A Blast From The Past!

I used to have a blog on MySpace. I'm afraid I abandoned it a few years ago.
Today is John's birthday. I'm also busy with housework and taking care of mother. So, I'm going to repost some of my old stuff. Sorry, some of my vintage stuff. This one is from April 8, 2008.

The Jeopardy Test

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I like to watch Jeopardy on TV. Some days, I know a lot of the answers and it makes me feel smart. Some days, I even know most of the answers. Other days, they have categories I know nothing about. Like Greek mythology or sports. Or the geography of Canada.

Last January, they advertised on TV that there would be a Jeopardy test online coming up. I went online and registered. The instructions said that they don’t recommend taking the test on an Apple computer. And that the faster the Internet connection, the better.

Of course, Apple computers are all I have. So I made arrangements for John to ask his boss if I could use his computer at work after hours. They have a T-One line, which I understand is pretty fast.

The test was scheduled for 8:00 PM. John got off work at six. So I met him at work and we went out to dinner and stopped at Wal-Mart for a brief shopping trip.

We were back at his office in plenty of time for the test. There was a countdown, and then it began.

The questions came fast. I had fifteen seconds to read the question, figure out the answer, and type it in. As it turns out, that is not nearly enough time. Especially since, as I later realized, I also had to make sure that the cursor was in the right place. The first two answers I typed did not even come up on the screen.

I have discovered that my mind works more slowly in my old age than it did when I was younger. I used to think that was something that happened to other people, but not to me.

What is the capital of Lybia? The capital of West Virginia? Something incomprehensible about some sport? I couldn’t even tell which sport. My confidence drained quickly away. I felt like I was taking a test in school for a class I hadn’t taken.

There were, to my relief, some questions I could answer. Now I can’t remember what they were, but I did manage to type what I think was the correct answer in the time allotted. Other times, I realized what the right answer was after it was too late.

Jeopardy does not give you a final score. They don’t tell you what the correct answer should have been. You will never hear from them again unless they call you to be a contestant. And they don’t call people who can’t even get the cursor in the right spot, or think fast enough to ace their test.

So I don’t think you will be seeing me on Jeopardy any time soon. That’s what I get for thinking I’m smart. Oh, yeah, and Tripoli and Charleston. I looked them up that night.