Well, let’s see if any of the synapses are still firing in that egg-nog addled mass in your head that you used to call a brain. Too much turkey, ham, chocolates and a bit of rum, gin, whiskey and rye can have an effect.

So the first question today is “What is your name?” If you got that right, please proceed to the weekly grill.

1) One of my favorite quotes of 2013 involved a man with a high ego claiming “My biggest mistake was letting Obama become president. I should have beat him for senate.” Who was this man of much ego?

2) We hear the song over and over, but do you know just when “The Twelve Days of Christmas” begin and end?

3) Somehow this Senator became the leader of the US House of Representatives when it came to the issue of shutting down the US government. Who is it?

4) Winter is no time to go boating. What nation has a boat full of scientists stuck in the ice in Antarctica?

5) A group in the Quad Cities is working on a proposal to try to lure what company to move some jobs to the QCA?

6) Members of what rock group got a get out jail card from Putin? They felt he was trying to spiff up his image before the winter Olympics.

7) Last Saturday night a crowd of 10,000 got together to sing Christmas carols. Why?

8) There has been some really odd weather recently in the world. Perhaps the strangest was a couple of weeks ago when Cairo, Egypt experienced what?

9) SOS Matt Schultz keeps trying to suppress votes. But Senate Majority leader Mike Gronstal has another idea. Gronstal suggests Iowans should be able to register how?

10) It looks like Iowa may be looking at a major expense in removing what kind of tree from the urban landscape?

11) What major US department store admitted some 40 million credit or debit cards may have had their vital information stolen between Nov. 27th and Dec. 15th?

12) 1964 would be the year that the Beatles led the “British invasion” of their style of rock and roll to the US. Two of their original members were not part of the group that appeared on Ed Sullivan in the US. Who were they?

13) Part 2 of the question is why did they not make it to the US?

14) John Deere is working on a new product. Based on the robotic vacuum, Deere has a prototype ______ _____ _______ on display in Moline.

15) Tom Latham’s retirement announcement stunned Iowa a week ago. But an even bigger Iowa politician announced his retirement last January. Who was that?

BONUS – What Political Party is willing to let 1.4 million Americans starve to make one man look bad?

Well, we went all over for questions today. Not sure I want to work that hard again. Here are the answers:

1) Mike Ditka still claiming he could have beaten Obama for senate in 2004.

2) They begin on Christmas (Dec. 25) and end on the Epiphany (Jan. 6)

3) Ted Cruz of Texas

4) Russia

5) Boeing

6) Pussy Riot

7) at the internet request of a young girl dying of Leukemia. She died on Christmas Eve.

8) Snow

9) on the internet

10) Ash trees, which are losing a battle to the emerald ash borer

11) Target

12) Stu Sutcliffe and Pete Best

13) Sutcliffe left the Beatles before they took off and Pete Best was replaced on drums by Ringo Starr.

14) robotic lawn mower

15) Senator Tom Harkin retired

BONUS – amazingly,  Republicans do anything they can to make Obama look bad.