Grading the Psychic

I thought I owed the people that read my blog a rundown of last year's predictions of 2007. Although I have no wish to try to predict 2008, I think there should be some closure for last year. At the end of each prediction, I will rate the accuracy of it. With "1" being nothing of the kind, and "10" being spot on.

#1 President Bush's popularity numbers will go up in the next few months, but bottom out again towards the end of the year.
Rating of 8 The surge of troops and a correlating more (although barely) peaceful Iraq did take some stress off of Bush. However, by the time the end of the year rolled around, people had so much Bush/War/Gas Price fatigue that most are glad to see the man go. This probably helps to explain why there are record numbers of Democrats voting in the primaries this year.

#2 Some celebrity that we would not think had the moral credentials to guide kids will write a children's book.
Rating of 5 Okay, I missed this a bit, but not a total zero. Here's why: Lynn Spears, mother of Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears, wrote a book about raising child stars. Because of the family's messes, the book was delayed for release. If Britney's troubles weren't enough, right after the announcement of the book, perfect child Jamie Lynn comes up pregnant at 16. If you desire, here is the People Magazine's online blurb from December 2007 titled, "Lynne Spears's Parenting Book 'Delayed Indefinitely'."

#3 A celebrity will convert to Christianity and will talk too much about it.
Rating of 2 I can't say I heard of anyone, really, but this little piece at least takes me out of the "1" rating category. ;) Mitt Romney Converts to Christianity

#4 A female celebrity will die and it will be drug/alcohol related.
Rating of 10. A year ago, today, Anna Nicole Smith is found dead as a result of an accidental prescription drug overdose, not unlike Heath Ledger who I had the pleasure of NOT predicting this year.

#5 The San Diego Chargers will beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.
Rating of 1 I was already making excuses for this prediction last year. This wasn't a psychic prediction, just the fan in me trying to analyze the season. I am a better psychic than a football analyst, I guess.

#6 Someone who reads this blog will make a life-changing decision and it will work out great for him/her.
NOT RATED Only you guys can answer this one. If no one has anything to report, there is always a chance that someone who was reading my blog last year, but not anymore, may have fulfilled this prophesy. For instance, Javajabber, last year claimed this prediction by saying that he/she quit smoking. However, that blog has been deleted so who knows what happened.

#7 There will be a surge in video game playing among baby boomers - and there will surface one particular game that will usher these people in.
Rating of 8 The Wii game system is so hugely popular that they are still nearly impossible to go buy - and they have been on the market since Christmas season of 2006. My middle aged friends have talked about how they have tournaments and keep inviting me over to play various games (which I have found no time to do). Someone else, (Meg, I think) reported that they are even using the Wii in rehab facilities. The draw to older gamers is that there isn't 10,000 buttons and triggers needed to operate the game, just the motion of your arms, etc.

#8 This summer will be one of the hottest ever in the midwest.
Rating of 10 The best blogger on the net even commented about it here!

#9 There will be a new pest related problem (insect, etc.) that will either threaten people's health or damage major agricultural production.
Rating of 6 I wasn't too informed about this, but my blogging crush, Steph, shared this little tidbit with me: 'there are these new "oak mites" ' in the suburbs of Chicago that have been burrowing into people's skin and causing trips to the ER because of extreme discomfort. So, I think that could qualify as a 'health threat' by a new insect. "

#10 A high school kid will make the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of a number of people and will be proclaimed a hero.
Rating of 8 Do you remember the tornadoes that hit Enterprise, AL back in March? There was a story about a kid named Andrew Jackson that saved the life of another student but perished in the effort. Read about it here.

#11 Something will happen that will put Omaha, Nebraska on the news for a number of days.
Rating of 10 This was the clincher prediction. This sealed the fate of me predicting stuff in the future. It left me rather ill and caused me to "hang up my crystal ball". Here is the story.

#12 The Boston Red Sox will win the World Series.
Rating of 10. The Sox smoked the Colorado Rockies in four straight games.

