Italy, night
After days spent swimming, working, reading a lot of books (I love the books of Carofiglio, I hope he will write more of them), listening to concerts, re-thinking about my life, having to live with a lot of mood swings, tonight I decided to write a short post, just in the case that someone who follows my blog starts to wonder if I am still alive.
Yes, I am still alive. I am not mentally in a blogging mood. I am more in a writing "old fashion diary" mood, but I don't have too much time for that either.
Just briefly:
I saw the last Harry Potter movie. I was a bit disappointed by it.
I listened to a concert of Moby. I loved it and danced a lot. I didn't see the concert, as I didn't want to buy the ticket, but I listened to it very well just standing outside the area limited to the concert. I enjoyed a lot.
I went to the concert of the Buena Vista Social Club last night. Great atmosphere. It was in my favorite square in Lucca, Piazza dell'Anfiteatro. The ticket was extremely cheap (only 10 euros), the music was great, I danced a lot and I enjoyed any minute of it.
I will soon have to come back to France and even if I love living there, here I feel home and I will miss it.
I will have a job interview for a possibly permanent job in August. My life is so upside down right now that even if I strongly hope that they will offer me the job, so that I can decide about it, I also feel that I should take the break that I keep postponing from the beginning of this year and for which it is never the good moment.
What else? ah, yes, I think too much...sometimes I wish I could just live without thinking so much....
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
My ideal daily escape
Italy, morning
Last time I had some holidays, some real holidays, meaning some full days in a row without working, without checking emails, without thinking about work, it was June 2006. I went to Lanzarote with the olandesino and I loved everything of it: the place, the holidays, being there with the olandesino.
So, last time I had some days of relax one after the other was three years ago. After that, the instability of my job and the large amount of work things that I had and have to do to make sure to keep having some kind of job made impossible any kind of relaxing fairly long (which means at least a week) holidays.
Not being able to have that, I am now enjoying and fully absorb any sunday or any single moment or half day in which I don't have to work. It is not the same of course, but it helps to not get completely crazy. In these days that I am in Italy, working from morning to evening, I try to make sure that every day I have at least an hour to go to the outdoor swimming pool or to read a good book (I love the books of Carofiglio), or to chat with my friends or to go to the sea. It makes a difference in my day and it gives me the energy to face the next day of crazy work again....
I wish I could take a holidays again in South Africa. I often think about when we were there, the olandesino and I. I loved it. Some areas are very dangerous, but the ones that are not, are just simply amazing.
Last time I had some holidays, some real holidays, meaning some full days in a row without working, without checking emails, without thinking about work, it was June 2006. I went to Lanzarote with the olandesino and I loved everything of it: the place, the holidays, being there with the olandesino.
So, last time I had some days of relax one after the other was three years ago. After that, the instability of my job and the large amount of work things that I had and have to do to make sure to keep having some kind of job made impossible any kind of relaxing fairly long (which means at least a week) holidays.
Not being able to have that, I am now enjoying and fully absorb any sunday or any single moment or half day in which I don't have to work. It is not the same of course, but it helps to not get completely crazy. In these days that I am in Italy, working from morning to evening, I try to make sure that every day I have at least an hour to go to the outdoor swimming pool or to read a good book (I love the books of Carofiglio), or to chat with my friends or to go to the sea. It makes a difference in my day and it gives me the energy to face the next day of crazy work again....
I wish I could take a holidays again in South Africa. I often think about when we were there, the olandesino and I. I loved it. Some areas are very dangerous, but the ones that are not, are just simply amazing.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Loss of language
Italy, afternoon
I love being in Italy and spend some weeks here. However, while my permanence in my home country can be considered positive for my mood, the same is also extremely dangerous for my capacity to correctly speak or remember any kind of foreign language....
I just realized that in the last days I wrote some horrible English emails for work...... :-(
Every time I come back to Italy my brain basically switches off and goes in saving energy mode (which means it can do much more than allowing me to eat, gossip, chat, sleep and trying to relax)...which is not ideal when you are "in transfer" and still have to work a lot....
PS. The new Harry Potter movie came out yesterday. I still didn't see it....I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited about it!
I love being in Italy and spend some weeks here. However, while my permanence in my home country can be considered positive for my mood, the same is also extremely dangerous for my capacity to correctly speak or remember any kind of foreign language....
I just realized that in the last days I wrote some horrible English emails for work...... :-(
Every time I come back to Italy my brain basically switches off and goes in saving energy mode (which means it can do much more than allowing me to eat, gossip, chat, sleep and trying to relax)...which is not ideal when you are "in transfer" and still have to work a lot....
PS. The new Harry Potter movie came out yesterday. I still didn't see it....I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited about it!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Proud of being from Tuscany
Italy, morning
I needed to be pampered. I needed to spend some time with family and friends and so I packed my computer and I decided to do my work in Italy. I am at my mom's place and every time I come back, I wish I could stay here longer. The time spent here is never enough.
