And we’re back, with another addition of “Diary Friday”. I found this entry from November 21, 2001, and read it over this morning, guffawing with laughter. It’s interesting: at that time, I was still pretty much in shock from what had happened two months earlier. New York was still in chaos, time had stopped on September 11. But I went home for a weekend with my family in November, and this entry is from that trip home. I had completely forgotten about this, until this morning.<\/p>\n
The entry describes me, my father, my mother, and my sister Jean playing Trivial Pursuit. And so we begin:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Trivial Pursuit – me, Jean, Dad, Mum. The lame millenium version. But it provided us with MANY laughs.<\/p>\n
I frigging GUESSED all the languages represented at the United Nations. I am pretty amazed by that. English, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, French. Jean said that she could tell when I started to “think politically”, and then, off the top of my head, I rattled them all off. And I was RIGHT.<\/p>\n
I was stretching casually from my run at the beginning of the game. The question had to do with a “South Central Asian Republic”. I went thru them in my mind, deductive reasoning, as I stretched: “It can’t be Kazakhstan because of this this and this … Could it be Uzbekistan? Now, let me see…” Finally, I decided it had to be Tajikstan, which I said casually, no big deal, stretching my leg out behind me, and of course it was right and everyone FLIPPED. It was so hilarious. Jean was screaming: “SHEILA. I’ve never even HEARD of Tajikstan!”<\/p>\n
Mum – trying to think of DaVinci’s most famous painting. Completely blanking. And Mum’s an artist! We all were horrified. “Mum! You know this!”<\/p>\n
She said, “All I can think of is The Pieta.”<\/p>\n
There was a pause. Dad’s FACE. He said, sort of flat, contemptuous, “That was a statue<\/i>, Sheil, by Michelangelo.”<\/p>\n
Jean, trying to guess which Celtic player looked like Herman Munster (that was the question. I hate the millenium version).
\nJean: “Kevin …. ” Long pause.
\nDad: “They named a Navy after him.”
\nJean’s flat annoyed face. “MCHALE? Can I PLEASE be given the chance to guess stuff ON MY OWN?”<\/p>\n
We kept ruining her chances by giving her hints, we couldn’t help ourselves, or whispering stuff to each other which she would overhear. We went through three Science & Natures with her, because we kept giving it away by mistake.<\/p>\n
I was mouthing to Dad in a very exaggerated way: “Persian Gulf” – Jean glanced my way, and clearly saw my mouth forming “Ulf” – which ruined it for her.<\/p>\n
We had had one question about Iceland: that they coined the name “geyser” because there are so many of them there. Later, I got a question: “Which island nation is a member of NATO even though it doesn’t have a standing army?”<\/p>\n
I was very stumped. Racking my brains. I so lost the track that I murmured tentatively, “Japan…?”<\/p>\n
Dad said to me, overenunciating, “North Atlantic <\/i>Treaty Organization.”<\/p>\n
“I know! I know!”<\/p>\n
Mum went to give me a hint. “Think island nation…”<\/p>\n
Pause.<\/p>\n
Dad added, “With geysers.”<\/p>\n
HAHA Oh my God. We roared. Suddenly we had become Iceland experts because of one question.<\/p>\n
Oh, and I commented during my thought process for that one, “None of the countries I study have anything to do with NATO.” Which got a huge laugh, and then Dad said, “You need to come over to the winning side, Sheila.”<\/p>\n
Which then was completely obliterated by my casual “Tajikstan” moment. You really can’t get any more on the losing side than those “stans”! Who is more of a “loser” globally than Tajikstan?<\/p>\n
Jean, trying to guess the series of questions which me, Mum, and Dad kept ruining. We were so badly behaved. One question was about what body part is affected by cholera. A discussion ensued, as Dad, Mum and I started to hash this out. (Guys, pipe down. It’s not your question.)<\/p>\n
Dad: “Hm. I would say it’s the lungs.”
\nJean: “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Respiratory somehow.”
\nMum: “I actually would say the intestines.”
\nI shot Mum a warning look, a look of import, which Jean completely saw. Jean’s face went completely flat.
\nJean: “Next question.”<\/p>\n
The ongoing theme of “Multiple Intelligence”, which Trivial Pursuit has worked into the lame millenium version, with pictures standing in for the actual thing … because different people’s brains process information in different ways. (Oh, just shove it up your ASS.)<\/p>\n
Jean would hold up a card with a picture on it, as Dad was trying to answer a question, and intone at him, “MI, Dad, MI…”<\/p>\n
So dumb. As though a picture of a plane or Chairman Mao will spark something, due to the existence of Multiple Intelligences. So stupid.<\/p>\n
Lots of fun later with Jean and Siobhan, sitting at the Carriage Inn by the fire. Jean and I told Siobhan every detail of the Trivial Pursuit game, laughing hysterically.<\/p>\n
“That’s a statue, Sheil, by Michelangelo.”<\/p>\n
Another question:<\/p>\n
“What organization’s launch did FDR miss because he died?”
\nJean wanted to say the FBI, but Dad gave her a hint … to show her she wasn’t on the right track.<\/p>\n
Jean said, “Oh. Okay … so … it’s not political then … Okay. So … Uh … is it the NBA?”<\/p>\n
Oh my God. Dad’s FACE.<\/p>\n
Ha ha ha ha ha ha<\/p>\n
(The answer was the UN, by the way.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
And we’re back, with another addition of “Diary Friday”. I found this entry from November 21, 2001, and read it over this morning, guffawing with laughter. It’s interesting: at that time, I was still pretty much in shock from what … Continue reading