Am I Human?

It’s 7:30 and I should be loading up my schoolbags and running out the door so I can drive to work, but I have this slice of life post on my computer screen.  It’s already read; I just need to write a comment, and I know that I could choose to close the laptop any time, but no one has commented on it yet.  It’s a nice post, and I want to be a kind fellow-slicer, so I quickly cut and paste my favorite line and add why it’s my favorite line and hit “submit.”  Done–and I’m ready to go to school.

Except….

**%$#!

The comment needs to be verified.

“Click on the squares with bicycles.” I read.

I sigh.  At least it’s not pictures of buses.  I’m always unsure whether those pictures of vehicles driving away on the highway are buses or vans.

By now, I have the routine down.  There are always 3 squares to click on.  I find the three with bicycles and wait for the new pictures to load.

I remind myself to use this time to take deep breaths, and I try to find some excitement in variety kicking in at this stage.  Usually two of the three new squares have the desired picture, but sometimes only one of them does (like today–yes!).  And then there’s even more variety–will that single picture have a bicycle twice or three times or just once more?

Just two more bicycles today, but the next direction reminds me that buses aren’t my least favorite verification picture.  I groan.  It’s storefronts.  And I wonder: how strongly do I really feel about sharing this comment?

No, no, I tell myself.  I’m almost there.  Usually I only need to go through two rounds.  Click on the three pictures, click on the two, click on the one….I should be good to go.

Except maybe I misidentified storefronts.  Now there’s one big image of a traffic light and I need to click on all the squares with traffic lights.  The first few squares are easy, but I never know–do I click on that square with the sliver of traffic light edge?  Will that prove I’m not a robot, or will it look like I’m a robot clicking on everything in sight?  I click on it today, and lean in to study the picture.  It’s good I did–there are some traffic lights in the distance I almost missed.

Next are crosswalks.

Next are stopsigns.

I must really be manifesting as a robot.  Am I clicking too much or not enough?  I still don’t know, so I keep on going, expecting with every click that I must have proved my humanity by now.

Eventually I do.  The computer is satisfied.  The slicer gets their comment.  Hopefully they’re satisfied, too. I get to school (almost) on time.  I’m satisfied, too.  Except I’d be a little more satisfied if I could avoid those *!@#$ verifications!