Part II, Juggling the Work/Home/Life Test

The night before the Food Manager's Exam, I still had about thirty pages to go over in my study guide, but it was hard to concentrate with loud music blasting in the living room of my apartment.

"I can't believe this.  Why is he here?  You told him about Toby...about your test tomorrow," Kate said.  She was already in bed while at sat at the desk in our room.

"I guess Zack told him to come over anyway," I said & re-read the same sentence for the third time on the study guide.

"I'm gonna give 'em until ten o'clock...then he's outta here," she said.  "This is ridiculous."

It sucks because Kate & I had had such a wonderful day.  A month prior, I scored two free tickets to Legoland from a guest at the hotel & had to use them before they expired.  So, we each took the day off, drove up to Carlsbad, saw the sights, rode the rides & topped it off with a great dinner at a sit-down Mexican restaurant.    

A few days before, Kate had to put down her ten year old dog, Toby.  It was really hard for the both of us.  If you've ever had to make that choice, you know that it's one of the toughest ones you'll ever make.  

So, I thought going to a theme park would help take her mind off of things for a while.  And, it did raise our spirits- until we got home & found my visiting friend from college, Tony in a fury of sheet pans & weed brownies with our roommate Zack.  

I had already hung out with Tony a couple times while he'd been in town from Chicago, so I felt that I wasn't obligated to do so on that particular night.

"I have my food managers exam in the morning, I gotta study," I told him.

"Oh, big deal.  Forty-one degrees this, wash your hands that.  Why don't you have a beer & try some of these brownies?" Tony said.

"Not tonight, man.  It's been a long day.  Just try to keep it down, will ya?" I asked & retreated to my bedroom to read.  The was no reasoning with Zack at this point.  I would bring it up later at work or home when I saw him again.

Kate kept to her word & kicked them all out at 10 pm & our quiet hours resumed.  

I got up on time the next day & passed the Food Manager's Exam with a 78% (3 points higher than necessary to pass).