My wife's brain is out of control and other updates.
So my wife took the second portion of her licensing exam. You have to understand, it takes 2-3 years of grad-school, 2 years of unpaid internships, and nearly 5 years of full-time clinically supervised work just to qualify for the 2 part exam. The exams are horrendously difficult...the failure rate is greater than the state's Bar Examinations. It has two parts. The first is a simply huge multiple choice exam which requires most to enroll in an examination preparation course...she passed that last year after studying the entire summer. Then you have to wait at least 6 months and no later than 12 months to take the Clinical Vignette portion of the exam...a total killer.
Now my wife was not prepared. She enrolled and took the exam simply because she needed to within the 12 month time-frame lest she lose her 5 years of clinical hours. She intended to re-take the exam in earnest next summer, after a lengthy and expensive preparation course. She went in without taking said course, without the requisite 2 months of study/preparation, with one weekend of cramming, and with the expectation of failure...in essence, she took the exam just to get experience with the exam. The crazy thing is that she PASSED!!
She simply could not believe it. The test provided you with 8 vignettes with a total of 40 multiple choice questions. The test was designed to be confusing. Each the the answers they offered are in fact correct....it's the examinees job to decide which is MOST correct...ARGH! 0ut of the 40 questions, she felt confident with only TWO of her answers!! Simply bad-ass IMHO.
Anywayz, other updates.
1. Going to Mendocino this Thanksgiving. Love the town.
2. My sister and her family live in Orange County. They're definitely not in any danger from the wild-fires but the ash and soot has covered nearly their entire county.
3. Going to the East Coast this Christmas and touring Manhattan/New York for the first time in my life. Staying in Times Square for New Years...how cool is that! There's so much to see: Soho, Greenwich Village, Central Park, Times Square, Broadway Shows, 911 site, the UN, and endless cool little neighborhoods. We'll try to see them all. I'm counting on global warming to help us out with the weather...wow, that's bad Karma.
4. Signing up for TWO track events: both at Thunderhill, one in mid-November and the other in early December. Both with mostly Miata/Porsche run groups. I'm hoping for frigid temperatures. I hate the ridiculously hot track days at T-hill. Bad for the brain and bad for little tiny turbo impeller wheels. I feel good about the folks that run the event: "Team-Racing.org". With about 10 cars max per session, I should be free to rip it up (and be ripped up) without the danger of traffic. I'm re-studying the track map and I'm still completely freaked out about the following:
- The off-camber T-3. My car always feels like a floaty boat here.
- T-7 and T-8. The good drivers barely lift here but the problem is that my brain can't accept the idea of not needing to brake!
- T-8 exit. Where do I point my car again?! Is it the damn water tower in the distance?
- The downshift to 2nd gear on T-11.
- And where the hell do I start to turn in on T-1? and at what speed? Do I downshift to 3rd or leave it in 4th?
Alot to learn and should be alot of fun.
OPEN INVITE. It would be great if any of you guys want to come out with me to T-Hill. If your interested, let me know and I'll tell you all the details about my schedule. I'm pretty sure they'll sign me off to have passengers by the 3rd session, unless I spin...AND I HAVE NEVER SPUN EVER IN THE S4. I'm beginning to think its impossible...hurry, knock on wood.
Later.
Now my wife was not prepared. She enrolled and took the exam simply because she needed to within the 12 month time-frame lest she lose her 5 years of clinical hours. She intended to re-take the exam in earnest next summer, after a lengthy and expensive preparation course. She went in without taking said course, without the requisite 2 months of study/preparation, with one weekend of cramming, and with the expectation of failure...in essence, she took the exam just to get experience with the exam. The crazy thing is that she PASSED!!
She simply could not believe it. The test provided you with 8 vignettes with a total of 40 multiple choice questions. The test was designed to be confusing. Each the the answers they offered are in fact correct....it's the examinees job to decide which is MOST correct...ARGH! 0ut of the 40 questions, she felt confident with only TWO of her answers!! Simply bad-ass IMHO.
Anywayz, other updates.
1. Going to Mendocino this Thanksgiving. Love the town.
2. My sister and her family live in Orange County. They're definitely not in any danger from the wild-fires but the ash and soot has covered nearly their entire county.
3. Going to the East Coast this Christmas and touring Manhattan/New York for the first time in my life. Staying in Times Square for New Years...how cool is that! There's so much to see: Soho, Greenwich Village, Central Park, Times Square, Broadway Shows, 911 site, the UN, and endless cool little neighborhoods. We'll try to see them all. I'm counting on global warming to help us out with the weather...wow, that's bad Karma.
