As we speak, or more appropriately, as I type, Kyle is driving his petrified self to San Marcos to take his last Spanish test, the only thing standing between Kyle and graduation. (At least for now) When he awoke this morning at 8:00 am voluntarily he was shaking in his booties, like a puppy in his first snow storm. Calm had set in, however, as he headed out the door. He was like a gladiator prepared to face the lions, braced for any trickster Spanish tense or strange idiom that plunged towards his heart. The previous two tests he has received scores of 90 and 92 so I am not worried. I am really proud of him stepping up after so much time of hiding behind his shield of lies to face his demons. It hasn't been easy, but we are finally nearing the end of the journey. The finish line which has seemed so close and yet completely unreachable for eons, is now within our fingertips, and I for one may jump out of my skin with rapture at the end of today. 
We will keep you updated as we are informed of his progress.Interview update:
The interview was at a temp agency called adeco and from my vantage point, it went well. I wore a nice little number with my hair pulled back, and felt very professional so that was better than originally anticipated considering my limited options, ahem... middle school clothes.
The only hiccup, however has been the assessment tests, principally the one having to do with EXCEL! Yes, it wasn't very many days ago, in which I wrote about how EXCEL HATES ME , ironic how quickly, this mutual animosity has created such a thorn in my side. The first 10 questions I could muck through just fine, as they were simple things such as widening columns and deleting rows, however, when it came to using any feature that dealt with calculating, taking averages or using formulas, I might as well have been my mom, as computer savvy as the mice living in our attic.
And then there was the typing assessment, which I actually haven't taken as of yet, because quite frankly, I am timorous of what the results will be. You see, I am a quick typist, however, my fingers like to jiggy. They like to get down, turn around and boogie to whatever music they hear, which may or may not be what I should be typing. Basically, what I am trying to say is, I make mistakes, lots of them, and the more mistakes I make, the more my fingers loose control do whatever they like especially when my nerves get the better of me. I can only take the test once, and it is a full five minutes. Five minutes of reading, or having a conversation, is equivalent to a New York minute, but five minutes of speed/accuracy typing testing is equivalent to a millennium. It requires, non-stop intense concentration, and I would rather just hide under a rock and pretend it is already over and done with. Suggestions?
I was vaguely aware that this was the dread day (I was mumbling what in my life passes for prayers for Kyle) as I travelled to my first and only revisit to Port Arthur for my first and only high school reunion (the 50th). My own dread trepidations were confirmed with several hours of encountering hundreds of unrecognizable old faces and only occasionally recognizable names (there were around 800 students in my senior class and I had seen only one of them since I graduated). The time was spent shouting the most simplistic information about my life and trying to hear and process the shouted responses. I almost lost my voice. Only slightly more rewarding was driving around town with Rachael and Joe, who weirdly chose to celebrate their wedding anniversary by coming with me. The new parts of Port Arthur look like most towns in the U. S.: lined with branded McStores and stamped out look-alike neighborhoods; the old parts of are older and falling apart (sort of like me) from mismanagement, age, and storms. Mcfaddin beach, now a wildlife preserve, is mostly closed because the storms washed out miles of the roads. Only a couple of miles are accessable. There were few people, mostly fishermen and their families. We witnessed the landing of a 40 in. "redfish". We ate at the "Schooner", though its a newer building, the old one having succummed to fire (in 1959); the seafood is still delicious. The drawbridge has been replaced by an arched bridge. The swimming pool and arcade on Pleasure Island are gone and replaced by a marina and condos. Goodbye Port Arthur!!!!!!!
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