Reading!!!!!

OK - my name is Elaine and I am ADDICTED to (guess what now???????????)  BOOKS. I can't help myself. I have been a book worm since I read my first book (The Cat in the Hat) at about age 4 (OK - so I memorized the darn thing, but I still make it my claim to fame!!!!)

Yesterday started out great - off to the gym with my heart rate monitor to see how hard I am working out. It is treadmill day. I have my little ticker thing on a strap around my midriff and my watch (that captures the data). I hop on the tread mill and "how do I get this thing to work?"   Oh - it AUTOMATICALLY connects to the treadmill (and the other machines) so I don't have to look at the watch - I just see my heart rate on the screen in front of me. How COOL is that for technology!!!!!!!!!  

I was never a runner, but the torn meniscus in my knee (from last year) just doesn't like running. So I walk FAST and since I am a walker, Maria wants us to have the MAXIMUM grade that we can deal with. OK - so I set it at 15%. I can get my heart rate up to 140, but that is the highest it will go. That will have to do!!!
Anyway - another GREAT workout by Maria!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   (Hey - did I talk about this workout yesterday?????   My brain is slipping and fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!)


Anyway after that, I was off to have a peek at the new meeting space for the Halton Hills Quilt Guild. It is BRIGHT - you may need sunglasses in the room, but that is excellent. The space is great and conveniently located. I also had a great visit with Carol - Hi Carol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Was nice to just sit and chat for a bit and she was busy hand quilting a great black/white and red quilt. We had a great discussion about dementia and how debilitating a disease it is. I can only hope that my family doesn't have to deal with that.

Then off the used book sale for the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra. It is on all weekend. THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of books. They only take cash and I took $20. At least they were sorted by category which made the looking a bit easier. Not much in the quilting/craft department, but I snagged a couple of books.

Shoot - these two I already had. The one on the right, I was certain I had, the one on the left, I thought I had got it from the library. Oh well - I will find a good use for them and I paid $3 in total for BOTH

I also got these books. OLDER ones, but hey - did you see that - Thread Painting from 1983!!!!!!!!   I tell you NOTHING is new these days.

Now I noticed a couple of young men with a small gadget (a scanner) attached to their blackberries (or some smart phone). Of course, I was curious and eventually I had to ask what they were doing. They were scanning the books (ISBN number) to see if the book was on their "wanted" list for their business. Well I had to ask more questions - they run a business through Amazon. I think they own one of those businesses that sell used books when you search Amazon.


BUT - I want that little scanner so that I can log all my books. Honestly - they logged each book in NANOSECONDS. How can I get that and update to Collectorz?????    Then I would know by scanning books if I already have that in my catalogue and not rebuy it. OK - I need to figure out how to make this work????????    Where is my Library Quilting Lady??????    Any tips on this???   I might just have to check out the Collectorz web site. This was such a slick system they were using and I am sure Collectorz has the capability (I know you can scan the books to enter them in the data base). Just a question of how to make it work.

Some of the above books were NOT marked with a price so when I went through the cash, the lady said - "50 cents!!!"   How could you refuse that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But interesting to watch the whole sale because there were a LOT of dealers there and they seemed to be very knowledgeable as they searched the tables.

Wait a minute - where is the fiction??????    Which was the reason I went!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ah - downstairs - so I carry all my books down the stairs to check out the fiction. Now I do have a problem buying fiction. I mean - you can go to the library and read it for FREE. But there was one book that the library does not have. But alas - it was not at the used book sale either. I am sure I won't die if I do not read this book (which is part of the Dirk Pitt series by Clive Cussler - I know - what a silly series, but it is a fun, quick read). Maybe I need to check out Amazon and buy the silly thing - I should be able to get it USED!!!!!!!!!     But I did find another non-fiction book by Clive Cussler on how he developed the Dirk Pitt series so I bought that and two others.

In total - I bought 10 books for $18. But other people went with boxes and tubs - I think I got off pretty lucky!!!!


Then home and it was raining by this time and getting chilly. NO - NO - NO - I TRIED to fight it, but the quilt on the sofa was beckoning me when I got home and I had NO CHOICE, but to grab the current book I was reading and I curled up and read all afternoon. I know - I did NOT have the time to do that, but I did it anyway. OK - the quilts can wait - an afternoon of reading - it was PURE HEAVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!    And how the heck did it go from blazing HOT one day to COOL the next???????   I did finish the book - another great author - Phillip Margolin. New to me - found it on my OWN bookshelf. Someone must have given it to me.

Now I am not buying much for fabric these days, but when I see this kind of stuff - I get weak in the knees.

This came just before I went on vacation. I couldn't help myself. I laughed and told the girls who were sewing the Halloween quilts that in 10 years, they would be back and they would all be sewing bike quilts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I did get my BIKE/SCRABBLE picture on the wall of fame!  Thanks Marian!!!!!   BTW - there were a LOT of Scrabble boards at the book sale - no tiles, but the boards were there. Hmmm - I should have bought one. 

I did actually manage to get something constructive done. I got the binding on the first of the many Halloween quilts to finish. The owner will be at my house later today and she can pick it up!!!!!   One down and EIGHT to go. 

In case you wonder how I get so much energy - well it is from the exercise and good genes!!!   By the way - I did NOT go to yoga. I mean - I had already been to the gym. Do I need more????   But the active thing - well I get that from my parents as well. My Dad is always dabbling in something new. He just recently bought a scanner (a cute little scanner for negatives and slides and rolls of film). He scanned a couple of hundred slides the other day and the quality of them was pretty good. Now he has bugged my aunt (hello Auntie Yvonne!!!!!) and she is sending him more slides - don't forget to send them all!!!!! Thank goodness he is doing this - then I don't have to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    But it is important to get all those slides/memories/pictures dealt with while the owners are still alive. Way to go DAD!!!!!!!    Now I need to get my butt in gear to get some stuff done that I promised him. Hey - I did resend him one of the slides that I edited!!!!!!!!


OK - time to go and finish getting ready for the whirlwind weekend. Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR classes!!!!!!!!!!!   One I am a participant in (but since it is at my house, I had to get the studio tidies up!), the rest I am teaching!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!