Did anyone catch this classic spelling bee moment? This kid ended up winning it all, and I was so glad he was there to relieve some tension. What a great kid. Let us consider the "so many different ways" numbnut could be spelled, if, in fact he had gotten that word instead:

numbnut
numnut
nummnutt
numnutt
numnutte
nummenut
numbenut
numbnutt
plus others, I didn't feel like doing the factorial for all possible combinations

And think of the questions he'd have to ask to deduce the correct spelling:
Language of origin - American slang? What's it to you? Call me that again, and I'll show you numbnuts.
Other pronunciations - just the one, though variations exist in other languages, because jerks live everywhere.
Use in a sentence - "I feel like a complete numbnut for having to give you this word on a nationally televised spelling bee."

I started rooting for the girl from Jamaica, and I was shocked to find out Matthew Evans had been eliminated. Then I was going for the girl from North Dakota, because of the state's proximity to Canada, then I was rooting for Tia Thomas, because she's a 5-year veteran and is wonderfully coming out of her early teenage phase but she got out on opificer, but then it got down to the final two, and I didn't want either of them to get out. All in all, it was good bee.

Isn't it a little peculiar the SEVEN Canadian semi-finalists all got out in the same round? I suspect Stephen Harper's in on it, and it might have to do with NAFTA. Not really (I think), but the seven of them, in a row, one after another, out, until they were all gone. It was disappointing.

Here's something my roommate wrote about her experience watching the spelling bee with me: "watching the spelling bee with may is exciting.  i've always enjoyed it, but this was awesome.  to start, may pulls out a 12 page document containing names and pictures of all the finalists, including the words they'd spelled in all the preliminary rounds.  as the finals proceeded, may added the new words to each finalist's page as she muttered letters under her breath.  it was intense."

If you want to read my other posts about the National Spelling Bee from the past couple of years, here they are, on one page, so you don't have to sift and sort. Another post about a bee I participated in is also on that page.

 It's going beyond the scheduled time. I'm about to have a serious conniption. I can't imagine what the parents are going through right now. Man.

It's down to two.

Help.

Down to one.

And he won.

On guerdon.

You either know the word, or you don't, but then you have to finagle your way through it.
This is so, so intense.

rhyton.

Right on!

45 spellers are going into tomorrow's semifinals. Why do I want so bad for a Canadian to win? It's bound to be(e) exciting. I'm recording it, so don't tell me who wins tomorrow night, okay?

I just thought this needed sharing, since everyone knows what an avid spelling bee fan I am:




Life is good. I'm heading up to Jacksonville next Thursday for a short visit with family and friends. Hope to see a few people I haven't seen in a while.

the bee is over. i am exhausted. my eyes won't need a serrefine to stay closed for the night. i wanted the canadian to win. 2nd year in a row the great white north came in 2nd place. no H in coryza.
it was a great match. that's some suspenseful stuff.

tomorrow is the last day of seminary. it is the last day i'll have to get up early for a couple of months. we're fixing breakfast for the students.

summer is a good friend.

enn. aye. jee. aych. tee.

okay, 6 rounds. 15 spellers left! i'm expecting it to last longer than this. oh, words. you are cruel.

nice canadian representation - 3
az - 1
ca - 2
ct - 1
fl - 1
ks - 1
mi - 1
mo - 1
nm - 1
ny - 1
tx - 1
wi - 1

the rounds have begun. these words are hard, yo.

***
people. lj is apologizing. so let them apologize and make it up to you. give them another chance. if you don't like it, you can always pick up your forum and go somewhere else. what's stopping you, really? don't tell me no one has ever dinged you for lack of communication. because you're perfect. and always right. and the chip on your shoulder is actually a tattoo. their cause is just as legitimate as yours. it's okay; just breathe. so it means a little downtime. if you happen lose revenue from it or seek damages from personal injury (to your ego?), file a claim.

sorry i'm sympathizing with the other side. i know the fubar and its requisite backpedal all too well. it's not fun asking for forgiveness even when you're sure you don't deserve it.

