...except that he has the best campaign ad of the Alabama election season, hands down. Usually my response to state political ads is a sincere desire to stab the candidate in the face. But this one made me laugh.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
I know nothing about this guy...
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Saturday
There are just some days when you feel like you have got this parenting thing
DOWN. Saturday was one of those days.
We walked down to the neighborhood swing set to play on the slide and the swings. We threw rocks. We planted flowers. We played in the dirt. We blew bubbles. We read books. We chased each other around the house. We finger painted. We sat out in the sun and played with leaves. We did all kinds of other fun things. The TV was not turned on even once and the windows were open all day. Best of all, Micah was so filthy by dinner time that I had to strip him down to eat dinner in only his diaper. That is the sign of a child who has had a fantastic time. And at the end of the day, when the happy, exhausted baby was tucked away into his bed, Todd and I sat out on the back porch together and watched the sun go down.
It was a perfect day.
We walked down to the neighborhood swing set to play on the slide and the swings. We threw rocks. We planted flowers. We played in the dirt. We blew bubbles. We read books. We chased each other around the house. We finger painted. We sat out in the sun and played with leaves. We did all kinds of other fun things. The TV was not turned on even once and the windows were open all day. Best of all, Micah was so filthy by dinner time that I had to strip him down to eat dinner in only his diaper. That is the sign of a child who has had a fantastic time. And at the end of the day, when the happy, exhausted baby was tucked away into his bed, Todd and I sat out on the back porch together and watched the sun go down.
It was a perfect day.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
The short answer is NOT WELL
So. The PE. I'm not sure exactly who took who. Let's just say, things ain't
looking good for the home team.
It started off on a bad note when I checked into the hotel, only to learn that the Future Business Leaders of America were having some sort of a convention, and the hotel was packed to the gills with high schoolers. Under minimal adult supervision. You see where this is going.
(By the way, if those kids actually are representative of our future business leaders, I weep for our country. They're some real winners, y'all.)
Until 1 AM or so, the halls were filled with shrieking, stampeding brats. At one point, they were chasing each other from floor to floor. At another point, they were repeatedly slamming doors. Some of us called and complained to the front desk. Others went out in the hall and yelled at them. At least one guy I talked to tracked down and berated one of the chaperones. I briefly found myself considering the size of my closet, estimating just how many bodies would fit inside (the answer is about seven, but only if that last is stomped flat and folded in half). None of it did any good. And so, none of us staying at the Sheraton actually slept much that night.
(Although one woman told me the moment her alarm went off at 5, she hopped right up, opened her door, and slammed it as hard as possible. Then she proceeded to crank the TV the entire time she was getting ready to go. And for good measure she whacked her suitcase into the wall of every room on the way down.)
The morning session wasn't SO bad. I mean, there was a lot I didn't know, and at least a few questions I answered correctly, then second-guessed myself into the wrong answer. And I'd forgotten to bring my watch, which meant I had no idea how much time had passed or was left, which made it a little difficult to gauge my progress. But overall, I think I might have kept my head above water.
The afternoon session was awful. I took the geotechnical section, and I thought I was reasonably prepared. I'd worked through two practice exams, and I had gobs of review material from a PE course a coworker attended. What that got me was about, oh, ten questions. Out of FORTY. The other thirty or so...well, some I played around with and got an answer kind of close to one of the multiple choice options. The others, I had literally nothing to go by, not a single reference in all the books I brought with me. I didn't have the faintest clue how to even begin. I know they were probably fairly simple (all the questions are), IF you have the right reference to show you the correct equations. I didn't have that. And lo, I blew it out my ass.
I ended up leaving an hour early. I'd gone back over those questions several times, trying to find something, anything. I sat and flipped through my references, hoping something would turn up that wasn't listed in the appendices. When that failed, I just filled in the bubbles, and then I left.
So. The results should be back in July, at which point I can register for October. For the moment, it's over and done. Time to move on to other things.
Like stressing over the May 5th deposition. HahahahaOHNOES.
It started off on a bad note when I checked into the hotel, only to learn that the Future Business Leaders of America were having some sort of a convention, and the hotel was packed to the gills with high schoolers. Under minimal adult supervision. You see where this is going.
(By the way, if those kids actually are representative of our future business leaders, I weep for our country. They're some real winners, y'all.)
Until 1 AM or so, the halls were filled with shrieking, stampeding brats. At one point, they were chasing each other from floor to floor. At another point, they were repeatedly slamming doors. Some of us called and complained to the front desk. Others went out in the hall and yelled at them. At least one guy I talked to tracked down and berated one of the chaperones. I briefly found myself considering the size of my closet, estimating just how many bodies would fit inside (the answer is about seven, but only if that last is stomped flat and folded in half). None of it did any good. And so, none of us staying at the Sheraton actually slept much that night.
