Back in 2004 the hubs and I decided to get our amateur radio licenses. We filled out the paperwork. Jay ordered a study guide. And...I promptly did nothing about it until two days before the test. Yes, the queen of procrastination waited until the last minute to cram for the exam. Imagine that. Ha.
Anyway, we arrived at our hotel the night before the test, and I proceeded to pull out half a dozen outfits to try on. After each disaster I donned, I would ask Jay, "Does this outfit look hammy enough?"
Jay's reply was the same each time...It's really not going to matter what you have on. You will be one of only a few women there, and you're not hideously disfigured. You could wear a burlap sack, and these guys will think you're the hottest thing on the planet.
I, of course, obsessed over cramming and what to wear to my first HamFest.
The next morning we arrived at the test location, which was in the middle of nowhere over by Guntersville. Sure enough, for the first hour or so, I was the only woman in sight.
We sat down to take the test, and I went through the questions pretty quick. Memorizing and regurgitating for a test is one of my few talents. I waited outside to get the results. A nice man came through the door and announced I passed. A legion of high fives came at me out of nowhere. These fellows were all over me to congratulate me and offer their call signs, so we could chat in the future. I don't think my own mother could have mimicked the excitement these guys had for me.
The same man leaned out to tell Jay he passed, and I think a guy may have given him a thumbs up. What can I say? I was a novelty at a rural HamFest.
The one thing I will never forget was the somewhat socially awkward man who told me that he had just passed the Alpha test and could talk on more frequencies. He said, "I'm having a blast!" It was the way he said it that stuck in my mind. The bl in blast seemed to drag out for a good two syllables. There was so much excitement in his voice.
Every now and then when Jay asks me if I'm having fun or what I'm doing, I reply. I'm having a blast!