WWQP Bulletin Board Chat

Busy day!!

I think it was either here or on the Yahoo! BBChat that someone mentioned a new way to be productive. Instead of a things to do list, they suggested writing down the things you get done through the day. Even little stuff counts. Anything you know needs doing. It encourages you when you see how much you've achieved and sometimes it's what I need to keep going, so I can have another "done thing" on my list. Well today was a real winner day!

I've been tired out for about the last 18 mos, what with changing churches (a big thing for me, and also after 3 years of disappointments, struggle and fruitless, unappreciated effort to improve the situation), DH had surgery for a detached retina and a month's supposed bedrest, etc. This December I had no tutoring classes at all, which made things tight, but my goodness I needed a rest. And I got one at last!

Today I woke up all by myself at 7.45 AM, hoping to get into the hairdresser at 8.30, but she wasn't open. So I beat it back home and had breakfast, cleaned out the fridge, washed the bedroom and utility space curtains (big picture window thing) and rehung them, cleared up generally, sewed on some buttons that have been orphaned for some time, and even finally made a new Bible slip-on cover out of a pair of jeans! I don't have a camera that will upload piccys or I would. I am so proud of it, even though it's a definite "orphan of the storm". Working with denim is not easy, and my craftsmanship leaves quite a bit to be desired, but still. I cut the front out of the front of the body, where the side pocket with the "fob pocket" is. Then I cut the back out using the back pocket as my guide. The inside flaps I cut from the narrow part of the leg. Finishing is what kinda let me down, but now that it's machined I may unpick that part and roll the hem by hand along the bottom of the cover. For the top, of course, I had the waistband with belt loops! The two pockets give me a place for my pens and offering. The cover I bought in the Bible bookstore years ago was getting holes worn in it, and turned out to be a strange kind of plastic-covered pasteboard, instead of being the vinyl I thought it was. Even the fish symbol turned out to be sort of stapled on, so I pried it off and attached it to the new cover! I cut it a bit big to start with, as a too-large cover can always be reduced, but if you don't have enough fabric you're sunk! Ended up "taking it in" a bit but then I remembered jeans get tight when you wash them, and I tossed the finished cover in the machine with some other stuff. Came out a treat.
By that time it was 1.30 and definitely time for lunch! My back muscles were starting to stiffen up on me. Then just at lunch time I got a phone call from someone I had spoken to just before the holidays. It's a man who never finished highschool, and now wants to study art at college. There's a special exam people can take if they're over 25 (he's 29) and part of it is English translation of a paragraph. So he'll be working with me until April at least. Boy that is a relief. He came this evening and I like him very much.

BTW: Has anyone heard from Silvia in Columbus NJ lately? We correspond quite regularly usually and I haven't had an email from her in about 3 weeks. Does anyone know, is she OK? I'm starting to worry just a tad.

I may have trouble sleeping tonight, since I took a muscle relaxant--Robaxin-- and they do tend to keep me awake (paradox, innit?). Thank goodness for my e-book readers! I fought against them at first but what would I do without them now! I bought a copy of Steinbeck's Sweet Thursday in paper a few months ago and it cost me 15 Euros (and is poorly typeset and full of typographical errors, even though it's from Penguin!), while I can download classic novels etc from Project Gutenberg free gratis for nothing. Not to mention the Ethereal Library for Christian classics and a few others for things in Spanish and French. Half their stuff is either totally unavailable in paper, or would be hideously expensive to buy. When I know it's going to be a white night, I just tell myself "You're on night duty, anna, you can't go to sleep until 2 AM anyway." And I read. I bought the first one (a Papyre, Spanish brand) and DH gave me another one last Christmas, as I read so much during insomnia episodes that the batteries are always recharging.

But I haven't had a sleeping pill in over 4 mos. Well done me!
Keep smiling ladies.
anna in spain

posted by anna in spain @ 2:56 PM