Mensa Quiz- are you ready?

I've been fortunate in my life to collect a lot of friends. In fact, I've got so many friends I could probably easily spend the next 3 years just bumming around, sleeping on couches, raiding refrigrators and not doing nothin' at all, and I would see a large part of the world in the process.

Lucky me.

I was contemplating my friends the other day and in particular, my Mensa certified friends. Yes, you know, the smarty pants club. Some of my friends are members.

I'm thinking of one friend in particular. Very unassuming, you would never know looking at her that she's a genius. However, if you ask her a few hard questions and listen carefully you will get the idea there is something above average going on here. You do not want- I repeat- do not want to challenge this gal in a puzzle contest.

If you knew the number of times I've ignored good advice from this friend, you would understand why I'm not Mensa certified.

My mind meandered from her to all my genius -but -didn't -take -the -test friends, like my friend who is a rocket scientist. I just love going out with her (" well Mr. Smart Ass, as a matter of fact, she is a rocket scientist- and I'm a doctor, what do you do?") and the guy I know who figures out how to bounce lasers off weather systems and the guy who teaches advanced mathematics at the university level and the physicist who works with optics. All of them could be certifiable- oh, I mean certified.

Then I meandered on to my non-certified friends, the ones that wouldn't even think about taking the test but are "all smarty" just the same.

Like the entrepreneur who juggles 3 small business ventures, 2 teenage girls, 327 immediate and extended family members, 2 cats, a household, a church youth group, one ex-husband and a long distance relationship with a charming motor head. This lady still has time for prayers in the morning, home cooked dinner parties for her 327 immediate and extended family members ( on, I must add, 327 cute -as -a -bug vintage place settings), planting sunflowers, tending the garden and harvesting the seeds to store for winter baking projects.

She might not pass the Mensa exam, but put her eye to eye with a stranger and in five minutes she can ferret out a rat if there happens to be one hiding there. Does Mensa have a question to test an ability like that?

Well, that got me all curious, so I went out and got "Mensa Brain Bafflers" by PJ Carter and KA Russell. (" The Official Mensa Puzzle Book"! )

So, here is an example of what I found- This is gonna be fun, I mean, we are bright, aren't we?

Question 1: "How Old Is Mary?"
The combined ages of Mary and Anne are 44 years, and Mary is twice as old as Anne was when Mary was half as old as Anne will be when Anne is three times as old as Mary was when Mary was three times as old as Anne. How old is Mary?

Um, could you repeat the question? Is this an open book test?

Ok, let's move on, the next one looks easier-

Question 2 :"Dishes"
How many guests are there?" said the official."I do not know" said the cook, " but every two used a dish for rice between them, every three used a dish for broth between them, and every four used a dish for meat between them."There were 65 dishes in all, how many guests were there?

You gotta be kidding. Where are the warm up questions? Can I use a calculator?

Pretty much the whole book is like this. No, I did not find any questions to test your ability to negotiate a hectic lifestyle. No, I didn't find questions to measure you ability to be compassionate, although I find my Mensa friends seem to have both qualities.

I did not find questions that would measure your ability to answer the big important questions in life. But who knows? Maybe being able to ponder these comlicated problems, reguardless of whether or not you get the answer, can effect your ability to ponder your maker, or the reason you love someone, or how to handle the stress in your life. Maybe it's not the answer, but the pondering that really measures your intellegence. Or maybe it's just the fact that you would take the time and effort to ponder at all.

Then I start looking at my friends as a group and they all have a few things in common. Like a predilection for dry humor, and the ability to laugh at themselves. Like adventurous natures, open minds, and a willingness to take risks. They are comfortable with change and have the ability to empathise with others. They seem to ponder a lot. My friends are generous in nature, and certified, certifiable, or not, they are a bunch of smart, interesting people.

So, I will say it again, Lucky me.

PS Mary is 271/2 years old, and there were 60 guests (65x12/13=60)
Anyone with an IQ score in the top two percent of the population can join Mensa
(yes, they test you)- for more info go to www.us.mensa.org