a cup of tea......

Somedays a cup of tea is more valuable than most things I could think of.....
A stress filled day, preparing for a Christmas party and crisis with kids.
Right now one is upstairs bemoaning the unfairness of life ( no video games) so I decided to hide with my computer and YOU.
My exam has come and gone, 2 hours fighting traffic and an accident, I barely got there in time! I will NOT drive downtown for my classes ( which hopefully start in January). I will find out in another week if I am a Ministry Approved Food Handler. I put it in capitals 'cause it sounds more important that way. What it really means is I now know how unsanitary I've been all these years. It's amazing I've lived this long!
Christmas is around the corner and I am busy making appetizers and dips and cookies and ....and.... stuff!

Merry Christmas! Remember to enjoy those around you and love those who are unloved!

Christine

Little grey haired men

So last night I hit a wee bit of a wall. Nothing major , but you can only read that frozen foods should be frozen at -18 and ground meet should be cooked to a temp of 70 so many times.

I therefore switched to the practice exercises, where a cartoon of a little grey haired man about an inch and a half tall moves across a blackboard writing true or false statements. After a while of answering his questions I noticed that his arm didn't move when he wrote. Then I noticed that his legs didn't move either, he just sort of glided. It was when I began to feel sorry for this poor elderly man who was obviously forced into unhealthy work conditions,  I mean he is in a T shirt and it is December , that I realized I needed a break. So I put on the movie Julie and Julia for inspiration.

Did you know that when a bacteria changes into a spore it is no longer considered a contaminating micro organism?

Didn't think you did,..... neither did I .  lol

The race is on.....and so is the shortbread

So I decided not to let my free time go to waste, after all it is Christmas. The Christmas music went on, and to the tune of the Little Drummer Boy I made shortbread with my daughter. My son liked putting on the cherries, red of course. Later yesterday, my customer rep pulled a rabbit out of a hat in the form of a working password and I am up and running!

Micro organisms beware I am learning many ways of destroying you!

Exam Thursday, feeling better, I think it will be OK.

Made gingerbread men today and raspberry coconut squares.

Panic Attack!

OK, I am deep breathing and counting to 10 slowly,..... well not too slowly.
    As you know it started last Wednesday when I found out my course was cancelled,  I had discovered the fine art of grovelling and was registered in the online version. Unfortunately the password I was given did not appreciate my grovelling. I, of course, note the sarcasm, didn't check to see if the password was valid until Friday night.

It isn't valid.

My exam is Thursday and I have been playing email tag with a customer service rep since late Friday night, midnight actually. I still have no access, apparently my friend the nice lady has made an all too human error and given me someone else's password.
   The day I had set aside to study has come and gone and I am left trying to stay calm while trying to study with my wonderful 4 kids. Children who of course have picked this time to fight constantly, note sarcasm is growing. So... study I will, I can get it done, the exam is not rocket science, GO ME!

Except I CAN'T study because I still don't have a valid password.

Back to the panic attack.............

On my way ......Take 2

It was a significant step to enrol in my first course in almost 20 years and a relief to know I was finally committed.
SO..........
I was really disappointing to see the very next day an email informing me that it had been cancelled. However, after feeling , I admit it, a wave of self pity and disappointment, I called and grovelled.
The nice lady ( I think we are almost on a first name basis) was very sweet , as per her name and enrolled me in an online version.  I am on my way again and my exam is next week.

I WISH they would stop calling it that, it's freaking me out!

On My Way

It's official, OK I didn't register last night, but I did register this morning! I am officially a college student at the ripe old age of 42. The fact that I had to think just now about what my actual age is will not deter me. I am ABLE to do this course,.... right?
Just a little nervous, I didn't like the word "exam" the  nice lady on the phone used when she explained the course. "Quiz" or "Test" would have sounded much less intimidating . How can a one day course have an "exam"?
I'll be fine,..... head up , walk forward, no fear.

Ok. maybe a little.

No Info Session, Yeah!

     There has to be at least 1 1/2 feet of snow outside BRRR. I keep thinking of driving down to an info session tonight. A session which my mature adult brain tells me I should go to, but I am a complete wimp when it comes to cold weather. I am sure I don't warm up until July.

    So I called this wonderful lady who sounded considerably younger than me ( what am I getting into?). She answered all my questions and the end result is no info session in the snow!  I will probably register for my first course tonight which involves being certified by the Ministry of Health as a food handler, sounds somewhat suspicious! lol