De-stash and de school updates

Last week I did this:

Unwanted and unloved (but not unlovable) stash, boxed up and sent to the ladies at Interim House.

And yesterday I went overtown and took the DANTES exam for Human Resource Management. As I expected I passed, but not by as wide a margin as I'd expected. Partly because some of the questions on the exam were on areas not covered in the recommended study materials, and partly because my time in H.R. was for a very small company. So I'm all over the union stuff, and boy, do I know my harassment & discrimination issues, but international employees? No clue. But what's important is that I did pass, and that adds another 3 lower level credits to my school record. As a way to earn credit, it was fairly fast and cheap, so I'll be looking at other DANTES and also CLEP exams to see if they'll apply.

I didn't want to say anything about the trip ahead of time because the Weather Gods were feeling peevish and I didn't want to jinx myself and/or put myself on their bad side. (You think the Knitting Gods are fickle? They got nothin' on the Weather Gods.) And as it was I wouldn't exactly say they they were on my side - but I survived.  And since I couldn't read, knit, or even listen to a podcast on the way over - I had a little time to think. 

If you can keep your breakfast when all about you

Are losing theirs and barfing it near you,

If you can trust Dramamine, when ginger is not enough,

But drink the ginger tea too.

If you can force your jaws and stomach and bowels

To serve your turn long after they are done,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them:

'Hold on!'

If you can fill the unforgiving hour

With sixty minutes worth of clenched teeth,

Yours is the mainland and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be off the damn boat!

(With serious apologies to Rudyard Kipling!  And really, I only used three stanzas - but I could have gone all the way with this!)