I normally end these little reviews by saying how important and how good it is to meet up in the virtual world with friends, relax and forget about all the shit is happening in the world for a few hours, this week I've started with it because, I'll be honest, I needed the Quiz Night mob more than ever and they were there for me.
It was RH's turn to do the quiz (again) but he was up the wall in work (again) so decided to finish the prep on Friday night. Unfortunately, Ms L isn't well and RH popped around to check I was ok...which turned into a curry/football/couple of beers bonding session which I really needed. RG popped in a little later and made me feel even better, it was great for me that they came around...not so great for RH finishing his quiz prep but not to worry, he had time to do it the next morning, no problem at all.
The next day RH had some work to do in the morning then was definitely finishing the quiz prep...then life hit him and he had to deal with his own problems. He left it as late as possible but it became clear he would be able to host or even take part in the quiz. After the week I had, I'll be honest, this nearly broke me.
Within minutes of RH breaking the bad news though, half of the WhatsApp chat had offered to do something to make sure it still went ahead, from knocking up a quick round each to AM offering to do a Song In The Club Stylee extravaganza!!! People disappeared to see what they had or could make available in the next few hours.
I was speaking to Ms L, explaining how disappointed I was and she suggested getting some questions from my QI books or on the internet, then I had a minor flash of inspiration. I needed a lot of questions and I had almost no time to prep, cue Trivial Pursuit. 25 cards, 6 sections, a nights worth of quizzing right there boys and girls!
So it was that we had our first Trivial Pursuit night...only a couple of weeks before AM and HE had planned it as part of their continuing board game themed nights! Apparently I had 'effing ruined' it for them so we will be having a Cluedo night next instead! Not sure how that will work but Ms L is desperate to play!
I didn't want to host the quiz but I knew it would take my mind off things and stop me sulking/drinking myself into a stupor. Well, it stopped me sulking anyway...
As like last week, I made notes as an aide-memoire to create this review, like last week some of it is indecipherable and some things simply don't make sense which is a shock as I distinctly remember asking for clarification but my notes still have stuff like 'woman had an affair with an underage Darlek in Dudley' and 'Mo Farrah Quorn Meatball Olympics'! I'm sure someone will remind me what it was all about, but right now I'm baffled.
So the format was set out, we would have 25 questions in each round except I cocked up almost immediately so we had 26 questions each round. Doh! We started the meeting and did the first question, then a notification popped up to say Ms L was trying to join the meeting, I was absolutely chuffed!
After a few teething problems she finally joined us - at one point we thought she was getting cloned as she appeared to be joining twice! Our get-togethers now stretch from 'Tellins' to the Midlands via Brookside Close, the Wiggle and now our local hospital!
We cracked on with the quiz and Ms L said she was just having some tea and toast in bed which set AM off on a rant about the Tories underfunding the NHS which means you always get soggy toast in hospital. Ms L confirmed her toast was soggy!
The second AM rant of the night came shortly after when he regaled us with tales of the new diffuser HE had bought to help them sleep. It looks like an onion and spews out vapour like a Top of the Pops smoke machine from the 80s! Far from helping him drop off, it sets off his asthma. Not to worry, if he wakes up HE simply doubles down by spraying the room with lavender sleep spray!!!
Music questions in our quizzes are normally a bit of an Achilles Heel for SDC and EDC as we are all auld arses and they, well, they are not. So when a question randomly came up about a rock star I dropped a little clue by explaining he was big in the '70s and massive in the '80s. With a knowing smile, EDC asked, "Does he like going underground?" - a reference to Paul Weller I think - his response to my answer "No" was a resounding "Fuck Off!" - quite! He was even more upset when he found out the answer was Phil Collins and went on an AM-like rant about him not being a rock star!
What is the name of the ship in Alien? I guess most people know it is the Nostromo but TC didn't which was a bit of a shock as it was one of the questions in his quiz last week!!! To be honest, I don't blame him, we have asked/answered so many questions over the last 6 months it is hard to remember anything let alone everything.
In a break in the quiz, AM haemorrhaged many, many man points by asking me to send him a link to the Alice Band I was wearing. What have we become? Little things like this made me laugh and really helped me when I was worrying about Ms L in hospital, that and hearing that SDC had a meltdown because EDC took too long to get better "selfish bastard, why isn't your left lung sticking?!"
I have a random note here that just says - 'Ms L/Grizzly Bear/coffee'. Apparently it was a clue for one of the questions, not entirely sure how. The running gag about DE watching Johnny Vaughan made an appearance again, apparently, he was watching Sperminator 2 mid-quiz "I need your boots, your clothes and your clunge..." - it was a strange night all round.
While I was worrying about Ms L, she was worried about her fellow ward-mates. She disappeared from Zoom and came back a little later after doing her Florance Nightengale impression by getting the poor old dear in the bed near her a drink of water. Bless.
From here on in, the notes get a bit more, shall we say abstract to be kind? Apparently AM has a friend who dressed up as Abraham Lincoln complete with short shorts in a nod to the video for 'Gay Bar' by Electric 6.
Randomly, the conversation switched to Rhyl where AM saw a bloke eating a pigeon in the street and had the pleasure of sitting next to a kid on the bus who had life challenges that was singing something about bumblebee tuna and was told by Simon Cowell that he had the X-Factor. See, abstract...or my notes are complete gibberish, toss of a coin really.
Time was cracking on so we took a vote and abandoned the Sport round but when I totalled up the scores there were just 2 points between first and fourth so we brought the Sport round back! After another 30 minute session, the quiz was over, SDC & EDC narrowly beat RH & RG to the title this week. But, as I say every week, the result isn't really the point it is spending time with people and having a laugh and boy, did I need it this week.
As people melted away to bed there was just myself, TC, GW and MW left, chewing the fat. From what I remember we had a heated discussion about non-unionised immigrant labour (that is the kind of fun stuff we love at 3 AM after a bottle of gin) and the possibility of bringing a few more people into the quiz.
It was fantastic to see the support we both received from the Quiz Night mob. From the offer to throw something together at a moments notice, to indulging me when I said I would be the host, to simply listening to me go on after I had a few drinks, they helped me when I really needed help and for that, I'm eternally grateful to them. Thank you guys...