Lost in Space

Here's how it happens. I'm just sitting down to write when a pigeon lands on the windowsill.  Ah, think I.  A pigeon.  That reminds me of the park this morning, and the person I had an entire conversation with -- someone I knew, but couldn't...quite...place.

Faceblind, think I, for the billionth time. A terrible affliction. I often can't recognise members of my own family  in photographs, and occasionally even in person.  So, I Google....faceblind, and find a battery of Visual and Face Recognition Tests. Interesting. Won't take a minute.  But the visual tests lead on to numerical aptitude tests. Which leads to testmybrain.org.  And whoosh!  An hour gone in a complete blur.  Try the link, and test your willpower.

Here's what I learned:  My celebrity face recognition is way below average (I'm unable to identify pictures of Fred Astaire, Angelina Jolie or Oprah, which doesn't surprise me, as I once, famously, failed to recognise Jackie Kennedy, who at the time was practically standing on my foot).

One test said I could keep nine numbers in my head at once, which surprised the hell out of me, given that I've never managed to remember an entire phone number read by directory enquiries. Autistic tendencies?  Nope. And yes, I could manage to reverse the spinning woman (can you?).

Well, it all makes a nice change from e-bay, Facebook and blogs, but it still comes down to the same old thing: wasting time in cyberspace.

Which is why, having received a VAST estimate today for redecorating the inside of our very modest house, we've decided to paint it ourselves. The way I figure it, there are about four hours in every day that could be spent more productively.  So for the next few weeks, I'm going to spend those hours painting and decorating.  It shouldn't detract from my writing time at all.

Such as it is.

(Which reminds me, you might find this funny too.)