most of the ones I didn't, which involved things like what countries border Azerbaijan (I didn't know there was an Azerbaijan) and that Thomas Edison holds the record for receiving the most U.S. patents.
My triumphant moment happened in Final Jeopardy. The clue was, paraphrasing here, 'the only leader who died during the Civil War who is depicted on Confederate currency'. I said, "Stonewall Jackson," while Alan busied himself logically eliminating gentlemen like Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis on the grounds of their survival. I held fast to Stonewall Jackson, but in all honesty this was because no one more likely occurred to me and not actual confidence. The two losing contestants guessed Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis - nope, pneumonia and undetermined causes, not war wounds. The winner went with me and Stonewall Jackson, which was the right answer!
Alan said, "Whoa! Go sweetie!" as I held both fists high in the air and said, "YES! YES! At last I am worthy to be Bob Bowman's daughter-in-law!"
(Stonewall Jackson is on the $500 Confederate T-64 bill. I had to look that up but I'm sure Mr. Bowman could have told me without Google.)
5 Comments:
Congrats! Leigh-Ann and I think our thing would be as Trivial Pursuit team. I can't watch Jeopardy because I have a huge aversion to the music and must either run from the room when it starts or quickly change the channel. It started in San Francisco, and I'm not sure what did it, but I can't watch Jeopardy.
It's funny though, we always find ourselves reading each other very arcane bits of info...and then we say, "THAT, that's why our families think we (or, well, mostly Leigh-Ann) know everything." We have pretty varied interests, and if we added my brother, David, for sports (we'd have to take over hockey for him), we'd be unstoppable. However, I'm pretty sure that the family wouldn't let the three of us play on a team together. But damn, it sure would be fun for us.
Even better, if we had the FIVE of us together, nobody could beat us. :) We need David for baseball/football/basketball players throughout the ages.
Still, our favorite family game was always "Facts in Five" - if you could find an old copy (I don't think they make it anymore) for your family, I'll bet you'd have a great time playing it. David's best magazine name (it's much easier these days, with more magazines and just being able to surf the web for weird bits o' info that we'd never have known 30 years ago) for the letter "U" was "Underwater Eating Utensils". It was a good bluff. ;) Hell, it probably exists now.
(my captcha is "dicant" - should I take that personally somehow?)
By
Anonymous, at 7:41 AM
Perhaps it's good that most of the country lies between us...we'd be unstoppable at team trivia and get banned from pubs everywhere.
I wish I could get a picture of the look Alan gives me when I pull some ridiculous factoid out of the dank recesses of my brain. Last night there was a category about the playwright Eugene O'Neill and, while I missed the question about "Mourning Becomes Electra", I came up with the name of his daughter whom he disowned for marrying Charlie Chaplin: Oona. Alan gave me this total, "What the hell?" look, not that I blame him since I can't remember what I wore to work yesterday or where I put the extra laundry detergent, but I know the name of Eugene O'Neill's daughter.
By
Helly, at 4:33 PM
Holy crap, I think I could've come up with Oona too...and I know NOTHING about Eugene O'Neill. But, Oona, it sticks in the brain.
By the way, you haven't mentioned it - how are you feeling? The icky sounding sharp pains gone? I hope so.
I don't want you to think I haven't been thinking about you. I have. It's just that we've spent most of the past couple weeks asleep or just plain wiped out. The most we can manage during those times is playing with our Super Poke Pets (totally mindless, yet fulfilling in a weird way) and answering the occasional silly meme. I can't remember the last time I wrote an email. However, I think about you every day...I just don't get off my ass and do anything productive about it. But, tomorrow (officially today, as it's 12:12am) we get to go back on our clinical study meds at a low dose, which was the dose that we both liked. It helped our pain and our fatigue. Sometimes, we almost felt human. :)
But, this is me being productive and asking about you. I'll bet other people would like to know how you're doing, too. So, give us a girly parts update.
By
Anonymous, at 3:31 AM
I tried out for Jeopardy! the last time they were in Atlanta. Didn't make the cut, though, sadly.
cheers,
Phil
By
Anonymous, at 9:42 AM
Wow! I can't believe you didn't make the cut - that blows my mind. I'm sure if by some chance I did make it onto the show, the categories for that day would all be things I know absolutely nothing about, and I'd look like a total douche.
By
Helly, at 1:53 PM
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