Did I Pass? I Don't Know Yet

I plan to publish it before my certification test on Friday morning, so you may not find out my results until Monday. Is that OK?

This post is being written Thursday night, so I remembered to load a few pictures from our CA Coast Vacation.

Here are the girls loading up for the Xcelerator at Knott's Berry Farm toward the end of our vacation. You can see Bella and Daughter-in-love in one row and Teacher Daughter in the row in front of them.

And here they are zooming out of the loading area, reaching 82mph in 2.3 seconds. No wonder they look blurry. Check out TD and D-I-L screaming.

And this is the initial climb they make...pretty much straight up and straight down. In fact, the website says it is a 205 foot ascent and then a completely perpendicular drop. The whole ride only takes 1 minute 2 seconds.

I joined the lunchtime game group Thursday to play To Court the King. I really enjoyed it and will start looking for my own copy very soon. It is half dice and half cards and all fun.

[Friday Facts] Since I dropped by the office before my test, I took the time to create today's CoV.






















I also will go ahead and send my boss the weekly status deck. Yes, I am coming back after the test, but I am not sure what time he needs the slides, so I will send them early. Even though I will be here after lunch, and I will already know whether or not I passed, you won't know until Monday. As they say on The Simpsons, "Ha ha". Have a good weekend. We are keeping the GRANDS tonight and having a swimming part at the folk's because they have a diving board. The girls are swimming fools now that both have had lessons.

De Fotos! De Fotos! (Read that in a voice from the opening of Fantasy Island)

Hey Cuz and Niece. Thanks for the comments on yesterday's blog. I passed the info along and we'll see what happens.

Here's a sweet boy in a sweet shop. Did I mention that he is sick right now? I hear it could possibly be a scorpion sting.

And of course, rest always helps when you are sick. Rest also helps during your workday when you are having to work, like, all day. And that seems worse when you return from a vacation, right?













OK, I promised photos and I remembered to load some Wednesday night.

Here's the other GRANDS looking in a petting reef (or whatever you call this sort of hand-on space in an aquarium. They are still in swimming lessons this week and I heard that the younger one was mentioned as an example by the teacher because of how well she is doing.

Here is a view on sea lions laying on rocks out behind the Monterey Bay Aquarium. See them? There is more that one in the shot.

Speaking of rocks makes me think of the Rockies which makes me think of Colorado. Did you read about this dude that has been building his own castle in Colorado for decades? No? Well, now you can read it here.

I have 25.5 hours left before my certification test as a PM. I am just about as ready as I will get, so let's light this Roman Candle. Let's do this thing. Let's make it happen. Oh, sorry. I think you are picking up what I am putting down. You're getting my drift, aren't you? Enough idioms.

And enough reading for now. You did really well. You barely moved your lips as you read. I think you are getting better at it. Keep practicing using my blog. Come back tomorrow.

Oops. I Did It Again.

Did you think of Britney when you read that? That means you are either young or have a kid who passed through the right age to listen to Britney Spears. That has nothing to do with why it is the title of today's post, though. I meant that I forgot to load any photos for you...again! I am so sorry. Then again, you knew it was Chorale practice night, so there was every likelihood that I would not think of blog prep at 9:30pm.

One thing that I did think of, though, happened when I laid my stuff on the table to bring to work on Wednesday. There was a box there for writing prompts. You can read the full story over in the other blog (see link on the right). Suffice it to say, it brought a comic idea to mind.













Today is my final prep class before my test Friday morning. Yes, I am getting a little nervous. Remember that I seem to be stuck in the mid-70s on my scoring. I don't have time (won't make time?) to do a full 4-hour practice test again tonight, and all studies for test anxiety say take the evening before the test off from hard studying. Well, I will keep you updated.

Hey, CPA Cuz, I have not heard from you in a while. I have a question for a friend (no, really. It is not for me). If someone were to be interested in getting into accounting, what would be the best way? Would they need to go the whole CPA route? I read a lot that implies good positions want experience, even if you have an accounting degree. NZ Niece, what do you think?

