The GRE!

Standardized tests are always fun, but I've never had one that told me so much about myself.

First I just want to announce that I finished the Physics GRE, and the General GRE, and Emily finished the PRAXIS. So, whether for good or for bad, we're done for good.

The general GRE was quite an informative test for me. It is the test required to get you accepted into graduate schools. Really it is just like the SAT. It has the same sections with the same types of questions. It doesn't even have questions harder than the SAT. That bothered me, "Do they think I haven't learned anything during the past 4 years and $16,000 of college?!?"

Well, it turns out I got EXACTLY the same score on this test that I got on the SAT, so I guess I didn't learn anything. I've had quite a few discussions about my failure as a college student (since I didn't learn anything), and I've decided that the GRE wasn't designed to test knowledge, but rather it tests your ability to think and reason.

So this test can't tell me what I've learned. I MAY have actually learned something during my years in college, but the test tells me one thing for sure....
I definitely didn't get any smarter while I was here.

Good news is my percentile ranking (percentage of people scoring lower than you did) stayed the same as well, so I haven't lost any ground compared to all of the other kids who also didn't get any smarter while in school.

Conclusion: I think some people get smarter while in college. They're the ones that graduate and get jobs. Those of us that didn't get any smarter are the ones who think it's a good idea to commit to another 6 years of school, working 80 hours and week, and getting paid nothing... hmmm.... That actually makes sense.

Halloween in Cedar City

We were so lucky to get to spend Halloween with the Shurtliffs in Cedar City. Brooklyn was the cutest cow that you ever did see, and farmers Tim and Amber filled her utter with candy. Benjamin and I dressed as Yin and Yang. I was as white as could be, and Benjamin (with curly hair and wide nose) was as black as we could get him. We had fun with our creative twist.



We also got to take Saturday and hike Angel's Landing at Zion's. It was beautiful. We had a great time, although we weren't exactly prepared for a full hike. We only had a bag of left-over candy to serve as lunch/dinner. But somehow we survived. You don't have huge muscles for no reason...


Yikes. I almost turned back...

Trying to get the full scope of how high we were...and I was too scared to get any closer than this. I think we decided not to rock climb this site, since it takes 3 or 4 pitches
of rope just to get down...

Crazy tourists...

Hey, check out what we found... Wohoo!! "ra-ra-rarara! ra-ra-rarara! GOOOO COUGARS!!!!"

I voted this morning, but Benjamin has to vote tonight

Actually I voted four times already, and I plan on voting several more times this afternoon.
Since they don't ask for any ID when voting, just a name, I can vote once for every name I can think of. I know there are a few problems with this voting method, but they are all small problems.

Q) How do you know the person you named isn't going to vote themselves?
A) They would be silly to drive down to the polling station when I've already voted for them...
Also, statistically Hispanics are much less likely to vote, so I usually say my name is Gorge Lopez or something like that.
Q) What happens when you vote proxy for someone else who does vote today?
A) There is a little confusion, but in the end we all know they voted for the best candidate(the one I chose).
Q) Did it raise suspicion to your Bishop's wife who works at the polling station that you've voted 4 times already?
A) It did get a little bit dicey once, but after I explained to her that I wasn't the white curly-headed Benjamin she knew, but rather that I was not white and my name was Gorge it was fine (since they don't ask for ID there)

Q) Why do you drive to a polling station, wait in line for hours, and miss school just to cast a vote that doesn't really matter.
A) You're vote doesn't matter because you only voted once. My ten votes today will be 1000% as effective as your vote. Also, I would vote on the internet, but the internet is a very new and unknown technology. It isn't nearly secure enough to be trusted with managing my credit cards, banking, IRAs, business and school info, and my vote....

oh wait....

Benjamin