I love lists!

I feel scattered today, which causes an overwhelming urge to get organized. So I thought I'd share the list that keeps running through my mind.

• I spent a lot of time writing yesterday.  I turned a 500 word piece into a stronger 431 piece and then into a really strong 600 word piece.  Then I realized that there was a lot more story there so it probably needs to be a 3000 word piece. I thought Oh, that's what you're supposed to be. A little bit of a surprise, but I hear that makes for good stories.

• The quilt making class starts next week.  Sewing/quilting can get expensive, but I guess any hobby is expensive.  I'm excited to get started, a little apprehensive about the first quilt not being perfect and nervous that I'm going to have to pick out more fabric, which feels like more of a commitment for me than naming a child. I have to take a few deep breaths and remind myself that it doesn't have to be perfect, just like with writing. Just like with blogging, running, biking. Perfect is intimidating.

• Tout le monde! That's my new favorite French phrase. It means everybody, or literally, all of the world. In Spanish, it would be todo el mundo!, which is also fun to say. I'm trying to prove to myself that I am dedicated to learning languages before I buy Rosetta Stone Italian, so I'm working my way through Rosetta Stone French. If you can believe it, I'm also reading in French. Granted, it's like a little baby book, but still, I took me five years to feel comfortable reading Spanish, and I've still never read a book in that language, unless you count school textbooks. I don't.

• I faltered on my half marathon training plan. I took a break last week, ran the fastest mile I've ever run on Monday and felt too shaky this morning to do anything but stretch. I say shaky because I'm having some kind of food related allergy attack. Which reminds me, I've also faltered on the rotation diet.  I really need to get myself in gear with these two aspects of my life. They are both health related, and health is more important that any of the other stuff that's racing through my mind right now.

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! THIS IS WHAT MY INTERNAL THOUGHTS SOUND LIKE RIGHT NOW!!!! MANY MANY MANY EXCLAMATION MARKS! INTERRUPTED BY THE FEAR OF FORGETTING SOMETHING!

• Appearently, if you find yourself in the midst of a food allergy attack, like the one I'm having now in which I feel like I imagine a meth addict might feel after a three day binge, and you can't take an antihistamine because you have a round of food allergy tests that same day, you take alka-seltzer gold. They say it works.  Husband is bringing me some now. I'll let you know how it goes!

Update: Alka-seltzer Gold is incredible! I felt about 50% normal 5 minutes after taking it. I feel about 75% normal an hour later. Way to go for new allergy medications that work really, really well.

Musings on a Thank You

Hello, my name is **** *****, I talked to you last Friday the 14. I just wanted to say thank you again for helping me so much when we spoke.

I sat down to my desk on Monday morning, ready to start the week with a warm soy latte in my hand, and this is the first email I read.  My thoughts started with, Oh, well that's thoughtful. 

Then I realized that I didn't recognize the sender's name and I didn't remember really going out of my way to help anyone last week. My thoughts quickly turned to This must be one of those junk emails about penis enlargement or blind financial donation to an out of luck prince in insert obscure country name here. 

And so I junked it.

But I'm still thinking about the email.  It doesn't say anything about penises or princes. It's not asking for my social security number.  It doesn't have ulterior motives. It's just an email. 

I have a feeling that it might still be junk mail, but what if it's not? It's hard to believe that I helped someone so much that they felt it was important to thank me 9 days later, and yet, I don't even remember talking to them. 

I do know that the possibility of it being "real" makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But my readiness to suspect a thank you email of trying to steal my identity is... a little unsettling.  

Even if my email is a fake, I could send out my own emails. They would be real, the recipients would read them, they would get the warm and fuzzys, and that is something I would really feel good about.

A New Look

So... I couldn't sleep last night.  That's when this happened.

A pillow or two.

One of my really awesome goals for 2011 is to make a quilt with my shirts from college. Tricky, considering I only touched a sewing machine once, last year, during an impulse purchasing episode.

So last week, I went to a sewing lesson at a local fabric/sewing store, the French Knot Quilt Shop. One thing you can count on from small east Texas towns: they have at least one dedicated quilting store.

At said lesson, I learned how to actually use a sewing machine. And just like every other person/eight year old girl that first learns to sew, I made a pillow.

Man, the hardest part about sewing stuff is picking out fabric. There are so many choices! I bought fabric to make practice pillows at home (didn't hurt that it was 40% off). I matched pillow fabric for my bedroom pretty well. 

The fabric I bought for the guest bedroom is kinda iffy.  It's red, yellow and blue.  What else is red, yellow and blue?

Anyone?

Yes, Little Jimmy, Superman's cape is correct.

Other than that, it turned out okay.

I'm on the email list for a quilting class, but it doesn't look like there are any definite plans yet, so I'm starting on my own.

I don't think it will be as hard as it sounds. Obviously, I'm not starting with a T-shirt quilt. I'm starting with a layer cake quilt. I've already got the fabric (40% off!) and I ordered a book for beginners on how to make layer cake quilts.  SO.  We will see how it goes!

P.S. A Costa Rica Series post is coming up later this week.

An Italian Road Trip

Photo found here, credited to Skino.

It begins: A road trip has been planned!  Mom and I are going to Italy.  Time to break out the Italy books and movies.  Time to learn a little Italian.

So far, we plan to hit Florance, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Siena and Rome.  We're saving the rest for the next few trips.

A few thoughts on travel blogging for this road trip:

First, I really wanted to call the Italy blog Driving Down the Boot, but someone's already thought of that. You'll have to wait for a more creative and unique title.

Second, I haven't decided if I want to make a separate blog for Italy, or just incorporate Italy into the main blog.

Third, I've decided to post about Italy during the week after the trip, so I don't even have to think about it while on the trip.  I'm going to focus more on taking beautiful pictures, journaling and enjoying the trip.  I enjoy the trips when I blog during them too; I'm just taking a different approach.