My Good Luck Shoes

/ Dave Eberwein / Leave a comment

University Exams — even saying the words brings back anxiety — that pit in my stomach that feels like I might not keep my breakfast down.  It was one of the few times in my life where I found my nervousness getting the better of me.  I remember the anxiety, the lack of interest in eating, the inability to concentrate when I really needed to bear down and study.

puma shoes

Kinda looked like these –  but mine had more tape

On the actual exam day, I wore my favourite pair of Puma runners — to EVERY exam for good luck.  Those shoes lasted through 2 undergraduate degrees, dozens of mid-term and final exams … and lots and lots of tape holding them together.

I’m sure I’m not alone in my memory of those times studying when I just couldn’t get stuff  to stick inside my head — no matter how many times I read that #$%& paragraph.  Of course, it really didn’t help that I was tired and impatient.

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The Escape Room

/ Dave Eberwein / 2 Comments

I participated in my first Escape Room a little while ago at the suggestion of my son and daughter.   Our family made the reservation, piled into the car and headed off to an afternoon of problem solving.  I was intrigued by the concept of solving a mystery using team work and a series of successive clues to make our way out of a locked room.

escaping dog

We Use What We Know To Solve a Problem

Of course when we got there, my son immediately told the clerk that we wanted the most difficult room available.  “Nice”, I thought.  “I’ll be locked in here for hours! So much for my self-esteem.”

There were 5 of us who squeezed into a room no larger than 10′ x 8′ … and I have to say … it was a ton of fun.  Yes, we were stumped occasionally, and when we finally made it out of the room, we found ourselves in another locked room with even more clues to steer us to our eventual escape.  We actually needed a bit of help from the Escape Room employee on two occasions, but our shared knowledge and problem-solving skills enabled us to eventually find our way out.

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