Thing 1:
First and foremost: a very heartfelt “thank you” to all who commented on my last post. I’ve replied individually, but a big ‘ol internety group hug seems good too.
Everything went well up North. The ceremony was small (only immediate family and two of the ladies from her care facility) and short (due, mainly, to the Sacramento heat). After a few words from the minister, everyone was encouraged to share some memories of her. Her life had quite a span: from being born in a sod shack in the midwest to the “modern” world of today.
Back at The Parentage’s house, family matters were settled (i.e. the finances & such), and food was and discussion was shared. Eventually, my Aunt and Uncle departed, and I spent an additional night with The Parentage. They’re still involved in some meetings, but everything should be wrapped up in a week or so.
Learning that, towards the end, she didn’t want to continue on made things, I think, quite a bit easier. Yes, she will be missed, of course. The relief in knowing that she’s no longer unhappy in this life makes the whole thing, I must admit, quite a bit easier.
In a weird way, there’s an upside to the whole thing: The Parentage are free. For over two decades, now, they’ve been caring for various elderly folk: grandparents, great aunts, etc. Now that my grandmother has passed, those duties have ended. They can take longer trips and more time for themselves. I have no idea if that’s the wrong way to look at things, but we all agreed: there it is.
(It’s hard not to think of my immediate future as a caregiver as well, but I’m not going to dwell on that tonight…)
* * *
Thing 2:
Last week, I took the certification test.
I went in absolutely convinced that I would fail. I’d studied like crazy, but given the massive amount of information, I firgured I didn’t know enough. Still, I knew I was also nervous about the test itself (the testing process, etc.) and had reached the conclusion that I might as well go ahead and get one run at it out of the way. At least I’d get the experience of it out of the way, have a better idea what was involved, and be ready to pass it the second time around.
During the test, I pretty much knew I would bomb it. Half the material wasn’t even in the study guide (or at least it didn’t seem to be). I went back and forth on a whole slew of questions I wasn’t sure about. I guessed on more than I’d like to admit to. Then I clicked on the button to score the test.
And found out I had passed.
Barely.
Really barely.
How barely?
By 16 points.
Out of 1,000.
Which is .016%. Point zero-one-six percent.
That’s pretty small.
Still, passing is passing, right?
Damn right it is!
* * *
So, now my brain is decompressing a bit. I may come back to blogging, but I also know there are about three more tests I need to take. On the plus side, those tests are more limited in scope (fewer subjects, more depth), so my hope is that they’ll be somewhat easier of a challenge.
So, who knows? Blogging may continue to come and go for several months.
One take-away I am sure of from this experience, though, is this: FaceBook is a total waste of time, and I haven’t missed it in the least.
So that’s something.
The GeekHiker 
congrats on passing! yay!
By: m on July 27, 2010
at 11:37 pm
Yay!!! I KNEW you would pass — I am always right! 🙂 Big congrats and we are all very proud of you! Good luck with the other tests (man, you are in for a tough summer!) — we are all rooting for ya!
Glad that things went smoothly in SF. Maybe now that they have more time, you can go on a cruise to the Caribbean with them sometime 😀
With all that studying, don’t forget to go out from time to time and smell the roses (or the trees, if you will)…
By: K on July 27, 2010
at 11:47 pm
BTW, love the pix!
By: K on July 27, 2010
at 11:47 pm
You don’t need to know everything … just enough to get yourself in trouble 😉
I am terrible in math, the Wife often calculates tips for me, but it seems to me that 16 out of 1000 would be 1.6%, a much more substantial margin of success. Well Done!
By: Homer-Dog on July 28, 2010
at 10:34 am
Glad everything went well with the family.
And I KNEW you would pass, you just had to ask me. AND, and this is very important: knowing HOW TO guess on that kind of test has it’s own valid credit. There are BOOKS on how to guess answers, so don’t dismiss it; you guessed, and you guessed RIGHT!!
By: narami on July 28, 2010
at 7:40 pm
This means you studied just the right amount: enough to pass is all that matters.
And, oh yes, congratulations!
By: absurdbeats on July 28, 2010
at 7:52 pm
What??? You replied to everyone individually? Hmmm….guess my message is lost somewhere, hahaha.
Glad to hear all is well with you and more importantly that you passed the test, hooray!
Yes facebook is a complete waste of time, that’s why I sadly now spend my time devoted to following Wil Wheaton’s (the self proclaimed geek) tweets!!!!
By: ruth on July 28, 2010
at 8:07 pm
I am really happy that everything turned out well for you and your family!
Congratulations on passing! I’m really proud of you 🙂
As far as blogging, just do it when you feel like it. I think it’s evident that your readers will still be here.
By: missmccracken on July 29, 2010
at 1:01 pm
M – thank you so much!
K – it was by the skin of my teeth, believe me. But being trapped in an environment with no ready means of escape? I love the Parentage, but that may be pushing things. 🙂
K – Thanks. Gotta love Google image search.
Homer-Dog – I do believe your math is right. Hm, good thing it wasn’t a math test…
Narami – LOL, so I guess I’m a good guesser!
AbsurdBeats – Thank you!
Ruth – on the previous post, which I don’t think you commented on… Yeah, I agree about FB, and I avoid Twitter like the plague…
MissMcCracken – Thanks on both counts. As for blogging, I’d really like to get back into it…
By: geekhiker on July 30, 2010
at 7:27 pm
congrats on passing. from what i understand, those certification tests are very hard and super-tricky. and it’s not like anyone will ever ask to see the score. all that counts is PASS!
By: blakspring on July 31, 2010
at 7:38 am
GH: I tried a slightly less impersonal approach and sent you an email re: previous post, I really wanted to use a piegon carrier to send a note but was afraid it would get lost :p
We actually joke about this at work that we only find out about employee terminations, promotions and new hires, etc via the interwebs because human resources doesn’t bother to formally announce via email or in a memo. Call me old fashion once it comes to these things!
By: ruth on July 31, 2010
at 10:34 am
1. That is great for your parents. I’m sure they didn’t consider the time they spent caring for others lost, but they will appreciate the time they get back.
2. Um, C’s get degrees, so YEAH!!
3. Yes, Facebook is the reason I am having dinner with my ex at BlogHer. Damnit.
By: thecoconutdiaries on August 1, 2010
at 4:23 pm
Haha Facebook is the worst time-suck ever. I often think of giving it up, but then its addictive powers pull me back in.
Congrats on passing the test. I hope you opened a beer immediately after seeing your score. 😛
By: Mel Heth on August 4, 2010
at 1:29 pm
A bit late to the scene … sorry.
Glad to hear that all is as well as they could be with your grandmother’s passing. I think that’s the best we can wish for our loved ones.
And of course, congrats on the test 🙂 passing is passing is passing!!
By: seine on August 4, 2010
at 3:22 pm
BlakSpring – I sure hope no one ever asks to see the score!
Ruth – Sorry, guess I just can’t keep track of everything! Our HR works the same way, btw…
TheCoconutDiaries – 1. they’ll definitely appreciate it! 2. Definitely, but of course, I would have liked to do better. 3. LOL – let me know how that goes…
Mel Heth – Yeah, I know the feeling. It is handy for keeping track of birthdays. As for the beer, no… actually, I went to work!
Seine – No problem. Thanks for the good wishes!
By: geekhiker on August 9, 2010
at 10:38 pm