Phish is reuniting in my neck of the woods. They are playing a reunion show at the Hampton Coliseum tonight, much to the joy of the LAMEST WHITE PEOPLE ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET EARTH. God, that group is unbearable. There was a period of about two years of my life where I lost all of my closest friends because they were simply incapable of discussing anything except Phish. No, I mean literally, nothing.

• ME: Hey, did you see that game last night?
• THEM: (Blank stare, turns to other friend in group) Dude, you remember the third set in Dayton?
• FRIEND #3: Epic. Reminded me of their opening set in Pittsburgh. Remember when they led off with Tweezer in the Freezer and…

And so on FOR HOURS. It was no different than having every friend of yours joining a cult, except that at least cults are interesting. Well, I figured I must be missing something big, so I went to one of their shows in Charlottesville. Brutal. I mean, painfully boring. I’m pretty sure they played the same song for 3 1/2 hours. I spent one summer counting potatoes in a field, day after day, week after week, and that provided me with more stimulation than that concert did. And hey guys, what do you think about maybe injecting just a seed of rhythm and/or soul into one of your songs? Painful.

Go ahead pick up a copy of today’s Metro. Notice anyone familiar on the cover? Yeah, that’s Trivia Art, Foobooz CEO, occasional quizzo substitute, man behind the curtain at JGT.com and iSportacus, and guy who likes to drink. In fact, he’s becoming one of Phillys most famous drinkers, as there is a front page story about him getting drunk in today’s Metro (Online version here). Yes, we’re in a crippling recession, and Trivia Art is getting paid to drink good beer. This is like on Cheers when Norm got that job at the brewery.

Alright kids, here’s the latest: Tickets to Quizzo Bowl V will go on sale on Monday. They will be $25 a pop in advance, $30 a pop at the door. That includes your ticket to the event and liquid refreshment*, just like last year. As for food, the New Golden Palace will be offering Dim Sum throughout the evening. (That is not included in the ticket price.) As far as entertainment, I am working on both a band and halftime show. Will hopefully know something about the band in the next couple of days. I’m also waiting to hear back about the halftime act. In an effort to spur the economy, there is talk of prize money being bumped up a bit this year. More details to follow. Oh, and I’m still looking for a suitable South Philly locale for an afterparty. If you got any ideas, drop ’em below. Ard.

*if you know what I mean

The first case of the Spanish Flu in the U.S. occurred on this date in 1918 (how do they know that?), and I bring it up because I don’t think the La Grippe gets the respect that it so rightfully deserves. It really helped define the 20th century as much as either of the World Wars, but gets almost no time on the History Channel. And people seem to know more about the Bubonic Plague (it was rats and “Ring Around the Rosie” and all that), which occurred in the 14th century than they do about a much deadlier plague that struck less than 100 years ago, and which could easily happen again. So, in an effort to offer our respect to the Spanish Flu, here are a a few Spanish Flu Facts:

• In one year, the Flu killed somewhere between 20-100 million worldwide, more than died in the four year reign of the Bubonic Plague (Stick that up your rosie, Plague fans).
• Strangely, the people most susceptible were people in the prime of life: those between the ages of 20-40.
• It infected 28% of America’s population.
• Ten times more Americans died of the flu than died in World War I.
• This is probably the most startling fact of them all: The average life span of Americans decreased by ten years due to so many young people dying of the disease.
• It was a quick killer, often killing people the day after they contracted it.
• Franklin Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson both contracted the virus, though they survived.
• The Spanish Flu caused the cancellation of the 1919 Stanley Cup Finals, as the entire Montreal Canadiens team contracted the disease, and it killed Canadiens’ defenseman Joe Hall.
• A few years ago, scientists recreated the disease, which led to concerns of a major security risk.

Click here to learn how the Spanish Flu affected Philadelphia. 13,000 Philadelphians died in the pandemic. And why does this not surprise me: Certain undertakers raised their prices by more than 500% as grieving families sought proper burials for their loved ones. Ah, Philly.