Click Clack Mem-Moo-Ry

Word of the Post
Today's word is: macropterous
/ma*crop"ter*ous/ adjective
Having long wings or fins.
I like dragons with wings more than the snaky ones with legs; I like my dragons macropterous.
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60 words

Speed test

I saw this on Overwhelmed with Joy! Hers said she got 56 wpm, and I remember getting about 55 or so in High School. I never did achieve 60. My mom used to be able to type so fast, it would amaze me. She could type numbers on the top of the keyboard just like she could be fast with words. I could use a ten-key, but those numbers at the top are only for passwords, and barely that. She took a test once after about 20 years of not typing often, and still got over 60 wpm. The temp agency she was trying for didn't really appreciate her level of skill. She no longer can type, because of nerve damage from Diabetes. I think that frustrates her. I have actually always typed slower, but more accurately than mom. She said it was because I could spell, and I think it is because I am a perfectionist. I love computers. We can always hit backspace, and use spell check.

Those old manual typewriters frustrated me, but their historical value is intriguing. I recently attended a concert of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. They performed a song that was written to include an old clack typewriter. They had a place for the sound of the slide of the carriage, the clicking of the keys, and even the ding of the bell. The funny part was that they had disabled the actual bell on the actual typewriter, and supplemented with a chime from the percussion section. It was quite amusing. The only things missing were Snoopy and the phrase "It was a dark and stormy night..."

Something about me made me take the test three times. First time was 59, second was 56, third was this result of 60. I have to show off. Seriously. I have never typed that fast. However, now that I am not answering to anyone else about my speed, I can type faster. What is that about? I guess I am way more relaxed, now that I don't have "the Man" hovering over my shoulders.

I remember the Jr. High typing class, we had to type rhythms that turned out to be little pictures. Lots of strange characters, lines, and repeated letters. Those were fun, and boring all at once. Does that make sense? I wanted to learn to type, and I wanted to practice. We made cute little pictures, but I didn't want to type useless bits. I wanted to type letters and real documents for the school; they could have had us typing permission notices or ads for the newspaper about events at the school. I passed Jr. High Spanish because I could correct the teacher's papers for the English as a Second Language class he taught at the college. I freely admit that there were things in Spanish class that I could still use today, had I actually learned them. I didn't. I am not the only one responsible for that, but that is water under the bridge, around the bend and over the waterfall.

Thank you for following along with my random keystrokes.