Ever Notice?

These stickers are taking over our society. They are an ingenious idea – prey on the modern American family to show their familial pride! No idea what these cost, but damn, they must be profitable.

There is a definite trend to the stickers you see above. I have only ever seen them on large SUVs and minivans. It may be worth noting that I have never seen a single person or a couple on the back window. I have, unfortunately, seen a couple with a dog. If Alli & I ever do such a thing with our puppies, please tell us how ridiculous we look.  Friends don’t let friends look like jackasses.

Just a little observation to get rolling.

Pub Trivia – 2010.02.01

(Updated: 2010.02.04 – 6:45 p.m with Music Round)

Welcome back, campers!

Or…well, perhaps it is you that should be welcoming me back — seeing as how it’s been nearly a full year since I last logged one of our weekly trivia exploits on this fine Interweb of ours.

Enjoy! (return of Original Content is also imminent)

February 1, 2010 – Kelly & The Pub at Rookwood (41 pts Possible)

General Trivia (21 pts Possible)

1. On which TV sitcom would you find the character Ashley Banks?

2. How many pounds are in one ton?

3. What is the official motto of The Boy Scouts?

4. In which country would you find Mt. Fuji?

5. Name the two current US Senators from Ohio.

6. In which year did the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan occur?

7. Which 1990 movie stars Robin Williams as a doctor with an experimental cure  for a ward of comatose patients?

Bonus: Who directed this film?

8. What body of water separates mainland Australia from the island of Tasmania?

9. What common nickname is given to America’s purchase of the land that forms present-day Alaska?

10. What is the name of Wonder Woman’s alias?

11. Spell the name of the Italian dessert that is created by dipping savoiardi in espresso or strong coffee or rum, which is then layered with a whipped mixture of egg yolks, mascarpone, and sugar, and topped with cocoa.

(It really is that much harder to write these questions.  But if I wrote it out like it was read on Monday, you’d already have the answer.  And that’s no fun, is it? — Cheaters!)

12. Valerie Harper and Jason Bateman starred in the TV series “Valerie”.  When Harper left the show due to a dispute with producers, what was the continued show renamed?

13. What was the name of the first governing document of the Pilgrims at Plymouth in 1620?

14. What is the capital of Cuba?

15. Common Actor/Actress:

• Deconstructing Harry
• Back to the Future Part II
• Leaving Las Vegas

16. The Lovely Bones, a 2009 film starring Mark Wahlberg, is adapted from a 2002 novel of the same name by which author?

17. How many U.S. states are included in the geographical region commonly known as the Northeast New England?

18. Which substance in chocolate makes it potentially toxic to dogs?

19. What movie was famous for citing “Coughlin’s Laws”, including:

• “Bury the dead; they stink up the place.”, and
• “Drink or be gone.”

20. $500, $100, $50, $20, $10, $5, $1: These were all denominations of bills in the original Monopoly board game.

Name the corresponding bill color for each of the dollar values listed above (1 pt in total).

Music Round – Cover Songs (20 pts Possible)

Name the cover artist heard here.  Bonus point for each of the original recording artists.

Song #1

Song #2

Song #3

Song #4

Song #5

Song #6

Song #7

Song #8

Song #9

Song #10

Pub Trivia – 8/24

Yes, it took me a week to get around to this. Newey, this is repayment for all the quizzes we could do from Japan. Sorry, no music round because I’m not nearly as tech-savvy as Newey. Bashfully I admit Team Put It In The Hole was only good for 15/22.

1) Which fairy princess was the “Fairest of Them All”?

2) In land area, which is the largest state in the US?

3) Before Drew Carey hosted the PIR (Price Is Right), what other show did he host?

4) In the Copacabana, what was the name of the showgirl?

5) Which basketball player has won the most scoring titles? Bonus: Who won it in 2008-2009?

6) Name the 2001 movie:  The male lead loses her phone number, but the pair finally reunites in NYC at Christmastime despite the twists and turns of fate.

7) Who was the youngest man to serve as President of the US?

The “Ocean of Storms” can be found where?

9) In what movie can you hear the line: “I coulda been a contender”?

10) Who wrote the play “The Glass Menagerie”? Bonus: Name the two children in the play.

11) In what movie does Josie Geller, a brainy Chicago reporter, return to high school to explore the difficulties of adolescence again?

12) What river runs between Virginia & Maryland?

13) What is a cooking term for a fruit or vegetable being quickly transferred from boiling water to cold water?

14) In which war would you find these battles: Ball’s Bluff, Pea Ridge, Fair Oaks & Wilson’s Creek?

15) Name the actor/actress common to all three: Grosse Pointe Blank, Very Bad Things,  Old School.

16) Who played CJ Parker on Baywatch?

17) Who was the famous dictator of Spain from 1939-1975?

18) For which TV show was Patricia Arquette nominated for an Emmy?

19) How many South American countries border Columbia? (Don’t count Central America’s Panama – don’t as me why).

20) Place these three events in order: Henry Ford’s Model T, the Wright Brothers first flight, Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon.

