I PASSED THE SERIES 7 TEST!
It was a long process but I got it done. It all started with a pre-dawn drive to Fresno. The Sun coming up over the Sierras is a sight to see but preferably not before you take one of the most intimidating tests in your life.
I took the test at an "official testing center" which is this full time test monitoring place that people go to take several different tests. Talk about a lame job...
Anyway, this place is totally big brother. I show my Government Photo ID, I sign my name, confirm my appointment, they take my photo, then they scan my right and left index fingers. After that I read a packet of rules, put all my belongings in a locker (can't have a watch, jacket, water bottle, wallet or anything - just your ID and they supply everything else) then I can go in. While I'm in taking the test there are cameras watching me and a large booth with windows so the proctors can watch you. Talk about creepy.
At the lunch break I was checking out (ID and finger scan again) and I saw inside the booth - there was a camera for each desk and each desk was bugged! I could hear people talking to themselves and coughing and hyperventilating! So I had to ask:
me: Can you hear everything in there?
girl: yep.
me: so could you hear my stomach growling?
girl: Tsk, ya - go get something to eat, you're making me hungry!
me: Oh, ok - sorry (yikes).
So anyway, after testing for 6 hours I finished and got an 86%. This may not sound amazing but this test is hard - I studied for about 450 hours for it. And now I can say that I 86'd that test. =)
But to put some perspective on it you need a 70% to pass. The National Average is a 73% and only 66% of people actually pass the test!
Glad to have that one out of the way - now on to the Series 66 - phew!
October 17, 2008
October 13, 2008
Octobrrrrfest
Well, at long last Ben and Sara were able to come up and visit us. This was their first time to the area so we thought that we would show them some unique things to this place.
The first thing that they may not have been used to is the changing seasons. As we all know, Southern California only has two seasons, Summer and A-little-less-Summerish. We got a true taste of fall as a cold front moved in to created overnight lows around 34 degrees. It did get up in the low 60s still during the day but, still pretty cold.
So to make things even better we took them to the mountains - the giant sequoias to be specific. The high for the day was about 38 degrees there which we quickly found out about upon exiting the car.
The forest was great - trees beginning to change and the weather 'cooling off' made it a fun time (especially with hot chocolate). Looking forward to returning at Christmas to see a really different environment.
After that we headed back down to warm up some. We decided to go out and get some exercise by participating in a corn maze. For those of you who don't know what that is (don't worry I was one of you not long ago) this is a fun way to use the abundant agricultural lands around valley towns.
A corn maze is just that, a maze made out of corn (not corn maize as I thought, which is weird cause what is corn corn?). Take a 10 acre field with 10 foot tall corn growing in it. Some how cut a huge design into it (this year is the dragon slayer) add check points and refreshments hidden inside and let people run around for hours trying to find their way.
Oh ya, then do that at night.
Here's some shots from how we saw it.
Can you say Blair Witch?
And thanks to modern technology, now you can see how hopelessly lost we were at times.
map...
& actual...
All in all it was a really fun time. Ben is already excited to come up and work on it next year. I guess that is saying a lot since we wandered through fields in the cold and darkness for 2 hours getting confused as to where we were and he wants to come back and do it again. Good times!
Sadly, they had to go and our fun visit was over. But not before we got to Brewbaker's of course!
The first thing that they may not have been used to is the changing seasons. As we all know, Southern California only has two seasons, Summer and A-little-less-Summerish. We got a true taste of fall as a cold front moved in to created overnight lows around 34 degrees. It did get up in the low 60s still during the day but, still pretty cold.
So to make things even better we took them to the mountains - the giant sequoias to be specific. The high for the day was about 38 degrees there which we quickly found out about upon exiting the car.
The forest was great - trees beginning to change and the weather 'cooling off' made it a fun time (especially with hot chocolate). Looking forward to returning at Christmas to see a really different environment.
After that we headed back down to warm up some. We decided to go out and get some exercise by participating in a corn maze. For those of you who don't know what that is (don't worry I was one of you not long ago) this is a fun way to use the abundant agricultural lands around valley towns.
A corn maze is just that, a maze made out of corn (not corn maize as I thought, which is weird cause what is corn corn?). Take a 10 acre field with 10 foot tall corn growing in it. Some how cut a huge design into it (this year is the dragon slayer) add check points and refreshments hidden inside and let people run around for hours trying to find their way.
Oh ya, then do that at night.
Here's some shots from how we saw it.
Can you say Blair Witch?
And thanks to modern technology, now you can see how hopelessly lost we were at times.
map...
& actual...
All in all it was a really fun time. Ben is already excited to come up and work on it next year. I guess that is saying a lot since we wandered through fields in the cold and darkness for 2 hours getting confused as to where we were and he wants to come back and do it again. Good times!
Sadly, they had to go and our fun visit was over. But not before we got to Brewbaker's of course!
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