What's going on here part II

1. extremely busy. I don't have time to write a proper post, but I want to keep you posted
2. big boy gave me a headbutt on my front teeth two days ago. He didn't do it intentionally but the pain was quite severe and I still have to do some medical checks as the nerve might be damaged. It still hurts even though it's getting better. I must admit that I cried for an hour but I wasn't able to admonish him.
3. Ok, I promised to cut down on travel but there is a chance to spend few days in Vilnius and I can't say no! I've heard it's a wonderful city so I keep my fingers crossed as it depends on my work. Moreover, I truly hope we can go somewhere for my partner's birthday (October 11th), we both need a holiday.
4. I'll be going here on Saturday  to celebrate a friend of mine: can't wait! It's a nice place and there's a good reason to celebrate her achievements.

I think that's all for now. 

What's going on here

• it' raining but it's ok. I'm planning to do some yarn shopping tomorrow and we'll go to the movies so I don't need the sun, do I? However, big boy does otherwise our walks will be much shorter. I can tell he is a bit annoyed already.
• I've had very good feedbacks from people I worked with last week. I'm really pleased as it was quite a challenging job :)
• flights are booked to visit my friend in Warsaw. On one hand I'm looking forward to see her, on the other I feel guilty because my partner will be staying at home. He knows we are very close so I'm sure he is fine with it.
• I think I know where I am! Finally I've "wrapped up" my thoughts and PART III will be posted soon.
• Pilates classes will start on Monday and I'll be righ there, front row. Hopefully, I'll do some Yoga as well.

Sleep tight

Follow up

Mapping Stereotypes

I shouldn't write this post

as I don't have spare time right now but I'm so disgusted and angry that I have to write it down here. Even in Sweden (!) xenophobic far right advances. It seems that Europe is going far right and I don't like that at all. We do need migrants but we don't want them. Let them starving in Africa, Pakistan or Afghanistan, let's pretend we are "better" only because we have been born in Italy, Norway, France or Germany, let's forget about civil rights which do not apply to "foreigners". The only European rule seems "the double standard": freedom of movement for the riches, freedom of dying for the poors.

I'll be back soon!

Coming weeks

I'll be both travelling and working hard in the next couple of weeks. Not sure I'll be able to update the blog so I'm afraid I'll be in touch with you no sooner than end of month.

Ps. I must confess that Rembember me is not a crap book! It's been a pleasant reading so far, light, funny but not stupid. I'll bring it with me along with this one.

*UPDATE*

The funny thing is that... 2 minutes after this post, I got an email from C. "I'll be back soon".... yeah, I know....

I really need to learn

to be more cautious.

A colleague of mine moves to another country for a while. We've been quite close recently but honestly I don't consider this person as a "friend". As soon as C. is abroad, I receive long and very personal emails mainly on how life is much better there and other issues related to work in Italy. C. writes me almost everyday and it seems as though we become "good" friends ... for -say- three weeks. Then something happens and I don't get what it is. All of a sudden C. stops writing. I ask what the hell is happening and C. replies "nothing, I'm just busy". Fine, I'll wait a couple of weeks but all I have from this person is silence. I haven't heard from C. for a couple of months but now we have to work together on a project. I get a very cold email about what we have do and then C. offers to help me because I'm supposed to do a job which is quite far from what I usually do. We work together and then silence again. Someone tells me that C. was in Italy this summer for a short period of time, really? I didn't know that.

The end of the story is that I don't understand people who behave like that.  I feel really stupid as I spent a great amount of time writing to C. I wrote personal stuff too and it wasn't a wise thing to do. You never know how people are, it takes time to get to know someone and I'm 34 so I should be much more careful. However, I'm the kind of person who is very open and generous: I listen, share thoughts and basically devote time to colleague and friends I feel empathy for.

I don't know what happened to C. and I don't even care at this point. The problem is that... C. is coming back to Italy. I don't know when but apparently very soon. I'll have to work with this person but this time there is no screen or physical distance between us....

