Blog Accessories

I came across a blog recently that had this type speed test in the sidebar. I took the test a few times and thought it was rather comical. I know that I type around 40wpm when I'm on a roll, but this test flattered me that I typed 59! That's more like what my mother types. It was fun, though, so I posted it in my own sidebar for people who a) like typing and fun or b) are competitive and want to try and beat my score.

Today I tried to beat my own score and made it to 67. As I was posting that in my sidebar, I realized again that I don't really dig the bright green of the number it displays, as it doesn't jive with the color scheme of my blog. Greg's been giving me little lessons in HTML (and I had already removed the "speed test" subtext because, as we all know, I can't stand having unnecessary words anywhere, like for example in parenthesis in the middle of a paragraph with so much writing in it that you can't for the life of you remember what I was talking about before the parenthesis began--I would never do that, so in keeping with my vocabularically conservatory nature, I removed that "speed test") and I saw that I could change the color, and I happened to have the color code for a lovely plum shade* that I like sitting right next to the computer, so I changed the color. (let me catch my breath...hoo...hoo...hoo... okay)

Then I noticed the number 67 sitting there. There it sat. And I started to wonder. And I decided that, really, I think I type more like 144 wpm. And I changed it. And hit save. And suddenly I was the fastest typer I knew--until I remembered that, besides just my non-extravagance in word usage, I am also extremely honest. So I changed it back.

But I love tests like that. Like on facebook where I proudly display the "fact" that my IQ is 120. According to the facebook IQ test. Why didn't we have tests like these in high school? These are the kinds of tests--and especially results-- I can deal with. And probably the type that will get me far in life. Definitely farther than "apples are to plums as helicopters are to __?" That's not even helping me out when I go shopping.

On the same blog I found a site where you just enter your blog's URL and it tells you what reading level your blog is. They've got some FAST reading kids helping them out over there. It took about 3 seconds for them to read my entire blog. This one right here with hardly any words on it. I'm not displaying the results of that one in my sidebar because I don't want you all to feel ashamed about reading a blog with a junior high school reading level, since none of you are in junior high. And I don't want you all going off to find some more clever blog to read, either (like one with a "graduated-from-University-years-ago reading level"). So let's not dwell on the results of that one.

So I just wanted to establish these facts: I love sidebars; I plan, somehow, eventually to make mine all exciting; and I never write (or speak, for that matter) more than is absolutely necessary. Now we know.

*I just changed it again to periwinkle. I LOVE periwinkle.