Food and other things

I work at home today which is good as I can walk the dog before doing anything else. I share the office with other people and it's difficult to focus sometimes. As I mentioned elsewhere I need silence to "function", this is why I stay at home at least two out of 5 days per week. I'm planning to work hard today, cook brown rice and knitting (in the evening). Another thing I need -well, my intestine needs- to function is integral food (I'm not sure this is the right word. We say cibo integrale when food such as pasta and rice is brown and rich in fibres. How do you say? Integral or not refined?). I have very peculiar breakfasts: grained flax seeds (that cointain high level of dietary fiber) with dry mango, coconut and yoghurt is what I usually have. My partner says that "I'm not Italian" in this respect as I don't eat ordinary food, rather I prefer organic and vegetarian food. I used to be vegetarian and I still eat meat or fish for no more than -say- two times a week. I don't eat affettati (i.e. ham, salami and so forth)... except when I go to Tuscany as finocchiona is something I can't resist!

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I'm reading two interesting books. One is non fiction, written by an English author who lives in Italy (no, it's not Andy!). Teach us to sit still has been a very pleasant reading so far. While the second book is fiction, it offers cultural insights which makes it more than just a novel. Both are worth reading. I'm looking forward to read Cunnigham's last novel which will be published in Italian in the next days. However, I'm sure I'll buy it in English ... 

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I'm planning to write some Feldenkrais chronicles in order to explain the benefits of this method. If I have time, I'll do it in the following weeks.

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.

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.

You don't have to take me

seriously when I'm premenstrual as hell. I've always had bad premenstrual syndrome as I have everything that is described here (scary, eh?). I get depressed, I cry, I have mood swings and I feel really tired not just for a couple of days before my period but for 7-8 days. Moreover, I gain weight (1- 2 kilos before my period) as I give up my long walks habits and I eat a great amount of pasta and bread. I can tell you that it's a real nightmare and I should seek out treatment methods. Everything was fine when I was on birth control except for migranes with aura which is why I'm not on the pille anymore.

Anyway, I haven't forgotten my radical self care plan and I'm still commited to my writing as part of the overall "plan".

I enjoyed my summer holidays in Tuscany even though my partner joined us for a very short period of time. I read, walked and ate delicious and healthy food for the first two weeks then I was too hungy to stick with my plans and I gave up my healthy habits ;). That's the beauty of it, isnt' it? Betrayal! I read great books I would highly recommend to my lovely readers but -to my knowledge- they haven't been translated into English. It was a bit strange to read in Italian and it's even more weird now to write in English again after a real Italian summer surrounded by Italians words and thoughts only. I have to "warm up" my English, it's a bit rusty.

I'm suppose to be working on a paper and other stuff but I feel lazy after three relaxing weeks. I spend my days re-reading (I read it when I was 20, in my mid thirties it has a different flavour) Anna Karanenina, thinking about the future, checking emails, complaining for everything etc.

I'll do some housekeeping on the blog later on. Stay tuned!

A Lover's Discourse

I have the tendency to forget very quickly  my favourite writers and books except for few authors I'm deeply in love with. Today, thanks to Caterina, I recall one of them: Jeffrey Eugenides. I've read Middlesex three times, two in Italian and one in English. I gave this book to all my friends and family members and I've loved every single paragraph of this amazing story.

Just finished this short piece of fiction and realized that I'm (still) desperately in love with this author. Enjoy it... in extreme solitude.

Ps. Also, you shouldn't to miss this.

New Year resolution # 2

#1 is positive thinking and -surprisingly enough- I'm sticking to it.

The second is harder though: no more books in 2010. Namely, I don't want to buy books for the next 365 days for at least three reasons. First, I don't have enough space and more importantly I haven't read yet at least -say- 50 books I've bought. Last but not least, the paper waste. Now that I'm thinking about it, there's also another reason. I want to re-read some books either because I was too young to appreaciate them (Russian literature for instance) fully or because I don't remember the details. My family says that I won't stick to this one, it's far too much difficult to me. Ok, let's say 6 months ;)

The first day at work was fine... despite the fact that I was so excited to see my big boy this evening that I fell down and I almost broke my right foot. Overall the day was good and it was lovely to see my colleagues and my boss. And yes, he is planning a dinner. Honestly I couldn't have asked for a better team to work with.

Addictionally, my partner got a new job today which is a blessing for both of us.