***
class this morning. we started with an activity where we had to write good things about our classmates. here's what the others said about me:
1. cheesy(funny comments); good helper; dedicated
2. a very serious person and a good teacher
3. May has a most excellent sense of humor. She's genuine and caring and very responsible.
4. Has a great sense of humor. Fun to talk to.
5. I try to be patient.

so we related these (everyone's) qualities to following Christ's example of compassion and kindness. and we discussed ideas of what we could do to become better people. some of those ideas were to forgive. and to apologize. and not to hold grudges. i don't care if it sounds new age or spiritual or religious - it's just too stifling to hold so much negativity inside.

lj's suspending accounts didn't directly affect me, so i can't be completely empathetic, but i know what it's like to be misunderstood and misjudged and depicted inaccurately in a documentary about my church where almost everyone interviewed had apostatized. it's nothing i've personally done wrong, yet i'm apologizing and forgiving. still, at the end of the day, i'm not worse off for it.

on another note, last night before my therapy session ended, the therapist asked if i wanted to talk about anything else. i hesitated. i told the therapist i hadn't stayed with one therapist for this long. then i asked how they [sic] saw my progress. they said i thought i was doing very well and asked if i would like to come less frequently. they explained that eventually i'll call only if i have a pressing issue. i don't have those so much these days. it's a very slow tapering - sessions from every 2 weeks down to every 3 weeks. then once a month. then maybe once a quarter, if ever again. this is exciting. i dare say i just might be getting better.

11:52am. 5 rounds down. 22 spellers left. I keep refreshing the page (even though it does it automatically). No updates. Looks like we're about ready for the finals tonight.

Okay, folks. Preliminary rounds start today.
Tomorrow is the big day.
If you go to the site, you'll see the number of contestants is the most they've ever had.
Go ahead, tell me you're not excited.

***
This is the last week of seminary. With the holiday, it's only 4 days.
No one has shown up so far.
It's hard not to take this personally, you know?
It's hard not to feel guilty. Like I didn't do enough to get the students to want to come. You can't force teenagers, really. They come because they want to learn. If they want to learn badly enough, they come. At 6:15AM. You can't force teenagers who've grown up in NYC. Who don't have "traditional" families. Who witness abuse. Who have a different perception of life. Who haven't seen anything else. I mean, the gospel is hard to live, but even in the City it provides security and peace. I mean, God on your side means exactly that. These kids are good. It is the end of the year, and I totally understand senioritis, burnout, etc. Prom is this week, too. So maybe praying for a miracle isn't too big a request? Who knows.

***
I'm on caffeine right now. I held out as long as I could. I probably overdid it this past weekend. Still, a few sips usually does it for the whole day.

Also? Allergies. With a pretty heady cough. Overtraining does that, too.

I'm preparing for a master cleanse. What I tried last year, with the syrup and water and lime and cayenne pepper. Going for the full 10 days.

What I would love? Sleep. A nice, solid slumber.

People. 17 days until the National Spelling Bee finals. I can be more obnoxious about it, but I won't. Every year, it's a nailbiter. Do you know what it's like, to be up at the microphone, amplified silence, until you start uttering letters in a specific order - hopefully a correct order - and then the audience holds their breath until the judge nods and cheers erupt or that blasted "ding!" pierces the air and fans muffle their disappointment? It's one of the most thrilling experiences. So, if you're not on the edge of your seat between 8 and 10PM on May 31, I don't know, you have no idea how much this means to me. I almost went so far to say you're dead to me, but I promised I wouldn't get obnoxious about it. Um.

***

Saturday morning, I woke up at 6:00 to do laundry. Afterward, I got on my gear, prepped my bike, and hit the road.

This is a subway map, but I'll explain it

Right next to where it says "The Bronx" is Pelham Bay Park. It's green. East of that is Orchard Beach. That's green, too. The little nongreen island dangling from Orchard Beach is City Island. Or Island City. That's how far I went. And because I got lost numerous times, I put away over 40 miles. I didn't mind that so much.

I normally don't document the monumentally stupid things I do (ahem), but I'll just briefly mention how I almost got hit by a bus after crossing the University Bridge from Manhattan into the Bronx.

That's all.

***
The summer is still ahead. So much to do! I have several bike dates (with normal people, not single boys), and I'll be getting back on track with running. I'm traveling to Florida in June; Utah at the beginning of August.

I wonder how long it would take to bike down to DC ...

Obviously, I wasn't paying attention to what was behind me. I should have described the primary-colored (Olympic-colored?) "Spelling Bee" banner on butcher paper. The guy in the pictures is the emcee. The redhead is a great friend. Her camera took the pictures. She and a few other friends were sitting in the front row of the audience. The girl facing away sitting at the table is one of the judges. I would look at her first for approval of my spellings. Another pic will be coming this evening. Enjoy.

