Typing Tutor

"You have to believe in yourself, that's the secret. Even when I was in the orphanage, when I was roaming the street trying to find enough to eat, even then I thought of myself as the greatest actor in the world."
--Charlie Chaplin

I still remember my family's very first computer. We have this home video of my brother and sister at Christmas jumping up and down and squealing over this odd-looking television, while I just kind of sat there looking extremely confused. (Give me a break, I was six).

One of the first games we got was called "Typing Tutor." It was exactly what it sounds like, and yes, I did consider it a game. I learned my way around a keyboard with that program. After each lesson, there was a game in which words would drop down from the top of the screen, and you had to type them before they reached the bottom of the screen. It was hella-fun.

I quickly became a speedy typist, and I owe it all to my humble beginnings with Typing Tutor. According to various typing tests on the interwebz, and the typing class I took in ninth grade, I type an average of 90-95 wpm with at least 95% accuracy.

By the way, I hope the picture I chose for this blog post isn't too creepy. The person in the photo kinda reminds me of the girl from "The Ring." And I was going to include a picture from that movie for comparison's sake, but the only photo I found literally scared me too much to look at for more than two seconds. But I digress.

Last week I went to the temp agency Adecco, and they sent me a few tests to measure my typing skills and knowledge of Microsft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc. I got a call this morning from the agency, and while I was above average on all of the programs, my score for the typing portion, which graded my speed and accuracy, was 118%. The guy I talked to said he didn't even know that was possible. And he even used the word "phenomenal," which made me feel kinda nice.

But even though it's a nice little ego boost, I hope this doesn't mean I'm destined for a lifetime career doing data entry.

You Can Do It!

"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin--real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."
--Alfred D'Souza

This morning I woke up feeling energetic.

Haha, just kidding. I woke up groggy. Then I lay in bed for about fifteen minutes, then I decided to do something productive.

Since I ended my year of service as a VISTA, I've had some extra time on my hands. And don't get me wrong, I have been applying for jobs and going on a couple of interviews and paying visits to temp agencies. But other than that, most of my days have consisted of defeating Bowser and playing Monkey Island.

Side note: Have you ever played Monkey Island? It's amazing.

Anyway, I didn't want to get in some sort of rut for which I turn into a complete bum, so I decided to go for a little jog this morning. I downloaded this app on my iPod Touch called "Couch to 5k: Get Running!" and it helps you build up your running endurance, starting from scratch. And it's incredibly helpful!

I'm starting off really slow. It starts with a five minute speed walk, then you run for a minute and walk for a minute and a half for a total of eight one-minute runs, followed by a five minute cool down. I can listen to my music while I'm running, and the app puts it on pause to say things like "10 more seconds until you complete your fifth run!" in this really suave British accent.

It's really helpful, and it actually made me enjoy the exercise.

Well, at least tolerate the exercise.

Clumsy

"A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over." --Benjamin Franklin

I'm a klutz.

This is a fairly recent discovery I've made, when I realized that people around me don't fall down nearly as often as I do. I've always been a somewhat clumsy person. I trip over my own feet, I fall down standing up. And last night I fell down half a flight of stairs.

It was around 11:30 and I was thirsty, so I decided to sneak downstairs for a glass of water. I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but halfway down I slipped. And the top half of my back landed on the corner of a step. And it hurt like hell.

Have you ever had the wind knocked out of you? It's an incredibly uncomfortable experience. My fall woke my mom, who hurried to my side and starting spurting out frantic questions. And I just kinda lay there, sprawled out in some ridiculous shape in the middle of the stairs, not being able to draw enough breath to answer her. It was bizarre.

Anyway, I'm fine. My back is really freaking sore, and I've taken to holding on to the railing with both hands while going down the steps, but other than that I'm okay.

Do be careful out there, folks. It's a dangerous world, and most accidents happen right at home.

By the way, I've been wondering...how many potential readers do you think I lost from my Bill Murray bashing?

The Many Faces of Bill Murray

"This is pitiful. A thousand people freezing their butts off waiting to worship a rat. What a hype. Groundhog Day used to mean something in this town. They used to pull the hog out, and they used to eat it. You're hypocrites, all of you!" --Bill Murray as Phil Connors in "Groundhog Day"

Why does the world find Bill Murray so hilarious? This is something I'll never understand. I don't think I like a single movie that stars Bill Murray. And yes, I know he's in Caddyshack and Ghostbusters.

You know how sometimes the video store will honor a single actor or actress by having all of their hit films out in one display? Have you ever seen one for Bill Murray? He is wearing the same expression in almost every picture.



Why are you so bored, Bill? Is being a rich and famous actor so dull that you can't achieve an ounce of emotion?

By the way, this goes for Nicolas Cage, too.


I just don't get it. Aren't actors supposed to have a range of some sort?

Plans for Autumn

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” --Mark Twain

Today is is the last day in my long year as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member, and instead of using this time to make phone calls and sign people up for webinars, I've decided to devote my final eight hours to setting up my all new, highly anticipated (mostly by me) blog.

So welcome, new readers, and welcome back to those who followed "Measuring a Year as a VISTA"! When I was writing for my VISTA blog, I had to be careful what I wrote about. I couldn't get too into my personal life, and there was no way I was going to write about politics, religion or other controversial issues.

This is a chance for me to open up a bit more. And I'm going to start by letting you all in on something I've been bursting with excitement over for months.

I'm going to Europe!

On October 8, 2010, my boyfriend Kyle and I will board a plane for Zurich, Switzerland. And after a couple of hours traveling through and around the Swiss Alps, we'll arrive in the mountain village of Murren.

This absolutely gorgeous little town is literally right smack in the middle of the alps. You can't even get there by train or car; you have to take a cable car or gondola ride. We're going to spend three nights in Murren, just taking in the scenery and hiking to our heart's content.

This is the top of the Schilthorn. We plan on taking a train up here. Breathtaking, is it not?

After three nights in Murren, we're taking an early train tooooo....

PARIS!

We've been planning this trip for maybe two months now, and we have our plane tickets and hotel/hostel all figured out. It still seems unreal to me. I'm really, really excited and somewhat terrified at the same time.

I absolutely love to travel, to experience new cultures, to take thousands of pictures of things you couldn't see anywhere else in the world. But I've also never traveled such a great distance without...okay, I was going to say "without an adult" but then I realized that, at age 23, I am an adult. When did that happen?

Anyway, I'm sure we'll be absolutely fine. But if anyone has ever been to Switzerland or Paris, please don't hesitate to share your wisdom.