Welcome newbies...

I got featured on a Good Mom/Bad Mom this week for this post.

So now I have all this extra traffic, and like - nothing profound or funny or anything.

We went out to dinner and a movie Saturday night to celebrate my professionalismness. We saw What Happen in Vegas. It was cute. And predictable. But funny.

And otherwise we pretty much stayed home. Which was a nice change of pace from our normal running around craziness.

I put my Home Inspector stuff in a backpack to start carrying around with me, so that when I have down time, I can study. I'm going to make a study plan today. (Why yes I do have a plan to make plans.) So we can move forward on that front.

Piece of cake

This is where the artsy fartsy in me and the engineer do not get along.

Here's my cake:

I was kind of disappointed that they just used the copier thingy of my picture that I had given them. But all the engineers on the project were sooooooo impressed that it looked just like a seal.

I didn't know if you wanted chocolate or vanilla, so I got you a piece of each.

This just in...I'm not 12 anymore.

Dude, I have been going around promising cartwheels to people for making me happy for a long time now and no one has actually followed up on that. Thank god.

So uh...I tried, but really, it's pretty clear I haven't done a cartwheel in like 18 years. It's kind of hard on the wrists. And also, I cannot for the life of me get my legs to cooperate in the staying straight department.

So here's take 1:

And take 2:

And finally the best I did on video:

And shortly after this, I did what Clinton called my very best one, and of course he was not recording.

I did order the cake, I'm picking it up at lunch, so there will be pictures and a virtual piece of cake for you after lunch.

I don't wanna brag

But, yeah, I kind of do.

Remember how I said that like there'd be cake and cartwheels?

Stay tuned.

Hopefully tomorrow - possibly Thursday - I guess it depends on the bakery.

It’s the Final Countdown…

So, I have some boring updates to post about various things going on in our lives.

#1 – Mailbox guy appears to have been a Fig Newton of my imagination. Which is sad, but I kind of expected it.

#2 – I got permission to take the inspector test from TREC. So I just need to set aside 50,000 bazillion hours to study for it. My final absolute deadline is 11/18/08 – and I have three chances. My plan is to study for a month or so and then take it. And we’ll go from there. I have to make an 80% and then I have to find some E&O insurance. For this test, I will know my results immediately, so I will know if I need to go back home and study some more.

#3 – My PE results will be in any day now. (Historically it would have been last week, but due to the change in the test format, I’m going to say at least 2 more weeks.) There will be cake and cartwheels if the results are good. There will be tears and fit throwing and cursing if the results are bad. I do not wish to speculate.

#4 – I have lived in Texas for my entire life and never seen a live armadillo until Sunday when we took Landon to the park and this guy was just out wandering around in the park. He even stopped to pose for Clinton to take a picture.

#5 – I started this morning with the prospect of actually maybe getting to work early. And then my coke fell out of my lunch bag and hit the glidey thing that the passenger seat slides on and punctured the can on my way to drop off Landon. And I got showered with coke, so I had to go home and change and wipe the entire cab of my truck down. Nothing makes me later than being just a little bit early. This had better not be a sign of how this week is going to go.


#6 - I printed 223 pictures for Landon's scrapbook this weekend. I sorted them and stuffed them in the pages where they go. One day I'll go back and put them in nicely and maybe add some captions. If he's lucky.

I'm alive!

I feel really really good about the morning session. In the first two rounds, I felt like I maybe got half the morning right. This time I only starred 5 problems to review. And in talking to people after, I kind of think maybe I got another 1 or 2 wrong, but 32/40 is excellent. In the afternoon I felt awful, but not as awful as I felt the last time. So we'll see. I expect results in early June.

To answer mama's questions. I'm not shutting the civil pe prep blog down. In fact, I'll probably post something similar to this over there today. And then I'll post again in June to say whether I passed or not. If I did pass, I'll leave it up for sure, but I don't know what else to do with it. I suppose if people wanted to ask questions, I could try to answer them. If I didn't pass, I will revive it. I felt so well prepared for the morning session, that I will be aiming to be more prepared for the afternoon next time. (We'll see if I get any questions about a dino set and i-shirt, and also I still owe you a dino bib...I just have to find the time to put it together!)

We didn't take any new pictures this weekend. Partly because I was just trying to hang out and not do anything at all. And partly because Landon's cough added a rash. And who needs a picture of a little person and his rash. (He's fine.) But here's something from the files. (Fear not bad mother and health police, he eats the equivalent of 2 or 3 tablespoons and moves on with his life, no need to finish a cone the size of your forearm.)

