How many times am I going to be overlooked?
At least since Alex Trebek passed away, I have looked with fondness at Jeopardy. I'm fascinated by the show, tape its segments since I'm usually not able to watch it during its broadcast time and have mused about appearing on Jeopardy. At first, I was trying to find a way to appear as a contestant on the program. I thought to myself - "how difficult can this be. I don't know everything, but I know lots of stuff. It might be a way to warn some extra funds for my retirement. It seemed like a practical way to support my retirement. There was just one problem. The people who appear on Jeopardy are really smart.
My response to that self-assessment is the simple fact that, in many areas, I too am really smart. So over the past few months, I have watched Jeopardy and came up with some conclusions about my intelligence. I watch Jeopardy, answer the questions to myself, and mentally calculate on whether or not I would have won a particular segment of the show. I begin each segment with enthusiasm. It is really fun. After a few months of this, I had to assess my dreams of being on Jeopardy. Here are my distressing conclusions! I am smart, but not in every area. There are certain categories on Jeopardy where I did not know one area. My knowledge in certain areas was limited and, shall we say, a bit spotty. I brooded about this situation and naturally tried to come up with reasons why the show may be rigged. I watched the unfortunate debacle the show was having in coming up with a proper replacement for Alex Trebik.
Then I came up with a new challenge to take up in my retirement - be a host for Jeopardy! How hard is it to read answers off a card? I could prep for the answers, could pronounce any of the tough words or languages properly, and try to appear moderately charming (I could read a pamphlet about this!)
Today, I had such a rude awakening. I learned that Jeopardy was appointing two people to be the hosts of Jeopardy through the end of this year: Ken Jennings, one of the all-time winners, and Mayim Bialik. Look at their photos at the start of this post. Don't they seem smug and self-satisfied? Bah. They came out of nowhere to now host Jeopardy. I'll concede that Jennings was one of the highest winners on Jeopardy- and Bialik was one of the "try-out" hosts who also appeared on a program about really smart people interacting with each other. I never cared for that show. My thoughtful response to their selection: Boring. The most obvious disqualification was the simple fact that they were not me. Sigh. I've lived with the public embarrassment of the standing of the Chicago Cubs this year in the race to the World Series. They were terrible. Now I have this latest humiliation. The only saving feature is that I have kept to myself my intense desire to be considered a host for Jeopardy.
Do I have a right to be in so much turmoil about not being selected? My obvious conclusion is Yes. Although, I just had a distressing thought. Does having just posted these deeply held yearnings to be on Jeopardy make me come across as a whining, self-indulgent toddler who did not get his way?
Is this me?
OK - tantrum over. Musings about being on Jeopardy are over. Those who know me best know that I can get on a rant, can carry on, and eventually, sometimes even quickly, work through things. Being on Jeopardy might have been fun. It would have been a hoot. But, let's face it - I have always wanted to be tall - and see how that is working for me.
There are times when I need a break. I need a break from dealing with some things that are just heart-braking. This post is simply a practical method I use sometimes to work past things. Sometimes it is helpful. Sometimes not. But it is helpful right now. This is why I wander in malls and other places to just clear my head - to straighten things out. More often than not, this approach works for me. It is better than a lot of other methods and does not hurt anyone.
No porpoises were harmed in the writing of this post, thank goodness. God help me. (And, thank you, God, for nudging me NOT to take myself so seriously)
Here is my endpoint for this post:
