Pub trivia (or trivia of any kind, for that matter) is becoming a pretty big part of my life these days. I do my darnedest to attend the three local events (as covered here) and always try to hit up new spots whenever I travel. It's fun. It's engaging. And it can be pretty dang lucrative.
Well, as is my way, I decided to start tracking me and my team's showings just for kicks. Not only will it be neat to look back at how we did, etc., but it will serve as a way to track winnings. At one spot alone last year, we earned an estimated $2000 in gift certificates. Not bad for a bunch of nerds. Much in the same way I keep my sleeping around online, I've put the trivia data up as well, just for yucks. You can check it out here. Take that NSA. No need to bug my phone or e-mail. I've got it all laid out nicely for you right here on my blog. |
Friday January 10 2014 | File under: games, data |
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Remember those game nights from back in the day, when a bunch of people gathered at my mom's house, chatted, ate yummy food, and played games? If you don't, here's a few links to refresh your memory (2006 and 2007).
Well, after a far too long hiatus, we tried it again. And again, it proved to be dang fun. Thanks to everyone that came and played along. A first time addition to this game night was trivia, which I wrote and hosted. I really like writing and hosting trivia. I had a go at it this past summer with Chautauqua which proved to be a hit. And this turned out pretty great. An innovation I hadn't experienced before emerged: everyone contribute one question for the final round. Good times. The picture round can be seen here*. To counter the new time addition, we played a couple rounds of the good old standby Pictionary Telephone (covered here on BdW before). Here are a few of the highlights: 1, 2, and 3. Yep, to whomever suggested the resurrection of game night, a hearty thanks. And now that I remember how awesome it is, maybe we'll have to do it again next year! |
Thursday January 2 2014 | File under: games |
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I've been playing ultimate frisbee here in Anacortes for, gosh, over 10 years now? (Tuesdays 6:30 @ Smiley's bottom except in late Sept and Oct when we go up to Storvik for lights. Join us!) It is a great way to get out and get some exercise and it's a total hoot to boot!
For that last year or so, we've been trying to compile names for every possible combination of points in hopes of us being able to remember the score better between points. It all started with the Richard Nixon Point when the score was 2 to 2. From there, it just exploded. Here's is my attempt to preserve, for posterity, the official Anacortes Ultimate Frisbee points naming conventions. Hopefully they will get picked up internationally and beyond! Oh, and it should go without saying that yes I realize these are incredible nerdy. Like uber nerdy. But I'm okay with that.
I might be forgetting a few, and I know new ones will crop up. If you feel so inclined, contribute below. Whoop! |
Tuesday October 22 2013 | File under: Anacortes, games |
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Andrew* and I have somewhat of a competitive relationship. In fact, not a single Portland visit goes by without at least a little money changing hands on one bet or another. This trip to Portland, however, we decided to get organized.
We devised a list of 8 events, spanning various disciplines, to comprise a winner-take-all Octathalon. While some events were old stand-bys (such as darts or Dr. Mario), a few new ones were thrown into the mix. The competition was 4 day of fun filled intensity with lots of good humored swearing and racket throwing.
While officially the final results are still up in the air, Andrew has graciously conceded knowing that as WWF game stands, he hasn't a prayer. But that just makes way for fresh start next visit. Yet again, Portland proves to be great fun! |
Sunday March 31 2013 | File under: Portland, games |
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My long sought after trivia goal was achieved this week with the help of some wonderful teammates. We completed the Western Skagit Pub Trivia Trifecta*, coming in first place in 3 consecutive nights of pub trivia (the three establishments in question are the ones I reviewed here.)
The competition was tight (esp. at the Longhorn, where it was more crowded than ever), but the categories were with us (former geographic names and Simpsons, to name a few). There was a helpful little overlap on the various pictures rounds* (answers in comments below), though. And for this triumph, there was no prize in addition to those of the various establishments. But those do add up: 2 pitchers of beer, 2 mixed drinks, 4 t-shirts, and $95 in gift certificates. If I drank or wore beer swag t-shirts, that would be a pretty good haul. But a burger, desert, and good times is enough of a reward for me. Next week I head to Portland to get a little trivia in down there. Hopefully the streak will continue! Did I mention that I really like trivia? |
Friday March 22 2013 | File under: Anacortes, games |
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After taking a bit of a break from crossword creation, I'm back at it. I posted a while ago about the puzzle I submitted to the New York Times. Well, I got a very cordial "no-way bub" response*, so that means I can now make it available to ya'll! It can be found here or at on the games page.