And of course, when you're finished dancing in the store, you should take a break.

Third Time's The Charm

I hope.

So I definitely feel better about the test this time. I changed my study policy (procedure? plan? approach? yeah it's approach.) I actually reviewed everything in the breadth section and as much as I could for the depth section.

Although, as always as the test date appraoches, I start freaking out a little bit about what I don't know.

The change in the test (addition of the construction section, reduction of environmental and water resources) means they will probably take longer to grade them this time. Their grading system is weird - from their description of it, it's a curve, but they are adamant that it is NOT a curve. They're pretty vague about it, but from what I've gathered. They basically grade everyone's test (scantron) and then if a bunch of people got one answer wrong they go back and look at the question to see if there's a problem with the question (i.e. parts are unclear, assumptions can lead to different answers, etc.) If they find the question to be the problem, they throw it out. Now for the people who got the question wrong, this is great...but for the people who got it right - it sucks, because they may have gotten other questions wrong and this one right and it doesn't even help them. They also do some analysis on questions the first time they are put in rotation (like all the construction questions). THEN (and here's where I believe the thing to be a curve) they pick a number of questions to be answered right to achieve a passing score, assuming that the past percentage of people passing should remain relatively constant and grade based on that number of questions being a 70%. So while there are 80 questions total, and in a straight out situation you would need 56 to pass, you may only need 45 or 47 or 50 depending on their analysis. Anyway, I think it may also mean I have a better shot at passing. Hopefully. I'm trying to be cautiously optimistic. It's hard. It's not my forte.

Landon has a cough. It sounds like he's got a little congestion in his chest, but nothing gooey is oozing out of him, so hopefully, my being loaded up on vitamins and Zicam, I can survive without getting sick before the test.

I am taking tomorrow off. I am not studying or cramming tomorrow. I know what I know and I don't know what I don't know.

Wish me luck!

Ridiculous

These are the codes and books I have gathered thus far to take my test on the 11th.

I still have 2 at home and 4 that a friend has to copy. And I'm leaving out 4 that I couldn't find without paying big bucks.

Granted 3 of these binders and some of the books are not on the list, but I think they will probably be more helpful than any of the codes I may have to look something up in.

2 weeks to go.

Dear Universe

Dear Universe,

Please quit giving me the finger.

When I logged on to check the years for the codes I needed for the PE exam yesterday, I was totally not expecting to find out that - while I had gone through all the chapters in my study book that I deemed necessary for the exam, I was not finished. You changed the test so that what had previously been 40% is now 20% and the other 20% is a construction section - on which I have very little guidance.

Previous to this discovery I felt really good about where I stood study-wise for this test. Now I am freaked out because I don't know what the heck you want me to study and the idea that I need 2 different codes about concrete formwork freaks me out.

Also not cool is the fact that I now need to haul around several extra 6 bazillion page codes, and while I know, that I will probably not use them, I don't want to be without them, just in case. You will get the bill from my chiropractor.

If I get a 67 again because of this crap, I'm coming after you.

Smooches,
Kristine

22 days to go.

Loose Ends

****This post has been edited to remove some of its original content****

Remember our leak?

We got our income tax return and we got it fixed!

We now have only 487 more projects on our list of things we intend to one day maybe get around to, if we happen to have enough money to do it list. Friday I meet with a sprinkler guy and a fence guy, and then on the 8th I meet with the brick mailbox guy. We are well on our way to 484. Yea! (I know that there will be 5 million more items added before then, but let me dare to dream.)

Also - Chaos? Is a teen club. The spray paint sign has been replaced with this - uh, I can't get a picture, so this is a representation of the vinyl sign:
And since I posted about the side of beef, I've gotten a lot more searches about what's in a side. So here's our list:

Ground Beef - 49 (+22 given away)
T-Bone - 32
Round Steak - 28
Cutlets - 35
Sirloin - 10
Chuck Roast - 4
Short ribs - 10
Beef Ribs - 1
Flank - 1
Fajita - 1

Ground beef is in 2 lb packages. All our steaks are cut at 3/4 inch. The round is half a round and it's cut at 1/2 inch and run through the tenderizer (think chicken fried steak). Cutlets are part of some other roast - they're set up to be like chicken fried steak as well and packaged in sets of 2. Chuck Roasts are between 4 and 5 lbs, short ribs are in 2 lb packages.

