First Time Ever – 7 Quick Takes

Hi everyone! So, I’m gonna try something new here.

My mom introduced me to 7 Quick Takes on This Ain’t the Lyceum. Because I wanted to join in the fun, I’m publishing a third blog article this week. You can find 7 Quick Takes by other bloggers here.

In case you have never visited my website before, this is a little about me:

My name is P. A. Wilson, and I am a Young Adult fantasy writer, genealogist, board gamer, and proud English major. I have four little sisters ages 19, 15, 4, and 2. In about a week I start my final semester of college, after which I plan to go for a master’s degree in Library Science.

Without further ado, here are all the relatively interesting things I’ve been up to this week…

Quick Take #1…

Today was my first-ever Covid test! Was it worth being nervous about? Nope! The local Rite Aid basically required me to show my ID and the email confirmation showing I had signed up, and they gave me the supplies to do it myself right then and there.

So basically I had to stick a q-tip-like thingy up my nose, turn it twice, and leave it there for 15 seconds. Then it was the other nostril’s turn. Other than tearing up and some mild discomfort, it was a piece of cake. Then I stuck the disgusting q-tip thingy into the offered tube and the whole test was over with.

If you’re wondering why I had to take the test, it was not because I had any symptoms. And I hadn’t come into contact with any sick people. Basically, Grove City College is requiring all students to test for Covid before coming back on campus.

My friends were having a conversation about it that was kind of funny. Pretty much my one friend asked if I minded taking the Covid test, and I said….

I don’t care what they stick up my nose as long as I get to go back to school!”

Because many colleges are not allowing in-person classes and are sticking to online. But my college is super stubborn, so that means I get to see my friends and teachers in-person….with a ton of regulations in place….but still, in-person!

So my friend immediately answers:

So it’s okay if they stick a Lego up your nose, then?”

To which I responded that the probability of that occurrence was zero, but that didn’t stop me from thinking about Lego bricks during the entire test.

(I learned this week that the plural of Lego is Lego, according to the Lego company. Americans tend to call them Legos, but everyone else says Lego. The Lego group has also claimed “Lego” can only be used as an adjective.)

Quick Take #2…

After my Covid test, I went for a Mint Chocolate Shake at Arby’s. They have Andes Candy pieces sprinkled all over them, so obviously I had to have one. Mint and chocolate is one of the best combinations of flavors on the planet.

Quick Take #3…

My two-year-old sister went around calling people “Monkeyfish dude” all morning yesterday.

I should explain….

It all started when I started calling my 4-year-old sister Muppet. She would always laugh and say that I was a Muppet instead. Then -fish got appended to the end for no apparent reason and it became “muppetfish”. Over time, muppet turned to monkey, and voila! We started calling each other “monkeyfish.”

Now I don’t know where the “dude” came from, but it wasn’t me.

Quick Take #4…

My four-year-old sister discovered the wonderful things that could be done with a mirror and a light source this week. I tried to tickle her, so she tried to reflect light from the mirror on her fake cellphone into my eyes…and succeeded. That kid is super smart.

Quick Take #5

I tried running this week a little bit. Running and I have a long and terrible history.

For instance, the time that I signed up for Walk Jog Run for a semester and got shin splints after the first week. After that, it was more like Walk Limp Walk.

Then there was the time I was worried about running late for an orthodontist appointment and forgot something. My mom told me not to run, so I decided to jog. I made it one step, and then went from vertical to horizontal in half a second.

Luckily, I am a black belt in Tang Soo Do, so I did a front break fall automatically to limit injury. Unfortunately, that didn’t change the fact that I was falling on concrete covered in salt and ice.

No bones broken or any serious injury, but I lost a layer of skin on part of my hands and arms. I was so embarrassed and startled, I jumped up and yelled, “I wasn’t running!”

Because I didn’t have time to really clean up, I doused my hands in water from the water fountain, grabbed what I forgot, and walked carefully back down to the car.

Anyway, I went to my orthodontist appointment with blood-stained hands and a dirt-streaked coat.

Those are just two of the countless reasons I hate running. But my 15-year-old sister kept asking me to run with her until I finally gave in.

I survived the session of running with nothing more than sore legs. My sister said I run like Naruto (or for those who are not anime fans, she also compared my running style to a penguin.)

Okay, I admit I am a bad runner, but I don’t think I’m quite that bad.

Quick Take #6…

I’ve been playing MarioKart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch, and I’ve gotta say…if you bought MarioKart 8 for the Wii U, along with the bonus tracks, this is pretty much the same thing.

The main differences are a few more characters, a new battle mode, and the ability to hold two items instead of one (like in Double Dash).

There is this annoying setting called “Smart Steering” that basically causes the game to auto-correct your bad driving. Nice if you’re new to the game, not so good for advanced players. Having to turn Smart Steering off every time I start the game is a pain.

It’s worth it if you haven’t bought the original MarioKart 8 along with the bonus tracks, but if you have, you may want to save your money.

Quick Take #7…

I’ve also been playing Super Mario Party for the Switch, which has definitely leveled up from its earlier versions. Not only are there different modes of play, including a partner party and a cooperative mode, but also they added more character options. Furthermore, each character has a customized die they can use instead of a normal die.

The only thing is you have to use the Joy-Con controllers. You can’t get away with using cheaper ones.

Final Thoughts…

This was kinda fun for me. I would be interested in doing it again, perhaps.

What do you think? Do you like 7 Quick Takes? Should I do more? Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts!