Quizzes!

So on Facebook, people are prone to post results from various tests and quizzes about a myriad of topics. "What Hogwarts house do you belong in?" "What is your spirit animal?" "Which character from Friends are you?" "How many children should you have?"

This video, I feel, accurately describes how many of us feel about such posts:

Glove and Boots has to be one of my favorite channels on YouTube, and many times they're spot on with their social commentary. (And pretty dang funny with their jokes and timing.) However, there's one point I'd like to make that they kinda touch on in the video, if indirectly: some of them are actually fun to take, if only for the personal amusement factor. They're a lot like those paper fortune tellers that you used to make as a kid.

Bigger, and definitely nicer, than many of the ones I ever made as a kid, but it gets the point across.

We all know they're not real. I know that, you know that, our parents know it… Probably the only people who don't know it are the 4- and 5-year-old kids seeing these fortune tellers (a.k.a. "cootie catchers") for their first time ever. In any case, it's still a fun thing to do every once in a while. So, as to not fill up my feed with even more of the quizzes that we really don't need to see (again, reference the video I put above) I'll just put results of any quizzes I take here. And I'll update it from time to time, if anyone is ever curious about what kind of breakfast cereal I am, or how long I'll live, or when I'll get married, or what superpower I should have. You know, the important things.

Also, I'll try to keep it to quizzes that actually make sense. In the video above, Fafa the Groundhog takes a quiz about what animal he should be, and none of the questions he's asked have anything to do with animals.

Which Pokémon Gym Leader Are You?
This was the first one I noticed, mostly for having a love of the Pokémon franchise. I got Misty, and here's the description:

You are fiercely competitive and energetic. You tend to tackle problems head-on and are always striving to be better. You may have romantic aspirations, but you would never let them get in the way of your training!

All righty then. I don't know if this quiz is limited to just the first generation of games, though… and if you have absolutely no idea what I meant with that last statement, then ask me later.


What Song Should You Actually Sing At Karaoke?
Hopefully this doesn't start a trend… the questions for this one didn't ask anything about what kind of music I like, or anything about music, really. One of my questions was literally "What is your spirit animal?" which I was kind of joking about before, and another one asked me to choose one out of nine movies. I picked Space Jam. My song result is Dolly Parton's "9 to 5."

It’s been a long day at work, but now you are on your own time. Celebrate the working man and woman and bring out that Tennessee Twang, because you’re about to sing “9 to 5.”
I kinda sorta hate country. And Dolly Parton in particular. So I sincerely doubt that this is right. Moving on.


Do You Win At Eating?
First of all, I don't even know if that's a grammatically correct question. I know that it's common in today's vernacular, but… "Do you win at eating?" I doubt I'd ever ask someone that in that way. Anyway, I checked off 8 out of 50 "accomplishments" for eating, and here's what it says:

You’re a champion eater! You’ve got mad eating skillz. And everyone is pretttttty impressed.

…*sigh*
First off, I'd just like to point out that the questions for this one are rather subjective. Example: one of the things to check off was "I have eaten an entire can of Pringles." I have, but not all at the same time – I seriously doubt I could ever do that. Over the course of a week, though, yeah. I have. Others were more specific, such as "I have eaten more than 3 bowls of cereal in one sitting." (Didn't check that one off, by the way.) I just assumed that all the the ambiguous questions meant in one sitting, so I left them blank if I hadn't done that.
Second, how does 8 out of 50 merit "mad eating skills"?! That's a ridiculously low score on ANYONE'S scale! Since this one is easier to see the answers for, since you just check off a certain amount, I found out that just 1 gives you "reasonable eater" and all 50 gives you "Ultimate Eating Champion." Just 6 already puts you at the level that I actually got.


What Kind Of Thinker Are You?
I am, apparently, a "Creature of Habit."

You’re a sucker for a schedule. When you stick to it, there’s no stopping you, creatively.

This one was actually sponsored by GE, so the questions actually had a lot to do with the topic at hand.


How Sarcastic Are You?
"Completely and utterly sarcastic."

Well done. This is more or less the best thing that has ever happened to you. You are going to get this result tattooed on your forearm, because it is that important.

I didn't think that I answered many of the questions that sarcastically… Although when it gave me six TV show characters to choose from, I went with Dr. House, who is probably one of the most sarcastic characters I can think of.


Which '90s Game Show Are You?
This one I enjoyed, mostly because of the nostalgia factor. My result was Nickelodeon Guts, which I really feel is a show that they could bring back and it would be a total hit. (That and Nick Arcade, but that one would take a little more work in finding appropriate games…)

You represent your city, your nation, yourself in the greatest individual competition known ever to kidkind. You know the Olympic Games would be greatly improved if they were more like this classic competition. Can you climb to the top of the Aggro Crag to claim a piece of it for your own?

Come to think of it, Nickelodeon had a few game shows back in the day that were all REALLY good. Legends of the Hidden Temple, the ones already mentioned, Double Dare (with the spinoffs of Family Double Dare and Double Dare 2000)… good times.


What Disney Movie Hero/Heroine Are You Actually?
Don't know if this one was as fair as some of the others. First question asked me to pick a color, second question asked me to choose a TV – none of which I've watched, and none of which were Disney channel shows. My result was Aladdin, which I'm actually pretty happy with, but again I don't think the question given were actually appropriate for this one.

“Riffraff, street rat. I don’t buy that.” You are the definition of a diamond in the rough. True royalty at heart! I feel sorry for the poor sap who underestimates you. Anyone who risks imprisonment for a small amount of food is a-OK in my book.

Also, one of the questions asked what my chosen method of transportation would be. Out of the choices given, I chose driving (against swimming, walking, swinging, flying, and majestic horseback riding). If that's not enough of a clue that sometimes these quizzes are just a bit far-fetched, then I don't know what is.


Which Soda Are You?
Again, great result this time around (Dr Pepper) but I have no idea why some of the questions for this were in there. "Pick a 90's trend" and "Pick a celeb" (with one of the options for that one being Santa) don't seem to correlate with sodas in my mind.

Actually, picking Santa might have given me Coke, come to think of it.

You’re an enigma, possessing of that ever-elusive “je ne sais quoi.” No one can quite figure you out, which either means someone thinks you’re weird, or you’re incredibly sexy. Either way, you’re fine with it all.

Great description for Dr Pepper. I feel like it's pretty accurate for both the drink and myself.


What Your Favorite Color Says About Pfffffftttt Nothing Matters
This one I went into kinda expecting this result. I chose blue out of the twelve options, and here's what I got:

Your favorite color is completely meaningless.

Allllllllll righty then.


Which "The Princess Bride" Character Are You?
One of my favorite movies (I think for a lot of people in Mormon culture, it's one of their favorite movies) and they actually had all the questions relate to characters! I ended up getting the Grandfather, who admittedly is only part of the movie and not the book. But he does contribute a fair amount to the movie.

The most important thing to you is family. You’re caring and show your love through action. You adore stories and tell them to anyone who will listen. Even if it’s a kissing story.

You know, I feel like I actually relate a lot to young Fred Savage's character as well. When I was young, I used to absolutely hate watching any kissing scenes in movies. Even in cartoons! But now that I'm older and accept the fact that… yeah, kissing is actually a pretty normal thing, I can watch most kissing scenes just fine. (Except maybe for those couples who wait until the day of their wedding to kiss for the first time… that's jut weird. And I'm not gonna link to any of those, you can find them for yourself.)


Would You Pass Your Harry Potter Charms OWL?
I'm not gonna go ahead and call myself a "Potterhead," but I've read the books a few times each, seen all the movies, and felt pretty confident going into this. Ended up getting 9 out of 10 right, and according to the Hogwarts grading scale I get an O for "Outstanding."

Hermione, is that you? Congratulations! You’re definitely the brightest witch/wizard of your age!

The only one that I missed (because this one actually shows you what you got right and wrong) was "Rictusempra." I said that it would give the target a flesh wound, but I confused that with "Sectumsempra," which was introduced in the sixth book/movie. The actual effect strikes the foe with a feeling of incessant tickling. Besides that, though, I got them all right!


What Should Your Name Actually Be?
There wasn't an option to say if you were a guy or girl for this, and I'm not gonna try to go through this one again to get a guy's name for it. My result? "Kiki." The description?

Your name should have been Kiki.

Right, because that totally makes sense.


WHEN Will You Die?
Apparently I'm going to die on July 1, 2024. Exactly 10 years from now.
You have 10 years left. Now is the time to plan out how to really enjoy the time you got! Travel around the world, explore new people, accomplish your dreams and most important of all - BE HAPPY. 10 years is plenty of time.
Umm... no it's not. It really isn't.


