3 days until exam

I am taking the RCDD exam on Tuesday. I really hope I've studied enough. I am having a real hard time retaining the knowledge. So many numbers, so many vocabulary words, and so much fluffy, useless information that it distracts from the facts I'm supposed to remember. I wish they would hire me to fact-check and rewrite the TDMM. I would be really good at it. In one chapter they say that Insertion Loss will now be referred to as Attenuation, but throughout they use Attenuation as a generic term - not specifically referring to Insertion Loss. And I've found that I really need to go back to school and take algebra...and I feel this strange compulsion to write letters of apology to all my former algebra teachers for not paying attention in class. I didn't hate algebra for being too hard; I hated it because I thought I'd never need it. Seemed like a waste of time. Ha ha ha ha haaaa. Today, I am taking a break from studying and going to the Architectural Artifacts place in Toledo. They claim to have over 30,000 square feet of old building salvage. Windows, doors, mantels, etc: from old buildings that were being demolished or renovated. I love old buildings and the way they were made. We just don't build in quality or unique fixtures anymore - I've been wanting to see this place for several weeks. I need to get dressed in something nice, but warm and comfy. I don't think I have that particular combination in my wardrobe. Maybe I'll just mix it up and go looking like Cyndi Lauper. OMG, I'm so funny today. I am a little excited, a little guilty that I'm wasting precious study-time, and a little tanked on Coffee - it's only 6:45 a.m. here, and I'm already bouncing off the walls. You have a wonderful weekend. Peace, Love, and Understanding. MsAmber

Feelin' pretty good about everything.

I finally found the right insurance. Thank Goodness. I've been arguing with my insurance agency to get me the right coverage and after three years of paying for an "Artisan" policy, the best thing they could come up with was a "Commercial" policy. So I started searching around myself online. I found that "Artisan" means going to multiple jobsites every day. Not true. The commercial policy they recommended has questionnaires that ask: Is this a start-up business? How long have you been in business? There were so many requirements and restrictions that it seemed like there were too many reasons not to get it, plus a high deductible. I just knew there had to be a policy written for us RV'ers that stay out on the road. I found a "Full-Timer's RV policy" through GMAC. It covers my truck, my RV, contents, traveling, RV parts, towing, rental vehicles, they won't leave my trailer on the side of the road if I need towed, etc. A policy that is tailor-made for the full-time RV'er. Like a home-owner's policy: it covers the park-lot that I camp in, contents of a shed, liability if someone falls out my door; nearly every contingency. It's expensive: I knew it would be and I wasn't worried about that. I just wanted the right policy. Also, they will correspond with me by email instead of unreasonably requiring me to receive postal mail. They understand! They "Get It". OMG! Finally! Weirdly enough: it even covers my canopy - which I just replaced last year for $1,100. AND: diminishing deductible, 25% off my deductible every year without a claim. By now I'd have no deductible if I'd found this coverage in the beginning. I spoke with a licensed insurance expert to find all this out. I'm so pleased. Now, I just have to cancel my current insurance. I've already paid for 6 months of the new insurance, starting Feb 1. My current insurance doesn't run out until April. Now, back to studying. The exam is in: 10 Days! OMG! Have a wonderful weekend. Oh, by the way - it's supposed to hit 60 degrees here today. I'm opening the cabin up for some long overdue fresh air. Put on a sweater and get to studying! MsAmber

Countdown to exam.

Aaagh! Only 15 days till my exam! OMG, OMG, OMG! I went to a salon yesterday and got my hair trimmed and an acid-peel facial. When I got home, I laid down to take a quick nap. The cat got up on my bed and started cleaning herself right next to my head. I got frustrated and picked her up to move her, when her claws struck out and she sliced me across the nose. Now I have raw skin and a razor slice across my nose that's bleeding. I'm not sure what I can put on it to keep it from scarring. It's a diagonal slice that goes right through the scar I already have. Today, I must study. I need to do laundry also, but the good news is we are on 8-hour days this week. So I actually can do laundry after work on Monday if I want. I'm going to take a refreshing shower, make a pot of coffee, and get to crackin' on those books. I'm excited and nervous. Have I studied enough? Do I learn as well as I used to? I'm getting to the point where I don't trust my brain anymore. Used to be, I could read something, then take a test and get 100%. Now, that's not the case. I am reading the material, then taking a fake-test, and only getting about 70% of it. Not to mention all the errors in the material to begin with... I know the fill ratios of cable in conduit. The book says something entirely different. If I have to answer by what the book says - I'm in trouble. It says you can put up to 155 cables in a 4 inch sleeve at a 60% fill ratio. I KNOW for a fact that you can only put 96 cables in a 4 inch sleeve and that it's about 80% fill ratio. I don't let my crews make any bundles larger than 96 cables anyway. The weight of the bundle would crush the bottom cables if you went any larger than that. I also know that you can put 12 cables in a 1" sleeve MAXIMUM, 9 is preferred. Then there's the pull-box section. It specifies a 4"X8" pull-box on 1" conduit runs. We usually use 4x4 boxes, sometimes 6X6. I never get pull-boxes that aren't square. For a 4" conduit, it specifies 12"X60" pull-box. Really? A 5-foot-long pull box? A 24X24 box works JUST FINE. If you have more than 96 cables, you need more 4" sleeves or some lay-in basket tray. When I'm designing a closet, I just take the amount of cables and divide by 96, round up for future expansion. I also add-in the backbone and the fiber innerduct, and voila'- I never miss. It's the parts of the books that I disagree with that I remember the best. So maybe I should just disagree with the whole thing! And don't you find it annoying that I have to memorize what YEARS certain entities were incorporated? Bicsi was incorporated in 1977. Prior to 1967 the organization that set the standards in telecommunications was BICS. The EIA/TIA was founded in... Goodness! I'd better memorize who the book was dedicated to: Just In Case it's a bonus question. Peace, Love, and Prosperity. MsAmber

It's 2013.

2013, 2013, 2013, 2013, 2013, 2013, 2013. If I can get used to typing it, I won't mess up on my paperwork and type 2012. I've made myself a pot of Gevalia Coffee, after a few more cups I'll be ready to hit the books. It snowed again yesterday - silently. I can't believe the weekend is over already. All I did was study and drink coffee, and I took myself to dinner at Frisch's Big Boy yesterday evening. I like going there, but they won't let you study - the waitresses are a bit too attentive. Which normally I like, but how many times can you say "I'm fine" in half an hour? Oh, I also re-watched "Cold Mountain". The girls used to say I reminded them of Ruby Thewes in that movie. I get a kick out of the resemblance sometimes... "Alright then". Okay, now for the resolutions: This year I will quit smoking. This year I will see what 6-pack abs look like on me. This year I will earn my RCDD and my PMP. This year I will spend less on "stuff" and pay off my RV. I think four resolutions are enough. It's all do-able. My blog will remove all the line breaks and publish this as one, long, run-on paragraph. I do apologize for that. Just so's you know: I did type it with paragraph breaks and indents and line-items. Have a great New Year! MsAmber