Inspired by Television - and a Weekend Recap

It has been an interesting weekend. Actually, just Sunday was very interesting. Saturday, I was too distracted with the Illinois Certification process. I took the Basic Skills Test at Harper College - the first step towards becoming a teacher. I had to be at the testing center at 7:30 am, which wasn't too bad, since I'm about 20 minutes away from Harper college. However, this is an important test and they said if you show up after 7:30, there's a chance they wouldn't let you in. I had to pick up some #2 pencils before I got there, so I got up early. 5:45. In. The. Morning. This was not entirely by choice. I mean, I set the alarm and stuff, but I almost didn't need it. Whenever I HAVE to be somewhere very early in the morning, I worry so much about oversleeping that I basically don't sleep at all. So, I was really fast after I woke up, decided not to make breakfast and instead grabbed a granola bar. I ended up leaving my house at about five after six. By the time I went to Walgreens and got on the road, it was about 6:15. I decided to treat myself to an Egg McMuffin (no cheese) and coffee from McDonald's. I got to Harper at about 6:40, and ate in my car. As I pulled in, I totally thought I'd be the first person there. I was not. There were at least three other people sitting in their cars. Around 7, I went to the school where I ran into a sign informing me that they would not be opening the doors until about 7:20.

7:20.

That's ten minutes before the time they said we would not be allowed in to take the test. It's January and kind of cold outside. So, you have a group of people who have to take this test (or some other very important test, related to teaching). If you were at Harper on Saturday, it was either to be able to perform your chosen profession or to move forward in your career. And these are teachers, people who tend to follow the rules and come prepared. By 7:05, there were 25 people standing outside in the cold. By 7:10, there were at least forty. I'm not exaggerating either. I was standing out in the cold, I didn't have much to do, so I counted. It was ridiculous.

Anyway, so that was my Saturday. I was done with the test around 11:30, but the day was sort of wasted. Three and a half hours of tests involving scantrons wear a girl out.

So, Sunday.

Sunday started well. Hank let me sleep in. I got to eat breakfast in my pj's - a luxury I rarely get anymore because Hank generally needs a walk before I eat breakfast. I decided to take a shower before Mr and I took Hank for his morning walk. I shower, Mr does some laundry. He comes up from the basement and sees water. In the living room. Coming from the ceiling.

When we first saw the house, we saw the water mark in the living room ceiling, under the tub. We were assured that it was old damage, that the problem had been solved when the previous owner (before the people we bought it from) remodeled the bathroom. But, here we were, watching water pour into our previously dry living room.

Yikes.

So, I'm home. It's Monday morning at 8am and I should be at work, but instead I'm waiting for the plumber. Thankfully, Plumber should be here in about half an hour so I might be able to get in to work.

Hopefully it won't be a big problem to solve. On the upside, Mr has now agreed to remodel the bathroom.

So, TV. As I was sitting here, waiting for the call from Roto-Rooter, I was watching the Today Show. Bill Gates was on, touting Windows Vista. Now, I like Meredith Viera. I think she's pretty good and generally avoids Katie Couric's interview approach, where she seemed to know nothing about anything. However. I can't stand when people are all "Oh, I don't understand computers. It's a big mystery." Which she did. She also asked if you had to buy a new computer to get the new operating system. Gah. You're an idiot.

She asked Bill Gates about Apple's competition, and how much of a threat they are, or if Vista is a response to Apple's growing popularity. First of all, it has been a while since Microsoft released Windows XP. It's time for a totally upgraded system. Secondly, Apple is making huge strides outside of the personal computer market. I use a MacBook and I love it. But I'm in the minority. Most people own Microsoft computers. However, Gates said that 90% of the market (I don't know if that's in the US or world-wide) uses Microsoft. That seems high to me. I know they're the overwhelming majority, but I'm surprised to hear 90%. I know a lot of people with Macs.

Meredith ended the interview by asking Gates if he'd help her install it. Because she's not very good with that "stuff." Come on. Have you ever installed something from Microsoft? You put in the disc and the "wizard" walks you through the process. You don't need to do anything. He said to give him a call if she had any trouble.