Which Transformers Character Are You?www.playbuzz.comFind out which Transformers character you're most like.
Ironhide. A brief summary from the Wikipedia page I linked to just now (because the quiz gives no description) is that he's Optimus Prime's oldest friend and the weapons specialist of the team, having sustained many injuries during his time as a soldier. I could live with that.
Admittedly, I actually don't know all that much about each Transformer outside of the recent movies... I think I was just a couple years too late to really know/enjoy the show all that much.


How Would You Die In An Action Movie?
"You tragically die in your lover's arms." The picture associated with this result is from X-Men 3: The Last Stand, after Wolverine kills Jean amidst all the destruction she's causing.
You're a lover (and maybe a fighter, too). Your caring nature and irresistible good looks caught the attention of one of the hottest characters in the movie, and their piercing eyes and rippling muscles will be the last thing you see before you go. Don't worry, your untimely death will be avenged by a combination of a sudden adrenaline rush and maybe a machine gun.
I feel like the description is geared more toward a woman... oh well. At least I'll be avenged.


Which Gaming Icon Are You?
I'm already calling BS on this one because the first question asked "If you could have any superpower, what would it be?" and did not list flying as one of the options. That is my go-to superpower, and I'm rather disappointed it wasn't there, especially because it asked any superpower.
It ended up giving me Sonic the Hedgehog.
Impatient & Quick-Witted, you are Sega's iconic mascot - Sonic The Hedgehog! Sonic is the title character and protagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series released by Sega, as well as numerous spin-off comics, four animated shows, and an animated OVA. He is a 15-year-old blue anthropomorphic hedgehog who has the ability to run at supersonic speeds and the ability to curl into a ball, primarily to attack enemies.
While I'm a little worried as to how the Sonic franchise is going to be dealt with for the new series "Sonic Boom," there are a few games that I've played that I really did enjoy, so this result isn't too bad.


Which Norse God Are You?
This one is about Norse gods... and the third to last question asked me to choose a Greek deity. Then it asked me to choose my favorite of the X-Men Okay.
Wise and Timeless, you are the Norse God Odin! Odin is the Allfather of the gods, and the ruler of Asgard. He is flanked by ravens, of which he uses to oversee his lands. His role, like that of many of the Norse gods, is complex. Odin is a principal member of the Æsir (the major group of the Norse pantheon) and is associated with war, battle, victory and death, but also wisdom, Shamanism, magic, poetry, prophecy, and the hunt. Odin has many sons, the most famous of whom is the thunder god Thor.
Odin's a pretty decent result, though, so I can live with that.

EFwhat?

A couple weeks ago was one of the most tiring I've had in a long time. And I don't regret it for an instant.

Earlier this year, I had an interview for a job to be a counselor for this summer program put on by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called Especially For Youth (heretofore referred to as EFY). It was something that I went to for multiple years as a participant and loved every time that I did. Now, having grown a bit in years, I have the opportunity to give the youth who attend the same experiences that I had. Seriously, I absolutely loved it, and from what I was able to see from even just following people around that week, I know that it's going to go incredibly well throughout the rest of the summer.

Here's a basic rundown of how each day goes every week:

MONDAY
- Kids check in around the middle of the day, coming from all over the place. Participants in Provo often come from out of state, just because here is where some of the biggest sessions happen. All participants receive a journal to take notes in throughout the week and a t-shirt specific to that year's theme. This year the theme is "Anxiously Engaged", taken from Doctrine & Covenants 58:27.
- Participants meet their counselors, boys with guy counselors and girls with girl counselors, and then they all come together in groups of 20-30 (trying to keep an even ratio of guys to girls) and form "companies." These companies are all assigned a scripture to focus on throughout the week and choose a name for themselves to be called by everyone else. As an example, the scripture that our company was assigned was Doctrine & Covenants 10:5, so we named ourselves the Conquerers.
- Everyone heads to a meeting with the Session Director, someone who is already married and has a fairly decent amount of wisdom to share with the youth. Some popular directors have been Brad Wilcox, John Bytheway, and others.
- The companies separate and have their own Family Home Evening, with a lesson and games.

TUESDAY
- All participants go to a devotional with the session director, then have a class about how to recognize the Holy Ghost in their lives. Then there's a chance for them to choose some classes to go to, often with some popular Mormon motivational speakers or professors.
- In the evening, everyone meets up and gets ready for a dance. Proper dance etiquette is taught to the guys and girls, so that all are able to have a fun, clean time. The dance goes for a couple hours and depending on where it is and what week of the summer it is, it could have as many as a thousand people there at once. (Sometimes, especially in Provo, there are multiple sessions happening, so for the sake of the dance they combine the sessions together at that time.)