Wait a minute! I almost forgot to mention that the folks came to Chorale practice last night. They stayed the entire two hours, so that is more great news confirming the health. I forgot to ask Dad how he did with the words. Dad, did you remember them better?

I also almost forgot to tell you that we had a little game action during lunch yesterday. Three of us played Pandemic, but we lost. An outbreak in North America wiped out enough cities that we lost. It was pretty fun. It took just over one hour, in case you were curious. I hope no real virus can work that quickly.

OK, we've had our fun for today. Let's save something for tomorrow.

Nothing to See Here..Or At Least, Very Little

Oh man. Another day when I forgot to capture any photos for the blog. You are probably thinking that I did not take any at all. That is not true, but I don't want to become the boy that cried wolf. With Chorale practice tonight, it is entirely possible that I will forget again.

Plus, with this new project on me, I will probably not have time to do any study for the  certification test on Friday. Yes, I have been crazily consistent in my practice tests, but it is scarier approaching the actual test. I need to take a drive to the place before then so I am not searching and even more anxious that morning. Do not let me forget that.

Speaking of forgetting (which I seem to have been doing all morning), I do not want to forget today's CoV, which is pulled from the exciting concepts that are part of my job and part of the PMP test.

It sounds as if some people are wanting to restart the lunchtime game group. I know some got together during my vacation, and five of them met yesterday over at the main cafeteria for...I don't remember which game but it only takes about 30 min per game. I will keep you informed. Probably until after my tests, though, I will not participate.

Speaking of precipitation (we were not, but it sounds kind of like participate, which I did say), we had a crazy 60mph monsoon storm blow through Monday night. MBH and I had to go clean the pool, deck and patio to get rid of leaves and junk. Otherwise, it could have blocked the water flow for the pump/filter and possibly messed up the chemical balance (not related to Chemical Brothers, an electronic music group). That's the down side of pool ownership.

So, do you want to start a discussion of the recent Zimmerman trial? Want to talk about Napolitano leaving the Homeland Security position to lead the UC family of schools? What about Finn (from Glee) dying? I don't, but you are welcome to do so.

Thanks, as always, for dropping by.

Slow and Steady. I Hope I Win the Race

I took my (probably) final test exam for my certification last Saturday. I seem to be stuck at around the same score, no matter how often I study...which has certainly fallen off since vacation. I made a 76.5%. Yes, that would let me pass, but I'd like to have a score closer to 80% as I near the test this coming Friday.

It is scary as I near the date. I have one more prep class on Wednesday. Something else that is scary?

MBH was loading vacation photos into Facebook last night, and I helped prepare them, but then forgot to load any into today's blog post. Sorry. If you want to see them before I publish and here, go on over to FB.

Dad seems to still be getting better, so that is great news. Mom is doing well and was in good spirits yesterday at lunch, and that makes the visits even more fun. JV is sick, so that is sad news.Daughter-in-Love said what was wrong, but I cannot remember. That was, like, a whole day ago.

Let me tell you, that new project I inherited is going crazy. I got a request from the sponsor to have the schedule and startup documents ready by tomorrow at the latest, so I will likely do some work today. What about you? Anything due today or tomorrow? Will you make? I sure plan to. We should both get after it. Good luck.

The One Where Dad Emails His Status

Dad sent out a family email Thursday letting us all know he is healthier than he was when he was 20. No, looking back over the email, that was not exactly what he said. He did say that he is not in as dire straits as he was told in San Diego. So, we Praise God for that. And Mom is doing better (but still needs your prayers), so all is well at Casa de Mis Papas. I will see them sometime over the weekend, I am sure.

I will also see the GRANDS...tonight. It is swimming party and pizza night. We will probably not allow the pizza in the pool, though.

Here we are driving somewhere in SF. Salesman Son was driving because (a) I wanted to take photos, and (b) he has a smartphone for directions. Anyway, can any of you guess where we are?

