September was quite a month. I started cramming for a certification exam on Labor Day weekend and basically did nothing but work, study, sleep, and eat for a little over two weeks. All that focus allowed me to pass the exam – I am now a Certified Supply Chain Professional through APICS. Besides the exam content material, I learned a couple of other things.
Learning #1 – set a deadline. I purchased the self-study course in the Fall of 2009. I did not set an exam date until I was informed that the material and exam were going to be revamped in 2012. Thus, the cramming to pass the exam by the end of this year.
Learning #2 – breathe.
Josh decided to come home the weekend prior to my exam, which in itself was a nice thing, but his trip back to Castleton was somewhat eventful. Eventful to the point I nearly had to drive up to meet him in northern Pennsylvania – that wonderful son of mine left home with barely any money in his wallet and no debit or gas card to use. But Josh is resourceful and made it back to campus with just about a quarter of a tank of gas. Oh, normally it wouldn’t have been an issue, but one of the legs of his trip, I-88, was shut down due to issues resulting from Hurricane Irene. He had to rely on his phone’s GPS to get him to Castleton. And it all worked out.
That Sunday when all of this was happening, I was a mess. Between the stress of studying and the worrying about Josh, it felt like my world was a jumbled-up pile of crud. Luckily, my mom called – I vented, I was emotional, and it all turned out good. Later, my sister reminded me that I’m a worry queen. Yep.
The weekend after the exam was the Maryland Wine Festival. Jamie and I went on Saturday and both wound up buying more bottles of wine than we had planned on. But again, it’s all good. It rained on and off while we were there but it didn’t matter because we were having a good time. I really like wines – especially the port – from Little Ashby Vineyards on Maryland’s eastern shore, and sadly, they don’t distribute on this side of the Bay. Next year, we’re going to remember to take our own oyster crackers to help cleanse our palettes in between wine tastings. And a bigger umbrella (just in case). And shoes that are a little more comfortable. And lawn chairs. That should do it. Oh, and more money would be a plus.
And then there was Castleton’s Homecoming Weekend the last weekend in September. I drove up to Vermont, hoping for more fall colors, getting slightly disappointed there was still so much green. I had a great time with Josh on Saturday, taking a boat tour of Lake Bomoseen and shopping around Rutland. The drive home was uneventful but foggy. I started listening to a new book, “A Cup of Friendship”.
My next big task is to get back into writing. There’s another short story competition coming up with a November deadline, and I’ve had this idea rolling around in my head for the past several weeks. Now I just need to get the thoughts on paper and see what happens.
Musings from Maryland 