Spring Has Sprung, Grass has Riz

This just proves that hope springs eternal. The orchid plant has finally blossomed after years of semi-nurturing.

Monday was the second day of retaking the Dreamweaver Level 2 class, and I was glad I retook it. They're using new texts now, so it covers the subject matter in a slightly different way, and some things that were kind of skimmed over in the last text were spelled out a little more clearly this time around.

One of the services the school has is a set of programs called Cert Blasters, which are quizzes and drills that give you a thumbnail score on how you would have done on that portion of the final certification exams. You also get a list of chapters to review for the answers you missed. I'm pretty jazzed that I am getting 77 and 78 percent on these first time around, since the passing grade on the certification exams is 80 percent.

This week I continue to study at home. It's hard going, because the weather is just gorgeous this week. It's in the mid-70s every day, sunny, nice mild breeze, and I have to strap myself in behind the computer and study. Eeuk.

Friend Jon Jaeger in San Luis Obispo says I should take a vacation now that I've completed my Web site, and I really feel the urge to, but it just isn't in the cards right now. And the dreaded anniversary of my being made redundant (i.e., "laid off") at the Hollywood Reporter is coming up June 3. I'd really like to be back in the job market by then, or even have landed something significant in the way of employment.

I'm trying to look as "now" and technically savvy as possible for this job hunt. I even rigged the PDF of my resume so that it links directly to my Web site and my e-mail when you click on them on the page. I want to give every impression that you're getting a freshly trained Web designer who also has two decades of real-world experience in graphic design. One wants to appear a contemporary bargain, and not a ripening old fart.

The clock on the wall here in the office still says 10:27 p.m., even though it's coming up on midnight. It's such a pain to get back there and get it off the wall, and then even more difficult to try and get it back up on the nail. There are two computers in the room and both of them have quite accurate time and date displays. I'm really not sure why we have a wall clock at all. It's kind of old fashioned and ... old farty?

(Note to self: make sure always to check the time on my iPhone and don't wear my wristwatch in interviews.)

That's it. Enjoy the flowers.