Here's the thing though. 32 T-bones? Doubtful. Very doubtful. No ribeyes? Weird how about half our T-bones are the size and shape of ribeyes. Yeah, they're mislabeled - so we estimate that actually it's 16 of each. It should also be noted, that I had them turn a bazillion pounds of what could have been roasts into gound beef. I just don't have a hankering for roast more than about 4 times a year. And that sirloin number? 1 sirloin is actually like 4 sirloins. I can't find a picture and unwrapping meat to just take a pictures seems dumb - what with the invitation for freezer burn. But you know when you order something and it says top sirloin. Well apparently there's like 2 or 3 other sirloin parts. And 1 of ours contains all of those parts. Seriously - we cooked 1 sirloin and it would have fed 4 adults. We opted not to get the whole brisket, because the butcher said it's better to buy a brisket on it's own where you can inspect it individually, so we got the flank and fajita and the rest went to ground beef.

Anyway - see how full our freezer still is?
Please ignore the bacon, our cow did not come with that bacon, lest you be upset when you buy your side of beef and it does not come with bacon.

And we've already taken out a chuck roast, 12 or 13 pkgs of ground beef (we have given a few more away), 1 sirloin, 4 ribeyes, 2 T-bones, 5 or so sets of cutlets, and 1 round steak. That's from memory, it's probably not accurate.




Notes for next year:

1. T-bones should be separated into filet mignon and NY strip. They are seriously huge, and separating them will be better for cooking as well.


2. Steaks (ribeyes, filet mignon, and NY strip) can probably be wrapped as pairs instead of singles.


3. Sirloins, maybe we need half in each package (to feed 2, instead of 4).



4. We need more coolers for the pick up day and we need to be in the truck or without extra people.



5. We need a partner in purchase. I tried to get into the logistics of it, but it turned into a big math word problem. And while I have a great affinity for them, I suspect I am among the few and far between. But the bottom lines is that we want to buy a hog in about 6 months and we just don't have the freezer room for both animals to overlap.


I did finally register to take the PE exam, the price went up this year, but I guess it had to happen sooner or later. I am on track with my study plan, and I actually feel a little bit better about it this time than I did the first 2 times. I have changed my approach, and despite my other blog being the most boringest blog ever, it is helping me stay on task and study what I said I would when I said I would.


ANNNNNNND finally - TREC and I are at peace now, I am just waiting for my new education evaluation letter, and then I can apply. However, since I only have 6 months to take the test once my application is accepted, I am going to wait until just after my PE exam to turn it in, that way I can begin studying for that test after the PE and hopefully be ready to take it by the time they process my application.

Like I don't have enough to do

I started a new most boring blog ever.

It's to help me prepare for the Civil PE exam. 99.9% of you will not be interested, but I do occasionally get someone who finds my blog by searching for civil PE or some thing like that, so maybe they'll find it. It doesn't really matter, it's a study tool and an accountability tool for me more than anything.

I also finally heard back from TREC. They tried to not give me credit for 2 of the classes I took. So I called and it's pretty much fixed, except the fax machine won't send them what I need it to, so i tried to scan it and email it to see if they'd take it that way. But because they took so long to respond, I will be waiting until after the PE exam to study for and take the inspector exam. I have changed the timeline accordingly.

Buzz Kill

So, like a year and a half ago I posted a very sad post, and then left everyone hanging.

I'm ok. I really am. I didn't mean to make it sound like I wasn't, or like I STILL wasn't. I mean obviously I write things when they happen, and then I had a week off of work and it all kind of snowballed into me leaving a post, and I've never turned off comments before, but I really didn't want to talk about it at that point.

So to answer your burning questions.

I will be taking the PE again in April. I'll probably spend the next few days ironing out a study plan. As much as I'd like to believe that I'll be ready for it even if I don't do anything because I might have passed if I wasn't sick, I'm just not sure. So studying it is.

I have purchased the 8 hour Report writing class and will be taking that test and applying for that license within the next month.

Landon had a great Christmas. He got too many toys that make too much noise, and he loved every minute of it. We put more than half his toys up, and will pull them out and "shop" in a couple months.

NonSoccerMom had her baby on the 27th. The Modernish Father is very proud. I bet you didn't think babies came bigger than Landon...she beat him by 2 ozs.

The seeds that were sprouting from Landon's pumpkin at halloween, have grown into plants. With flowers. Proof once again that if I neglect a plant, it will flourish.

