Seeker

Day: 393

Photo taken on Monday, August 29, 2011 sitting in the Commander's Chair at 131pm.

The aftermath of Irene has kept me home from the Surge today and with no cable or internet, it's been pretty boring. There is only so many SPARCS I can do before tearing my hair out sounds like a better time. I've already cleaned my desk--twice--and luckily I find this little fella hiding behind my printer.

This particular Golden Snitch is a 20 Questions model and so far I have only beaten it once with the Confundus Charm in 2008. Today I have given it another go and so far it has gotten me three times. I have no idea how it figures out the portrait of Mrs. Black. Siriously?! That's really specific. I even use the Half-Blood Prince's potions textbook and when it starts asking me asinine questions around the 16th mark I think I have it beat...until it guesses the answer after asking, "is it an animal?" after I had already established the object I am thinking of is a BOOK. But alas, I figure out a way to beat it. If a spell worked like a charm last time (I couldn't help myself there), then surely it will work this time. I choose Sectumsempra and it cockily guesses, "you're the Killing Curse." Ha! No! Then it goes for the other obvious answer, "you're an Unforgivable Curse." Gotcha again!

It finally concedes to defeat.

IN YOUR FACE 20 QUESTIONS SNITCH!

Puzzlement

Day: Three Hundred and Thirty Two

Photo taken on Wednesday, June 29, 2011 in my office at 2pm.

Remember when the power went out and Steve and I decided to get down and dir-TAY by doing a 2,000 piece puzzle? Well, this is the framed Charles Fazzino New York City puzzle we spent four days completing. Valerie is so enamored with this thing and has become my biggest fan which is so cute. When anyone stops in our office to see it, she jumps up and explains all the details about the puzzle.

"Katie did this with her husband, Steve, in the winter. It took them 4 days!"

"Wow!" They look at me and I supply a sheepish smile. "That quickly?!" I nod. "How many pieces?"

"2,000!" Valerie gushes.

"2,000 in four days? That's really fast." They now look at me and I wonder if they are torn between thinking I'm really smart or I have no life.

"And they did it without looking at the box!" Valerie says proudly which makes my heart swell.

"It's very nice," they say but take one more look at me before they leave the room. I know what they're thinking now:

If the power went out in MY building and I was stranded with my HUSBAND with no heat or television as a distraction, I can tell you what I would NOT be doing...

A puzzle.

Fast Times at Reab High

Day: Two Hundred and Eighty Nine

Photo taken on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 while chillin' across the best bed in the world at 945pm.

I am the worst test taker in the world. Especially if it is a multiple choice exam. I am not fond of any choice that has more than one answer such as "both B & C" or "all of the above" and I definitely loathe the dreadful: NONE OF THE ABOVE.

Then what was the f-ing point of asking the question then?!?

I hated taking the SATs because sitting that long for a test is just cruel and then to make you fill out an extra section not knowing which one is scored and which isn't, who the hell made up that stupid rule? And I never could wrap my head around the fact that if you answered incorrectly it is worse than not answering the question at all. WTF?! It took me three tries to break 1000 and not because I am dumb but because I dutifully made it through the first two sections and lost interest by the time the second math section came up. And God forbid my fifth section happened to be math instead of English because then I took the SATs advice and didn't even do it at all.

I also don't believe in studying and it is a rare occurrance (like this one) for me to do it. I've been known to do a cram session as I walk down the hall to my impending doom but my philosophy has always been: if I don't know it after sitting through the class and doing the assignments, then I will never know it. And I am okay with this. If my brain doesn't want to retain information on Trigonometry it won't and instead will save the room for something more important like what channels Marty McFly, Jr. asks for in the year 2015.*

But here I am tonight, attempting to study up on some of the finer points to becoming a notary public for the Surge. Tomorrow morning I will sit through the exam of 40 questions and will spend the majority of the time second guessing myself and erasing the right answer to put in the wrong one. I am petrified to fail this test yet I will stop studying the minute Steve gets out of his shower to watch a new episode of Naruto Shippuden. I already know what will happen tomorrow: I will begin the test the right way until I get stumped halfway down the page then flip it over and work backwards until I meet up with the question that stumped me. I will then fuss over the scantron and stare blankly into space for several minutes until people start leaving which will make me so anxious that I will finally just finish to finish. Then I will pretend like this test never happened and go about my life until I hopefully get a pass slip in the mail.

If I don't recieve a pass slip you might see me on the five o'clock news in 4 to 6 weeks.




Answer: He asks for 18, 24, 63, 109, 87, and the weather channel...which is 247.

141 vs 162

Day: One Hundred and Ninety Four

Photo taken on Friday, February 11, in the Time Out Room at 858pm.

The Imaginary Weapons Game continues but this time I have found a loophole to counterattack a certain move. The Chidori is a lightening chakra jutsu from Naruto done only by Kakashi and (unfortunately) Sasuke. Usually when one person does a successful attack, the other person admits defeat but as I am watching Avatar: The Last Airbender series, an idea dawns on me. If Uncle Iroh can redirect Azula's lightening attack through one hand, into his belly, and out the other way, why can't I? I'm in touch with my Chi. I can do this.

But Steve doesn't favor the Chidori. Even Pher and Anna prefer the Rasengan but I am BURSTING with this new found information and want someone to Chidori me just so I can pull the move. I finally beg Steve to do the attack and he skeptically narrows his eyes at me, trying to figure out how I learned a counterattack. He refuses me and I tell him he has to Chidori me because this is just too good to hold inside anymore. He stands there quietly for a long time and I know he's running through every scenario in his head, every superhero, every Street Fighter game, every manga character we have encountered. He finally concedes, throwing a half-hearted Chidori my way. After I grab it and redirect it back into him he stands there, his face completely devoid of emotion.

I giddily jump around him exclaiming, "how awesome was that?!" I am so proud of myself at this moment that I even force him into giving me a high five.  He finally agrees that it is very well played and again I congratulate myself for thinking outside of the box.


And this is where all my above average IQ points have gone.

Holy Schnikes!

Day: One Hundred and Fifty One

 Photo taken on Thursday, December 30, 2010 in the kitchen (obviously, where else would my stove be?) at 1159.

The first time I look up from the puzzle it's 1107. I shrug and think to myself, 'eh, I got some time to take the selfer.' The next time I look up it's 1159! I start scrambling around, trying to find my camera before the minute is up, and luckily I make it!

Phew! That was a close one!

A Million Little Pieces

Day: One Hundred and Forty Nine

Photo taken on Tuesday, December 28, 2010 in the dining area at 1137pm.

Maybe it is because the kids at Genesis did a lot of puzzles around us but Steve and my second date consists of puzzle-making. We still argue to this day about what was pictured in the puzzle, I say it was a cat he says it was a dog but at least we both agree that it was a red trash can that it was popping out of. Since then we have made four 1,000 piece puzzles and a 500 piece Waldo one which was so freaking hard. When our power went out on Sunday we started our first 2,000 piecer (well, what else can you do in a blackout?) and so far we've completed half of it. This one I'm going to hang in my office because it's a cartoon version of NYC so I think everyone would enjoy checking it out. But right now I'm hell bent on finishing this sucker that my sleep deprivation level is skyrocketing and my social life is suffering.