The email came on January 9th. I clicked on the subject line: "[stakesingles] Upcoming Events". That brought me to the message, and the first announcement stared me right in the face, and it would not look away - it forced my rapt attention. A singles spelling bee was going down on January 20th. My first impulse was to sign up. Heck, why not? After a split second, doubt crept into my psyche and turned me tentative. I set the idea on the backburner. I knew I'd at least attend, and perhaps regret not having participated. I let it sit for almost two weeks. With each passing day, my decision to compete faded, though not completely.

So it sat. On Monday the 15th, I went to a Golden Globes party with a church friend. The spelling bee came up in conversation. My friend outright asked me, "So, are you doing the spelling bee?" I said, "Are you doing it?" She said, "Totally." Then, I sighed and said, "Sure, I'll do it, but I haven't been studying." Then three of us scheduled a time to get together and STUDY.

Wednesday night, before scripture study class (not the high school class I teach early mornings), I met with my friends and we went over the list of Words Appearing Frequently from the National Spelling Bee website. We isolated a few pages from the Cs to the Fs. I had already begun to feel nervous, but I was determined to keep a relaxed attitude about it. My friend announced later during class that she would be having a spelling bee study party on Saturday before the bee. I wanted to make it, but I already arranged for groceries to be delivered during the time she wanted to hold the party.

Anyway, during breaks and spare moments during work, I studied words. I didn't get very many breaks, and I wasn't feeling as prepared as I liked. I brought the words wherever I went, but I didn't get much of a chance to use them. Thursday night I went to the temple, and instead of studying when I got home, I watched The Office and Grey's Anatomy, again, being more lackadaisical about it, because it was just a spelling bee. Only a spelling bee. I tried getting to bed by 11. Friday night, I went to a seminary scripture chase, so I paid more attention to the students and other teachers than the spelling words. Right after that, I went to a bowling birthday party. My study buddy was there as well. I took the stack of words from my backpack and set them on the table by our lanes. I couldn't focus on studying. My game face was on for a different reason. Plus, the music was way too loud, and I really needed to concentrate on making friends and being social.

I looked at a few words when I got home. Tired, I slipped in and out of consciousness with the television on. Conan and Carson and infomercials.

That brings us to today. Or Saturday, the 20th. I woke up at 9AM, after having made myself sleep in. I considered going running, but the heat wasn't working in our building, and I didn't feel like exposing myself to worse cold. I did chores around the apartment all day, mostly to keep warm. I made my bed, organized the kitchen, waited for my groceries. Between tasks I studied words. Time was passing rather quickly, and I knew I wanted to leave by 6:45 to arrive by 7:30 to study a little more before the event started. I studied in the kitchen a while, with the oven door open after turning it on, because it was freezing. After a long, hot shower, I studied a bit more, only getting to the Ms.

I thought about not showing up. But, I got dressed, bundled up, took the A train, which ran local, to 86th Street. Then, I took the crosstown bus to 3rd Avenue. Luckily, public transportation was timely, and I didn't have to stand against the wind too long. I entered the church building on 87th Street. Rode the elevator to the 5th Floor. I was the first contestant to arrive. After de-layering, I went back to the signup table, where I was then notified that I would be the very first to spell. Not too happy about arriving early. So much for strategy.

My study buddy called as she was about to leave, and she was the next contestant to arrive. She sat by me, and we broke out our words and quizzed each other. The event started a little late, so we had some extra time to cram. I got down to the Rs. Didn't get a single chance to look at S through Z. This is going to be important later on. The emcee announced things were about to begin and asked the contestants to sit up front. Someone said the opening prayer.

About 50 chairs facing the audience, in 3 rows, split down the middle, shaped like a V, with the microphone stand at the vertex. 33 contestants showed up. The pronouncer explained the rules to us and the audience. It was time. I sat in the 2nd row.

I walked up to the microphone and cheers echoed. Blushing ensued. I was wearing jeans and a grey turtleneck. Over the turtleneck I had a t-shirt: I (heart) NERDS. The pronouncer stated we'd be starting off with relatively difficult words.

Here goes...

"Grandiloquent." He read the origin and definition, then repeated the word. He used this pattern the entire time.