I'll do what I can about posting some pictures this week.

Pffffffffft.

I keep checking the board’s website. I got the same grade this time that I did the first time. I keep thinking maybe that’s my old grade. Maybe they entered it wrong. Maybe when I get the paper stuff in the mail it will have been a mistake. A bad dream.

Maybe.

A hope against hopes.

But I know that’s not really possible.

People who know keep telling me I’ll pass next time. Just like they said I would this time. Just like they’ll say next time if it comes to it. And it won’t be helpful or reassuring then either.

I think though that the worst part of failing something and having everyone know that the results are due around Christmas is that whenever I go anywhere, I know at least one person will ask “So, do you know you’re grade yet?” And then they will drown in my tears. That’s not murder is it? Involuntary manslaughter? I’m not ready to face that situation. I’m having trouble holding the tears back as it is, and normally I can stone face anything.

When I was in school, I had one class I had to Q drop. One. I’m not generally a quitter, and I waited until the very last second to do it, because I was holding out hope that things would get better. The day I did it I felt like everyone who looked at me saw a giant Q on my forehead. Like a scarlet letter. In hindsight, it was a good decision, but I remember the feeling, the feeling like I was a failure for not having been able to stick it out.

I haven’t decided what letter I feel like I’m sporting now. L or F. It doesn’t matter I guess. My balloon is already deflated. Maybe people can see me dragging my dead carcass of a balloon behind me.

And no, I still don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to talk about how I can do better next time. I don’t want to talk about what my plan of action should be. I don’t want to talk about how bad I felt that day and how that’s a good excuse for my ineptitude. I want to sit around with my tear stained face and mope. And eat ice cream.

I can’t really be mad at anyone in particular. Except myself. I am so disappointed in myself.

And so it begins. Again.

TREC wrote me back. TREC confirmed my suspicions. TREC directed me to Champions who has my last class that I need. I will be taking an 8 hour correspondence course on report writing. I will be purchasing said class on Thursday and doing it in my spare time until finished. I will then go into their school to have my homework graded and take the final for the class.

I will then send in my education evaluation paperwork.

I will then receive confirmation that I will be approved to take the test.

I will study for the test.

I will take the test and score at least 80%.

I will be a professional inspector.

I have adjusted the side bar plan accordingly.

PE results are in.

Don't ask.

Impasse

I have hesitated about telling you what’s going on because I have not made a single decision about what my next step will be. GAH! But, this will be as it stands now, with all my rambling thoughts.

Part, the first. In the contract that I was asked to sign to be sponsored, he states that he wants a large sum of money up front. He wants a monthly “maintenance” fee. And he wants a per report stipend for reviewing my work. (He would also pay me an hourly wage to do the reports, so basically, I give him an hour for free for each report.) Plus I have to carry my own Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance. All told, to start working for him, I have to come up with roughly $4000 – I’m not really concerned with the monthly maintenance fee or the per report fee; that money will come with the money he will pay me for the reports I write. It’s the up front fee and the E&O insurance premium. I do not have $4000. Period.

I can probably scrape together enough for the insurance, but I certainly don’t have the up front fee he wants. I do not know if he’ll finance it, but it’s something else to ask him. Although I feel like a doofus when I ask for what I consider to be special favors. “Hey, I know you’re making everyone else do this, but I was thinking maybe you’d let me…not. Or let me do it some other way, which is not what you want, you know, BUHCUZ I’M SPESHUL.” Needless to say, I’m not a special conditions asking type person.

Part, the second. He also has a non-compete clause. Which, if I were to work on windstorm inspections with my dad, I’m not sure if that falls in the same category as competing, but it’s not something I’m willing to give up. So that’s another thing to ask him.

Part, the third. In a 2 hour “interview,” he said both “I’m 78 years old and I’m looking to retire, so what I think would be ideal is that if I can train you, I will then eventually be able to hand the keys over to you and the business will be yours.” And not 10 minutes later he said “My house sits on 5 lots, a few of which back up to [This busy road right out front of where his office is now]. What I’d like to do is build a house on one lot and sell it, and then build an office for the business on another lot.” So is he reitiring “soon”? Or not? Knowing what I know about him (based on the 3 classes I’ve taken from him) I’d bet money that he’ll die before he retires.

