Resolution

I just realized that it was a year ago this month that I said I was going to take the Architectural Registration Exam "this year." And that was a year after I'd started scrambling to get one test taken before the format changed. So now it's been two years since I decided I'd really better just take the thing and be done with it.

So. I am going to do it. I finished filling out the application, got it notorized, wrote the check for the application fee and attached a photo of myself (why on earth do they need a photo of me??) I have a shelf full of study materials here, so now all I need to do is stick the application in the mail and decide what order to take the exams.

ARE study materials

There are 7 parts in the new format, and each one (except Schematic Design) has a multiple choice section and a graphic section (where you solve design programs with a really clunky drafting program designed specifically for the tests). I'm pretty comfortable with the subject matter of 4 of the 7 tests, but I'm a little worried about the ones that cover structural and mechanical systems. It's just been a bit too long since I learned about them in school, and unlike most of the other content it's not stuff I use every day. So I'm torn right now whether to take those ones first and get them out of the way, or save them for last. I'm reading through the study materials now, and after I do that I'll decide.

If I don't post updates on this regularly, leave me comments telling me to get my butt in gear!!



***Updated to add my tentative testing order***

1. Schematic Design (graphic only, kind of a warm-up)
2. Structural Systems
3. Building Systems (mechanical and electrical)
4. Building Design and Construction Systems (more general than the previous two, but the material overlaps)
5. Construction Documents and Services*
6. Programming Planning and Practice*
7. Site Planning and Design*

*I may change the order of 5, 6 & 7, but I plan to take those three in quick succession. The content of all three is very closely related and the prevailing wisdom seems to be to study for all three at once and take them close together. These are the 3 that I scored in the high 80% on practice tests without even reviewing any study materials first, so I figure I'll save them for last. (If you fail an exam, you have to wait 6 months before you can retake it, thus the strategy of taking the ones I'm least confident with first)

Handwriting Font

Here's something kind of random I stumbled upon today. A website that lets you create a font based on your handwriting. You download and print a template and write each upper- and lower- case letter in its assigned spot, along with numbers and symbols, scan it, upload it, and the utility creates a font you can download. You have to be careful that you write each letter with the bottom at the same height, or when you type your text will be all up and down hill. But it's pretty cool. I now have a font that really does look very much like my handwriting. Check it out:




http://www.yourfonts.com

100 Pushups

Jeff and I started an experiment this week.  We found a website www.hundredpushups.com that has a set of charts for 5 sets of pushups 3 days a week.  You test yourself to see how many pushups you can do in a row, then pick a column in the chart for week one based on the result of that test.  Then each Monday, Wednesday and Friday you do the prescribed number of pushups, with the prescribed breaks between sets, and after two weeks you test yourself again. Based on that number you move on to the appropriate column of the chart for weeks 3 and 4. The idea is that after 6 weeks you'll be able to do 100 pushups without stopping.  Of course, 6 weeks is the minimum, they do have a disclaimer that you may have to repeat some weeks, but the idea is that even if it takes 7 or 8 or 9 weeks, if you do them the way they say, you'll eventually be able to do 100 in a row.  

For my initial test last Saturday, I did 19 pushups.  Three days this past week, I've done 5 sets of pushups for a total of 40 on Monday, 42 Wednesday, and 46 yesterday.  You max out for the last set each day, so you're always getting a good workout.  Jeff could already do about 25 pushups, so he started on week 3, and he did 78 pushups Monday and 89 pushups this morning! (in 5 sets-- the ones he was supposed to do for Friday-- but still, it's significantly more than he could do even on Monday.)

We're pretty excited, even if we don't get to the goal of 100 in a row (I'm betting Jeff will) it's still cool to be able to do a lot of pushups, and the program is a good motivator.

I'll post an update when we take our progress tests next weekend :D

Slippers

Jeff got me some very nice slippers for Christmas.  The color matched the robe he got me perfectly.  Unfortunately, they were too small, and when we took them back the larger size just didn't feel quite right.  

Sooo-o-o-o..... 

