Part of the training I am doing starts with what is called CT Bootcamp.

CT is for Credentialed Trainer and the Bootcamp is the training I am receiving to become credentialed prior to teaching the end user in a few weeks. We have been doing sessions called teach backs, this is when we teach each other what we’ve learned; maybe Monday we have one of the ID [Instructional Designers] go through a lesson and the next day, we teach it back to the group: teach backs.

Part of the credentialing process is to do a teach back for a panel and take an assessment. The panel teach back is for several people from the software company, people from the project team, instructional designers and one or more clinicians from your track. The other part of the credentiatling process is to take an assessment, this is an online test.

Today, we had our panel teach backs and had to teach one lesson that we decided on yesterday. I selected something I know well, feel confident and knew I could blow them out of the park. That was the good part. The bad part, I was number 6 in the group and they started at 1pm. By the time they got to me, I was lucky they were awake! I kid, but you can imagine what it’s like sitting there hour after hour lisenting and possibly not following along! So, there I was in the lobby area, waiting and waiting and waiting.

Finally it was my turn, I walked in and turned it on! I was engaging, energetic, enthusiastic, these are all words they used when giving feedback. There were two criticisms I received and one was right on point…I talked to fast! I know I talked too fast today, we had a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time. When my time was up, I heard duck quacks, that was the timer going off.

When I was done, they gave me feedback, then I left and headed downtown to Bar Louie with ET to meet the rest of the group. We all exchanged stories of our experience and the great part was as each person came out, they gave feedback and some advice for the next person and so on, that was stellar!

I was pumped when I finished and left the room, headed to Bar Louie and then the fun began. Happy hour specials and $1 burgers, can you believe it? Yes, even veggie burgers!

Best part? While we were sitting there, we all started to get emails…We had passed this portion of the credentialing process…WAHOO! We didn’t have to wait a week for the results. Next, we take the assessment and once we pass..We are credentialed trainers! I can add Willow to my resume, I am credentialed in two other modules.

Go Willow Team! We rock!

Transition covers so many things.

Transition can be good, it can be bad, it can be subtle, it can be non-existant, it can be over-the-top; transition can be so many things. I was watching something on a tv show and there was a transition for one of the main characters to a new job, that sparked sadness for everyone involved, even though she was told it was for the best.

We transition from season to season; the clothes in our closests, class to class, school to school, home to home, maybe we change jobs, redecorate the house, change to a new vehicle.

Life is made up of transitions and how successful those transitionas are depends on how we handle them. How do you handle change/transition?

I’m inspired tonight to talk about nicknames because apparently I have a new one.

Nicknames can be terms of endearment we give each other or maybe they are to mask the name of the person you are talking about. They range from the sweet like honey, sweetie, sugar lips to the strange like goober and well, some more inappropriate than others.

So, you know me as JJ, for my grandkids, Peaches was from the wasband, George is from high school and now Auntie George for Miss A and Auntie J for EJS and MGS and all the other kids who honor me with that title.

In grade school, I was part of “The Giggle Twins”, then because I wore those round “John Lennon” spectacles, both sunglasses as well as prescription, I started to be known as Lennon. The funny thing is, with some of these nicknames, I had friends who didn’t know my real name, they would just refer to me as one of the others. I had a cute experience with a dear friend from high school, she had told her daughter about me and how I was called Giggles and her daughter had a speech quirk at the time and called me “Diddles”, that made us chuckle.

When I got here, one night I wore that hat that SDL’s mom gave me and for some reason, one of the other trainers called me Smurf and someone else called me a gnome, not really my favorites, in the least. I know I’m short, but come on!

The reason for my post today is that apparently, I have a new nickname, T-cup. I have a wee bladder and after every section that we learn or teach, I take a bio break, it allows me to continue to work and teach for long days. I also just have to pee a lot! I can take T-cup, it’s cute and I can live with it.

So, what’s your nickname? Do you love it or loathe it?

Another day my post from yesterday got hijacked!

I was flying in from Denver to Detroit today and the flight was delayed, go figure. The flight was coming in from Minnisota and it was late, it happens. My flight Detroit to Denver on Friday was delayed, seems to be happening a bit lately, ok.

When a flight is delayed, that means that people with connecting flights could have a problem, obvious, right? Who should you get mad at when there is a chance you might miss your flight, it’s the luck of the draw. There’s no way to predict that a flight will be delayed, coming in from one place, due to weather, whatever.

The one thing that the flight crew will do is ask that people who are at their final destination to sit tight and wait to get off the plane so that the people with connecting flights have the chance to make thier next flight. Do you think it works every time? Not a chance! I’ve been on a bunch of flights that it happens and lots that it doesnt.

