Big Ugly Man Doll

So it’s a true fact that the past few months have been a little lighter on posts than usual.  Many of you may have determined that I was studying, which is true, or that I was busy with the office, which is also true.   However, my office is becoming (a little) more calm, and I’m finished with studying for a while.  I’m glad to be done, although I’m going to miss the dreams about Earned Value Zombie Management and the bit about “All Your Base Year and 2 Option Years Are Belong To Us.”

The Project Management Professional (PMP) exam was, while perhaps not brutal, a tough slog.  The 4-hour test took me 3 hours 57 minutes, which included a short bio break plus 45 seconds of me sitting with my eyes closed, palms up on the desk, reciting the Lotus Sutra, before I pushed the “I’m done” button with 3 minutes to spare.  The screen goes white for nearly a full minute, which if I hadn’t been expecting would have been completely panic inducing.  The screen came back, and I passed.  To say that I’m glad I don’t have to do that again is to flirt with understatement. 

One of the many study methods I used was taking practice exams, which not only gives you a sense of what to expect, but also gives you a sense of confidence that you can pass something like it.  (It’s also good for those of us who need practice sitting still for 4 hours.)  One of the questions on a practice test (though not the real one) was “What is the meaning of a concept called the ‘Journey to Abilene’?”  This took me back a step, since I hadn’t studied it at all in the 6-week course I’d been in – but I knew the answer.  FOBUMD, ever a paragon of learning, used to talk about it often enough that I remembered it off the top of my head, getting that one right in short order and helping position me for the rest of the exam.  Moral of the story:  Listen to your father, no matter what he’s talking about.  You never know when you’ll need to know that.  Thanks Dad!

In the meantime, I’ve been thinking about this blog.  It certainly wasn’t a photoblog, was it?  Despite my posting my daily pictures once a week for a month or two – when things got busy, that was the first to go.  I recall being very concerned that this didn’t become a photoblog; turns out I needn’t have worried. 

I think we’re due for a layout change; watch for that this summer.  In the meantime, I’m going to work on a few “in focus” notes about some of the three lunatic children – well, all three of the lunatic children, in fact.  Because I’ve told you about myself, but you’ve only ever seen the kids through my eyes – we’ll try for a more proper introduction one of these days.

In other news, Maurice Sendak has gone to play with the Wild Things.  I was honestly never a huge fan of his most famous book, but I loved and respected the poetry of it.  He was a great and influential author, and he’ll be missed. 

And speaking of great and influential authors, I finally read The Hunger Games the other day.  Pretty good book, and very influential in that sales of archery equipment are up 697% over this period last year.  I’m thinking of approaching a struggling industry and offering to write a book around their product for a small, nominal fee.  Why wait to sell out until you’re famous?  I’m going to sell out first. 

Oh, wait – I already did.  I’m a certified PMP.  D’oh!

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