thoughtcrumbs

Group wedgies

Egads, I just celebrated the birthday of Baby America in a deathmatch of Trivial Pursuit, girls against boys. Both teams earned all but one wedgie (as Amy insisted they're called), and in a delirious fit in the fourth hour of the game (fueled by sumptuous potluck fare and sangria), we decided on a sudden death round: whichever team answered the most questions on a single card would win. We did have the luxury of the 2006 edition, so the pop culture and geography questions were actually attainable.

Overall, the cognitive and social psychology processes were fascinating: watching same-sex groups make decisions in the presence of the opposite sex. The guys were more likely to offer wild answers individually and then stick to their choices in the face of team dissent, while the women were more likely to offer ideas tentatively or acquiesce to one teammate's strong hunch. Although both teams had their confident and hedgy moments. But we won 5 to 4, in the end. Good ol' Gorbachev and Heceta Head Lighthouse.

On a tangential foodie note, I learned that my bricolage quinoa fruit salad was delightful. Cinnamon and tarragon worked well with the olive oil and oj vinaigrette.