Crap English Literature

After a challenging day I can't read Anna Karenina. So I go to the American Bookstore to buy a very light novel. Apparently they have a bunch of crap, I don't know where to look. Finally, I pick up the perfect crap book:

"Of all the crap, crap,crappy nights I've ever had in the whole of my crap life" (Prologue)

It seems just perfect! The cover is embarassing ugly, the book DOES not look intellectually stimulating: exactly what I need.

Sleep tight.

A missed opportunity

Shame on the EU.

Planning in advance

Ok, perhaps it’s a bit early to plan my Christmas gifts list but this year I really want to give a personal touch to the season. While I cannot hand-make everything, I can certainly knit at least two scarves for my best friends. S. & S. are very different from each other so the knitting patterns won’t be equal. I know their style and I’m committed to do something that will work with their preferences. I don’t want to spend a long time making a garment that will never be used! The main problem is that one of them is always very elegant and it seems challenging to match a knitting scarf with high heels or tailleurs unless it is a fashionable scarf … not sure I know how to do it. It is much easier to knit something (a scarf or a blanket) for my Canadian friend who is an easy going woman with NO interest in fashion.

Obviously I need to pick the right yarn and I already have in mind a couple of places for yarn shopping. I will shop with a family friend who offered to teach me how to knit a very nice and apparently easy pattern. I definitely need some advice.

However, those are just 3 gifts! What about my family & other friends/colleagues? Christmas cookies? Decorated coffee jars? I can’t come up with original ideas except for knitting projects. Any ideas?

MARIE SJØVOLD

She is a great photographer, isn't she?

Breakfast

Confession time

Alice Melville

If I ever get bored with my job, I'll open a tea house & patisserie.

Karenina for dummies

I found out (page 236, Italian version) that Anna is pregnant. She tells V.(her lover and the baby's father) who politely discusses with her the opportunity of leaving her husband. However, she is even more tormented now as she is torned between two different and intense kinds of love: her first son who is more likely to stay with her husband and V. who makes her immensely happy. She is also trapped in the social restraints imposed by the culture and the society she lives is and does't know what to do.  Is the quest for happiness worth it? Can she live without her son? How can she deal with the conventions of the Russian society?

to be continued

Late Cancer Show

Yesterday night I deliberately watched David Letterman because I knew Michael Douglas was there. He discussed his throat cancer and the severity of his conditions. Yet, he seemed so strong and determined to fight cancer that he looked like a teenager eager to taste life. I've just read an article on La Repubblica - my favourite Italian newspaper. I'm old fashioned: I don't read online newspapers, I still turn pages and I read  while I'm sipping my morning coffee. I will never give up this early morning pleasure- written by the well known Italian oncologist Umberto Veronesi. He claims that there has been a significant shift: cancer is not a taboo anymore and the fact that Michael Douglas made a public appearance and talked opening about his battle is very important. It may have an impact on both patients and society: he has cancer, he speaks about it and he seems a warrior enganged in a challenging but not impossible to win battle. According to Veronesi, this is a cultural revolution. I partially agree with him. We (Italians) are not there yet as there is a sort of "general embarassment" even if I'm not sure this is the right way to put it.  We tend to be more reticent to speak out and I can't imagine an Italian actor being so open about his illness after the first week of treatment. I wish we were so open but I'm afraid it will take us time to adjust to this important social and cultural revolution.

September 1st

I have:

1. 14 days to write a paper on a topic I don't like at all. Procastinating is not an option anymore. I should start thinking/writing right away but apparently I'm surfing on the Internet instead of focusing;
2. to stick to my plan. It's going ok. I have cut down on travels, except for a couple of days in Rome in September and perhaps 3-4 days in Warsaw (November, I'm planning to visit my Polish friend). My partner will have few days off in October and I'd like to go to Istambul. We will see, we haven't decided yet as it depends on my job commitments as well. The "pregnancy plan" is still on the horizon, we will work on that! Pilates and Yoga classes will start in October, in the meanwhile I enjoy long walks with my big boy and I'm doing my best to increase consuption of integral cereals and healthy food (i.e. the crumble!!). I'm keeping this blog updated and I'm even more aware now that I DON'T have reasons to complain.