As the summer winds down and classes begin, it’s a good idea to design a weekly routine to keep track of your schoolwork, job schedule and social networking engagements. But lest the pressures of academia distract you from the true meaning of college, remember: a strict bender regimen is no exception.

A drink on Tuesday primes you for the week ahead, two on Wednesday gets you over the hump, three on Thursday jump-starts you for the weekend’s keggers, Friday and Saturday speak for themselves and Sundays take the edge off the weeklong party.

But let’s face it: a Monday night drinking excursion can be hard to justify. Your family may begin to worry. The neighbors will start to talk.

See, you do need the Monday, don’t you? Thankfully, Trivia Night at the Wonderland Ballroom in Columbia Heights offers just the right excuse to sack up, shun the haters and go get your drink on all week long. And unlike other trips to bars, (or the sweet embrace of your hard, unyielding dorm room floor), you may actually be rewarded for NOT acting like a total idiot.

So here’s the drill: teams of five answer seven themed rounds of 10 questions each. Game begins at 7:30, but seating is scarce, so come early, order a chili cheese dog and scope out the competition – a healthy mix of business casuals, aging twees and piss-drunk nerds. Themes are standard; last week’s “End of Summer” theme brought beach balls, questions ranging from Buffy to Bea Arthur, umbrella bedecked mixed drinks and free shots of bad fruit wine for the losers. As is the case every week, the winning team got their bar tab paid for, along with a Wonderland gift certificate, so if you’re feeling lucky, drink up.

So if your schedule has you fretting between making your 9 a.m. chem lab and drinking with your friends, head somewhere that will get you thinking and drinking, because who needs to win A’s when you can win bar tabs? Who knows: you might even learn something.

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