Seriously Woman

If you guys knew the week I've had, you would forgive me my bloggy transgressions. It has been total hell.

And it's not likely to get much better this week because I have decided to try and move next weekend instead of waiting til the end of the month. Because if I don't get the fuck out of here I'm going to bitch slap my mother and I'm not sure relationships recover from that kind of thing.

I shouldn't even be in town next weekend. I should be going to Austin to behave atrociously in honor of Sharky's pending nuptials. But I am a sucker and can't say no so I will be TEACHING SUNDAY SCHOOL for Christ's sake. Actually, it will have nothing to do with Christ, as I'm Jewish. But you get my point. Molding young minds vs. partying my ass off? Clearly I've lost my damn mind.

Things have hit the "honeymoon's over" skids with Babe this week. I know part of it is me being a stressed out B, but it hasn't been helping matters. I don't think we're gonna break up or anything, but the stress of the joblessness combined with the distance from his place to mine is definitely taking it's toll. Another reason to get my bed into my own place ASAP.

Just don't even get me started on work. If this wasn't a 4 day week I'm pretty sure my head would have exploded last week. They do not pay me enough to put up with some of this shit.

So that's the short, random version. I will do better this week because when I don't get my daily dose of ridiculosity (mostly courtesy of Lilu, Maxie and Shine, check those bitches out, they're hilarious!) I go a little bit crazy-nuts. And isn't venting one of the many advantages of this awesome bloggy universe?

Dear Economy, Go F Yourself

Blah. Sorry for the negativity, but Babe got laid off today. Which makes no sense, since he was out of town 3 days last week helping set up their new office. They eliminated his position company-wide...but they can afford to open a new office. Brilliant (I can't say that without thinking of those Guiness commercials...).

This would be less scary if he a) wasn't already completely strapped this week, b) got any kind of notice or c) any form of severance. But such is life, and he has a positive attitude so far, so I am just trying to do my best to smile and be helpful as much as I can.

The good news is, I kick serious heiny at resume-writing and one of my close friends is the badassest recruiter and networker in the area. She's also Australian. And my future roommate. I know, you're jealous.

That's right, it's official. Mary is getting the hell out of dodge. And just in the nick of time, apparently.

I am a little bummed because Babe and I kind of have enough drama to work through without adding the stress of job hunting. But such is life, I suppose, and we'll make it or we won't. The major goal is not to turn into the same girl I was the last time I dated someone who was jobless. That would be the one that ended in the quarter-life crisis. So yeah.

Thoughts/prayers/Internet love and other such silliness, choose your flavor. He'll take all the good karma he can get.

Mary, CCENT

I know, I know. Another hiatus. This time it was legit though. I have been working/studying my arse off for the first half of my CCNA certification exam.

CCNA = Cisco Certified Network Administator; basically, I'm learning how to install and configure the hardware necessary to create a Local Area Network (you know, that thing that lets you connect to the Internet and other computers/hardware in your home/office). When I got my current job, one of the things the bosses were excited about was that I learn/study well. And it's been 6 months and I should have been studying all along. But I wasn't (procrastinate much? Yes m'am). And then I started hearing whispers of sitting down and setting dates and so I preempted the process by registering for my first exam. And then it was like "oh shit, this is actually happening. I guess I'd better study."

I stayed up until 2 am last Thursday night (exam at 9 am Friday) failing practice exams. Barely failing them, but failing them just the same. And if I'd gone in Friday morning and failed the exam...well, let's just say I wouldn't have been the first person in my office to do that. But I really wanted to impress the bosses and pass on the first try. 'Cause surpassing people's expectations of me? It's kind of my thing.

So I got to the exam Friday morning and this place was GHETTO. Scary, I-might-die-in-the-parking-lot-at-9-am ghetto. Then I got inside and waited 10 minutes for the one working elevator to and lug me and a nice woman who, it turns out, works for the testing center, up to the 4th floor. And while Nice Woman works for the testing center, she is not the person who usually adminsters the tests. Except, Friday she was that person because the person who's job that actually is was not there. Needless to say, it took a while to get started.

Part of it taking a while to get started was that Nice Woman was the second person in a week to notice that, hey, your driver's license is expired and is therefore no longer legal. The fact that I had also brought my passport as a second form of ID did not remedy this situation. Good news! I have the sheet of paper I printed off when I renewed the license online. In my car. So I went back to the scary parking lot to get it. Bad news! Turns out that piece of paper? It expired 45 days after I renewed my license. In March.

At that point I was seriously considering just leaving the test center without taking the test. I didn't feel prepared, and the driver's license thing was a totally legitimate excuse for not taking it and possibly failing it. But I really did't want to spend any more time studying. And so, I folded down the part of the paper that said it was expired and hoped Nice Woman wouldn't notice. And finally! Something went my way and she let me take the damn test.

And I passed! I even felt good about it while I was taking the test. Those extra hours of failing practice exams? Critical to my success. I'd seen half the questions on the test just enough times to know I was answering them correctly. And the best part was that I got the results as soon as the test was over. Huzzah!

Then this morning, I find out that I actually earned a "title" even though I only passed the first of two tests required for the CCNA. So now I'm a CCENT = Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician. The first "girl" Nice Woman had ever seen take (and subsequently pass) a Cisco test. Which is just sad really, But hey! I'll take it.

Last hiatus. I promise.