And here we are, driving somewhere else in the SF area while being swallowed in fog. Surely you can guess this one. And don't call me Shirley.

I have not mentioned what is on TV as I write my blog recently. That's because I have been writing it the morning I post. Tonight, we are watching Under the Dome.

Friday morning, though, is a time for comics. Oh, here's one now.















Unfortunately for me, two things are obvious right now. One, I did not hardly study at all this week for my certification test ONE WEEK FROM TODAY. Aggh! I'll need to make time each day next week like I did on vacation. Two, I am out of blogging time for the morning, so I need to let you go.

(Hints for photo locations: crooked street and famous bridge)

Only Eight Days Left

As of Thursday morning, I only have eight days remaining until I take my certification test. Sure, I am nervous. I will for sure take one more full four-hour practice test over the weekend and see if I am ready. No, I am not studying nearly as diligently as I did during vacation. Too many other things seem to get in the way now that we are home and I am back at work.

We had Chinese food for dinner tonight, but it pales in comparison to the food we ate at Wonderland in Chinatown last week. I mean, it wasn't bad, but it was not in the same league. Oh well.

Speaking of SF, here is one of my final shots in SF looking back at the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset. There it is, off to the left. Alcatraz is out of the shot to the right, but you can imagine it. You're creative.

And even though my narrative may not align with the photos, I will go ahead and share a shot of the fireworks from the Rose Bowl on the Fourth.

Were we really close to the Rose Bowl or did I use a honking big lens to see things frmo afar. No, we were pretty close and I used my 70-200mm lens. Here is how close we were.

I did not tweak today's photos with Photoshop, but so what if I did? They are my shots. You should look at these statues, though, for what someone can do with Photoshop.

You've done a great job reading down to this point. I will reward you with today's Clarity of Vision comic.













OK, I see the sun breaking in the east, so it must be time to tighten my belt and start loading my sixteen tons. I'll see you tomorrow, another day and almost certainly deeper in debt...unless St. Peter calls me.

Happy B-Day, Architect Bro!

Yup, it is my brother's birthday. Then again, maybe he has given them up to try and stay young. I won't say how many years since he may have stopped at 29 or 39. Anyway, if you see him, wish him a good b-day.

It has been forever since we saw a movie. I still have not seen the new Star Trek nor Superman movies. How about you? Have you seen anything recently that was worth the admission price?

Somewhere in the SF area, we drove through a section where road work was underway. There was a sign stating that this was a double fine area. Sure, it was nice, but was it double fine?













Have you seen those photos where someone is position so that it looks like they are interacting with the subject of the shot? We decided to try it with one of the lighthouses we passed. How did Salesman Son do?

Here is a cool waterfall that we had seen before, but thought the family would enjoy seeing. It is McWay Falls.

I took over an in-process project from a coworker and, whew, it's going to be a handful. We held the kickoff meeting yesterday and there are a lot of moving parts. So, I need to finish documenting the meeting minutes and build a schedule for the Planning phase. No time to talk. I gots to walk. Peace out.

My Time With a Conductor was Electrifying

Oops. I forgot to load any trip photos into a blog post last night and I am already at work today.

However, since I can create a CoV from anywhere with interweb access, I can inflict one of those on you. Here is one inspired by our cable car conductor who was flossing and spitting off the back deck as we traveled through San Francisco.

Since I mentioned our conductor, though, I will tell you about Calvin. He was a SF bus driver for 12 years before getting hired on as a cable car conductor, where he has worked for the last 5 years. I do not know if he aspires to become a gripman or not.Calvin stands on the rear deck and controls the brakes when descending hills. When we first got on his car, he placed Salesman Son and I on the back with him and corralled the rest of the family into the car. He made someone give up their seat to Daughter-in-love and the baby. She said it wasn't necessary, but he insisted. A lady next to them also invited KNW to sit on her lap.

As we moved around on the deck, Calvin and I started talking, where I learned the above info and that he cannot afford to live in the city, so he lives in a suburb where the summer temps reach into the 100s. He has two kids, but I did not learn more about them...this time. By the way, he said he was not supposed to tell his name to passengers, but he felt it was OK with me.