More cheers as I sat back down. Since I was first, I could rest easy until the next round. I listened to other people spell their words. My friend, #2, was almost eliminated, because she spelled her word too quickly, and the judges did not hear a critical E. The audience and the other contestants challenged the judges, and she was allowed to continue.

One big eliminator was single consonants versus double consonants. Sassafras, for instance. One guy did the Putnam County Spelling Bee thing and wrote the word out on the floor with his foot. Some people who didn't know their words had fun with it. One girl misspelled her word and announced on the microphone, "I just want you to know that Spellcheck has ruined this for everybody." One girl knew she had messed up, and she continued whatever word she had, "...ess, niner, eeh, arrh."

Two judges flanked the pronouncer. They nodded if the spelling was correct, they shook their heads if you bit it. Then the judge on the pronouncer's right spelled the word correctly. Which he could do, because the list was right there in front of him. I clapped for everyone. I nodded at difficult spellings. You have to respect the words, you know?

Each time I walked up to the microphone: cheers and my being embarrassed that not everyone was applauded the same way.

Second round: "Halide." Origin, definition, repeat word. I got that one right, too.

Third round: "Sesquipedalian." The person before me had just misspelled sesquicentennial. The definition didn't really help, and I knew that asking to have the word used in a sentence wouldn't have helped. In my mind, sesqui- words confuse me, because I want to end the prefix with an e, as in sesque-. So, I hesitated. The rule was 10 seconds to begin spelling, 20 seconds to finish spelling. I started. S. E. S. Q. Pause. Pause. U. I looked toward the far upper right corner of the room. A friend told me to do that to visualize the word. I paused. Then, IPEDALIAN, all in one breath.

I looked at the judges and shook my head, thinking I had gotten it wrong. They nodded, and I went back to my safe seat. About 6 people were left in this round, and the pronouncer stated that if everyone misspelled his word in the round, no one would be eliminated. Well, since I headed off the round with a correct spelling, the rest of the round reduced the competition to ... two. My study buddy had gotten out on siliciferous.

Round four: a word I do not remember. ETA The word was aqueous. No problem with that one. I put that one away.

Round five: "Zucchetto." Definition: Skullcap Catholic ecclesiasticals wear; colors vary depending on rank. Repeat word. Didn't I say I didn't get to study S through Z? My brain went into high gear. I started the word. Z.U. I thought about the Latin-to-Italian words I had studied. Patterns, May. Think patterns. Next letter, C. Then I seriously paused. Not even crickets dared breach the silence. The word is pronounced /zu'ket o/ (umlaut over the U, long O). I knew CCI carried a "chee" sound, as in bocaccio. What about zucchini and Pinocchio? So, it seems that it's CCH. Then, I considered the Ts, one or two? Gepetto. I finished the word: CHETTO. I looked at the judges. They nodded. I nearly collapsed in a chair in the first row, a roomful of cheers buffering me.

The remaining speller got her word wrong. They didn't exactly follow national rules, so without having to spell another word, they declared me the winner. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the winner is May Anderton." More cheers. I smiled and laughed. I couldn't believe it. The emcee interviewed me. He asked me how it felt to win. I started, "I want to bear my testimony ..." but then I cut to saying it felt good. I said that I was making up for 6th grade. He asked how I knew all those words, then I chuckled and with some confession, "A friend and I studied the list from the website." A lot of people laughed at that. They awarded me a gift card from Coldstone Creamery.

So, I got hugs from my close friends and a lot of "congratulations" from others. Got to meet a bunch of new people. Took a few pictures. (Those should be posted shortly as soon as friends email them to me.) I called a good friend from high school, and she said she was proud of me.

Now, I can sleep. I've redeemed my spelling foibles from the Clay County Spelling Bee, 1987. And to think I wasn't taking this too seriously. I was nervous, but I wasn't as nervous as I would have been had I put everything into studying.

What an excellent day. To think I wasn't even going to do it...

Answers that question.

Not a bad action shot here:

Revlon Run/Walk for Charity 2006 NYC

If you scroll backward and forward, you'll get a few more pics, but not quite as good as this one, in my ever so humble opinion.

The Bee was fun. I'm not usually a conspiracy theorist, but I think the Canadian threw the competition. She had the word except for the W at the beginning. Hmm. I think she got the entire USA singing "O Canada."

