Testing

On my way to the real estate exam location, rounding the corner, the 1940's architecture of the city building practically knocks you over the head. There it is in all of its horizontally dominant and retro-tiled glory. The first thing I was greeted by was a 1940's security officer with coke-bottle glasses sitting at a heavy metal 1940's desk asking me to sign in. I scribbled "Connie Chung" on the sheet and proceeded up to the 4th floor cafeteria a.k.a. the real estate examinee's holding pen. There, all types of humans were frantically doing last minute studying, eating burritos and sandwiches and drinking vending machine coffee as we waited with baited breath for the "Proctor" - very official sounding. Frauline Proctor showed up a few minutes later (German woman about 60ish) and gave some elegantly accented instructions and had us follow her down to the exam room. The exam was so back in the day!!! I felt like I was 12years old again at Afton-Lakeland elementary doing the proficiency tests with the bubble letter sheets and paper exam books! When I was in MN we did the Real Estate test via computer and you got your results right there, which could be dangerous if someone unstable were to not pass their exam for the 5th time in a row and happened to have a semi-automatic on them. Anyway, you get your results in 7 business days here because they send them to Sacramento to be checked...I think the Pony Expressdelivers the papers. Later on was the highly dramatic building codes class. I'm grateful that the folks who dreamed up the building code split it into three volumes because I rode my bike and 1 volume is enough to lug around. Getting to class on my bike down Park Blvd is fun, thrilling and a great way to experience the city. Getting back up the hill is a boot-camp excersie with the consequence being not getting home and having to sleep outside with the homeless.As part of my reward for an entire week of studying I picked up a bottle of wine earlier at Whole foods. This bottle of wine "Riven Rock Cabernet Sauvignon - California" has turned out to be the worst bottle of wine I've ever had in my near 30 year old life. I just don't feel like I should be punished for buying things on sale. I want to send this bottle to the Whole Foods wine buyer with a polaroid of the look on my face after taking a sip. Maybe I'll mix it with club soda and drink it anyway. Maybe I'd have better luck with a Target's new Wine Cube.