I got these instead:

Aren't they a hoot?  I love 'em!

Pictures!

Gingerbread Men!

Tree!

Christmas Preparations

I've noticed that part of the reason I never post is because I like to have pictures to go with all my posts. But obviously wanting to post pictures doesn't actually make me post pictures, it just makes me not post at all. So here's a post without pictures, and if I get around to taking some pics, I'll post them later :D

I was a little stressed about Christmas the past couple weeks, (mainly due to a fairly sizable project I'd committed to that was taking longer than I expected) but that's in the past and things are well in hand now, so I thought it was time for an update.

The big thing this year was that, after two Christmases away from home when we did absolutely no decorating, we were finally going to have a tree again, and we do. The implied corollary was that by Christmas the house would be ready to receive a tree. Whether that goal has been reached is debatable-- we hired someone to sheetrock the downstairs part of the addition, so the tree is at least surrounded by walls instead of studs and exposed insulation, (see the Great Remodeling Escapade for more about that) but there is still exposed framing above, it's still sitting on a plywood floor, there are still construction materials surrounding it... it actually looks a little silly right now, but in a good way. After Jeff brought it in and set it up yesterday, I somehow managed to get all the lights and ornaments on it. We'll move the couch in from the other room tonight or tomorrow, and the end tables, so we can set up some candles, and I think it will be cheery for our Christmas eve first fire in the fireplace.

After decorating the tree, I started another fun project-- making gingerbread men! I've never actually made gingerbread men before-- I've made gingerbread houses, and I think a gingerbread stocking one year, but never good ol' fashioned gingerbread men. I got the idea when I came across this website with gingerbread recipes dating back to the fifteenth century. I thought I'd make gingerbread men for my coworkers and include funny old gingerbread recipes as part of the package. I did NOT get around to the old recipe part, but the men (and women!) came out very cute, and the gingerbread is very tasty. I decorated them only with white royal icing piped through a thin round tip, to try to give them a "classic" look, and I made 5 of them to *sort of* look like the people I work with and handed them out this morning. I think they were well received. I tried to take a picture this morning but the camera battery died and I just wasn't in the mood to deal with it. There were 7 more that I didn't give away, so I'll try to photograph them later.

I've been wrapping gifts as I get them, so everything is now wrapped and just waiting to be put under the tree-- I think I'll do that tonight, unless Jeff beats me to it. Then, I just have to wrap what I have for Jeff, which I'm also planning to do tonight, and the only thing left to do to prepare will be shopping for Christmas Eve noshing goodies, Christmas morning breakfast, and my contributions to mom's Christmas dinner and Rachael's Christmas Evening get together.

Fun, fun! :D

It's All About the Ice Cream

This is from an e-mail forward I got today, cleaned up a little for grammar and clarity. I doubt it's a true story, but the analogy is a good one.

The most eye-opening civics lesson I’ve ever had was while teaching third grade. The presidential election was heating up and some of the children showed an interest, so I decided we would have an election for a class president. We would choose our nominees, they would each make a campaign speech and the class would vote.

To simplify the process, candidates were nominated by other class members. We discussed what kinds of characteristics these students should have. We got many nominations, and from those, Jamie and Olivia were picked to run for the top spot.

The class did a great job in their selections. Both candidates were good kids. The day arrived when they were to make their speeches, and Jamie went first. He had specific ideas about how to make our class a better place. He ended by promising to do his very best. Everyone applauded. He sat down, and Olivia came to the podium. Her speech was concise. She said, "If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream." She sat down.

The class went wild. "Yes! Yes! We want ice cream." A discussion followed. How did she plan to pay for the ice cream? She wasn't sure. Would her parents buy it or would the class pay for it? She didn't know. The class really didn't care. All they were thinking about was ice cream. Jamie was forgotten, and Olivia won by a landslide.

Every time Barack Obama opens his mouth he offers ice cream, and fifty percent of America reacts like nine year olds. They want ice cream. The other fifty percent know they're going to have to feed the cow.