I've mentioned a few times in passing that Alan was taking a class; in conversation with some of you we've elaborated that it's a class in technical writing. Well, his final exam was yesterday. There are two levels of passing grades: good enough to pass the class itself, and passing with a high enough grade to earn certification. I'm very proud and pleased to announce that my husband is now a bona fide, hoopty-doo Officially Certified technical writer!!!! He didn't just pass - he passed with flying colours. I'm so proud of him. His next step is taking the advanced tech writing class, which you can't take without passing the basic class with a high enough mark, and of course he qualified, so - I'm so happy for my sweetie! He is S-M-R-T!!!

Yesterday when he came home from his final exam, he wanted to go out for lunch, so we grabbed burgers at Applebee's. After that, I needed to go buy another PS2 controller. I have sorta worn out my Spongebob controller, which made me sad because (a) I liked it muchly and (b) it was a present from my brother, but it was getting to the point where I had to push buttons really hard to make them work and one of the buttons kept shooting off (I'm still trying to find it - I don't think the puppy has ingested it because he seems remarkably energetic and not intestinally blocked) - but anyway, we went to buy a new controller and of course I wanted to scope out available games as well.

Alan has this talent of being both totally uninterested in something, and 2000 times more observant about it than I am. For example, he doesn't drink at all, but in the snooty wine store, he will be the one to say, "Honey? Chateau Lafitte Rothschild is pretty good, right? Well, here's some for $70 a bottle...isn't it usually like $250? You should get some while it's a good buy!" Or with my current video game, I could not figure out any way to berserk enemies because my only options were choosing which ally to cast magick upon, and with one glance at the screen Alan said, "Um...what about there, where it says R1 allies, L1 enemies? Would that do it?" -- which was an option I'd NEVER EVEN FREAKING NOTICED like 70 hours into the game. Because he's so sweet, Alan attributed this to the way I sit, at almost perpendicular to the television: "You probably couldn't see that because of how you sit, sweetheart." Yeah. Let's go with that, instead of 'I am a fucking dumbass'.

Which brings us to the electronics store, and I'm roaming up and down the aisle looking to see if there are any good video games. I was saying some of the more intense, serious-sounding games in the tone of the movie preview announcer, one of which was "Dirge of Cerberus", so I intoned solemnly, "DIRGE!....OF!....CERBERUS!" and went along the aisle laughing. Alan said, "Wait - Final Fantasy VII? It says Final Fantasy VII. Why don't you have this? You LOVE the Final Fantasy!"

"That doesn't make sense," I said. "Final Fantasy VII was...well, VII, it was Cloud and he was in Midgar, there wasn't any Dirge of Cerberus...wait...gimme!"

It turns out that Dirge of Cerberus is indeed a Final Fantasy game, taking place after FFVII and FFVII Advent Children, and I'd never have known if not for my non-gaming husband. So today I was looking at my new game and I pointed out to Alan, "Look at this rating! It's T for Teen because of 'Mild Language, Use of Tobacco and Violence!"

"Use of tobacco?!? Use of tobacco?!? Smoking merits a video game warning these days? What the hell?!?"

"Apparently it does. Next thing you know, I'll be hiding out behind the woodshed toking on a Marlboro, and it will be ALL YOUR FAULT because you did not fully vet this video game before allowing me to buy it!"

"How is this MY fault?"

"Because I'm young and impressionable, and you should know better!"

"You're right. It's totally on my head."