Victory Dance

I've paid my dues, time after time,
I've done my sentence, but committed no crime.
And bad mistakes, I've made a few,
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face,
But I've come through.

We are the champions, my friends!
And we'll keep on fighting till the end!
We are the champions,
We are the champions,
No time for losers,
'Cause we are the champions of the world!

I've taken my bows, and my curtain calls.
You brought me fame and fortune, and everything that goes with it,
I thank you all.

But it's been no bed of roses, no pleasure cruise.
I consider it a challenge before the whole human race,
And I ain't gonna lose!

We are the champions, my friends!
And we'll keep on fighting till the end!
We are the champions,
We are the champions,
No time for losers,
'Cause we are the champions of the world!

Queen
We are the Champions

Grades were posted last night. I got my A. That gives me a perfect 4.0 GPA for my Master's Degree.

Holy Cow. A perfect score. It belies the fact that this was two long, hard years of intensive study like on other I've attempted. It may look easy, but I put a lot of hard work and long hours into it. And I definitely believe that I got a lot out of this effort. I'm a lot better prepared to tackle my career path, especially now that I've moved up into management. There's a lot I still have to learn, but I've learned a lot already that I can use every day.

Test anxiety has now been packed away and sent off to cold storage.

Now all that's left to do is order my graduation robes an mortarboard. My wife and daughter got a big laugh from the order form: it asks for my height. Smartasses.

Will I wear anything underneath?

Stay tuned...

The End of the Line

Well it's all right, even when push comes to shove,
Well it's all right, if you got someone to love,
Well it's all right, everything'll work out fine,
Well it's all right, we're going to the end of the line.

-End of the Line
The Traveling Wilburys

I posted my final, final exam this morning. I did it entirely by accident, however. Pushed the wrong button, but maybe it was a good thing. I was still reviewing my answers, tweaking my responses to the questions, and just all around agonizing over the damn thing. Time to be done with it. Worst I can do is flunk the test and if I've done my math right, I'll still pass the course with a C. Good enough to graduate, but I'd really like to get that last A.

What a long two years it's been. When I first started this, I had no idea how hard it would be to see it all the way through. I put a lot into this, and I feel like I've gotten every bit as much out, plus interest. Education is always a good investment, but more especially if you dive into it like there's no tomorrow.

So now, no more homework. no more reading thick textbooks or scrambling to organize research for papers. Test anxiety has been packed into a box and put in cold storage. I'm now in decompression mode, numb from the knowledge that I have lots of free time on my hands. It just feels weird not having so much stuff to do all night. I've accomplished something big for myself. It feels good, yet at the same time, a journey has ended. I've reached my goal.

This truly is the end of the line.

Time to start a new one.

Ow! Ah Bwoke a Toof! It Hurth, Dammit!

Stop laughing! The damn thing hurts!

I don't know how I did it, but I managed to break a tooth while eating a ham sandwich last week. The day after I converted from contractor to full-timer at The Company. I haven't even had time to fill out all the paperwork and I'm already putting in benefits claims!

(Note: The Company is not to be confused with the Company or the company for that matter. I don't talk much about work for a reason; it's like Fight Club in my opinion. I don't talk about it. Unless I do. I'm ornery, remember?)

Worse yet, this was in the middle of mid-term week for my Software Management class. Will the pain never end?

A quick update: Psych class turned out good. Got an A. Now, on to Management of Software Systems. I do this for a living, so once again, it's an A or ass-kicking time. The Skating Gnu and her hockey team made it to the semi-finals in the Capital City Cup tourney. They put up a helluva fight against the tournament favourites and made a good accounting of themselves. Mrs. Gnu is still putting up with our crazy crap. I love that woman more and more each day. (Happy Belated Birthday, Dear!)

So, mid-terms. Tough class so far, lots of readin', researchin' and writin'. And readin'. And writin'. And scotch. Scotch? Yup. Scotch. Makes the researchin' much more interestin'. We get our test at the beginning of the week. Six questions, open book, open notes, open season on external sources. And I just HAD to break a goddamn tooth! Well, no use complainin' so take two Advil and start plowin' through it. Books scattered all over the office, 36 hours of work, and 18 pages written before I finally decided I'd done my best work on it. Turned it in, hoped for the best, took more Advil to kill the pain. Scotch to follow when it's safe to do so.

As usual, the Monday-morning quarterbacking starts the moment I declare myself finished. Mrs. Gnu said I should just turn it in and be done with it, don't sit there and over-analyze what I've written- just get it over with. She's right, I know she's right, and I know it's the best advice, but when it's my ass on the line, I find it a little hard to let go. Test anxiety again.

Grades were posted yesterday afternoon. I had to read it twice to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

100%

Toothache? What toothache?