Yes, it is indeed Sunday and only a week since my last post. No penance necessary.
I received a nice surprise the other day. As I was sitting writing, Dan cam up beside me and said, “You looking for these?” Wow!! The glasses I lost almost 10 years ago! I knew they had to be in the house somewhere because I can’t drive without them. The last I remember wearing them was when I was in the basement, working on the back of the TV/VCR/CD player. I almost always remove my glasses to see up close, so I remember taking them off then, but I was never able to find them.
Dan found them at the bottom of a five-gallon pail used to hold electrical cords. I must have laid them on the pail somehow, and they fell to the bottom. No clue, but I love when misplaced items show up, like a missing sock in the corner of a sheet. And my prescription hasn’t changed, so I can still wear them. The only negative is, they are not sunglasses.
I finally flipped this week regarding the publisher. After they returned the “proofread” copy for the third time with repeated errors and omissions, I decided enough was enough. I have completely lost confidence in them. With the help of AI, I created a kick-ass “formal request to terminate contract.” AI took all of my email exchanges, put them in a table in chronogical order listing date, sender/recipient, summary and notations of attachments. It then read a copy of the contract and created a letter to support my case that they have not fulfilled their promises. It would easily have taken me two weeks of tedious work to create what AI did in a couple of hours. The letter included my thoughts that in retrospect I would have done deeper research and would have likely discovered the multiple negative reviews by other authors. I also stated that I wanted a full refund and if they refused I would send all of this information to my credit card carrier. I sent the letter by certified mail yesterday. They should receive it tomorrow. Stay tuned.
I also started using AI to study Spanish. I told Perplexity that my goal was to take the DELE (Diploma Español como Lengua Extranjera – Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language) on November 21, 2026. It assessed my current level of proficiency (much lower than I thought) and designed a program for me to be ready by that date. It is SO cool. AI told me that it knows all about the DELE requirements and had sample exams. So, it is using these samples to present challenges for me. For example, it will present a short paragraph in Spanish. Then I have to repeat the paragraph into AI in Spanish using my own words, not just reading the script presented. It then offers feedback on what I did well and suggests what I could change. AI said that I would need to study one hour a day in order to reach the proficiency required of level C1 (“advanced” or “effective operational proficiency”). AI also offers information on how to deal with the stress of taking the exam. I will be prepared.
Jolene is moving back to Wisconsin!! After her three-year adventure in Tennessee, she has decided she prefers her friends and family here to what she found there. She will stay with me and Dan, probably until we return in the spring from our winter get-aways. It will be nice to have her in the house while we’re gone. Win-win!
I’ve been spending a lot of time considering whether or not I want to attempt a live auction for our church. The last time we had one was 2018. Since then the proceeds from only the silent auction have been falling every year. It’s boring. For about five years, I’ve been using a site called Bidding Owl, but last year’s experience left me less than happy. Once I get an idea of which platform might be the best for us, I’m going to send out a membership-wide email to see if I can recruit a couple more volunteers. I already have one, so fingers crossed. I don’t plan on doing this until May of 2026, so I have plenty of time. I’ve spoken with a couple of auction admins from other sources, and the general concensus is that only a few people are necessary to pull it off. We’ll see.
Denise and Randy arrive on Tuesday. They will be here until the 19th. From the 7th through the 11th we will be at John and Jenn’s cabin in Eagle River. Always a lovely time, even with storms and power failures. :). Mickey is so happy.
I’m enrolled in a new calligraphy class with Sneha, my favorite mentor from Dreaming in Script. It is her first foray into teaching calligraphy, and we are excited to have her take us to the next level. I’m off to a very rocky start. Not sure if it’s my ink or nib, but something is definitely off:
I’ll figure it out today.