I hope everyone had a good holiday. Unlike most years, Rachel and I actually dressed up and went out to celebrate. It is the first time since our wedding since she has worn a dress! She looked wonderful in it. She will probably post the pictures we took on her site.

Last week, I was supposed to take my Microsoft 70-548: Designing and Developing Windows-Based Applications by Using the Microsoft .NET Framework exam. On Monday of last week, I had finished with my exam preparation book. I went online to schedule the exam. I saw that Tuesday was already booked, but Wednesday was free. Since I am currently taking Wednesdays off, I signed up for the 9:30 AM slot. I wish I had paid attention to the date. Apparently, fellow exam takers had filled all the slots for last week and I had inadvertently registered for this week.

Several weeks ago, I received notice from my school that they would be holding a programming competition. Yes, I enjoy writing code. But, in a competition? I was dubious. I know I can code. But, could I code within the required time frame? Eventually, I signed up. I figured that the worse thing that could happen is that I would lose; if nothing else, it would be a good experience.

Last Wednesday, I took the Microsoft 70-536: .NET Framework 2.0 Application Development Foundation exam. I was a bit nervous. The testing center is located at the Lorain County Community College. I had driven by the LCCC numerous times but had never ventured on campus. Since Rachel is more familiar with the area (and because I wanted some moral support) she came with me.

I hope everyone had a safe holiday weekend. I did not do too much. I mostly stayed inside and worked on school work. I am off of work for the next couple of weeks. So, I am hoping that things will stay quiet.

I suppose that the title of my last blog post, "Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is," is rather appropriate. My last post was in March. I generally like to do at least one post a month. Anyway, here is my overdue entry:

I guess that I have been a bit busy. It has been several weeks since my last blog update. I do not know if anyone likes my entries or even reads them. But, here goes:

I recently started two new classes: ACC201 (Principles of Accounting I) and ECO201 (Principles of Macroeconomics). I had a few years of accounting in high school. In addition, working the past dozen years for a wireless billing company enabled me to pick up a few things. So far, the classes have been easy. I cannot believe that it is already the third week of school (almost halfway over).

I have wanted to have a security system at the house for a while. But, with estimates into the thousands, it was way outside our price range. Recently, Rachel picked up a coupon that waved most of the installation costs, bringing the price to a few hundred. So, we jumped on the deal.

As promised, here are my essays that were published in the Saint Leo University Computer Science Association newsletter:

Grr... I've got a Windows 98 SE machine that I've used for several years. I have only had one problem with it that is until now. Lately, it has been locking up and the most inconvenient spots. It's getting to the point where I can't run more than two programs at the same time. I usually leave Outlook and Trillian open all the time. However, I now have to close either or both of these programs if I want to run something else.