I'm taking a certification test today at 1300, after which I'll be halfway through (there are four tests). Making a concerted effort to chill is difficult. I had breakfast and coffee, read the egregiously depressing front section of the paper (Iranian children being born with one large eye, just awful stuff), and made it to Level 10. Only 432 writeups to Level 11. Sheesh.

Positive visualization seems to help me chill. I'm going to mentally walk through the whole process (again), starting from when I get in the building and ending with 'Congratulations!' I tend to get stomach-churningly nervous when I take a test, and it's even bad when I pass. You would think that 'Congratulations' would be a good thing, and it is, but I feel like throwing up and then passing out. This is probably something I should have gotten therapy for years ago.

So, after my last test, to reward myself, I bought Monkey Island 3. This time I'll go vintage shopping.

Tonight there is a quarterly meeting at a restaurant in Chinatown, on George Street. We've been there before, and have decided to eat right beforehand as well as after, because we don't like styrofoam balls with claws sticking out of them or lobsters deep-fried in tasty cheese.


I passed the test and wasn't even that nervous, which made me nervous. Anyway, I ended up getting a pair of trousers. Not as fun as Monkey Island, I must say.