Lately, there has been an onslaught of quirky, fun, and sometimes plain bizarre quizzes and BuzzFeed articles circulating through my Facebook feed. From “Which Disney Princess Are YOU? (Belle, hello! ALWAYS CHOOSE THE LIBRARY, LADIES!)” to “How Long Will YOU Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? (6 months, tops, apparently. Man I’m screwed…)”
After a particularly stressful post-mortem of an interview for a job that I think I would be pretty great at, I had an epiphany to rival any pop (ha, see what I did there?) quiz results.
I. Am. Benny.
The iconic, 1980s-era astronaut, whose helmet ALWAYS broke in the same spot. The same Benny who helped save the day in The LEGO Movie… after several disappointing, nay, heart-rending instances of his friends side-eyeing his (frankly AMAZING AND WAY COOL) spaceship creations, forcing him to despondently, then angrily, then resignedly, dismantle them with one nudge of his little yellow claw hand…
Ahh, Benny. I FEEL YOUR PAIN.
If spaceships were certifications and educational videos, I am Benny the 1980s Spaceman. Any excuse to build a spaceship take a class and get Certified (yes, with a capital C), I’m there.
See, folks – I loved school. I love learning new things, and even better – I love having PROOF that I learned them! When confronted with a video to watch and a “Quiz to Follow,” I am a happy Sandy, where some would, at the least, roll their eyes and sigh, at most, throw their computer across the room because “TEST? No one told me there was a test!!!!”
But. There is, honestly, nothing I like more than learning new things and collecting certifications. Learning and education doesn’t bore me, and never has. I live and thrive from that challenge, and it makes my brain happy.
From Destination Specialist in Travel Business Management at Hamilton (now Kaplan – well, there’s a reason that certificate is not on my resume <cough>) to Lynda.com – Adobe PhotoShop and Adobe Illustrator. Plunk me down in front of an informative video and I’m happy. Add a quiz afterwards so I can see what I learned – and you have MADE MY DAY.
Certificate?? Certificate!! CERTIFICATE!!!!!! (papers fly through the air at 9 parsecs)
This may be a weak or silly connection to draw, but in my life, I have always had highs and lows like Benny. The high of achieving something, built with my sweat and tears; being able to present physical proof that yes, I AM CAPABLE OF THIS (despite my flaws). Followed by the low, the “Oh, well, that’s nice, but we really were hoping for this…” and by my inner demons questioning, “Why didn’t I foresee that? Why didn’t I take that path instead of this one? WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY SPACESHIP?”
Ahh, Benny. My kindred spirit. Your spaceship is awesome. Your fashion sense a uniquely-YOU balance of retro and futuristic, with a dash of un-ironic hipster. You and I both need to find the perfect situation to use our spaceships, that’s all… and hey, retro/futuristic hipster? Always, always chic.
Bright Up My Life 