Part, the fourth. Also in the contract, he wants me to join a couple organizations. Which have membership fees, so that’s even more money. Although it’s somewhat delayed, because I would start as an apprentice and am not required to join the organizations until I’m at the second tier.

So here’s where I need to decide where to go from here. I am still waiting on my PE results – historically we’re looking at late December, or early January. I do not have high hopes for that, mostly because I was so sick before the test, and I know I did not do the best I possibly could have if I hadn’t been queasy the entire day. So…to do: wait.

There’s a guy here at work that is also eligible to sponsor people as inspectors. Last time I spoke to him I felt like he didn’t really want to sponsor people (which I can understand, it’s a liability) and was also discussing the possibility that due to the new rules where an inspector has to carry E&O insurance, and being that it’s so expensive and this is not his day job, that he was considering doing inspections as a PE instead of as a TREC inspector. I need to set up a time to talk to him anyway, whether he’ll sponsor me or not. I want his opinion on whether this whole large sum of money up front for sponsorship business is a normal thing. So…to do: get second opinion.

I do have questions for the first sponsor guy, but before I ask them, I want the second opinion, so I’m tabling that.

My other option is to complete the 300 hours I have remaining. But, because they changed the rules so drastically, almost no one can become an inspector without a sponsor, and almost no one is willing to sponsor people. So no one is taking those classes, and they aren’t making, per the conversation with the possible sponsor who teaches said classes. There are other options out there, take home courses and such. I will have to repeat some of the hours, but it’s actually cheaper than the sponsorship with this guy. But then I also lose out on the field experience. This is a harder decision to make than it seems. It’s cheaper, yes. But, the hands on experience may well be worth the extra money. Also that I might inherit a business out of the deal thing could be a huge bonus. This is also a tabled decision until I talk to the other inspector.

A large part of me is just of the opinion that I wait to get my PE. When I do, I can do the windstorm inspections with my dad. And maybe I can do some of the other work he’s been turning away, because he doesn’t have time for it. Maybe that will work out to a way for me to work from home. Because, honestly? That’s the ultimate prize. That’s what all this crap has been about.

I’m ending this now, because my brain has melted from all the pontificating.

The Whole Spectrum – Also, longest post EVER

As bad as the weekend started out, it got much much better. (And the pictures don't exactly match the story, but you don't really care about that, do you?)

Thursday evening on the way home from work, I came down with the virus that Landon had. I picked him up, and found Clint to be in much the same state as me when I got home. Knowing that I could not handle him overnight, the night before a test and expect to feel any better, I called my mom and asked her to come get him. I had him packed by the time she got there. And we shove him out the door in a matter of minutes. I think she may have been at our house for all of 10 minutes.

I went straight to bed. I woke up at 2 and took Pepto. I felt slightly better, better enough to get some decent sleep.

I was still very queasy and I tried to eat a piece of dry toast, but it took me nearly an hour to eat 1 piece.

I got to the test and was pleasantly surprised to find that we were not taking it in the Reliant stadium and we were not going to be overcome with noise like last time. I got my books out of my truck and started heading towards the building. I poured my Sprite that I was sipping all over my pump bag on the way in, and I was having trouble with the handle of my cart.

I managed to get my cart up to the second floor and was standing there looking to see if I recognized anyone, and I only recognized 1 guy from work. I started to go over to talk to him when I broke the handle completely off my cart and spilled everything on the floor.

I picked it all up and decided to stay put.

The guy in charge reminds me of Macolm X – I think it’s his glasses (he was in charge last time too.) He’s also very. Uh…anal. And while I understand that you need a lot of procedural exactness when giving a test of these sorts, his demeanor in the test, I hope, is not his demeanor in his social life, because I’d hate to be his friend. I mean, the test is over, everyone has turned in their booklets, and in one particular area the proctor guy had begun handing out the confiscated cell phones, and he about bit that guy’s head off. FOUR TIMES, not because the guy continued to do it, but because he felt like he had to say everything 4 times in increasing meanness, for the fun of it.

The test part was pretty uneventful, the morning session was harder than I remembered if from last time, but I feel decent about it.

At lunch I was able to stomach one of the sandwiches I made, and spilled my Dr. Pepper on the floor. I had no paper towels or napkins, so I used my sweatshirt to mop up the spill.

The afternoon was easier this time around, I think I was much better prepared for it.

I headed home after the test still feeling icky, I called to tell my parents that I was not coming for Landon, but would be there in the morning. When I got home I watched some TV and went to bed, still feeling slightly bad.

