Does any one remember the Pop Quiz? I always dreaded the high school pop quiz. The smart kids loved them; another chance to show off and prove that they did all the assigned work. Some of us hated them because we needed a warning before we decided to do the required assignments.
The mere mention of “Pop quiz” and panic set in, even if I knew the material.
As I recall the pop quiz was usually sprung as punishment for a class that was goofing off and misbehaving. In the olden days, we were “bad” in class when we made jokes, giggled, passed notes…that sort of stuff. We almost never brought guns to school and killed people.
Anyway, the pop quiz; I hated them.
Today I got another pop quiz and I was behaving myself so I don’t know why.
I had to pick up a prescription at the drug store. Usually they ask for your name and birth date. My pharmacy has been taken over by a new company and they have different procedures.
I gave my name and was all prepared with my birth date when the clerk asked,
“Telephone number?”
“What?”
“Telephone number?”
Now I do know my number, but I have to think first. I never call myself and if I did I would be on speed dial.
“Umm, just a second. Is this a pop quiz?”
“No sir.”
“Wait, here it is, I think, 908-555-1234.”
“Zip code?”
“What?”
“Zip code?”
“Umm, I don’t know, I never mail myself a letter. Maybe 08872? Whatever the code for Sayreville is.”
“Address?”
“Holy cow, this is a pop quiz! Something, something Colony Drive. I told you I don’t often mail myself a letter. Holy crap, if I needed this medicine to save my life, am I going to die because I don’t remember my address? Wait…229 Colony Drive. HA!”
“Thank you sir, have a nice day.”
Next time I’m just going to hand him my drivers license. It has my name, birth date, and address plus a photo. I might have to write my phone number on my palm.
I hate the pop quiz.
I remember the random pop quiz. I hated them too. Now it's going to the doctor and having to fill out medical information. I always say they are giving me a pop quiz.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day and weekend, Joe. 😎
Wow, what a coincidence. . . MY phone number is 555-1234; just a different area code. . .
ReplyDeleteYou can always hope that your pharmacy will talk to your bank, and ask for a thumb print.
ReplyDeleteA certain convenience store chain asks my BIRTH DATE before selling me scratch-off tickets. I'm pretty sure I don't look under 18, the legal limit. I have contemplated giving them a different birth date each time. Starting with January 1, and working my way through the year. Not that they'd notice, but I'd feel like I was outsmarting them.
I'm one of those weirdos who liked pop-up quizzes in school. Now? Not so much. Every single time we go to one of his doctors or for his chemo, the nurses ask the same exact questions, day after day. He got smart, though. Now he carries a cheat sheet with a list of all the medications he takes. (You'd think they'd already KNOW what meds he takes, because THEY prescribed them, and they're all listed right there on the computer screen they're looking at while asking us for the info.)
ReplyDeleteHah ~ I don't have pop quizzes anymore since I graduated. But the type of quiz you're talking about happens every-single-day at work. "Hi, this is Georgia, remember me?" & sadly my response will be, "could I have your last name please?" because yeah, patients expect to call & say their first name & expect I will remember them. And I wish I could, I really do.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Aw Joe, I feel your pain! At my doc appt last week they asked for my home or cellphone--I couldn't think of either! Meanwhile, I can still remember my grandma's phone number from 1974--it was 627-3417 :)
ReplyDeleteHere's a different Pop Quiz. How many of your joints pop when getting out of bed or armchair? I don't recall pop quizzes when I was at school. We did have regular Friday morning testing all through Primary school.
ReplyDeletehere we call such procedure "surprise test" :)
ReplyDeletei loved such tests when i was in school inspite of my worst handwriting i was on within top of list in result
new company requires data for each client this is understandable ,though it should not be surprise which can be irritating ,i never could learn any phone number but eldest son and hubby and this is because i use them a lot
It was okay for me, all I had to do was show the identity disc I wore which gave name, address, date of birth, etc. War years meant we all had to wear an identifying disc but I was glad when that rule was abolished.
ReplyDeleteI hate it when they ask all that crap with a long line of ears behind you. And I never know my cell phone number.
ReplyDeleteI guess I was one of those show offs. I loved pop quizzes. I think just because it was different and like a game. HOWEVER, I have failed on the address and zip code quizzes of today. Good idea about the drivers license Joe. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteOur pharmacies are the same out here and they're not very quiet when they're asking so ya' never know who may show up at your door.
ReplyDeleteWe had JACO show up at the hospital and boy, talk about a pop quiz! They give the accreditation for hospitals and if you don't answer their weird questions correctly I think they put you in the stockades or something. We were hit because someone didn't know the policy for oxigen tanks, folks wearing their surgical masks hanging down after the case was done, and beards. Yep, beards. No I don't know where the policy for beards is located. The next day all the male nurses were clean shaven.
ReplyDeleteIf you hand them the license, how much you want to bet they have a reason they can't accept it? Every pharmacy has new reasons to make our lives miserable.
ReplyDelete