When we were on the top of the hill at California Street, just as we started moving, he pointed to the East and said, "Did you get that picture?" Wait! What?! There was a beautiful shot of the sun glinting off the Bay Bridge, but I could not get my camera up in time. He promised to remind me on the return trip, but by then, the sun was gone. Oh well. I took the shot offered anyway. Maybe I will remember to post it tonight.

Wait. One more anecdote. At a point when the car was moving between cables, Calvin had jumped off and flipped a lever and was laying on the ground when the rest of the family saw him and he noticed them. We were on the return and he had allowed me to again be on the back deck with him. The rest of the family was in one of the benches at the front facing outwards (they had been inside in the back on the first trip and could not see anything. When we reloaded, he would not let anyone sit there until our family got seated). Anyway, he was laying on the ground, looked up and said "Hey, there's The Randys." He only knew my name, but knew they were with me. Any of The Randys have something they want to share about Calvin?

If you are going to SF, he said we should ride the Hyde Street line next time as it is the most dramatic line in the system. He said that, sometimes, the gripman will only lightly connect to the underground cable and the car can really get moving on long, downhill stretches. Even if you cannot, though, ride the cable cars. We had a blast.

I did not talk to the folks today, and that's good. Hmm, that did not sound right. I meant it to imply there was no problem for which they felt I needed to be notified. I was distracted when I left work because the power was off at the house for a while, and when the temps are above 115F, that is not good.

I really need to make a new version of this show. It is a photo mosaic, made up of hundreds of other shots. This was many years ago, and I know I have thousands more shots available now as source material. For now, though, enjoy.

I am taking over a project from another PM today, and our first meeting is in two hours, so I need to read over the documentation so I can lead it. I will be sharing more vacation verbiage tomorrow.

Hot to Cool to Hotter

Did anyone notice there were no blog posts last week? You are probably wondering when I got so lazy that I could not even type a few words. Actually, I am that lazy, but I was also on vacation last week up in San Francisco. The whole family (MBH and Ali and JV+KLIK) traveled up the Pacific Coast Highway and spent a few days in SF. We had a great time and I will be sharing anecdotes as I recall them.

Luckily, we chose a good time to be leaving with the temps heading up to almost 120F. And it is a bit cooler than that now, but it feels stinking hot after being only in the 80s in the Bay Area.

Anyway, our first night found us in Thousand Oaks, CA, after spending the afternoon at The Grove and downtown Hollywood. Here is a shot of Kenz at the American Girl store watching her doll, Lexi, get her hair done and her ears pierced.

Bella also let her doll, Camryn, get a little makeover with a hairdo and ear piercing and a spa package.

Salesman Son and I certainly enjoyed our time at AG (that's what those of us in the know call the store).

And that is all we did. We ate healthily with no snacks that I know of. Hey, where did this photo come from?

Let's move from vacay to Dadday (that is the only way I could be sure you would read that as a rhyme). Dad is doing so well that you would not know he was ever sick. He is even letting his hair grow out (ha ha. That is a joke because they shaved it for the surgery and it is just now growing again). That reminds me of a vacation story, though. Salesman Son always has a little chin hair. I noticed towards the end of the trip that he was looking scraggly. When I asked him about it, he said he never shaves on vacations (not even to trim it). Hmm. I don't think I'd like a two week trip with him looking all hippie-ish.

Mom is having a little upper back pain that the chiropractor has not yet helped. She is going back sometime early this week.

I took my second practice exam for my professional certification and moved up only veeeerrry slightly to 75.3%. I did study each morning on our trip by getting up before everyone else and sitting in the car. I am fairly strong on the download sheet where I write down my project workflow and keywords just as I will do during the test. Today, I finished that in 10 minutes (and we have 15 to do it for the test).

And in case you thought I forgot today's CoV, here it is.















Your eyes are probably tired reading all this after a week's absence. I will end for today and share more tomorrow.