When I woke up Saturday morning, I felt great. But Clint had a re-lapse, so I took off. I gathered stuff for me to spend the night in LJ, I played the role of the mean Mom and called to cancel Clint’s play date.

Landon had decided that this was the weekend of hugging. He was hugging everyone. Dos included. And while Dos seemed to hang around for the dropped food, he didn’t appreciate the hugs like Scarlett and Fiona do.

Kathleen and Zoey showed up and we went to the pumpkin patch for pictures, and pumpkin buying.

A little girl waved at him and tried to shake his hand, and Landon lumbered towards her arms outstretched wanting to hug her. She pulled back and was not about to let that strange boy hug her.

He had a great time.

Sunday morning we cut the pumpkins for carving, and he helped pull the seeds out of them. I’ll have pictures of the pumpkins tomorrow.

We went shopping for a Halloween costume and I learned my lesson. Next year, we buy something in early October or I have to make it, because I spent entirely too much on a bear costume because it’s the only thing available in his size. And what I really wanted was a monkey costume.

Anyway, we should have lots of pictures this week and back to regular posting and I realize this was the longest most boring post, but all of it needed to be said.

How to have an awful PE experince in 4 easy steps.

Hey thanks for all the good lucks and happy birthdays! I really appreciate them.

I feel better about the afternoon this time and worse about the morning, so I guess we'll see how that goes. They changed the wording on the website from 12 weeks to 90 days. I guess they needed 6 more days, even though they send out results in about 11 weeks last time. So I'll know something in mid January.

On to the How to:

1. Get really sick the night before, on the drive home. Puking. So sick that you call your mom to come get your kid because you think you might actually die.

2. Break your cart with 50 lbs of books first thing in the morning.

3. Spill your coke at lunch, and finding nothing to wipe it up with, use your sweatshirt, only to discover that you're really cold when you re-enter the room, but have no desire to be sticky.

4. Do it all on your birthday. End up leaving your kid with your mom for another night because you still feel that bad.

Wish me luck.

I know I didn't promise a post this week, but I have a few minutes, so here we go, highlights from my week.

On Tuesday on my way home I peered out the window into the median at a major intersection and saw panties. And I wished I had my camera with me. Because who loses their panties like that?

Landon tried to re-enact that scene from Poltergeist on Tuesday afternoon. So I stayed home with him yesterday. He seems ok now, and there is something going around. I wouldn't normally have panicked, but he's never been this sick (vomiting, I mean clearly the pneumonia was worse than this) and he was listless, which was the scariest part. We called the after-hours doctor number and ended up talking to a nurse at Texas Children's Hospital. She said they were getting a LOT of vomiting calls. So I followed her directions and he seems to be recovering nicely. He managed to get either puke or poop on every sheet in the house and we each went through 4 outfits yesterday (granted my outfits were pretty much pajamas, but that's neither here nor there). After washing everything, I layered his sheets, so I can change his sheets by removing 1 sheet and 1 absorbent pad without having to remake the whole thing again. Unfortunately I can't do that with our beds, since I only have one mattress cover for each matress. Anyway, He's better.

Oh and I realized this morning that he somehow figured out how to unlatch the crib rail. Which means he's one short "safely getting out of the crib" lesson away from us waking up to someone staring at us from the edge of the bed (or yelling at us from the top of the gated stairs.)

I am loaded up on vitamins and Zicam as a pre-emptive strike, because the last thing I need for a test is to feel bad during it.

It occurs to me that those of you who don't know me and don't know what I do for a living are all "Why is she so worried about a PE exam? And what's this studying stuff? I took PE in elementary and I did fine." The PE exam is Professional Engineer exam. After working for 4 years minimum and gathering up info from at least 3 supervisors who are PEs who will corroborate your experience, you can apply to take the PE exam. I am a structural EIT (Engineer In Training). I work in offshore at the moment and it's not as highly a coveted achievement within that market, primarily because offshore work hardly ever requires a stamp of any kind. Drawings are still stamped 99% of the time because the lead engineer is usually a PE, but I have been on projects where nothing was stamped. Anyway, if the market dies (a la mid 1980s) or if a person wants to take a different path in life and try something new (a la inspector and self employedness), having a professional engineer's license is a big advantage. To build anything on land, you have to have a PE stamp the drawings. Signifying that they checked them, blah-blah-blah. So it's a big deal. It won't end my career if I don't get it, but it will certainly help if I do.

