I’ve been working at NMGI for about a year and some change now. Staying very busy with all sorts of exciting work, such as fighting viruses, installing new systems, and protecting data from disastrous hard drives. Okay, maybe that is only exciting for someone who enjoys working on computers. I have over this last year accomplished a lot in regards to my pursuit of knowledge. I’ve been earning certifications and passing tests as quick as I could get the information down. However, as of late I seem to be inside a bit of a lull. I haven’t taken a test in 2 months. I could say I’m just taking my time preparing for the next, but that wouldn’t be completely honest. I keep meaning to sit down with my study materials, but just can never get focused.
The test in question is CompTIA’s Server+ exam. This test proves to the world that I know how to install and troubleshoot servers. I really don’t have much experience with working on servers at this point and so the test is a little scary. I’m learning all new information to try and pass this one. I know that if I actually sit down and go over the material I could pick it up quickly. I’ve always been able to memorize and retain information super fast.
Back when I still performed in the theatre on a regular basis, I became a good backup choice because of my ability to learn long scripts in a short time. It started with a run of the Marx Brothers’ Animal Crackers. I came in as a replacement to an actor that had dropped out and was told that it was a big part and I would only have two weeks to learn it. I agreed and got to the first rehearsal and found out I was Chico Marx. I pulled it off and that remains one of my favorite shows I have been in yet.
Right after that show I auditioned for Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Nile. I was only cast as the captain, a cameo appearance with 3 lines at the beginning of Act II. However, Dustin had been cast as Simon who was a major supporting character present in almost every scene. As I recall, Dustin’s girlfriend thought that the show took too much time and told him not to do it anymore. So he dropped out two weeks before curtain. Well guess who got promoted? If you guessed Tim from Accounts Receivable on the 5th floor you’d be wrong. It was me. I burned through the script and nailed that performance almost word for word.
I followed that show up with The Hobbit. I played Gandalf the Grey, I was a bad-ass. I took a break for about a year trying to make it in the commercial sector. I got talked into doing Esther, written and directed by Craig Williams, a local junior high school principal. Came back a few shows after that and starred as Inspector Jacque Clouseau in the stage version of The Pink Panther Strikes Back. I told the cast it would be my last show with the FCT, Family Children’s Theatre. But I lied, I came back and auditioned for a musical based on the music of John Phillips Sousa. Think Mamma Mia! meets a grade school marching band. I don’t even remember the name of the musical. I auditioned as a favor not expecting to get in because of my lack of musical talent. Unfortunately there was a shortage of people at the audition and EVERYONE got in. I was struggling with time constraints and did the one thing I swore I would never do. I dropped out. I quit the show… 2 weeks to curtain. I’ve never set foot in the theatre since. Luckily for the cast, there was a new guy that was turning heads in the community for being able to pick up and learn lines quickly. He took my place and I hear he did excellent. Ironic, isn’t it?
Regardless of my credits at the FCT, I use my powers of memorization all the time. It helps out alot when studying for all these tests. For instance, the Server+ study guide has 312 questions in it, but the actual test will only have around 100. The questions that appear on my test are randomly selected as the test is generated. So I have to learn all of it. I wouldn’t dare only study some parts and try to wing it. The way my luck goes I would get a test full of everything I didn’t learn.
My goal for this week is to read through the whole study guide twice by Sunday evening. That’s only 624 questions in 5 days. Easy enough goal right? I’ll leave you all with the very first question in the guide. See if you can answer it without Google. Now, should I start studying or play video games with my friends? Decisions, decisions, decisions….
The performance of a RAID 5 dual processor database server is degrading over time. Symptoms include excessive disk access, high memory utilization, and slow responses to database searches.
Which action should be taken to reduce the server’s bottleneck?
A.] Add more RAM.
B.] Implement RAID 1.
C.] Upgrade the CPUs.
D.] Add additional CPUs.
E.] Increase the swap file size.
Until next time, keep your nose to the grindstone…
--“The Erik” Sanburn
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