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Sunday, December 04, 2011

(Not so) epic fails

Being something of an "A" type personality, combined with a school education that basically meant if you hadn't been awarded a doctorate by the time you were 14, you were an underachiever, I've always been fairly driven.

However, there have been times in my life when I haven't quite reached my own high standards.  Presenting:

Laura's Big List of Failures (in no particular order)

1. My fifth form mock GCSE Chemistry exam.  There were 40 questions.  I had period pains.  I have never liked Chemistry.  I remember staring at the wall for a lot of the exam,.  When I got the results, I got 37.5.  I was chuffed.  Perhaps, deep down, I was a genius after all.  It wasn't marked out of 40.  I got 37.5%.  Honourable mentions also for the History mock A-level paper where I misspelled "Cranmer" all the way through (and had him executed for Catholicism), Maths homework where I got 0/10 and the French prose, for which I was awarded a princely -18/25.  Yes.  A negative number.  And French was one of my stronger subjects.  I told you the school was tough.

2.  My first driving test... was marked by an ex-Police examiner.  I got 32 minor faults.

3. My second driving test... was on A-level results day. Although it was a year before my own results day, a lot of friends were in town.  One of them waved at me during the test.  I didn't wave back, but took my eyes off the road for long enough to edge what was deemed to be "too close" to the car in front, earning me a failure and a big "D" for "Dangerous" on my exam paper.  The shame.

4.  Meaning to tell the attractive bloke I worked with (who was looking for a new flat) that I had a spare room.  I meant to say, "There's a space in my two-double bed flat," or "There's a room in my flat," or "I have a flat share available," or something along those lines. What I actually said was, "There's space in my double bed if you don't mind sharing."

5.  My Grade 3 violin exam.  I guess I was about 12, and to be honest, I didn't know it was possible to fail an Associated Board music exam.  I thought they were there just to rinse parents of cash, and if you turned up with approximately the right instrument, you were good to go.  Turns out you're supposed to practise and shit.  Who knew?

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