This friend speaks my mind. Warning: spoilers for Bridge to Terabithia. 

It goes like this...

The Force...

The Sith...

The major fall...

From a minor lift...

The Death Star thing...

...exploding, Hallelujah!

We're back!

What MLB team that plays in Oracle Park has a mascot named Lou Seal ?

A person who does what is called a librocubicularist ?

What kind of time measures the Earth's rotation relative to the stars ?

What country, whose common English name begins with a letter shared by no other, is bordered on the north by a gulf named after it and, in addition to its main export of oil, also produces high-quality frankincense?

We came back from a halftime deficit, but then botched the final question and finished third.

Gwyneth Paltrow's highest-grossing non-Marvel movie was what 1995 crime drama with the character Tracy Mills?

Multiple choice!  Used Wimbledon tennis balls are repurposed as A) tennis racket handles  B) reusable water bottles, or C) homes for wild mice ?

Chuck Mangione played what trumpetlike instrument that has a wider, more conical bore?

What comic strip, nationally syndicated in 1978, surpassed Peanuts to become the world's most widely syndicated comic strip​​​​​​​?

Don't feel bad if you miss most of these -- so did we and we still won the game.  We felt bad because the correct answers were sometimes in our conversation, perhaps after submitting a response.

What punk rock band started out with the members Jello Biafra, East Bay Ray, Klaus Flouride, Ted, and 6025?

What 14-letter word for a sequence of dream-like images was the title of a 1995 video game?

What is the last name of filmmaker brothers Josh and Benny, known for Good Time and Uncut Gems ?

What vegetable in the onion family is worn on St. David's Day in Wales?

What triply alliterative title is the only Shakespeare play taking place within the current territory of Spain?

J showed up as an alternate player today, charged with bringing knowledge of recent music.  So she studied the recent charts, and remembered just enough of them to help us answer the first challenging question.  I experienced an epiphany that revealed the final answer, even though I haven't seen the movie.  In the category of "Not Understanding the Assignment", my home seems to be suffering constant vibrations in the water pipes.  Hydraulic shock?  What do I do about it?  HWRNMNBSOL?

The music video for what gem of a song by Ed Sheeran shows the singer participating in Indian street culture?

What advertising mascot was retired in 1997 due to accusations of marketing to children?

What luxury brand, founded in Paris in 1847, has used a panther motif on its jewelry and watches?

What 1976 film, based on a 1974 non-fiction book, has a title that alludes to the penultimate line of a famous nursery rhyme?

My Favorite Team returned to their winning ways...

What country lost its Red Sea coastline when Eritrea gained independence in 1993?

What rhyming nickname refers to a 2004 brawl between NBA players and fans?

What steak dish with a woman's name was prepared tableside and flambéed?

What country hosted a Summer Olympics without winning any gold medals, and repeated the "feat" 12 years later at the Winter Olympics they also hosted?

At 37.5% of full strength, My Favorite Team slipped from 1st place at halftime to 1 point off the lead before the Final Question.  Sadly we blanked on that one, which would have been accurately answered by one of our absent members.

What baseball team's cap was worn by Pope Leo XIV ?

What Russian composer wrote The Firebird and The Rite of Spring ?

What brand name dating to 1903 is based on the French word for chalk plus a popular suffix?

What actress, mother of Sean Astin, won an Oscar at age 16 and later had a self-titled TV show?

One of the ways I bonded early with my stepson was joining a D&D game he was in. His friend's uncle was the DM and he ran it every Friday evening (but i only played every other Friday because, well, Kim and i were still dating and I'm not an idiot). This went on for around nine years, until David went to San Francisco for college. 

I last saw John at David's wedding in August 2022 and it was nice to catch up with him and the other regulars of the game. 

A month or two ago, he died suddenly (although apparently he taken a turn in March, but refused to do anything about it; we learned during the funeral that he hasn't seen a doctor for his entire adult life). David is going to run a one-shot game in his honor with all the usual suspects. I dug in my box of mementos and found all the old character sheets from those days.

After a rough start with the dreaded "Basketball" and "Modern Songs" categories, we made a strong comeback to win.

What is the name of the Cheers actor who voiced "Hamm" in the Toy Story franchise, the "Underminer" in the Incredibles franchise, and many other Pixar characters?

What 8-letter word starting with C means an "empty tomb" for someone whose remains are elsewhere?

What Folies Bergère star was the first black woman to be honored in the Panthéon?

What city surrendered following a 47-day siege the day after the end of the Battle of Gettysburg?

What symbol was formally added to International Morse Code in 2004?