Let's blog about quilting goals

The January Block Lotto-linky party theme is "let's blog about quilting goals" so I guess I will give it a try:

This year I will try very very hard not to throttle anyone because of quilting (thereby making it a quilting goal--see how that works?).  I often start the year with this vow & the only reason I have been successful in previous years is most of my quilting contacts are on-line.  It is hard to put your hands on people on-line.  Also, it is easier to walk away from provocative conversations.

I should clarify that I have never actually punched (or kicked or bit) anyone because of quilting.  I am hoping to continue this record, but 2014 is shaping up to be a banner year.  A certain amount of agida comes from the Facebook Quilt Block Swap & that is mostly OKay.  This is a to-be-expected downside of overseeing a swap group of 200+ people, not all of whom are English speaking & even those that are don't all speak American English (if you think that doesn't matter, tell me quick how many centimeters in an inch?).  There are questions frequently asked, & less frequently, but still sometimes asked more than once...or twice by the same person. 

Recently, I got a message from a person asking for the THIRD time in six months (we swap every other month so that means for the third straight swap) for my mailing address.  She knew she had asked this before & was a little embarrassed so she sent me a private message instead of posting it on the group page (where there is actually a file called Mailing Label).  She had asked this question on the group before (her first message said, "I think I have asked this before"), but instead of risking ridicule...or looking up my previous answer, she messaged me privately.  Because having to read one more message about something I have already answered & answer it again is not at all annoying.  What is particularly sad about this (& anyone who uses Facebook messenger may have spotted this already) is previous conversations are archived together under the name of the person you are messaging.  Which means that right there, immediately above her apologies for asking this question is the answer from last time she asked this question.  So....agida.

The last message asking for my address actually arrived the day blocks were due, so it was moot & also not a 2014 problem.  2014 problems have been blocks for a swap already done & gone arriving postmarked after the due date (which was in 2013 & not in December by-the-by).  When told of the late arrival the swapper blamed the post office for not delivering her woefully under-postaged envelope sooner.  I was not aware the post office could travel back in time -the postmark was the Monday following the swap- so even if they tessered it here, it would still have been too late.  In another envelope, a different swapper sent blocks for a sign-up only swap for which she was not signed up, which was just as well because she didn't follow the directions anyhow. 

Then last week, I had yet another unpleasant encounter with a person claiming to be a representative for a well-known quilt group who was concerned I had used the name of the group erroneously & threatened me with a lawsuit (again).  Among the specific quilt requirements she told me I needed to meet were incorrect minimum quilt dimensions (the dimensions she provided were larger than those specified on the group's own website) & that I needed written permission to use the group's name, well, anywhere.  The text she had trouble with was "among the groups receiving quilts made from 6th blocks are" insert name of group here, along with the names of four other groups because I am apparently attracted to sets of five.  This sentence does not appear in any advertising because we don't do any advertising, it's just a list of groups that have indeed historically received 6th block quilts, some of whom (including this one) have sent thank you notes.  I realize this is a too-many-cooks problem, but it is very off-putting.  So off-putting that after the last time it happened, I successfully avoided this group's color scheme until two of our members (two of our FOUNDING members) asked if we could do another one.  & then I got this Napoleon Syndrome nonsense in my e-mail.  

That's three pains in the ass in three weeks.  Today is the Monday of week four.  I haven't killed anyone so far, but it is not yet noon.  & sorry Sophie, this is probably not what you were looking for when you asked for quilting goals, but this is the one at the top of my list right now:  no punching & also remember remember remember the just under 200 group members who make it worth while.