Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Woo-Hoo!

I normally don't toot my own horn, but in this case, I have to. Today I took the final exam for the editing course I took at UNM (online).

I scored 100!

The test was 36 multiple choice questions. Granted, it was open book and there was no time limit, but there were a few tricky questions.

I have a nice certificate, too.


Next (starting May 18) I'll be taking two classes -- Accounting Fundamentals and Successful Construction Business Management. I have experience in Accounting, but I've never had any formal training.

As for the second one, I've maintained a friendship with one of the Project Managers at the construction company I used to work for. He and another guy have formed a partnership and a new construction company and he wants me to run the office. It's still in the early stages, so I'll have time to learn a lot in these classes before things get rolling.

The classes aren't live; they're "posted" to the website twice a week on Wednesdays and Fridays.

It's been a long time since I've taken classes; I'm happy and excited that I did so well in the editing class and I'm looking forward to these two courses.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

What A Difference A Day Makes

Is it really May?

It's 4:00 in the afternoon as I write this and it's snowing. Not just a few flakes drifting down lazily. No, it's snowing heavily; I can barely see the houses on the other side of the arroyo. I can't see the mountains at all. The weather forecasters predict 1 to 3 inches here and 12 to 18 inches up in the mountains. The temperature is dropping and we have a couple of space heaters on to keep the house comfortable.

This time yesterday, a mere 24 hours ago, we went for the first motorcycle ride of the year. It was a fairly short ride, just out to the Gorge Bridge and back, but the weather was warm and only a little breezy. We were just doing a shakedown ride after Ron did a lot of work on the bike, but it sure felt great to go riding again. It felt like spring, even though we knew about the forecast for today.

I put up one hummingbird feeder last Monday. The hummingbirds generally start showing up in late April and sure enough, a couple of days after I put it up, the first hummingbird appeared (as did a pair of other birds who are able to drink from it, too). It's the same hummingbird that always shows up first; he's black and white, with a black head and a white ring around his neck. We call him the scout, because we figure he goes ahead to find the food and then goes back to tell his friends, "Yeah, they've got the food out for us." I saw a second hummingbird yesterday, but the throngs haven't arrived yet. With this crazy weather I don't know when the poor birds will get here; they might just decide to stay down in Mexico and enjoy the warmth.

I don't blame them.