Since then, I've put together two new ones, both of which I think are pretty dang neat. They can both be found over at the games page as well. Format wise, I've forgone the html online version in favor of just .pdf and .puz. If you're greatly missing the html version, let me know and I'll resurrect it. One puzzle is worth calling attention to: A Reason For Celebrating was created as a welcome to the world for baby Soren (although in reality, it'll be at least 8 months before he's figuring out "Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity spot" in 4 letters.) Anyway, do the puzzles, share them with your puzzle-oriented friends, and let me know what you think. I've farmed a few more out in hopes of getting published, but I'm not holding my breath. I'll no doubt keep you posted on if anything ever comes of that. In the meantime, I'll keep cranking out puzzles. Because if nothing else, I certainly enjoy them. |
Wednesday February 20 2013 | File under: games |
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Last week, I submitted a crossword to the New York Times for my first time. I've submitted to the LA Times before, and while I've never gotten one published, the editor there has been very courteous in responding to each submission with why it wasn't selected, etc. But as any crossworder knows, the NYT is where it's at.
I recently met a guy who had a couple puzzles published and he walked me through the process. In this age of e-mails, PDAs, etc., I found it surprising (and pretty dang neat) that the NYT takes submissions by snail mail only. It took a while to format the puzzle to the precise standards of submission (double spaced, numbered clues with no period, etc. etc.), but now it is in the hands of the crossword gods, Will Shortz be thy name. If you are so inclined, cross your fingers for me in hopes of being able to check that item off my life to do list. And if you are the puzzle inclined, shoot me a message and I'll e-mail you a copy of the puzzle. Or you can always do some of my older (yet still fun!) puzzles over at the games page. |
Friday November 30 2012 | File under: games |
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Tuesday October 23 2012 | File under: Anacortes, games |
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Have you played Words With Friends? With their website saying over 20 million people are addicted, chances are you have. I can safely say that I am 1 in 20 million.
For those of you who haven't played, it's Scrabble® with a slightly different board. The great part is, though, that you can take as much time working on the words as you want. And you can be playing as many games at a time as you want. I've currently got 4 going so there is usually a move waiting for me whenever I sit down with it. Just like in Scrabble, there are many was to approach success. The most points, obviously, is a good one.* Or the best word (using all your letters, or obscure letters together). But one move that I just made that I'm super proud of is stringing words together so they make sense (kind of). While only worth 20 points, "shit here" is my proudest move on that front. If anyone out there is looking to get in on the action, I'm totally up for starting a new game. My username is my name, no spaces. Find me and let's play! |
Tuesday February 7 2012 | File under: games |
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Last week, I tried out to be a contestant on Jeopardy!. Again. As opposed to last time, where you get dressed up*, went to some fancy conference center, and walked away with a souvenir pen, this time was a measly little online test. It was still fun, but I'm sure 100 times more people took it which doesn't bode well for my odds*. They don't tell you how you did, win or lose, so I can't say for sure, but I'm fairly certain I won't be receiving The Call any time soon.
But that doesn't mean it wasn't a step towards my goal of eventually being a television trivia game show contestant. Not only did taking the test give me a better idea of what to expect for next time around, but in surfing around before hand, I came across this guide on How to Win on Jeopardy!. One thing that he recommends doing is, when watching, keep score of yourself using his handy system. It is a way to judge your relative competitiveness as well as keep track of the progress of your training. And while it is optimistic to think I will ever get to test the whole competitiveness thing and I'm not really training, I thought it would be a fun exercise for a week where I'm available to watch Jeopardy! every night*. The results: My score of $17,000 isn't up to his recommended threshold of a consistent $24,000 to have a shot. But who knows what the week will bring. I'll try to post my progress/stats in the comments at the end of the week.
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Monday January 23 2012 | File under: games |
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