Let's switch subjects

After such a long and rather depressing post on Sachsenhausen, I thought perhaps we should change it up a little. Okay, maybe a lot in actuality.

Here's ten things that are on the ground right now for me:

1. Americorps finally contacted me. Now granted, it was about a new program I had applied for, but it's still super exciting to be going through a formal application process. This particular program requested more material from me, a sample of my writing style, two more references, a resume with cover letter, etc. I'm really excited, and already have my new references lined up, so life is looking good for the next few days. Maybe I'll have plans within a couple of months!

2. My internship is going awesome. It's lot of data, and number crunching right now, but I'm just loving the logistics of everything. I also love the fact that what I'm doing could have a lasting effect on the way things work at William Jewell. That may be the most exciting thing for me.

3. My piano recital is in T-six weeks! I'm faltering a little on some of the line up in repertoire, we're just the slightest bit short right now, but I may have figured out a solution to this problem, so check back in. I'll be announcing the date formally in three weeks, but the unofficial date is March 10th, at 5:30 pm.

4. If the piano recital is six weeks away, this means I only have 13 more weeks in which to write, assign, and rehearse everything for my composition recital. On that front, things are coming together slowly, but surely. My quartet has been assembled (yay, thanks Peter for agreeing to be my tenor!) and I have high hopes for the choir to come together soon. I have a reading for my strings piece two (three?) weeks from now, and we're *this* close to being ready to turn things in! I think my next composition lesson should take place over coffee. I plan to suggest this to him. No more stuffy classroom. :)

5. At the end of the second week of classes, I've switched my art history to pass/fail, which has lightened my homework load. The professor for this class tends to uncommunicative on my research topic choices, but that's okay, there's not as much pressure.

6. Speaking of that homework load, I think I've settled into the rhythm. Most of my classes have a fair amount of homework, which is slightly worrisome for my sanity, but if I just don't fall behind, ever, at all, with no exceptions, then I should be fine. Uh-oh, I think I'm already behind....

I think that's all for now, but it's enough. I'm still muddling through. Check back soon for final plans on the recitals and further travel updates!

CSA 2010

As promised, the weekend was really a great time to be a celiac. I live tweeted the whole conference (my handle is traveling_girl) met lots of new friends, and even got to meet one of my favorite twitter friends: GlutenFreeDee. She and I have been communicating for quite some time through twitter, I found her while I was in England, and she kept me up to date on happenings on the Gluten-free front in America, and I shared all of the joys and pains of traveling gluten-free in a foreign country with her.
Folks, she's even cooler in person. As awesome as she is on twitter, facebook, and her blog, she's even more amazing when you get to stand there face to face and chat with her.

I also met this amazing dietitian and nutitionist, Bruce Homstead. He lives in Massachusetts, but is originally from Maine. Considering the Americorps option I want, I picked his brain for a bit, and then we talked longer and he helped me figure out some great strategies for dealing with being hypoglycemic.

I'm so full of joy right now. Inexplainable joy. These people (every single one that I can't sit here and list because this post would be too long) that cared, honestly cared, made me feel normal. All these "normal" people running around eating gluten-free food.
Oh, and the food.
The food was simply incredible. Salads, entrees, dinner bread, foccacia, biscuits, shortbread, strawberry shortcake, BBQ ribs, amazing side dishes (not JUST RICE!) and that's not even counting the samples from the vendor fair. I came home with a bag full of samples, giveaways, and two gifts from my two favorite companies, Glutino and Pamela's. I got to talk to both table for a bit, and told them how they saved my life, figuratively speaking. They made me love food and look forward to cookies and baked goods again, and I really wanted the companies to understand the service they perform. They made me a person, normal again. They didn't just provide a product, they provided morale and happiness. They both shoved a lot of free stuff in my hands because of it. In retrospect, I have to say, well played.

I also won a contest. I never win anything, so I was beyond shocked when they called my name at Saturday's lunch that I had won a drawing. I got a free bag of flour and a cute little tote bag that says "Celiac Sprue Association" on it with the logo. Sweet.

I am overwhelmed with medical and dietitian and nutritionist info. I was also one of two 20 somethings there, so I got my brain picked a lot (the other 20 something was staff). A lot, a lot. Everyone from Dee, to the nutritionist for the University of Kansas to the staff nutritionist for CSA wanted my opinion on how to reach the 20 something crowd. I gave out my contact info more times than I can count, invited phone calls, emails, etc.

I'm just fired up. I'm proud to be a Celiac now. It's not something I need to slink away from, it's who I am, I should just own it and go on with my life. That's right. I'm the cool one. :)

CSA 2010!

It's here, it's here, it's here!!! The event I've done nothing but talk about for a month, have scraped my meager savings together to attend, have annoyed everyone at WJC by talking about, yes, THAT event is here!
What event you ask?
Why... CSA 2010! It's the 33rd Annual Conference, and it's right here in my own backyard (figuratively speaking of course), downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
It's a great weekend to be a Celiac.
I hope I sleep tonight, I'm buzzing with little kid excitement.
I promise to come back and report on the fabulousness that has to be this weekend. I hope you want to read about it!

A couple of thoughts though (prayer points if you're so inclined):

 - I don't do well in crowd situations, especially when I don't know a soul going in. So pray that I can be at ease with my public persona, and NOT scare anyone off by being standoffish, as I am wont to do.
 - It's been an exhausting week, and this weekend is going to set me behind on homework. Worth it, but it will be a tough week next week because of my attendance this weekend.