not for a little longer

If y'all can't tell, I have obviously not done anything with this blog recently. I have a good reason. My computer is out of commission for a little while, and I hope to have it back soon. I will definitely have it back before June 8, so that is something. :) For right now, please enjoy yourselves and shift your attention to my friend James Rufus Koren, who is a reporter in the L.A. area. He's also a pretty funny guy. Ciao for now!

the intelligence tests

As you all know, I have been a research subject for about a month or so now, and about two weeks ago, I underwent a series (three) of various intelligence tests. I took a test that had Test of Achievement on the cover, the WAIS-III and another one. They all tests basically the same stuff. Here is the breakdown by category.

math
timed -- mixed set of basic arithmetic, written word problems, verbal/aural word problems, mixed set of higher-level math (quadratics, fractions, square/cube roots, logs, deferentials, integrals, sin/cos/tan, etc.)

language
fill in the sentence with a specific set of words or phrases, fill in the sentence with a specific part of speech, verbal definitions, spelling of various difficulty

general knowledge
logical reasoning (why is free press important? why is it important to study history?), comparisons/find the similarity between words (apples and strawberries, trees and water), 10 questions of generally known facts (number of continents, who wrote "Hamlet," who wrote "Faust") I'm proud to report that I knew all the facts except for the speed of light.

memory/organization
listen to a few stories, repeat it as well as you can and answer a set of verbal comprehension questions and do it again in 10 minutes, remember a list of 12 random words, repeat it, repeat it in specific order of categories, remember faces to names, do another activity, remember faces to names again, do it again, remember shapes, do another activity, remember the shapes again, repeat a list of increasingly long numbers and do it again with a different set of numbers, but do it backward, do it with another set of numbers AND letters, but repeat it with the numbers first then the letters, follow verbal directions by pointing to a picture (point to the cat in from of the tree and then the boy on the horse but before you point to the blue bird but only if the girl sitting on the bench is eating an ice cream cone .... GO)

There are probably some that I don't remember because it's been awhile, but basically, the proctor was impressed by my general knowledge, my spelling, my incredible memory (I told you guys!) and my math skills. I sucked at following the complex directions. That section was SO hard. I am, I am happy to report, ABOVE AVERAGE! :) woohoo.

psychological research

For the past week or so, I've been taking tests and answering questions (the R on my keyboard just completely fell off ... but I digress) in hopes of qualifying for a psychological research study on childhood memories. I answered 17 pages of an online survey. I passed that and will be paid $20. I went to McLean Hospital (Harvard Medical system's psychiatric/psychological hospital, apparently) for a three-hour interview and 17 more pages of probing questions about my childhood. I passed both the interview and the survey, and I will get $50 more. :) Next, I go in for a battery of psychological tests -- IQs, memory, etc. I guess to make sure I'm not crazy or mentally disabled as a result of my childhood (haha). Or to prove that I am definitely of average intelligence. :)

So that is the background. Now, let me tell you what happened on my way to the interview last Thursday.

McLean had mailed me a taxi voucher because I told them that I don't have a car in Boston so getting there directly from work, even getting out early, is going to be a bit dicey. So I was told to go to Harvard Square (no problem, a 20-minute bus ride away) and call one of two cab companies to pick me up. I was supposed to call about 20 minutes before I get to Harvard. Well, I decided not to do that because I figured that I can just hail a cab at one of Harvard's numerous taxi stands. My plan didn't work. No one will take the voucher, so I had to go get some cash and pay for it. I was already running late.

We get to McLean about 5 minutes before my appointment time, but we get lost in the vast campus. It's like UCLA and other sprawling places, but much worse because there are no real directions or signs. We were both frustrated, so I ask him to just drop me off at the building we're nearest. The 20-minute ride to McLean Hospital came out to $21, plus tip, so I hand the newly withdrawn $40. He took it and searched for change. Turns
out he only hd $20s, so he couldn't make change. He asked around for change, but no one had any, so he finally gave me back my $20 after we exchanged a few nonverbal rounds of

him: Well, what're you going to do? You gotta pay me.
me: Hell if I know. You should've come prepared.
him: Well, you better do something about it because I have to get the fare.
me: Well, too bad. That's all the cash I gave. What're YOU going to do about it?

He finally gave me a $20 back, so he was short $5 (tip). Then I had to call the study people to find out how to get to their office because I didn't see ANY yellow builldings. :(

Helvetica turns 50!

The font Helvetica (about which I am neutral) is turning 50! Your internal nerd and my external nerd celebrate with it! As far as fonts go, my top five are, in order of love:

1. Arial
2. Arial Narrow
3. Times New Roman
4. Courier New (perfect for fudging those papers) with tightened kerning
5. Dauphin

My bottom five are:

1. Comic Sans
2. Comic Sans
3. Lucinda Handwriting or anything Lucinda-related
4. Papyrus
5. Rave

My personal hatred (yes) is when people write ALL-CAP abbreviations in script. It looks ridiculous. Example: AAJA (Asian American Journalists Association) orMADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). Everytime you do that, imagine me cringing.

supernova, potato, whatever

Apparently, NASA scientists have seen the brightest supernova ever recorded. The artist's illustration of it, though, makes it look like an exploding potato ... with diamonds on the inside.

NASA via AP(Wash Post)

you know you're in college when ....

This is so true. I agree with almost half of these.

boy had spiders in his ear

A 9-year-old in Oregon heard "Rice Krispies" sounds in his ear, and when his doctor irrigated it, he found two spiders.

Palfrey gets new attorney

According to the Washington Post, federal court has appointed a new, better, more reputable lawyer for Deborah Palfrey. Montegomery Blair Sibley has been replaced.

Palfrey's lawyer's story's interesting, too

Montegomery Blair Sibley, the lawyer representing Deborah Jeane Palfrey in the D.C. prostitution (madam, escort service) case has a most interesting background of his own.

new header!

This is a photo of a bench at the Museum Park next to the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, East London. It was beautiful -- covered in newly fallen autumn leaves that crunch with every step. Made me want to roll around on it.

If you know me, you would know that I obviously didn't. Ew.

stubborn rash

It's still here. In fact, the original patches (fields?) have now dissipated, but in its place are new patches (fields?) of itchy, red fun. The stronger antihistamine the doctor gave me (hydroxyzine) is only working marginally well. What I REALLY want is a scratch test so I know what the hell is going on.