Friends from Vienna, Margaret Rosenberg and Deniz Mostarac, were visiting Edinburgh this week, so it was only right that we did something very specific to our home town. So on a Wednesday night, after a solid day's work, we went to sunny Portobello to look at the beach, get cold in the breeze, and have a Civerino's pizza. After giant pizzas, including a brick-shaped Grandma pizza for Deniz, we went to Victoria Bar on Leith walk for a quick beer before calling it a night...
Except that we had not realised that it was Quiz Night. What else could we do with six scientists on the team, except rise to the challenge? So, in a matter of minutes, the Puffins had come into existence, captained (initially reluctantly, but in the event, most ably) by Angie. Things started quietly enough, except for Rui getting a bit hot under the collar and shouting, 'Why are you looking at me? I'm not f***ing Spanish!' But after gruelling Entertainment, Science & Nature, Music, Arts & Literature, and General Knowledge rounds, and tense discussions on Moon vs Pluto, Tarantula Hawks, and 'What the hell was the name of that book?', the Puffins were tied first with 42/50 (that's 1st class/A2/Excellent for the University of Edinburgh cognoscenti). So now it was a tie-break situation, and a one-question, head-to-head showdown.
So, for the first time, the role of Group Leader was officially recognised by the group, and Philip was forced into the final battle. The question was, 'What was the running time of The Wolf of Wall Street?' Like a wily badger with TB, Philip called on his extensive knowledge from watching The Price is Right - both the American and British versions - and remembered that going for a round number was always a mistake. So he went for 2h35m, while his opponent guessed 2h30m. The running time is 3h00m, those 5 minutes were crucial, and the Puffins emerged victorious!
The prize: £30 of bar tokens. Whiskies all round!
