The Ticking Clock

I've been doing a lot more reading than usual lately, and I found a standout.  I haven't finished it yet, but the depth of setting in Burke's In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead had me sitting up and taking notice.  In some places the setting overbalances the other book elements, but I didn't mind.  I ate it up.  I can't say too much more about this, because this is for a class and I'm not supposed to discuss it in advance.  I can't recommend it until I've read the ending, either.  This is just a note, and a heads up to setting junkies.

In other news, I applied for a secretarial/admin-type job today, and tomorrow I'm going to take a typing test.  I don't think I've taken a typing test since high school!  I'm 99% sure I can easily pass this test, because the wpm requirement is relatively low and I'm allowed 5 errors in five minutes.  Alas, I have an Achilles heel when it comes to tests.  If it's a timed test, I get really nervous.  An hour in which to do an essay, no problem.  I'm your gal.  A class period to complete an exam that the instructor calculated would take the whole class for an average student, piece of cake.  If I hurry and I know my material, I'll have time to do the extra credit question.  Given twice the number of math problems a genius could handle in two minutes and allowed one minute to go as far as I can ... I tend to panic.  I haven't frozen before, but my performance plummets and I get the shakes.  I hate tight time limits and pre-ordained 'failure' (a guarantee that it's impossible to complete the test.)  There's only one thing I despise more in a test--a race against others.  Fortunately, I'm not in a race against others.  I don't have to be the fastest typist to impress a potential boss.

To prepare, I've been practicing on a typing program I originally got for the kids to teach typing, and I've been going over lessons that cover my weak spots, namely, left-handed capital letters (I often mash the shift key at an odd angle with my right hand, producing lots of errors including non-capitalization and double capital letters) and double quotes (I have a lazy right pinkie, same problem as capital letters that land on my left hand.)  Fortunately my typing speed is enough above the minimum that only complete and utter adrenaline shakes will cause me to fail.  Unfortunately, complete and utter adrenaline shakes are not out of the question.

Wish me luck!