Will my brain ever recover?

Here are the questions of the day: Who is the author of Wide Sargass Sea and for what piece of classic literature does this book claim to act as a prequel? No looking, no cheating, no checking Google; just read and answer the above in one minute or less.

Here is the important part: When you've correctly answered this question with no looking, no cheating, and no checking Google, please send the answer to ETS and tell them to put it in my test booklet.

While you're at it, you can help with a few more: What is the name of the first epistolary novel ever written? In what century was that epistolary novel written? Does anyone know what an epistolary novel is? Just tell me; no looking, no cheating, no checking Google.

If, off the top of your head, you can answer these and 118 other obscure literary questions in fewer seconds than 60 with no looking, no cheating, and no checking Google, you should ask to take the Praxis II ELLC test.

That's what I did on Saturday morning WITHOUT the Arco guide pictured--not that the Arco guide would have done me any good beyond the picture of the sliced-into-fragments brain on the cover. That's what the test did to my own brain: fragment it and then fry it. As of tonight I don't think I'll ever recover, but at least I'll forever remember, sliced up brain and all, the names of Jean Rhys, Samuel Richardson, and an 18th century Pamela, topped off with one we all love: Jane Eyre. I'm still wondering, however, about that strange "epistolary" word, which, despite an adult life completely immersed in the world of words, I had never read nor heard prior to Saturday.

Since we're already caught in this grind, go ahead and check the title of my post. Does its structure reflect MLA or APA guidelines? If you can answer that one with no looking, no cheating, and no checking Google, you will have answered perhaps the easiest question of the day. Shall we keep going?

Sorry. Can't do it. For now, I need a good night's sleep and a brain surgeon.

Zealotry or Old Age?

I love looking at the blogs of my friends whose children are still at home.  If I were in the same season of life, I have no doubt my blog--whenever I could get to it--would contain pictures of my young children living their completely adorable lives. 

I have looked at my own blog only sporadically of late and realize it has become of string of thoughts from General Authorities.  I stopped adding to it for awhile (a) because work has become more and more time consuming and (b) because I felt as though I might appear just a little zealous. 

I realized this morning, however, old age has its perks:  First, concern about appearance matters much, much less than it did in earlier years.  Second, the gift of time (whenever work schedules don't interfere) reappears, allowing for the kind of reflection one cannot engage in when the house is full of five children under the age of six.  Third, old age is a reminder that heaven is not far away, so why not get ready for it?

All of this is a prelude to the thought I stumbled across this morning and wanted to save on my blog.  Written in 1989 by the much beloved Howard W. Hunter, here it is:

To fully understand this gift of agency and its inestimable worth, it is imperative that we understand that God's chief way of acting is by persuasion and patience and long-suffering, not by coercion and stark confrontation.  He acts by gentle solicitation and by sweet enticement. He always acts with unfailing respect for the freedom and independence that we possess.  He wants to help us and pleads for the chance to assist us, but he will not do so in violation of our agency.  He loves us too much to do that, and doing so would run counter to his divine character.--"The Golden Thread of Choice," Ensign, November 1989, 17

Strung together beautifully, these words portray a magnificent concept--one that no doubt has the power to change lives.

Speaking of change, my next effort will involve a computer tutoring session to learn how to add blog pictures in the precise spot intended, as opposed to whatever spot the computer decides.  I don't know whether this will help me get ready for heaven or not, but even in old age having at least a few skills is a good thing.