Category Archives: Sort of Academic

Ah! Wonderlic!

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Liza Blue

I am a sixty year old woman with nothing obvious in common with a pro football player. My forty yard dash could be timed with a clogged hour glass, my bench press might not exceed a full load of laundry, … Continue reading →

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Symbolic Gestures

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Liza Blue

In college, I was convinced that symbolism would be my downfall. I’d never graduate. It all started in high school when I was a new sophomore in an all-girls boarding school. Mr. Shohet, my English teacher, seemed like an aggressive, … Continue reading →

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The SexAT, Circa 781

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Liza Blue

Several years ago when I was preparing to take the SAT, I proposed the idea of the SexAT, a new test prep book specifically designed to appeal to high schoolers.  I would take existing SAT questions and simply reformat them … Continue reading →

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Think Fast, Think Slow

Posted on September 1, 2012 by Liza Blue

Next to my bed is a large stack of books, most of which I will never read.  I pick them up on occasional prowls through the local bookstore, or buy them based on a book review.  The problem is that … Continue reading →

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Deal or No Deal

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Liza Blue

The game show “Deal or No Deal” premiered in 2005, and NBC took advantage of its faddish popularity by airing it at least twice a week in primetime. By 2008, it died of overexposure, joining Who Wants to Be a … Continue reading →

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Drunkard’s Walk

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Liza Blue

Every now and then when I am doing errands, I stop at the local bookstore to see what’s new.  I freely admit that I judge a book by its cover – the title, the graphics and any blurbs.  I also … Continue reading →

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Unfinished Business

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Liza Blue

I have been on a math kick recently, having rediscovered math in last year’s experiment in retaking the SATs after a 40 year hiatus. (See prior posts filed under “SAT Experience.”)  A previous essay described my quest to finally understand why … Continue reading →

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Grokking It

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Liza Blue

Grok: to understand so thoroughly that the observer becomes a part of the observed—to merge, blend, intermarry, lose identity in group experience. It means almost everything that we mean by religion, philosophy, and science. ——– Last year’s experience of retaking … Continue reading →

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Chapter 4. SAT: The Reveal

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Liza Blue

(For the complete SAT experience see other 3 chapters and a YouTube song parody about the SAT test!) It has been one month since I took the SATs and while awaiting my scores I have been interested to learn more … Continue reading →

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Infinity Plus One

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Liza Blue

I just caught a snippet of the little boy’s conversation as he excitedly told the librarian, “It is going to last forever, like 140 million bazillion years.”  Ah, yes, I do recall that troublesome challenge of turning the philosophic concept … Continue reading →

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