Got to Stockton at the agreed-on time of 8 am for the second session of this year's Brain Research Study. A very pleasant young woman, graduate student Carol, greeted me and conducted the test.
Geesh! I was cockily confident going in, considering I was a veteran, but that lasted about three seconds. In truth, I think I did more poorly than last time. For the prelims, I was asked the year, date, day, and present location, including the county where the college is located. "Ocean," I said briskly, with a private yawn at how simple and silly these questions were.
Then we got into it: the lists of words and numbers to repeat back, the pictures to identify, all the words starting with a certain letter I could think of in sixty seconds, and so on.
A few items from last time were omitted: definitions of certain words (damn, that was one of my best categories); figure patterns (thank heavens, as I hadn't done well on that one); and one or two others. There were some additions, such as circling all the "A's" on a sheet with letters scattered across it (piece of cake); pairing numbers with fruits--"one-apple, two-banana, three-peach" (not as easy as it looks); and connecting numbers and letters with a pencil as fast as I could (I have no idea if my speed was fast, average, or shockingly slow).
It lasted a bit more than an hour and by that time, I was wrung out. I was amazed--and horrified--at how many times my mind just went blank, yet I thought I had a pretty good memory. Now, as before, I'm a bit nervous at the letter promised in a few months that will tell me if I'm average for my age, or--. Well, I don't want to go there.
After, being fearfully early for my lunch date with Betty, I got some errands run and hung out until meeting her at Outback. We had a good one and I invited her to come over today and go to the pool. She will and I'm looking forward to it.
Oh, by the way: Before I left the Stockton campus, I stopped at the Career Center and chatted with the receptionist. I commented sympathetically on the slumped job market and she said, "Yes, especially here in Atlantic County." Hmm...Atlantic County. Why should that remark send up a "gotcha" flare in my head?
Dunno.
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