Work has gone back to normal levels, meaning I can once again get back to what's important: studying trivia. On today's list: the zodiac calendar, English royalty (Elizabeth I was the Virgin Queen. Henry VIII, creator of Church of England, was married six times), French royalty (Louis XVI was king during the French Revolution. Louis the XIV was the Sun King, the longest serving French king of all-time), and studying the important elements of all US Presidents, including where they graduated college, their political party, and Vice-Presidents.
The problem with this approach is that Millionaire usually asks pop culture questions, which is harder to study for. So even though I can now tell you Gerald Ford graduated from University of Michigan, I cannot tell you which celebrity was on the cover of Entertainment Weekly the most times in 2006, or who the lead drummer for Coldplay is, which I'm certain will be the type of question I get. Regardless, I love the attempt to fill my mind with facts once again. There are so many loose ends in my mind - names, places, and things i've heard about over the years, but never exactly knew anything about it: Who was Barbara Stanwyck (four academy award nominations)? What was the name of the first spacecraft to land on the moon (Apollo 11)? What geologic period did dinosaurs appear in (mesozoic)? I've got to hit biology, math, sports records, history of cereal, periodic charts, seas of the world, types of hair spray. Everything.
I don't mind losing on a question that I have no idea about. But I will not accept losing on a question that I should know, or once knew, but then forgot. Ultimately, once you get into it, you realize you have truly come across infinity. From my perspective, there really is an infinite amount of facts out there. Who is the all-time goal scorer in NHL history? What show did Nell Carter appear in after Nell? What does the "WD" stand for in WD-40?
A huge part of trivia, particularly when you are given the answer, unlike Jeopardy, is being able to determine the answer through elimination. This is an advantage, as I don't necessarily need to know what is right, I just need to know what is wrong. And the more I know, the greater my chances of doing this. This also means paying attention more. Maybe in reading Taj's blog, I will come across a name for a tooth that i'll need to know. Maybe looking at the cover of magazines while at the store will help me. It can come from anywhere, anytime. Essentially, I have to do something I haven't done in about six years: pay attention. Now, there is something to gain from the inane conversations I used to dred. Everyone has something to teach. Go ahead and ramble on how Paris Hilton went to jail - just be sure to tell me what the name of the jail was, the length of the sentence, and what her dog's name is. I'll be listening intently. And don't freak out if I start taking notes.
Everything is a question. Eating a salad for lunch, i wonder: what country is the number one exporter of spinach? what is that country's independence day? what year did "Independence Day" come out? how many top Billboard hits did Will Smith have?
Even if I never get asked any of these questions, I've remembered what I loved about trivia in the first place. Curiosity about the world. Wonder. I care again. In everything is meaning. I know .00000009 percent of things there is to know in this world. So why am I so disinterested in everything? There are too many great stories out there. If I can parlay one of these into $250,000, great. If not, I've still gained.
Speaking of gains, who was William Gaines again? Gotta go look ...