The guy next to me was fidgity from the word go. I’m not sure if he just doesn’t fly often, is a nervous flier or just an angry guy, a butt head, so to speak. When I got on the plane to my middle seat, he seemed put out that he had to move his sandwich, so sorry. Then when we were delayed a little more getting off the ground, he asked the flight attendant what we were waiting on.

He was fidgity and restless and unnerved the entire flight, when he wasn’t asleep, that was the best time. When we landed, he wanted to know why we weren’t at the gate immediately after landing, you know, that whole taxiing to the gate thing. Then huffing and puffing and standing up and practically walking over me and the guy in the aisle seat. When he was trying to barrel over everyone, whining and complaining the entire time, everyone was standing and trying to get off the plane to make their connections as well, I had the priviledge of seeing more of his britches than I was quite prepared for, thank you very much.

Eventually, people started to move and then it was his turn, I sat for a while longer until it was my turn to get off the plane and go down to luggage claim.

If there’s nothing you can do because you have no control over the situation, then relax and know that what will happen will happen and the airline will do what it can to help get you where you need to go. I am not a rah rah rah cheerleader for the airline, I have been put out by flights more than twice, but what can I do? Get upset? Nasty? Just go with it and do what you can to get where you need to go.

And leave the rest of us out of your misery. Thank you.

It’s so good to have friends to catch up with and open up to, vent.

This is going to be initial city! You might need a spreadsheet!
The last two weeks have been great for catching up! Last weekend I got to talk to RJS, EMD, CKM, during the week, SDL. Over this weekend, JT and yesterday, TS, we played phone tag over three days! Today it was JCT and I got to go to dinner with two of my besties on this project, KS and TS and a new trainer, ET. Yesterday, I talked to GES and of course, every day, my dad, DWS!

It’s so important to have friends to talk to, who understand what you’re going through, who will listen to what you have to say, when you’re frustrated, when you’re happy, when you’re confused, they will talk it out, talk you through it. It also helps when some of those friends you work with so they have a deeper understanding of what you’re going through, not just your friends who “nod and smile” like they know what’s going on and honestly care, but may not have a great frame of reference to follow along.

If you have one friend, you are luckier than most people, but if you have more friends, you are truly blessed and I have to tell ya…I am bursting at the seams with my good fortune.

Thank you friends. Goodnight!

I had something else I wanted to talk about but I was deraile.

yesterday was “pi(e) day” just in case you didn’t know. and for those of You who don’t Know what that means, March 14) and as you Know, pi is 3.14. The pi day tradition was started by Larry Shaw in 1988.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_Day

The reason I am giving you this background is that I really wanted some pie yesterday. It didn’t happen and that was ok because we decided we were going to have pie today. works for me!

This morning, I went up to Keystone and had a blast; DCM went to the Gun and Knife Show and had a blast. We decided on dinner and DCM went shopping while I was heading home.

When it was finally time for dessert we sliced the Cherry pie and added some lactose free Bryers vanilla ice cream, yum!

As we start eating something doesn’t taste right. DCM took another bite and we both agreed- not right. I got up to check and confirmed DCM’S suspicions…he did what I did a few months ago, he bought a sugar-free pie!

(I have become very sensative, possibly allergic to aspartame, I can taste it and it gives me a word feeling in my mouth and jaw.)

Now, while that is fine for someone who might be a diabetic or enjoy sugar-free things, more power to ya, but…

Sugar-free is just not for me! (us) and I can’t get the taste out of my mouth! Gotta find some pie soon!

Traveling to different time zones can be tough.

It all depends on which way you’re going how it will affect you. East coast to west Coast you gain 2-3 hours and west coast to east is the opposite. (I knew You figured that out, it just felt incomplete not to say it).

I’m only going to address the east/west time difference, not even touching international time difference!

They say going east to west is easier and in a lot of ways it is. I work in Michigan monday through Friday and I normally fly out on Sunday afternoons about four and get to Michigan about 9pm. It’s not to bad, if I flew in monday morning I would have to leave about 6 am, not fun.

I normally come home Friday mornings, leave at 9am and get to Colorado about 10 am. The funny thing is when I get here, even though it’s 10 am, for me, it’s 12pm and time for lunch!

Right now , even though the clock says it’s 12am my body knows its 2 am, and I was wondering why I was starting to get tired at 10pm!

my plan is to not think about the time difference and just work with the current time, I should be OK.

That being said. .. goodnight!

ps.. happy Pi Day, what kind did you have?