Madgirl Travels

I was recently at a social meeting and the folks were discussing business development retreats. As a tangental anecdote, one person mentioned that her company would have quizzes to see who could list the 50 states in 50 seconds and/or who could list the Presidents in reverse chronological order. It wasn't the point of the conversation, just an emphasis on how silly those types of events can be, but it was all I could do not to raise my hand and say "I can; I can!" And if there had been a convenient pause in the conversation, I probably would have.

My mom would quiz me summer mornings with State flash cards (and european countries) until I had permanently memorized our 50 states, and their capitals. Interestingly, it's never really come in handy other than to win an occasional contest/bet and/or to help me unwind at night. I taught myself the Presidents while in college - I would write their names in the margins of my notes to help from nodding off in particularly dull lectures -