Just when I think I am through with the ubiquitous Mid-Life Crisis, I find that there is yet another inning to be played.
I thought it was over and I had made it through to the other side. Then I bought a pair of skinny jeans and a revised GRE prep book. Clearly, the battle has only just begun.
This afternoon, while wearing my new jeans, I opened the book, found the information needed to take a diagnostic test online and sat down to face Question One. I was asked to write an essay question and had 29 minutes and 54 seconds to write it. I read, and then typed over, the instructions on how to save often and how to "delete" (using the command key and "x" if typing on a Mac) and typed my first few words. I used the delete/backspace key immediately and was kicked back to the login page. Right. I took a deep breath and started again. This time, I saved the directions at the top of my page, planning to delete them when I was done, but leaving them there as a reminder not to hit the delete key the moment I mistyped a word. A typo followed not three seconds later and my fingers automatically hit the delete key before I knew what had happened...and I was back at the login screen. This went on numerous times. (At least, by the third time, I had managed to save what progress I had made, so I was able to "resume" my test rather than starting again.)
Finally, with three minutes to spare, I had a convincing 5-paragraph essay complete with examples and a quote from Harper Lee. I read it and clicked on the option to "grade my essay." It asked ME to grade MY essay. Huh?
I went back and clicked on the little bubble indicating that I had completed my essay. Then sat there and watched the timer continue to count down. Oh! Right! I needed to click the next button. Except I was to click "next section" (as it had indicated there was only one essay question in this section). I did not, of course. I clicked the "next" button, which took me to a screen which reminded me that there was only one question in this section and then gave me 29 minutes and 54 seconds with which to write my essay--on a completely NEW Question ONE.
I think I will try again tomorrow. And pray that if and when I do take this test again for realz--it is on a PC. Because my shiny little laptop? Oh, she is a pretty computer but she is no PC--and clearly she is not in this fight with me!
