I --HEART-- KY!

-- Before I start, I want to thank Steph for the blog post she left me while I was returning from Kentucky...I Love You! --

So Anywho....

My adventure to Fort Knox started on Sunday by being bumped from my flight to Chicago. Instead of leaving at 1130, I ended up leaving at 1730 (5:30 PM). I then had a two hour layover before departing for Louisville. I finally got in to my hotel at 0030 in the morning, Monday. My class started at 0800 precisely, so needless to say I collapsed into bed.


I made it to my class with only minutes to spare Monday Morning (thanks to the draconian procedures I had to follow to get onto Ft. Knox). The class I attended was called the "CompTIA Network+ Boot Camp" ... Scary sounding, huh? While our instuctor (Mr. Hugh Wilson) was nice enough (nothing like a Drill Instructor), the amount of Computer Networking information we had to cover was nothing short of mind boggling! They basically took a twelve (12!) week course and compressed it into 4 days, with the Certification Exam on Friday. We recieved an 800-page textbook as our course material , thus by my math we covered over 200 pages a day. Oi Vey!

It was very challenging, honestly one of the most challenging courses I have ever taken. We covered everything from Network protocols, to subnetting, to wireless technologies and topologies. I really studied and absorbed as much as I could into my much aching brain for 4 days straight.

How to subnet in 30 Minutes or less:




My study area (AKA the Hotel Room)




Friday, I was quite nervous...100 questions in 90 minutes equals less than a minute per question. We did some last minute review. I said a quick prayer to Heavenly Father to help me have a clear mind, and then started the test. I finished with about 10 minutes left on the timer. I submitted my test and held my breath...."Congratulations!..." the screen said! Yay!!! I called poor Steph, who had been on pins and needles and we both hugged over the phone...I was so relieved!

After getting my temporary certificate, I drove back to my Motel, had a stiff drink (Diet Big Red, no ice) and then treated myself to a nice dinner and a movie (Harry Potter).

Due to the way my flights were scheduled by the Army Travel Office, I didn't leave Kentucky until 2030 (8:30 PM) on Saturday. Thus I was able to spend most of Saturday day decompressing by having a little mini-tour of the Louisville Area:

The Abraham Lincoln Memorial Parking Space, Elizabethtown, KY:

My other car is a TANK!!!!

The Louisville Slugger Museum, (Home of the 110 ft tall baseball bat):

All in all, a most interesting , challenging, productive and fun week, I would say. I'll post some more pics from my trip soon...

An Editorial from my Wife (and I don't even know it yet)

Using my super spy FBI wife powers I have hacked into Rick's blog because I think the world deserves to know that after 4 mind-boggling days of class, 800 pages of material, many additional hours of study, and a 100-question test in 90 minutes time, Rick has received his Network+ certification! As I take over his blog, Rick is flying the friendly skies on his way home. He was able to spend the day decompressing and enjoying the different sites of Kentucky. I'm sure he will blog about them later. In the meantime, I just want him to know that he is so awesome and never ceases to amaze me. I love you honey and am so glad you will be home soon!

That's gonna leave a SCAAR...

So Anywho...

I have just returned from a 3-Day work trip to Southbridge, MA (Massachusetts, NOT Maine). I was providing Audio-Visual and Laptop Repair support for my Recruiting Battalion's SCAAR. What is a SCAAR, you may ask? The official military response would be "Station Commander After Action Review"...the participants' response would be a much, much different answer. Basically, once a quarter, all of the Recruiting Station Commanders are summoned to the SCAAR, where they are slowly chopped into bite-sized pieces and asked to account for thier Stations performance over the last three months. Our Battalion Sergeant Major is a math fanatic, and he can quickly spot when someone is trying to fudge the numbers. When that happens, it ain't pretty. Luckily for me, I was safely ensconced in the back of the conference room, furiously repairing broken laptops and watching the verbal fireworks. It was quite entertaining.

One of the funny things about all of this is that it is taking place at the 'Southbridge Conference Ceter', which is actually quite a nice facility. It is located in the renovated American Optical Company Factory, which back in the 1800's made spectacles. The building facade even has a 19th century clock tower. The rooms are nice, and the staff is very helpful. I'm sure we'll all be going there again next quarter...

On the drive back, I encounterd a rolling parking lot. For about 15 Minutes, I-90 Westbound, just past the Springfield, MA (Massachusetts, NOT Maine) exit was at a complete standstill. After another 20 minutes, we started slowly moving again ... Towards the end, I looked to my right and this is what I passed that was causing all the ruckus...

I have a hunch some of the Station Commanders are feeling about the same way right now...

Greeting's and Salutation's

Hello All!!!

So....My first blog post on my own blog... It even still has that new blog smell!

Anyways, since Steph is having so much fun with our family's blog, I thought I'd give it a try.

Please be kind in your responses...I am still new here...