Breaking the Inertia – Young Roman vs. Old Man Roman

During my horribly painful run Sunday, I pondered what my 15-year-old cross-country-running self (hereafter, Young Roman) would have thought. Back in those days, I could literally run a mile without breaking a sweat. It was easily the best shape of my life. Been there, done that, still got the T-shirt (one of Alli & Newey’s favorites – though I’m not sure what you call it without the sleeves – an I-shirt?). Could run a 5k in somewhere around 24-25 minutes, depending on the terrain. I’m quite sure I would have scoffed at 25-year-old Roman’s struggle to bring 7.4k home in almost exactly 60 minutes.

But, seeing as it was actually ten years ago now (friggin’ unbelievable), I reflected upon what else has changed since then. It’s true, I am no longer even remotely in shape – that’s one thing I think Young Roman will always have on me. But a lot can happen in 10 years. Warning, Memory Lane is up ahead.

I hooked the girl Young Roman nearly gave up on. And now she is my wife.

I completed high school, scooped up a BSME @ UC (despite Chemistry, Budweiser, Ghia, and Diff EQ’s best efforts) and somehow snuck into my current job.

I became a proud Hoonie, and then a member of the 2429. These guys are permanently woven into my life.

I parlayed a work assignment in the middle of a cornfield into a year-long Japan assignment, which I then parlayed into an assignment back where we belong – near the ‘Nati. I’m still not entirely sure how I pulled that off.

I have admittedly become a pretty big nerd about business & finance.

I can speak pretty bad Japanese, but it typically gets the job done.

I wrote an awful lot of pretty awful stuff for this site, and have pretty much abandoned it in the last year and change.

I have made pretty good friends who I expect to stay in touch with on at least three other continents (Europe, Australia, Asia) – can you say Couch Surfing?!

I very nearly started a business with a high school friend, only to back out at the last minute because I lost my job in SE Ohio (fortunately, after that, I got hired by my current employer). I still sort of regret not being able to do this.

I have bought a house and we’re fixing to trade it in for a “forever home”

I have been through three cars (Intrepid, Big New Yorker, Tow-rass), and drove a fourth one from the passenger’s seat in Japan. Expect number five around the end of June.

My mom got divorced and remarried.

Alli & I went through a heart-wrenching six months in late 2007, but I have become closer to Allison’s family as a result. I am also quite grateful to my employer for their support during that whole ordeal.

I have seen dozens of friends get married/have children/become actual adults. And it doesn’t make me sad for them. Whoa.

I have been (in no order):

To Philmont (in NM) for a two-week camping trek

To London, England for a week of legal, underaged debauchery

To Las Vegas for my 21st birthday AND New Year’s

To Maui for my honeymoon… along with family and friends

To the NAIAS in Detroit during the last really decent year (Feb 2008)

To Washington D.C. on a road trip with Joey-Z

To Toronto, Asheville, NC; and Starkville, MS on road trips with my lovely wife.

To the top of Mt. Fuji

To the Snow Festival in Sapporo, Japan

Alright, that’s enough. Did I miss anything big? I was really amazed at how much can happen in ten years. It may be a poor excuse for a post, but anything to break the inertia.

Hope everyone is doing well back home. Enjoy your damned BBQs and cheap beer while I continue to eat scraps of beef, rice and whole-fish-on-sticks… and drink 600-800 yen (100yen=about $1USD) beer.

Hope to see you all again in late June/early July!

Pub Trivia – 02/23/2009

February 23, 2009 – Kelly & The Pub at Rookwood

1. Which movie won last night’s Academy Award for Best Picture?

2. Tonya Harding became famous for the attack on which fellow figure skater?

Bonus: What year did this occur?

3. H2O — this chemical compound with 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom is more commonly know as what?

4. How many movies have Ben Stiller and Robin Williams starred in together?

5. What was the first company to offer a DVD Player for sale in the U.S.?

6. In 1973, what song was the first top single for Billy Joel?

7. “If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”

Who is famous for this quote?

8. What is the largest city in Africa?

9. Who played Bunny Lebowski in The Big Lebowski?

10. What do these three words all have in common?:

• Education
• Automobile
• Miscellaneous

11. In the hit series ER, what was the name of George Clooney’s character?

Bonus: Which famous author created this series?

12. What comet was the Heaven’s Gate cult hoping to catch a ride on when they died?

13. How many Academy Award nominations has Meryl Streep earned in her career?

14. What do you call word pairs that are opposite in meaning?: hot and cold, for example.

15. Common Actor/Actress:

• Magnolia
  
• Patch Adams
  
• Boogie Nights
  

16. What is the name of the area in the U.S. known for lots of tornadoes?

17. What is the scientific name for Vitamin C?

18. Which actor played the “Godfather” in the movie Old School?

Bonus: What was his character’s name?

19. Which President was the first to rule over all 50 states?

20. The titles CEO, CFO, and CIO are acronyms for some of the top managers within major corporations.  What do each of these acronyms stand for?

Music Round – Songs with Places in the Title

Name the artist.

Song #1

Song #2

Song #3

Song #4

Song #5

Song #6

Song #7

Song #8

Song #9

Song #10