Okay, for reals, people. I'm done.

i wanted the canadian to win.
she got all the french origin words correct.
she should have known the german V words begin with W.
it's cool how she ended that last word, not "zee" but "zedd."

but, jersey's cool too.
jersey has a really high high school to college turnover.
go garden state.

it was really intense.

one friend came over. we ate alpha bits.

now, i'm tired.

off to bed.

The Canadians seem to have a good chance of taking it all the way.
The Virginians seemed to have gotten eliminated all at once during round 5.
California. Kansas. A Florida guy is still in it.

Round 6 is underway.

love running running is fun fun is important but not always always find a reason to smile smile just because because i have friends i will never be without love love is easier than trust trust your instincts just like your dog does does your life seem empty or are you content with your journey journey is a great band band was definitely a significant and wonderful part part of my back and ribs is really sore sore losers are quite annoying and i would rather stay away away i'll fly before these endorphins fade out out is the girl from jacksonville florida in the preliminary rounds of the national spelling bee but at least a canadian spelled "toque" correctly otherwise he'd be embarrassed really really love life as much as you can and as much as i love running time keeps going regardless of love

****
after 4 rounds, 34 spellers remain.
this is so dang exciting.

Round 4

now, it's time to stretch.

I remember my mother sitting with me after school with my little booklet of spelling words. She read words to me, and I spelled them back to her. Down each list, page after page. The easy words were at the beginning, and I wanted to be able to get to the back of the book.

I remember my teachers sending me to the library during class so I could study my spelling words without distraction.

I'd win the class bees pretty easily, even the school level wasn't bad. But when it got to county level, that was farthest I could go. I didn't have coaches; I had no idea how asking to the repeat the word or asking for definitions, origins or to use the word in a sentence could help. I looked at a word, memorized its letter sequence, then moved to the next word. I didn't realize that the words kept going, that I kept turning pages, how so many words are similar: suffixes, prefixes, Latin, French, Greek, Old English, Slavic roots. Et cetera, et cetera. And. So. Forth. Boy. Howdy.

Then, nerves got to me. I was a choker. I remember really sweaty palms and suppressing the urge to use the bathroom and standing pigeon-toed at the microphone onstage. I remember having really friendly and fun conversations with the other spellers. The remaining spellers; the other three, the top three in the county, before some word I actually KNEW eliminated me.

I like to watch the Bee because I like to see how it's really done. Those spellers are incredibly impressive. I like to see which of the kids actually go and play with friends instead of hiding behind a dictionary barricade all the time. I like to try to correlate music lessons with spelling; I'm sure there's a Suzuki method to spelling, but I would think that would only get one only so far, because not every word is spelled the way it's heard.

I like to watch the Bee because it's a precisionist's sport, even more so than golf or archery. Almost doesn't count. An accidental utterance from the speller's mouth could mean elimination. Sometimes guessing bides his time, but if he doesn't outright know the word, chances are he's a goner.

I like to watch the Bee because the kids' reactions are honest. They don't want to hear the "ding!" of the elimination bell. It's nervewracking; it's devastating, that bell. The kids loathe the bell. The kids' reactions are honest: I get to see which of them get to be kids and whose parents are oppressing them in the name of encouragement. Who really wants to be there, who's really having fun; who will hate their parents and have trouble adjusting socially.

It's the speller against the word, but at the core of it all, it's the speller against himself. That's the most fundamental struggle in the universe. So, if you're one of the 275 participants between the 3rd and 8th grades in Washington, DC next week, you're brave and strong enough to have taken on the most formidable of opponents: Yourself.

Remember this process, the hard work and dedication and instincts and triumphs and defeats. You'll need it for adulthood when life sometimes makes a lot less sense. Complicated words will be the least of your concerns. Goodness knows that process has been a trusty resource for me.

That's why I like to watch the Bee.

The National Spelling Bee is less than two weeks away. I'm not quite an excited, nervous wreck, but I'm getting there.

My birthday party is three days away. I just finished an outline of my plans. Nothing too intricate or overboard, hopefully. No, it's actually quite simple. No big themes, no costumes. I have people bringing stuff to eat. I'm not quite a nervous wreck about this, either. It's gonna be a lot of fun. Friends, food, turning 30. It'll be a blast.

The weather is gorgeous. Why the heck am I in an office building? I need to be outside, people.

I woke up at 2 this morning. Probably went back to sleep around 3, then I didn't want to wake up when my alarm went off. Weirdo inner clock.