#13. There will be horrendous killing somewhere in the US that will inspire at least one copy-cat killing.
Rating of 7. This actually could be rated higher. I think I remember a killing in California (I think it was CA), a couple of days after Omaha that put me in the mind of Omaha. I didn't try to stay on top of this, though, because I was sick about the Omaha thing and just didn't want to be reminded of my prophetic "part" in it. There was also something I remember after the Virginia Tech thing in New York. I just don't remember.

Overall, my rating was just over 7 (closer to 8 if you throw out the unpsychic prediction of last year's Superbowl) which is pretty scary on a 1-10 scale rating. Of course, my rating system is totally subjunctive, so feel free to scale it down (or up for that matter). Do you think this was accurate or no?

Ahh, closure!



14 comments:

Sayre said...

Well, I certainly did something life-changing, but whether or not it will actually change my life is yet to be seen. I have always wanted to write a novel. In November, I did that. I'm still in the editing process, and hope to be sending it off to agents in April or May. But as of November, I consider myself a "real" writer - not just a wanna be.

A 7, huh? That's some pretty good results, actually.

goddessdivine said...

#1--I love how everyone blames Bush for everything, when really, his hands are tied in many places (not that I'm excusing Bush for his mistakes). I personally think he got a bad rap; and if the demos would let us actually fight the war it wouldn't be quite disastrous. Ok, enough on that.

#3--Mitt already was a Christian. ;-)

#4--tell me a year when a celebrity DOESN'T die from some sort of overdose.

Brian said...

Spot on, and that story about the kid in the tornado helping his friends in the tornado really hit home.

Jeff said...

Sayre: I really envy you with your completion of your novel. I wish I could mark that off my list. I probably could if I was single with only one dog.

Kristen: I think the whole point was that there shouldn't be a war. The whole economy thing . . . I don't know. I know Bush's daddy left a poor economy and Clinton had one of the most prosperous administrations in recent history. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not, but it is what it is.

I only gave myself a "2" for the Mitt thing! ;)

About the celebrity thing. I checked 2006, 2005, and 2004 and couldn't find a celebrity death that was in the same vein as the ANS and HL deaths. I stopped looking at 2004, but I think that gives me some credibility here. I hate that I want some, though.

Jeff said...

Brian: Kids never cease to amaze me. Maybe that is why I have a teacher's license.

Candace said...

No no no! You don't bore me, I swear!

You're back on the list. :) I don't know how I overlooked you when I transferred blogs. I am a terrible person and I hope your find it in you to forgive me. :)

Hazel said...

hi, just drop by, have a nice day

The Real Mother Hen said...

Actually you got the celebrity becoming a Christian part right.
Will Smith now does Scientology!

:)

Sorry can't help it!
(Bad bad me!)

Lippy said...

I think you more than convinced me, the Skeptic, that predictions have their place. That place can be scary, that's for sure. It's with morbid curiosity that I'd implore you to take another crack at it in the future.

Michelle said...

SAYRE

Good luck! :-)
Let us all know if you get it published. My one online friend started by self-publishing and telling EVERYONE online about it. His self-advertising worked. He now has a trilogy of books on sale. :-)

Jeff
I know a true story of a famous author (one of his books was made into a movie in the 1970s)who decided to move into the countryside all alone to just write... he totally froze up. Couldn't write in a vacuum and ended up drinking heavily. When I met him he was back writing after many years, but sadly passed away in an accident before finishing his new book.

I know I work better when my life is busy, even though that means leaping out the shower to write ideas onto something... or scrabbling around in the supermarket to jot down notes on bits of paper!

Michelle said...

PS... lol I forgot to add that the predictions were very interesting.

I think 60% of predictions is being observant and having good common-sense. With those two it's not that hard to figure out where humanity, or even the weather, might be going.

Friend of God said...

interesting piece thr jeff..
yes its belated but i was away ...happy new year

The Real Mother Hen said...

Just wondering if you survive this Valentine's day.

Hazel said...

some awards for you to choose which one u like, have a nice day.