(Although one woman told me the moment her alarm went off at 5, she hopped right up, opened her door, and slammed it as hard as possible. Then she proceeded to crank the TV the entire time she was getting ready to go. And for good measure she whacked her suitcase into the wall of every room on the way down.)
The morning session wasn't SO bad. I mean, there was a lot I didn't know, and at least a few questions I answered correctly, then second-guessed myself into the wrong answer. And I'd forgotten to bring my watch, which meant I had no idea how much time had passed or was left, which made it a little difficult to gauge my progress. But overall, I think I might have kept my head above water.
The afternoon session was awful. I took the geotechnical section, and I thought I was reasonably prepared. I'd worked through two practice exams, and I had gobs of review material from a PE course a coworker attended. What that got me was about, oh, ten questions. Out of FORTY. The other thirty or so...well, some I played around with and got an answer kind of close to one of the multiple choice options. The others, I had literally nothing to go by, not a single reference in all the books I brought with me. I didn't have the faintest clue how to even begin. I know they were probably fairly simple (all the questions are), IF you have the right reference to show you the correct equations. I didn't have that. And lo, I blew it out my ass.
I ended up leaving an hour early. I'd gone back over those questions several times, trying to find something, anything. I sat and flipped through my references, hoping something would turn up that wasn't listed in the appendices. When that failed, I just filled in the bubbles, and then I left.
So. The results should be back in July, at which point I can register for October. For the moment, it's over and done. Time to move on to other things.
Like stressing over the May 5th deposition. HahahahaOHNOES.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
35 hours, 57 minutes, 5 seconds remaining
Right now my brain is making a sort of hissing noise, similar to that of a
tire deflating. Tomorrow I'll head down to Birmingham. Friday, I'll take the PE.
Saturday, I will drink heavily.
Or maybe just sleep. You know, without dreams of being unable to find the geotech section in the test booklet, or of being the last person left in the room, everyone else having long since proclaimed how easy the test was before waltzing out the door. Sleep, without waking up thinking I've overslept and missed the exam.
It's been on my mind JUST A LITTLE BIT, is what I'm saying.
In the meantime, here are some pictures from the easter egg hunt my parents had in their backyard for the grandkids.
Or maybe just sleep. You know, without dreams of being unable to find the geotech section in the test booklet, or of being the last person left in the room, everyone else having long since proclaimed how easy the test was before waltzing out the door. Sleep, without waking up thinking I've overslept and missed the exam.
It's been on my mind JUST A LITTLE BIT, is what I'm saying.
In the meantime, here are some pictures from the easter egg hunt my parents had in their backyard for the grandkids.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Countdown
Yesterday, Micah began his transition up to the Early Preschool classroom at his
daycare. Tomorrow, he'll be completely out of the Toddler room and on to bigger
and better things. And so far, he doesn't appear to be handling the situation
very well.
My biggest worry for this transition was that he will miss his teachers, and after yesterday, it appears to be right on the money. He's had the same teacher since he started there 15 months ago, and he is very attached to her. In fact, he loves her, which has been huge part of why I'm so comfortable with him going there in the first place. I know it's time for him to move up, but it just hurts my heart to know he's unhappy. He loves Ms. Clark, and I don't know how to make him understand what's going on.
In other news, with the PE exam only ten days away...
< paperbag >
OHNOOHNOOHNOOHNOOHNOOHNOOHNOOHNO
< /paperbag >
...I've finally buckled down to start studying. I'm still pretty resigned to taking it again in October, but now I have a faint hope that at least they won't take one look at my score and blacklist me from ever becoming a PE. Basically if the problem is based on something I've actually done in my career, then it's coming back surprisingly well. If it's not something I've ever done...well, let's just hope the exam leans strongly towards soils, groundwater wells, and simple shallow foundations, hmmkay?
My biggest worry for this transition was that he will miss his teachers, and after yesterday, it appears to be right on the money. He's had the same teacher since he started there 15 months ago, and he is very attached to her. In fact, he loves her, which has been huge part of why I'm so comfortable with him going there in the first place. I know it's time for him to move up, but it just hurts my heart to know he's unhappy. He loves Ms. Clark, and I don't know how to make him understand what's going on.
In other news, with the PE exam only ten days away...
< paperbag >
OHNOOHNOOHNOOHNOOHNOOHNOOHNOOHNO
< /paperbag >
...I've finally buckled down to start studying. I'm still pretty resigned to taking it again in October, but now I have a faint hope that at least they won't take one look at my score and blacklist me from ever becoming a PE. Basically if the problem is based on something I've actually done in my career, then it's coming back surprisingly well. If it's not something I've ever done...well, let's just hope the exam leans strongly towards soils, groundwater wells, and simple shallow foundations, hmmkay?
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