At my new project I ran into someone I met at the first PE exam I took. Since I didn't get the congratulatory email about her that I got for the others who passed, I asked if she was taking it again and she is. She also missed a passing mark by only a few points. She has decided that if she doesn't pass this time that she's not meant to be an engineer. Which I find sad, not that she can't change her career path, but that she's letting a test dictate to her that she's not worthy of her original choice. Plus she'd still have 2 more chances on the same application. I say, you get 4 chances to take it without having to re-round up your references, and I'm going to take all 4 if I have to. I may reevaluate at that point, but not before then.

I have a new approach to the exam this time, and I think it will serve me well. I feel better prepared this time, and I feel like I know what I did "wrong" last time around.

My birthday is Friday, and I'm turning 29. I don't like it - but everybody's doing it.

If ever I needed comments, it's now. Good lucks, and happy birthdays and the like. I know I told everyone I wasn't going to post this week, and I can tell from my stats that almost all of you took that to heart. So I don't expect much.

More Birthday Pictures

I got nothing. My laptop wasn't charged, so I didn't get to unload the pictures from the camera and take new ones, like I planned. I did scour the ones I have and picked a few to post for today, since 99% 100% of you only really care about Landon pictures.


Next week posting may be scarce. My PE exam is next Friday. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK. And so is my Birthday. Nothing like spending 12 hours on your birthday taking the hardest test of your life. I still haven't written the Thank You notes for Landon's birthday party, but I see the list every day and think "I need to do that." I'm transitioning to a new project at work next week too. And for a while I'll have two, count them, one-two, offices. Also 2 computers. Anyway, it's about to get crazy busy for at least the next week. Not to mention the whole - "your house is wet from the inside" business. So no posting promises, and I'll do my best to return to your regularly scheduled M-Th posting schedule come October 29. Provided I am not killed by the exam.

Yea Boo

I started my new job Monday. Since I was coming back to a company I previously worked for, I did not have to attend the safety training and sexual harassment training, so HR released me and I threw my department manager’s schedule off. It’s such a relief to be somewhere that they actually have work for me. I’ve already done more work here than I did in the past 6 weeks at my old job. And it feels great; it’s exactly why I had to leave. Although, apparently I’m not smart enough to program my speed dial buttons on my phone.

Oh, and I’m wearing jeans today – at work – on a Thursday (and also Tuesday and Wednesday) – and I didn’t have to pay for the privilege. I may actually get to finally retire my maternity clothes (and therefore prevent any future Kris Kross incidents.)

I also had my first and second day of my Legal/Ethics class, for which the teacher was 45 minutes late – he thought it started at 5:30 and was only 15 minutes late, and I parked in a parking garage that I thought was going to cost me $10.50, and I about had a heart attack after I read that sign, but had no way to get out – but thank goodness they validate parking. Also, I discovered their weird system by which I can leave the 7th floor to go to my truck on the 5th floor, but if I - and I'm just hypothetically talking here - say forgot my cell phone and parking ticket (with validation) in a bathroom stall on the 7th floor, I have to then go down and get the security guard to let me back up on the 7th floor. Not that that happened to me or anything.

Meanwhile, Clint spent his first and second evening alone with Landon. He had said on Sunday that he was going to do some laundry and try and clean up a little too…and I laughed and laughed. And he thought I was being mean. I got home Monday night and he had very wide eyes, and he said “I didn’t get anything else done!” And I said “I told you so.” But he did it and they both survived, just like I knew they would.

This has been a week of ups and downs, so I thought we’d play the yea/boo game…ready…

I started working at Mustang … yea!

I forgot some of the stuff I needed for my direct deposit … boo!

They let me out of nearly half the orientation because I’d already had the training … yea!

I can’t figure out how to program my speed dial buttons on my phone … boo!

They actually have work for me to do … yea!

The commute is longer … boo!

The commute is not as bad as I thought it would be … yea!

We had a sewer back up in our house … boo!

When the guys came to investigate that, they also made note of the water main leak in front of our house … yea!

They did not fix it … boo!

But they’re going to … yea!

Our baby sitter’s air conditioner is broken … boo!

I found out my results from my PE exam … yea!

I did not pass … boo!

I know what I need to work on for next time … yea!

I was so close it made me madder than if I had totally bombed it … boo!

And to end on a yea…in talking with the people in my current class, the class I’m going to register for in August will most assuredly make and I will be able to register to take the inspectors exam…yea!