One Down . . . One to Go

I just finished the English 6-12 subject area exam and I'm now chilling (literally; those Southerners know how to air-condition!) at the public library in Niceville. I think I did okay on the test. I finished ten minutes early and gave myself time to go back through the exam and doublecheck answers. Only changed two. I think that's good. Generally, when I'm doing multiple choice and logic fails me, I go with the gut. It's not a good thing to change your answers too many times.

I noticed on Thursday that I still had a sore throat. That started Tuesday or Wednesday, but I'd just chalked it up to allergies. By the time I got home from class Thursday night, my nose was alternately clogged and dripping like a leaky faucet. I'd caught the dreaded cold! At least I think it's a cold. I can never tell about these things, which makes it all the harder to medicate. Cold? Allergy? Sinus infection? My husband trolled the aisles with me at the pharmacy last night and we took our ticket up to the counter for 24-hour Sudafed. It's one of those medications you have to ask for now -- and they won't give you ten or twelve packages, either! Anyway, I came home last night, medicated, and tried to get some sleep.

We were having a lightning storm at the time Ed and I crept into bed. The inky black sky was lit up with scary veins of hot white light. Then the thunder started, long, rolling, grumbling waves of thunder. I woke up sometime in the middle of the night from a restless slumber, heart racing as the thunder and lightning went on and on and the rain fell relentlessly. I had to use the bathroom several times. I got up to check on the microwave, afraid our appliances would get struck by lightning (happened to my parents long ago and they had to replace everything). Looked in on the computer and let the cat out of the office to roam. Lay back down. Got up again to blow my nose. Lay back down. Sweated. Listened to the dog whine out on the porch. You get the idea. It wasn't a restful night. Just the kind of thing you want to happen to you before you take a big certification exam in the morning.

But, morning did come and we welcome the rain. It has been so dry and dusty here. I've wailed about owning a dark blue car and living on a dirt road. This morning, the car was relatively clean and the road wasn't bad, the rain having washed loose sand into the washboard-like grooves we'd endured the past month. My husband brought me coffee, I medicated, and took a shower to wash off the film of a bad night's rest. My husband made us breakfast: sausage, hash browns, wholewheat muffins and poached eggs. That man can cook! And here I am. One exam down and one to go.

I have to report back to the college at 1 p.m. and it's 11:30 now. Time to find some lunch and look through my notes one last time. Wish me luck.