4. Signing up for TWO track events: both at Thunderhill, one in mid-November and the other in early December. Both with mostly Miata/Porsche run groups. I'm hoping for frigid temperatures. I hate the ridiculously hot track days at T-hill. Bad for the brain and bad for little tiny turbo impeller wheels. I feel good about the folks that run the event: "Team-Racing.org". With about 10 cars max per session, I should be free to rip it up (and be ripped up) without the danger of traffic. I'm re-studying the track map and I'm still completely freaked out about the following:
- The off-camber T-3. My car always feels like a floaty boat here.
- T-7 and T-8. The good drivers barely lift here but the problem is that my brain can't accept the idea of not needing to brake!
- T-8 exit. Where do I point my car again?! Is it the damn water tower in the distance?
- The downshift to 2nd gear on T-11.
- And where the hell do I start to turn in on T-1? and at what speed? Do I downshift to 3rd or leave it in 4th?
Alot to learn and should be alot of fun.
OPEN INVITE. It would be great if any of you guys want to come out with me to T-Hill. If your interested, let me know and I'll tell you all the details about my schedule. I'm pretty sure they'll sign me off to have passengers by the 3rd session, unless I spin...AND I HAVE NEVER SPUN EVER IN THE S4. I'm beginning to think its impossible...hurry, knock on wood.
Later.
posted by supergoober at
1:24 PM
2 Comments:
I wish I could be there for ya man!
Answers for you;
-The off-camber T-3. My car always feels like a floaty boat here.
**It does for everyone, just drive it slow, you are way off camber, and its a throw away turn lining you up for 4 then heading for the cyclone.
- T-7 and T-8. The good drivers barely lift here but the problem is that my brain can't accept the idea of not needing to brake!
**Well everyone actually lifts there, assuming they arent in a miata, its the toughest turn at the track IMO, so take it slow, and try to get people with good lines to show you theres through it.
- T-8 exit. Where do I point my car again?! Is it the damn water tower in the distance?
**Well turn 8 exit is heading up hill all the way track right, turn "9" is when you turn in to the left, and aim for the water tower, DONT LOOK AT THE dirt to your right, it will scare you, and then as you are turn right through 9a let the car track left as you unwind the wheel.
- The downshift to 2nd gear on T-11.
**Its hard to get it right, because is a fairly quick turn, and you have to decelerate A LOT before you make that hard left turn at 11. Remember, SLOW IN FAST OUT! GOing into 11 with tries squealing and understeering is NOT the fast way through 11-12-13! Just come out of 10, line your car up straight on track right, and then BRAKE, and downshift to second. You will be going WAAAAYYY slow at the end of your braking, so there is no concern of popping the clutch at high rpms once you have it in second.
- And where the hell do I start to turn in on T-1? and at what speed? Do I downshift to 3rd or leave it in 4th?
**Leave it in 4th, it IS a 4th gear turn, even if you arent taking it that fast right now. Think of Turn 1 as a mid apex turn. It is such a slow meandering left hander that you actually make contact with the first 1/3 of the berm, and then can unwind your wheel a lot as you track out to the right. If they are still there you can see a white marking (paint) on the track at the turn in point of turn 1. It is perpendicular to the direction you are going, and extends out onto the tarmac about 2 feet. Thats where I start my turn in. The beauty of turn 1 is that you make this mid-commitment turn in, and the track is so wide, and the turn is so long you can get on the throttle very early. I always am full throttle a full second before I hit the apex in the 330. Just take it slow, its the turn with the most potential for causing a flipover and car-fire situation, so whatever, go slow, get rides, have a GOOD instructor in your car with you who will grab your wheel and point you in the right direction!
-I'm pretty sure they'll sign me off to have passengers by the 3rd session, unless I spin...
**Unless Bonnie has changed her rules you should be able to take people out immediately, or at the very least on your second session, especially if they are also running that day in a higher class. Take Andrew out, the guy might have only done 4 track days, but he is a natural talent, and in 10 more will be a better driver than I am on the track.
Cool bro. You're right, it is T-9 to the water tower. Just talked with Andrew. It looks like he's going too so I'll be going out with him in his run group. I gotta see the line. I hope he brings the Subie...I don't think his Miata is ready yet.
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