Unfortunately, but understandably, they discourage breakdancing.

WEDNESDAY
- More classes than Tuesday, with some more options of teachers and topics.
- A panel discussion with some of the teachers and the session director is held. Early on in the week the youth have a chance to submit questions about the Gospel that they'd like answered, and while many of the questions are answered the biggest point they try to emphasize is how to find the answers to questions on their own.
- Companies meet up together again to create a company cheer and design a banner relating to the company name they came up with, all in preparation for Games Night.
- Games Night is an opportunity for all the companies in the session to have friendly competition with each other, playing large group games and showing off their cheer for the judges (the session director, his wife, and the head counselors).
- For sessions where the participants stay overnight, the opportunity comes up to have a Pizza Night, where all in the company contribute a bit to buy pizza for themselves and just socialize/bond some more.

THURSDAY
Probably the most important day of the week.
- The young men and young women each have their own devotionals and group activities. I know for the young men, it's often related to how mission life is like. Many of the teachings that they've been learning throughout the week are reinforced at this time, helping the youth to understand that the Gospel is influential in every aspect of their lives.
- A game show is held to help break up the tone of the day, with all the participants of the session together. The one that we did this last week was in the style of Jeopardy!, with five categories and team members chosen from each side of the room (only two teams for simplicity's sake). Some of the categories are Church trivia questions, others are physical "feats" (one that I saw was to attach pedometer to one's head and get the number as high as possible within a minute), others are just completely random.
- A musical program, which youth are encouraged to participate in if they feel comfortable singing, is held later in the day to bring the Spirit back. The themes shared are related back to the theme of EFY for that year.
- A fireside is given by the session director, and then all the companies are taken to separate rooms so they can hold their own testimony meetings. It's quite common for everyone to get up and share their testimonies at this time, but no one is forced to, and if there is a break in people getting up then they just let the silence be an opportunity for the Spirit to sink in. This is one of the things I remember most about going to EFY every summer. It's hard to go to one of these testimony meetings and not feel the Spirit. There's also a section in every journal to write down your own testimony, should you choose.

FRIDAY
- Last full day for participants. There's a short devotional in the morning with the counselors to help the youth understand how to best benefit from the week – not just by remembering what they learned, but applying the teachings in their regular lives and sharing with their friends and family.
- An activity based on the LDS missionary manual Preach My Gospel is used to help participants become more familiar with its teachings. In particular, this year they're focusing on how the Book of Mormon helps to answer questions of the soul (about halfway down the page for this link).
- A variety show, which any participant can audition for, is held for about an hour and a half. And by variety show, it can really include anything; the one I got to watch this first week included a few singing acts, a duet on pianos, stand-up comedy, dancing, impressions and movie quotes, juggling… And that was just at one of the shows going on! At Provo there are often multiple sessions happening at once, so there was another variety show happening at the same time as the one I saw.
- A time is given to take pictures with your company and exchange contact information. It's much easier to do so now than when I was a participant; Facebook wasn't a thing, yet, but these days people can add each other and tag photos in seconds. Which is often quite helpful to maintain the friendships past the one week they all get to know each other.
- A final dance is held, followed by a slideshow of pictures taken throughout the whole session. Participants and counselors can contribute to this slideshow, though most of the pictures are taken by counselors whose job it is mostly to focus on that.
- A reminder of how to "take it home" is given with the company. Some companies have their own second testimony meeting, which is helpful if not everyone had the chance earlier that week to share.

SATURDAY
- Participants check out fairly early, which is why time is given on Friday for the contact exchange.

It's important to note that every day there are meals provided for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and times in the morning to have personal Gospel study, some free time every afternoon, and times every night to review things they learned or felt during the day. Lights out every night for participants is 10:30 PM, which is heavily emphasized so that they can actually sleep and enjoy the activities throughout the week. There are also "stay-at-home" sessions, where the participants come only during the day and go back home every night. Most everything still happens, but it's condensed a bit due to the lesser amount of time they have, and they're completely done by Friday night.


So are the things you learn at EFY really that important? All that life-changing?

My company, the last year that I went as a participant.

And these are the journals I had from each year that I was a participant, starting in 2004, and I don't plan on getting rid of them any time soon. So you tell me if they're all that important or life-changing.



Small update: this is the group of kids I have for my first week as an official counselor. I couldn't ask for a better start to this summer.