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Jun. 19th, 2014 08:17 amThree days. Three long days.
Some years ago we at work adopted a framework for delivering IT services to the rest of the corporation. It's called ITIL. We didn't implement much of it but are pushing more towards it these days. It's all processes and "best practices" and all the other buzzwords you don't want to know. More buzzwords and acronyms than you *ever* want to know. We had a course and had to write an exam.
Now, we've all had to upgrade to a newer version of it. Those of us that had certification in the old version had to sit through a three day course. Those that had been certified in the current version will only need a one day refresher. It's probably the worst course I've ever had to sit through in that they bombard you with information and definitions and a few examples, but mostly you absorb what you can, memorize what you can and hope for the best on the exam. Two and a half days to plow through 300 pages of the manual, less than that really because there are exercises and two practice exams so you might as well say it's only two days of "learning".
The exam is multiple choice but the wording can be very tricky. The practice exams are supposed to be old retired exams. They weren't too bad. I did ok on those. If they truly were exams in the past, I think they were retired because they were too easy. The actual exam was worse. However, I apparently passed. We've got preliminary emails with a pass/fail. We will later get the actual results and an e-certificate which sucks. For the amount of money it probably costs them to put this on, you'd think they'd insist on proper certificates printed on proper certificate paper. Why should I spend my money to have it printed on nice paper? Anyway I don't care what my actual score was (you have to have 65% or 26 out of 40 questions to pass). With any luck they won't change the versions again before I retire!
Still no actual wedding date because there isn't a venue booked yet. I have a feeling we could do it on a Sunday rather than a Saturday which is ok because it's not an evening dinner/dance thing anyway. I'm going to meet someone at one of the local hotels on Saturday to chat and see their facilities. That's the first one. I've sent a couple other emails out and nobody's got back to me. I don't understand why they would be so offhanded about potential business. I sent the emails a week ago using the contact information on the websites. If that's incorrect, then they've very likely missed out a lot of business.
25 Sleeps until the Queen concert in Montreal!!! Can i just say how excited i am? (!!!!) They are my all time favourite. My only regret is never seeing them when Freddie was alive but Adam Lambert does a very good job. But i know Brian May's guitar is going to burst my heart right out of my chest. as much as I loved Freddie, it was always Brian's playing and sound that lifted me. We're going to be on the floor near the stage, well... the stage is going to have a ramp or catwalk out away from it and that's what we're going to be near. There are seats but I expect we'll be on our feet for most of it and it's going to be 3 hours, no opening band, no intermission. At least I'll have a chair to sit in if my legs or back get too tired. I'm going with a coworker and another friend and the coworker saw them in London two summers ago. She said it was the same then, long show, no intermission, no opening act. I'm so stoked!
Some years ago we at work adopted a framework for delivering IT services to the rest of the corporation. It's called ITIL. We didn't implement much of it but are pushing more towards it these days. It's all processes and "best practices" and all the other buzzwords you don't want to know. More buzzwords and acronyms than you *ever* want to know. We had a course and had to write an exam.
Now, we've all had to upgrade to a newer version of it. Those of us that had certification in the old version had to sit through a three day course. Those that had been certified in the current version will only need a one day refresher. It's probably the worst course I've ever had to sit through in that they bombard you with information and definitions and a few examples, but mostly you absorb what you can, memorize what you can and hope for the best on the exam. Two and a half days to plow through 300 pages of the manual, less than that really because there are exercises and two practice exams so you might as well say it's only two days of "learning".
The exam is multiple choice but the wording can be very tricky. The practice exams are supposed to be old retired exams. They weren't too bad. I did ok on those. If they truly were exams in the past, I think they were retired because they were too easy. The actual exam was worse. However, I apparently passed. We've got preliminary emails with a pass/fail. We will later get the actual results and an e-certificate which sucks. For the amount of money it probably costs them to put this on, you'd think they'd insist on proper certificates printed on proper certificate paper. Why should I spend my money to have it printed on nice paper? Anyway I don't care what my actual score was (you have to have 65% or 26 out of 40 questions to pass). With any luck they won't change the versions again before I retire!
Still no actual wedding date because there isn't a venue booked yet. I have a feeling we could do it on a Sunday rather than a Saturday which is ok because it's not an evening dinner/dance thing anyway. I'm going to meet someone at one of the local hotels on Saturday to chat and see their facilities. That's the first one. I've sent a couple other emails out and nobody's got back to me. I don't understand why they would be so offhanded about potential business. I sent the emails a week ago using the contact information on the websites. If that's incorrect, then they've very likely missed out a lot of business.
25 Sleeps until the Queen concert in Montreal!!! Can i just say how excited i am? (!!!!) They are my all time favourite. My only regret is never seeing them when Freddie was alive but Adam Lambert does a very good job. But i know Brian May's guitar is going to burst my heart right out of my chest. as much as I loved Freddie, it was always Brian's playing and sound that lifted me. We're going to be on the floor near the stage, well... the stage is going to have a ramp or catwalk out away from it and that's what we're going to be near. There are seats but I expect we'll be on our feet for most of it and it's going to be 3 hours, no opening band, no intermission. At least I'll have a chair to sit in if my legs or back get too tired. I'm going with a coworker and another friend and the coworker saw them in London two summers ago. She said it was the same then, long show, no intermission, no opening act. I'm so stoked!
