Jim Bailey and Erin Cashier at World Fantasy Con.

Work was rather dead last night, and at one point there were no players in the pit, so I wandered over to talk to the guys on the craps crew. Somehow the subject of states came up--I think the discussion was whether Puerto Rico should be made a state. And then someone asked which state was first.

And none of us knew.

That was a wee bit unsettling, that we'd all forgotten something that should be basic knowledge. And then we tried to recite the original thirteen colonies.

We couldn't do that either.

Hmmm. How about how many amendments are in the Bill of Rights? Well, we did manage to get that one. (Ten! Woo!) But then we tried to name them.

Oh dear.

(At this point I know that my mother (the History Perfesser) is having fits.) Needless to say I'm rather ashamed that I didn't have that information in my head.

So, since my last "contest" proved to be so popular, I'm going to have another one. Part One: Name the original thirteen colonies. Part Two: Name the Amendments in the Bill of Rights.

First person to email me the correct answers will have their name emblazoned in this journal as a Really Smart Person. (Oh, don't worry. I'm going to go look it up today myself.)

Extra points will be awarded if you don't have to go look it up--if you already know the answers. (Honor system here, folks. Tell me if you had to go look it up.)

Oh, and Mothers of The Diana are Not Allowed To Play.