The last ten days have been packed full of activity. Dealing with my wrecked car (sniff, sniff.) Dealing with the insurance company. Shopping for a replacement car. Working, eating, sleeping, doing a little laundry .... and through it all, constantly carving out time for my Dutch language study.

I've had no time for friends or recreation. Missed two drum circles, a hike and a canoe trip. Haven't met any friends for a coffee, beer or burger this whole time.

Just finished the second unit of the first level of the language study program. There are six more units in this level, and eight units in the next level. I want very much to get through both levels before July 24, but it's tough going. Some lessons are relatively easy, and I grasp the material quickly. Other lessons require a night of sleep and a second go-round the next day. There's no point going forward if I haven't gotten a basic grasp of what went before.

I'm gonna have to get more strict with myself - might have to stop reading, and do ONLY language studies, until my eyes close each night. Don't know if I am disciplined enough to do this, but I need to try.

Last night and the night before, my dreams were filled with the lessons. I keep waking up with the words and pictures rolling around in my brain, then falling asleep again. I get up in the morning with the stuff still in my head. It's a tortured sort of mental state, but I'm sure it will all be well worth the effort, in the end.

Thye biggest reason for my upcoming trip to Holland is pulling stories out of my relatives there, for the family history book. My aunts keep saying they don't have many stories, but now and then a good one pops out, and I am totally certain that many more are stored in their brains. The only way to bring out the stories is conversation, and in order to have productive conversation, I need to go there with a basic grasp of conversational Dutch.