Getting better all the time

I'm feeling much better today. I haven't blown my nose once and the sore throat's gone, though I've acquired a cough.

Possibly the only thing less interesting than hearing about someone's nasal congestion or lack thereof is hearing about her dreams. Nevertheless I'll tell you that this morning between the first time the alarm went off and when I actually got up I dreamed I was at a big table with a bunch of physicists who were discussing string theory and I was panicking because if someone tried to involve me in the conversation I wouldn't have a single word to contribute. (I have had some weird dreams lately.) I knew Matt would love that string theory's floating around in my subconscious, even though I really have no idea what it is or means, and he did.

Last night the usuals came over for tons of fried chicken and the Panthers game. I am so glad I can finally enjoy fried chicken again. For years, like more than a decade, after high school anatomy I couldn't eat chicken on the bone, even though it used to be my favorite food. It only got worse once I started cooking it myself and dealing with the blood and guts (yum!). Somehow, I was able to overcome all that enough to start eating it again this summer.

Today's such a nice day I feel guilty that I didn't make time for an outside run before it got dark. Being stuck on the treadmill is just awful, but at least I can usually find an episode of "What Not to Wear." I love that show although I never watch new episodes. I hate to think how far I might have come with learning Spanish by now if I'd stuck with listening to Pimsleur on the treadmill. Argh.

Which reminds me, have y'all been to the blog Stuff White People Like? I heard of it a long time ago and then Lib reminded me of it the other day, and No. 115 is "promising to learn a new language." Most of the site is absolutely hilarious.

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Riley picture of the day

Jennslist?

I would like to take this opportunity to say I LOVE CRAIGSLIST! I have been looking for something extremely specific for a Christmas gift (for someone who reads this blog, so I can't get into specifics). After several dead-ends, tonight I posted a "want" ad on the Raleigh Craigslist thinking there was no chance but I might as well try -- the ad being free and all.

Two hours later I got a response from a dude who has this item and is going to GIVE it to me! I cannot believe my luck.

This is the second time I've used Craigslist and the second time it's totally come through for me. The first time was when we lived in Fayetteville and I was on one of my "I'm going to learn Spanish, and I mean it this time" kicks (I go through these phases every year or two).

I had borrowed Pimsleur CDs from the library and knew that method worked really well for me, but after I'd completed the 30 lessons the library had in stock I was stuck because I couldn't afford to buy the more advanced lessons on my own. I posted a request on Craigslist and probably a week later had in my possession about 120 Pimsleur lessons on CDs some generous person burned for me, also at no charge.

So, let's summarize:

a) It's easy to be cynical, but everywhere there are people being generous and kind with no ulterior motives.
b) It never hurts to ask!
c) Craigslist rocks. Why doesn't the Sandhills have its own? Should I start a Jennslist for our area?
d) I have a moral obligation to complete all 120 of those Spanish lessons eventually.

Yes, this is my second post today. Apparently that's how I roll when Matt's out of town. Tomorrow you can probably expect, like, five.

I need a generic title for when I can't think of an appropriate title

I just finished my first treadmill run accompanied by a Spanish lesson and it worked remarkably well! I listened to the lesson on my iPod and the sound was great. I was at home so I could respond out loud without feeling self-conscious or getting strange looks.

Best of all, it made the run fly by better than anything except for running with a good conversation partner -- because it completely took my mind off of how many laps I'd gone. I have a feeling it wouldn't work so well on outdoor runs, when I have other things to focus on, like not getting hit by a car or lost, but I see many Spanish-infused treadmill runs in my future.

Last night Matt and I went to Kaleigh and Trevor's basketball game and it was hilarious. The highlight was when Kaleigh got the ball and dribbled all the way down the court toward the other team's goal and flung up a shot, which luckily never had a chance of going in.

Their team lost, but no one really minded, and then all of us went to Bob's Pizza, and I hate to say this but it did not live up to my memories. But I'm not going to complain because I don't know of anywhere else that charges only $8 for a large pepperoni pizza. We had hung out with Melissa and Thomas on New Year's Eve but Kaleigh and Trevor weren't there then so it was nice to spend some time with all of them, plus Rebekah came too. Fun times.

Speaking of high-school friends, yesterday Kasey H. emailed me a) announcing that she and Jeremy T. had started dating at the reunion in September and b) saying they wanted to discuss housing options. I love it! You always hear these stories of people, well, reuniting at reunions, but I didn't think it was likely to happen in our small class.

The funny thing is that not only did these two graduate from high school together, but then they both went to State, where they never ever hung out. They came by the office this afternoon and it was really good to catch up with them too.

It's my turn for the shower. I have a hot date tonight.

Try and try again

Last week I signed up for an online Spanish class on a whim and now I'm thinking that was not smart.

How effective can an online language class really be?

I had four years of French in high school that mostly consisted of memorizing vocabulary, conjugating verbs and learning that the French think we're odd for bathing every day. In college I had two more semesters, in which the teachers spoke only French and the students were required to as well, and that's when it finally started clicking for me.

I'm not saying that's the only way to learn. Unless I'd been willing to plant myself in a francophone country, I never could have gotten to the point of speaking and understanding spoken French without the boring groundwork of verbs and vocab.

But sometimes I feel like spending a few months in Latin America really might be the only way for me to learn Spanish.

Failed attempts to date:

- I've tried to learn using the Pimsleur method. I found this to be incredibly effective, but the CD's are expensive, so I progressed only as far as the library had materials.

- I've tried watching the Spanish channel and listening to Shakira.

- I've tried online sites like StudySpanish.com.

- Lib, who's fluent, changed the language setting on my cell phone to Spanish and started emailing me only in Spanish (did not last long).

- Most recently, Mom and I took a Spanish class at the college last year, but it was a waste of time and we dropped out about three-fourths of the way through.

Almost immediately after signing up for this latest class I realized now is probably not the best time for me to give Spanish another shot, but by the time I got around to canceling my registration it was too late to get my money back. Therefore, I'm going to stick with it and see what I can learn. The class is only six weeks long, and it did get rave reviews from past students.

So if you walk into the office and I'm sitting in front of my computer wearing headphones and a puzzled look, now you know why.