My Morning Ritual: Delete, Delete, Delete

Every morning I open my email and face the overnight avalanche of junk. Doctor appointment reminders? Keep. Greater Good reminders? Keep. Recipes I want to try someday? Keep. Everything else? Delete is my best friend.

I have no idea where half this stuff comes from. Sometimes I scroll through before deleting and hit “unsubscribe,” but honestly — how did I get subscribed in the first place?

I know the recipe emails are my own fault. Some sites make you sign up before you can print anything, and others insist on emailing the recipe like it’s a state secret. Fine. I accept responsibility for that avalanche.

Enter: The Daily Quiz I Never Asked For

But The Daily Quiz?
That one’s a mystery. I don’t remember signing up for it, and yet there it is every morning, sitting in my inbox like a stray cat I accidentally fed once.

My inbox basically screams “YOU’VE GOT MAIL!” like it’s trying to startle me into opening it.

Deleting it is always my first instinct.. Trying to delete it is my second.. But every couple of days a question catches my eye, and suddenly I’m taking the quiz again. And of course, that just encourages it to keep coming back.

The Volcano Quiz That Took Me Down

The other day the quiz was about volcanoes — one of my favorite topics, especially Kīlauea in Hawaii — so naturally I took it.

Disaster.

I started off strong, then the questions took a nosedive straight into the obscure.

For example:
Which is NOT a type of volcano? Composite or Stratic?
Or:
The name of New Zealand’s most active volcano translates to what?

Ask me the difference between lava and magma and I’m fine. But these quiz masters were digging deep — like “I have a geology degree and no social life” deep.

Then Came the Driving Quiz… and Humility

Today’s quiz was about driving. Now, I’ve been driving for… well, let’s not say how many years. I figured I’d ace it.

Wrong.
I missed the very first question.

Let me ask you:
What does a double yellow line on the road mean?
Multiple choice:

1. Denotes two‑way traffic
2. Allows passing on the left
3. Separates lanes on a one‑way street
4. Prohibits lane changes

If you picked #1, congratulations — you’re smarter than I was at 6 a.m. I confidently picked #4. I was sure it meant no passing. Wrong answer, but hey, at least it was a safe answer.

Then it asked things like the fastest speed limit in the U.S. (85 mph in Texas, in case you’re curious). By that point I realized I was in too deep.

Hooked, Annoyed, and Weirdly Invested

I may complain about this quiz, but clearly I’m hooked — and I get irrationally annoyed when I miss the basic questions.

So tell me:
Do you get tons of unsolicited emails too? And do any of them have you weirdly hooked, the way this quiz has its claws in me? Please tell me I’m not the only one with zero willpower when it comes to deleting junk.