So I took my test on Monday and passed it. I’m pretty happy about it. But now I have to start studying for test number 3. No rest for the weary.

I intended to go out and have a few beers last night. I didn’t make it. Meghan and I ate some sushi and then I came home, read a book, and fell asleep.

Tonight I have to do my taxes. And study. FUN!

So I’m back at ERC. It’s about a quarter to noon on Sunday. I’m sitting here studying (of course) and looking out the front door. There’s a weird guy out there squatting on the ground. I walked by him earlier and he was checking himself out in a mirror by the eyeglasses store.

Anyway he’s field stripping a fishing pole and reassembling it. He just finished redoing the fishing line and removing a big snarl. He’s even got his own tackle box. I think he’s some kind of weird performance artist. I remember seeing a bum a few years back with a fishing pole. There was a cup on the end of his line and he was fishing for change. I didn’t give him any, but i thought it was a nice touch.

Don Knotts RIP

Don Knotts is dead. My mother in law is a huge Andy Griffith fan so I know she’ll be sad.

It’s been a long week. I busted my ass at work this week, and studied hard most nights. So now it’s Friday night, and where am I? That’s right. I’m at ERC doing some more studying. The test this time is Cisco Voice Over IP. Think of it as a primer course for someone completely uninitiated in the world of traditional telephony.

In my field, there’s a great convergence going on between traditional telephony and data systems. On one side you have your copper wire phone technicians and PBX guys who know their system and are very resistant to change. On the other side you have your data guy, who is certified and can program routers in his sleep, but when you say POTS, he ain’t thinking about a phone

Then there’s guys like me and my coworkers. We saw this convergence coming and have been trying to stay ahead of curve. Which is why I’ve been studying so much. It’s not easy to learn, but it is very interesting. And once you’ve programmed a few routers and firewall, and installed a few servers, that gets boring. So now I have a whole new area of technology to play with. I won’t be getting bored any time soon because there are constant innovations that keep things from getting stale.

So anyway right now I’m reading about SIP, which stands for Session Initiation Protocol. Sounds boring, but it’s the basis for Googletalk and Vonage, and other Instant Messaging applications. You’ve probably noticed that IM programs are offering more features than simple chat, like real-time video, and the ability to make phone calls. This is another facet of the convergence that everyday folks are getting to experience. I get to set up these converged voice/video/data networks, and I get paid to do it! It’s like getting paid to play video games, or go to the movies. It’s awesome.

Enough babbling. Back to work!

John Kricfalusi’s Blog. You’ll remember him from Ren and Stimpy, and George Liquor. Awesome style.

So I took my Cisco IP Telephony exam today. I won’t keep you in suspense. I killed it. So i have a big boost of confidence going into my next exam, which is Cisco Voice Over IP. I’m downtown, at ERC of course, studying for that one. I’ve already scheduled it for Friday at 2:00 PM.

The Cisco ball is rolling down the hill.

On a non-Cisco note, today was a rough day at work. We’re pretty busy. So I may be working some late nights this week. That may cut into my studying time, which will then cut into my sleep time. I may be a wreck by Friday. OK so that was a Cisco note. Fuck it. I told you I’d be all Cisco all the time for the rest of the year.

OK back to the grind.

I’m currently downtown at ERC studying for my CIPT test, yet again. I’ve taken the test twice, and failed it. The last time I took it, I came within 2 questions of passing it. Since then I’ve worked with it more, and been privileged to attend a 2 week boot camp torture fest where Cisco VoIP was pounded into my very soul. Needless to say, I feel more confident in my understanding of the fundamentals of Cisco CallManager.

So today I’m refreshing my knowledge and preparing for my exam, which I’ll be taking tomorrow. I’m preparing for these things one at a time, not allowing myself to even think about the next one. Each topic has its own special pitfalls, and I really only can prepare for one at a time.

You’d think that after all this, I’d be getting sick of Cisco, but the opposite is proving to be true. The more I learn, the more excited I get. You can really do some amazing things with this technology, and soon I’ll be able to say that I have done them. Because, regardless of how these exams turn out, I’m already scheduled to begin some pretty awesome installations, that will take me all over the country. I’m fuckin STOKED about it, although being away from Meggy is tough on both of us. But we both know it’s going to be a good thing for both of us.

So the rest of the day is going to be devoted to Cisco IP Telephony. Sorry Sonya, my days of beer drinking and tomfoolery are over for the near future. Just wait, after I pass all these damn tests, we’re gonna have a little party.

OK, I made it back safely from DC. I’ve spent a couple days relaxing and now it’s time to start taking my CCVP exams. My first one is on Monday. Once I’m done with that, the next will be on Friday. I’m hoping to have all 5 done by the end of February. We’ll see how well I can stick to that timeline.

I spent the evening drinking coffee and studying down at ERC. There’s a new girl making drinks and she scorched the hell out of my latte. I’ll let it slide this time, but if it happens again, I’m throwing it in her face. Don’t fuck with my coffee.

OK I’m kidding. But that shit was bad.

Anyway I’m wired now and I got a lot done. I’m feeling pretty confident about my CCVP. By the way, hope you like reading about Cisco, because that’s practically all I’ll be thinking about until I get my CCIE Voice done. It’s just the way it’s gotta be.

One other thing while I’m thinking about it. If you are looking for a good tax-deductible charitable donation to make, please consider my pal Sonya. She’s walking for the American Heart Association and would like some support. Meg and I are gonna give, so why don’t you?

Support Sonya

So there’s about 6 inches of snow on the ground now. Not windy at all, so hopefully i’ll be flying at the regular time tomorrow morning. I’m ready to get home.

Side note. I’m not a huge fan of the Boondocks, but the cartoon on Adult Swim is fucking great. Watch that shit.

Tomorrow is my last day of CCVP boot camp. My brain is totally fucked. I’ve had so much shit crammed into it that I’m surprised i can remember anything.

The good news is that I learned a lot. I’m much more comfortable with Cisco CallManagers, which is the whole point. The bad news is I will have to do a lot more studying to get my CCVP cert. there’s just copious amounts of information. I’m going to have to take it one test at a time. The cool part was that I got to see what one of the CCIE Voice labs was like, since we got to work on one. It’s gonna be tough

Well, I fly out on Sunday which is when there’s supposed to be a nice huge blizzard here in DC. I may not make it. We’ll see.

Steelers Win!!

I’m very happy right now. Jerome Bettis is retiring a champ. Hines Ward is the Superbowl MVP!

It was kind of an ugly game. I think Big Ben only completed 9 passes. But he made a few key brilliant plays. Like the one where he scrambled out of the pocket and made out like he was going to run for the first down. Then he stopped short of the line of scrimmage and launched a bomb to Hines Ward down on the 4 yard line. Genius.

Amazing game. I’m sad that the season is over. Gotta wait 8 months for the next season to start.

OK, you know that it’s Super Sunday. Let me say that I’m FUCKING STOKED that my team is in this thing. It’s even better that my friend Eric is in Seattle and is a Seahawks fan. I got in a little shit talking via MSN messenger yesterday, but let me announce it for the world to read on my site:

Troy Polamalu is like Superman. Bald ass Matt Hassleback is like Lex Luthor. You do the math.

I have the Steelers winning by 10. I have Hines Ward crying like an infant after the game. Jerome Bettis will retire. Ben Roethlisberger will be going to DisneyWorld.

It’s coming soon. We’re all going to the Carpool, a local sports bar here in DC, to watch the festivities.