Jennifer-By-The-Bay, Part Deux

Hi everyone. Hope that you've all had a great day. It's COLD here in Seattle today! Pretty, but cold. Veddddy windy. The wind picks up off the water and it's so chilly. I've not seen the torrential rains that everyone in the midwest seems to believe are so typical of Seattle. Watch, sure as I say that to you, the skies will open tomorrow and the rains will come.

Class went well today. We covered a LOT of ground. This is exactly the kind of stuff I was hoping we'd be covering. Lots of discussion about veterans' preference entitlements, to include some relatively new campaign medals and vet pref guidelines (i.e., the Korea Defense Service Medal). We also had some significant discussion about ICTAP. Those of you who are regular readers of my blog know allllllll to well why ICTAP's of interest to me. Something I didn't know was that the laws don't allow for the portability of ICTAP eligibilities. If you are involuntarily separated via a BRAC or a RIF (reduction-in-force), you're only able to claim ICTAP eligibility in the commuting area wherein you were separated. So that washes my previous concern that perhaps my ICTAP match came from out of town (we did learn later that she was indeed a local RIF'ee, but that momentary worry was there that she lost a job someplace else and then came here and stole from me my chances at "the perfect job.") It's going well and I am really glad I came. I am learning a lot and my instructor is great. He stuck around with me for a bit after class today to answer questions and to help me get a better handle on A-C-E examining versus category ranking. So good - I feel like I am coming along and like I'll be able to really do well when I get home. Time will tell.

Outside the classroom, we had a few interesting experiences today. Apparently, today was "National Coffee Break Day" (who knew?!) and our friends at Starbucks gave away free coffee this morning in celebration of this oh-so-amazing-and-meaningful holiday. At 10-till-10 this morning, my classmates and I trudged out into the freezing cold for coffee. Now, mind you, I am not a coffee fan. But hell, it was free and I am in Seattle. My coffee-addicted husband (and all of my friends back home) would never let me live it down if I didn't make at least a small effort to indluge myself in their beloved beverage on this special day-of-days. So I did. In the elevator on the way back up to class, my classmates and I met two very kind Commanders in the 13th Coast Guard District of the United States Coast Guard, who made us gleefully late to class after giving us a tour of their office, a look out their 38th story window at the Bay (yowza), and a quick once-over of what they do. Truthfully, the ladies I was with just went to ogle the cute guys (and I will admit, one of those Commanders was mighty attractive), but I just felt honored to get the experience and to say "I met two Commanders in the Coast Guard." Daddy will love this...he's such a military history buff. After lunch, a handful of Seattle's finest citizens decorated the front of the Federal Building with silent protest signs. Let's see, one said "Democracy Hypocrisy." Another said (in large letters) "IMPEACH!" Yet another said "FASCIST." Nice. I'll give them credit - at least they weren't the whack-job protest-happy mongrels you see on TV. But yikes. A classmate later told me she saw those folks holding up signs showing a nude George Bush and Dick Cheney covered only in fig leaves. I don't get it, but whatever. I wish I'd had the digital camera. Oh, and my "SMILE" friend was out in full force again today. Nice of him to risk life, limb, and frostbite for the betterment of Seattle's emotional stability.

Even though this is a good experience and I know I need to be here, I miss home something fierce. I miss my husband. I miss my baby girl. I miss my killer Boston Terrier. I miss my own bed and the way my home smells and feels. I'll be home Friday...just wish Friday'd come a little sooner.

I've not blogged much about "American Idol" lately. Here's my summary in brief of the last two weeks. The American public made a big mistake sending Gedeon home. That honor really should have gone to the talentless Bucky. Someone please help me understand what the world proper sees in this man. The loss of Ayla was a shock as well. Melissa really should have gone home instead, and her horrible performance last night just further illustrates my point. Of last night's performances, the stand-outs were my guy Taylor, Paris, Mandisa, and Katharine. Chris is fantastic, but I wish he'd not rocked out that song. It would have been nice to have seen a softer side of this guy. Lisa and Elliott are both amazing performers, but I don't think their performances were stand-outs last night. The worst performances were Bucky (gee, there's a shocker), Kevin (although I must admit that it's fun watching Chicken Little bust at Simon), Kellie (it's SO time for her to go), and Ace (who, while delicious, isn't showing us his true voice...he's got such a good voice, but where's he hiding it?) My pick to go home tonight? I want it to be Bucky, but it will probably be Kevin or Kellie.

It's Thai night at my hotel, so I'm off to dinner. Have a great night everyone!