Freaks and Geeks
Let me just start off by saying that I'm a pretty smart chick. I was in all of those "gifted" classes, got placed into the high track group in school, always scored in the 99th percentile in those dumb standardized tests. I struggled, sure, through grad school in one of the toughest medical schools in the country--- but I was one of a handful in my class that made it to the end.
But I'm not scary smart. Not the kind of smart that had me running with glee to compete in science fairs. Not the kind of smart that would have me recognized as a contender for the Junior Nobel Prize. I never had the luxury of having to choose between an MD or a MD/Ph.D combo. Nor did I graduate at the top of my class in Harvard, then sleep through medical school, only to graduate with honors. Again. My Friday nights in high school were spent at football games or parties, not playing chess.
No, I leave those things to my husband and his friends. How the hell did I get hooked up with these people?
At home with Hubby, and when we socialize with our friends, I have no trouble holding my own. We all get along, and I always feel like I'm at least their equals, socially. But tonight, I joined Hubby and friends for their weekly Trivia Night at the local pub. Where they compete for cash, people. And tonight, as I sipped my cider and adjusted my uber-hip sweater, I looked around and realized how Hubby and Co. (aka Team Triumph, after Hubby's motorcycle) have been pulling the wool over my eyes. I'm not their equal. No, they were just being nice.
I noticed something was up the moment I walked into the bar. First of all, it was clear that no one in the entire building cared a bit about fashion. Uh uh. Apparantly, they've been too busy discussing quantum physics to watch What Not to Wear. Second, even before the quiz started, the 'small talk' was above and beyond the small talk I would normally make. Also, there was a throng of Trivia Groupies (some were in their 40's and lived with their parents!) that gathered around our table, each person falling over the next to "warm us up" for the quiz--- with questions they painstakingly came up with at home. Questions that were fully researched. And cross-referenced. And the worst part of it was, Hubby and Co. knew Every. Single. Answer.
And I just sat there and sucked on my beer, sticking out hugely in my Nine West Riding Boots.
Once the warm-ups ended, everyone at our table started talking normally again--- gossiping, dishing, the whole bit. And I started to relax a bit.
But then the quiz started. As each question was read, the members of Team Triumph would huddle together, frantically whispering potential answers to each other. At one point, a Free For All question was asked , ("What, in outer space, is furthest away from earth?"), and Team Triumph shouted "QUASARS!!!!"--- and won another round of beer.
Then the next Free For All was read. "What do the following have in common: silver, purple, orange (and some other word that was not a color)?" As I started my mental dialogue, "Okay, silver. Purple....," one of ours guys shouted "They can't be rhymed!" More beers all around.
Okay, Rainman.
And so it went for the rest of the quiz.. I knew better than to say a word, or even to raise an eyebrow. A member of Triumph actually berated me for doing so at the start of the quiz ("The other teams are watching!!! They'll think we're cheating!!! We're only allowed 4 people per team, and you make five!!! You can't play!! No talking! Just sit there and drink--- DON'T EVEN NOD!!!!") Criminey!!!!
In the end, of course Triumph well, triumphed. But not without controversy. Sure enough, another team noticed me sitting there, and raised a stink, insisting Triumph was cheating by using my 'superior intellect.' HA!!! Please!!! After all those free beers, I was half in the bag, people!
And now I must come to terms with the fact that I am married to a nerdy smart guy. A HOT one, mind you, but still. I'm awed and proud of his brain power, and thrilled that he's so far passed it on to at least one son.
But I dare him to challenge me at online shopping. I'd KICK his ASS!!!
Bring it on, Big Guy!!!
Let me just start off by saying that I'm a pretty smart chick. I was in all of those "gifted" classes, got placed into the high track group in school, always scored in the 99th percentile in those dumb standardized tests. I struggled, sure, through grad school in one of the toughest medical schools in the country--- but I was one of a handful in my class that made it to the end.
But I'm not scary smart. Not the kind of smart that had me running with glee to compete in science fairs. Not the kind of smart that would have me recognized as a contender for the Junior Nobel Prize. I never had the luxury of having to choose between an MD or a MD/Ph.D combo. Nor did I graduate at the top of my class in Harvard, then sleep through medical school, only to graduate with honors. Again. My Friday nights in high school were spent at football games or parties, not playing chess.
No, I leave those things to my husband and his friends. How the hell did I get hooked up with these people?
At home with Hubby, and when we socialize with our friends, I have no trouble holding my own. We all get along, and I always feel like I'm at least their equals, socially. But tonight, I joined Hubby and friends for their weekly Trivia Night at the local pub. Where they compete for cash, people. And tonight, as I sipped my cider and adjusted my uber-hip sweater, I looked around and realized how Hubby and Co. (aka Team Triumph, after Hubby's motorcycle) have been pulling the wool over my eyes. I'm not their equal. No, they were just being nice.
I noticed something was up the moment I walked into the bar. First of all, it was clear that no one in the entire building cared a bit about fashion. Uh uh. Apparantly, they've been too busy discussing quantum physics to watch What Not to Wear. Second, even before the quiz started, the 'small talk' was above and beyond the small talk I would normally make. Also, there was a throng of Trivia Groupies (some were in their 40's and lived with their parents!) that gathered around our table, each person falling over the next to "warm us up" for the quiz--- with questions they painstakingly came up with at home. Questions that were fully researched. And cross-referenced. And the worst part of it was, Hubby and Co. knew Every. Single. Answer.
And I just sat there and sucked on my beer, sticking out hugely in my Nine West Riding Boots.
Once the warm-ups ended, everyone at our table started talking normally again--- gossiping, dishing, the whole bit. And I started to relax a bit.
But then the quiz started. As each question was read, the members of Team Triumph would huddle together, frantically whispering potential answers to each other. At one point, a Free For All question was asked , ("What, in outer space, is furthest away from earth?"), and Team Triumph shouted "QUASARS!!!!"--- and won another round of beer.
Then the next Free For All was read. "What do the following have in common: silver, purple, orange (and some other word that was not a color)?" As I started my mental dialogue, "Okay, silver. Purple....," one of ours guys shouted "They can't be rhymed!" More beers all around.
Okay, Rainman.
And so it went for the rest of the quiz.. I knew better than to say a word, or even to raise an eyebrow. A member of Triumph actually berated me for doing so at the start of the quiz ("The other teams are watching!!! They'll think we're cheating!!! We're only allowed 4 people per team, and you make five!!! You can't play!! No talking! Just sit there and drink--- DON'T EVEN NOD!!!!") Criminey!!!!
In the end, of course Triumph well, triumphed. But not without controversy. Sure enough, another team noticed me sitting there, and raised a stink, insisting Triumph was cheating by using my 'superior intellect.' HA!!! Please!!! After all those free beers, I was half in the bag, people!
And now I must come to terms with the fact that I am married to a nerdy smart guy. A HOT one, mind you, but still. I'm awed and proud of his brain power, and thrilled that he's so far passed it on to at least one son.
But I dare him to challenge me at online shopping. I'd KICK his ASS!!!
Bring it on, Big Guy!!!
posted by The June Cleaver Diaries at 8:43 PM
2 Comments:
I was wondering if you were ever going to enter the Inner Sanctum of Trivia night...
I love trivia and if it gets you free beer it cannot be all bad. When I come up with the stuff, my bestfriend always asks me, what I forgot in order to remember that particular piece of useless trivia.
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