CAP Test Preparation

I am in the thick of studying to take and pass the Certified Administrative Professional exam. Most of the administrative professionals at Chugach have taken this rigorous test. Many have passed on the first try; some have not.

The study material consists of three manuals and an extended supplemental list of related books, magazines, periodicals, and newspapers. Office Administration, Office Systems and Technology, and Management are the three components of the exam.

Studying is slow-going and frustrating. The latest editions are from 2005, which is ancient, espcially with regard to Information Technology which is in a constant state of flux. Also, the authors have done a poor job of actually writing  and I find myself mentally editing what they have written, wondering if I have guessed and grasped what they really meant to convey.

Clear and precise communication is one of the most important objectives for the administrative professional and this concept is stressed throughout the three books. Ironically, the authors are often anything but. At first I thought it was just me, but my study partner Gorgeous Jen, who is very much on the ball and a former editor, has expressed the same.

Still, the subject matter can be surprisingly interesting, which is a good thing considering the profession I am in. I am definitely learning and appreciating all the new brain connections I am forging!

We started late and basically have to read and assimilate four chapters a day. Pretty impossible actually for both of us. Jen has two small children; I teach after work.

The test will be in Fairbanks as there were not enough Anchorage students to make it worthwhile to host the exam here. I am flying up the day before; Jen is driving. It will be interesting to compare the Fairbanks of 2012 with the town I knew 25 years ago!

Break a leg Jen and alison!

Update

I re-scheduled my test to May 2013, but Jen passed!!

 

Mid-Week

I have been in a seminar for administrative professionals this week in downtown Anchorage at a hotel.  Debra Ballard of Macon, GA is the instructor and she is wonderful: intelligent, funny, observant, and completely qualified after 25 years in the utility industry. 

I am proud to say I am able to negotiate the spirals in the parking garage without undue difficulty. This is a first for me!  Hurrah!!

Horror of horrors, there is another wind/rainstorm forecast for Southcentral this weekend.  Turnagain Arm and the Hillside are forecast to get the brunt, but I think I heard 60 mph wind in Anchorage.  As the leaves are still on the trees, this could do just as much damage as last week's storm. 

We are terrified that the big cottonwood in the back yard will go down.  It could easily take out any number of houses.  Think good thoughts, everybody.

We are on "call-out" alert at the utility company.

In other news, I believe I have found all the supporting evidence necessary to document our move to AK to qualify for the Permanent Fund Dividend checks that get doled out to AK residents in late fall.   I am rather proud of this as we have things piled everywhere in this tiny house.  This deadline is coming up fast, faster than the CAP test in Anchorage, and so, takes priority.

Of course, I had to do this when the lad was sleeping, so I am quite sure I woke him up.  This house is not working for us for a number of reasons; not least of which when one of us is up, we have to be quiet, for the other one is sleeping.

I am way behind on my studying as is Jen, my study partner.  Somehow that makes me feel comforted as she is formidably organized and has passed out a study sheet with dates, materials, and chapters when things have to be done, and both of us are behind.  This weekend I will have to hit the books hard. 

Lots of other things going on as well, such as house hunting and other related activities.

I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know my fellow Admin Assistants, who are all upstairs.  Especially Nikki who is strong, smart, funny, and outgoing!

Happy Birthday to my brother-in-law Kirk today!

P.S. I know there are people viewing these posts, but it feels a bit funny posting when there is no feedback.  About a year ago, I altered the settings so folks are able to leave comments, so please feel free to do so!  Otherwise, I will just publish a book~! 

Our Yard-Post Storm

September 2012 Storm and Aftermath

Yes, this is termination dust on the Chugach range.  We are supposed to get a frost tonight so will have to harvest the mint.

 

 

Hundreds of trees uprooted

 

                                         This poor little house!

 Directing traffic at one of the many intersections where street lights were out.

 
 The flagpole on the Park Strip came down.

Hurray for the Chugach linemen working so hard to restore power!

 

 

 

 

 

Some folks (less than 2000) are still without power after our terrific wind and rainstorm this week.  I feel bad for the elderly and sick who can't afford to go to a hotel.  But our crews were out working double shifts.  We pulled crews from Homer and Golden Valley and by yesterday there were 36 crews for Chugach alone working to get power restored to everyone.

Many small pockets of Anchorage went out.  Chugach lost miles and miles of lines and severely damaged the distribution system.  The hardest-hit areas looked like a bomb zone, according to the crews who were out.  Hundreds of trees heavily laden with leaves went down on lines.  The sparking and arcing on Tuesday night looked like fireworks and the sky was an eerie blue. Small fires erupted, leaving a burned smell in the air.

We were terrified the huge cottonwood in the back yard would come down because that could easily take out any of five houses.  Our neighbors were too.  It was not that one though, but others in neighbors' yards that came crashing down.  I heard the Irish say, "Bob's tree came down in our yard" and I just put my good ear in the pillow and tried to block out the wind.  This area does not usually get this type of wind.

Along Seward highway at McHugh Creek, the wind was recorded at 98 mph until the machine broke!  So we still really do not know (and does it matter) how high the winds blew.  We only know it did major damage and we had many many angry and upset customers who expected us to pay for their spoiled fish, caribou, moose, and bear.

On Wednesday, a sleepy city got up to coffee or no coffee.  School was cancelled, the Anchorage Daily News could not print the paper, hundreds of businesses were closed including the Irish's bank.  Eventually all you could hear was the sound of chainsaws and generators.  Many acts of kindness occurred as Facebook shows.

Our phone lines were overloaded and Member Services could not keep up so they asked others in the building to come and assist.  I never realized the coordination necessary in Dispatch to not only send the crews out to locations but to make sure no crew was near any other crew. 

I worked 3 1/2 hours OT on Thursday and worked the outage lines during the day on Thursday and Friday and in fact just got a call from June as I was next on the list asking me to come in and work.  I am not going to though as I have some major studying to do for the CAP test which is fast coming up and I still feel tired from talking to so many customers and upset that some don't understand that the crews are taking an average of four hours for each outage because they have so much chain saw work to do to get to the downed lines.

June sounded exhausted.

Happy Labor day Eve Day 2012~

Fall is here in Anchorage.  We have regular night now and the leaves have been falling since July.  The wind has been blowing and it is not the warm wind of summer (which was not warm).

I continue to wear Bon Ton super-sale-priced sandals to work.  My office is on the sun-less side of the building and is a little cool, but until it snows, I am going to enjoy free feet for as long as I can!

We continue not to be able to find things in this overcrowded and small house but have made some headway consolidating and getting rid of things here and there. I mean, why have two blender bases when one of them doesn't work??

We lost Pak which was a huge blow for both of us.  Her garden has filled in with plants, but we feel her loss deeply.

We closed the door on a 4 1/2 yr old accident, which I still feel the ramifications from.  It was as traumatizing as getting hit,  but it is done and we can move forward.

We were so fortunate that my friend Terry was able to come over and feed Larkin while we were gone.  He sure was happy to see us!

We are looking forward to the next chapter here: spending more time together, fishing, hunting, and berry-picking next year since we don't have to go out of state!  Hurrah!

It is fantastic having three days off and not having to go anywhere.  Yesterday I made Italian minestrone with everything in it but the kitchen sink and a clean chicken stock and soup.  Today I made tortilla chips (which were exactly like flat Jonnycakes) layered with cheese and a black bean sauce, baked in the oven then served with fresh salsa and sour cream.  Yum yum!

Tomorrow we have the day off together and if fine, will venture south towards Hope and Whittier.  Otherwise a BBQ and some touring around Anchorage.

August Travels