I like living in the South of France. I love the people I work with, I like the place where I live, I have nice friends and a great apartment. But nothing is like here, in my home town. I am aware of all the things that don't work in Italy, of how bad the economy is, of the lack of jobs, of the nepotism that dominates the University jobs, of how difficult is to do research here. But I truly strongly miss being here. Tuscany is great. Not only I was born in a place very close to the sea and very close to mountains, hills and hiking places. But the cities are lovely, people are generally friendly, I have my friends since I was a kid, there are no real big dangers here....I wish I could find a job around here...Unfortunately the chance of that happening is probably less than winning a huge amount of money at the lottery.
The other day some foreigners were asking me about the rate of homicides in my home town. I laughed. Local people say that my home town is getting more and more dangerous...and it is true....but the truth also being that when I was little, robberies were rare events, as well as aggressions. Now, robberies are more commons and sometimes aggressions happen. But the rate of these events, compared to other places in the world, is nothing.
Trying to do as much as I can to come back home or keep living abroad and come back here as often as I can? This is a big dilemma. I see that any person that I know, doing my job, who decided to come back to work in Italy, after spending some time working abroad, is very very frustrated and not happy. Things do not work well here. There are not many jobs and the money invested in the research is very little, probably lower than any other European countries. I would probably end up being very frustrated if I would work here. But on the other hand, I think of all the things that I also like about Italy and especially about Tuscany. The more time I spend abroad the more proud of being Italian I became. I love the life style of the little Tuscan towns. I love to walk around these cities and see kids, teenagers, adults and old people sharing the same space, interacting. I like to have the feeling of being in a familiar environment. I like to have family dinner, laugh together, talk, share things. I strongly miss being part of something.
I have my life in places abroad since almost nine years now. But most of the time, no matter where I am, I feel out of places. I remember than when I was younger I use to feel out of place here too. But now, here in Tuscany, in my home town, with my family and long term friends, is one of the few places in the world where I not only feel home, but I also feel that things are familiar to me.
I may not come from the best place in the world....but it feels pretty good to me. And I miss it a lot. My way of looking at the same things changed a lot with the time passing by.....
I needed to be pampered. I needed to spend some time with family and friends and so I packed my computer and I decided to do my work in Italy. I am at my mom's place and every time I come back, I wish I could stay here longer. The time spent here is never enough.
I like living in the South of France. I love the people I work with, I like the place where I live, I have nice friends and a great apartment. But nothing is like here, in my home town. I am aware of all the things that don't work in Italy, of how bad the economy is, of the lack of jobs, of the nepotism that dominates the University jobs, of how difficult is to do research here. But I truly strongly miss being here. Tuscany is great. Not only I was born in a place very close to the sea and very close to mountains, hills and hiking places. But the cities are lovely, people are generally friendly, I have my friends since I was a kid, there are no real big dangers here....I wish I could find a job around here...Unfortunately the chance of that happening is probably less than winning a huge amount of money at the lottery.
The other day some foreigners were asking me about the rate of homicides in my home town. I laughed. Local people say that my home town is getting more and more dangerous...and it is true....but the truth also being that when I was little, robberies were rare events, as well as aggressions. Now, robberies are more commons and sometimes aggressions happen. But the rate of these events, compared to other places in the world, is nothing.
Trying to do as much as I can to come back home or keep living abroad and come back here as often as I can? This is a big dilemma. I see that any person that I know, doing my job, who decided to come back to work in Italy, after spending some time working abroad, is very very frustrated and not happy. Things do not work well here. There are not many jobs and the money invested in the research is very little, probably lower than any other European countries. I would probably end up being very frustrated if I would work here. But on the other hand, I think of all the things that I also like about Italy and especially about Tuscany. The more time I spend abroad the more proud of being Italian I became. I love the life style of the little Tuscan towns. I love to walk around these cities and see kids, teenagers, adults and old people sharing the same space, interacting. I like to have the feeling of being in a familiar environment. I like to have family dinner, laugh together, talk, share things. I strongly miss being part of something.
I have my life in places abroad since almost nine years now. But most of the time, no matter where I am, I feel out of places. I remember than when I was younger I use to feel out of place here too. But now, here in Tuscany, in my home town, with my family and long term friends, is one of the few places in the world where I not only feel home, but I also feel that things are familiar to me.
I may not come from the best place in the world....but it feels pretty good to me. And I miss it a lot. My way of looking at the same things changed a lot with the time passing by.....
Sunday, July 5, 2009
And Federer made history
France, evening
Not being able to watch tennis games on tv is one of the few reasons for which I miss to not have a tv. Federer won today Wimbledon and broke the record of Sampras in terms of Slam titles won. I miss a lot watching tennis games. I miss even more playing tennis outside. I should start to play again one of these days...
Not being able to watch tennis games on tv is one of the few reasons for which I miss to not have a tv. Federer won today Wimbledon and broke the record of Sampras in terms of Slam titles won. I miss a lot watching tennis games. I miss even more playing tennis outside. I should start to play again one of these days...
The good and bad of the arsenic
France, night
There is this old movie I like and that in Italian is "arsenico e vecchi merletti" (Arsenic and Old Lace in English). Every time that the word "arsenic" comes to my mind, I immediately think about this movie. However, in the last months the word arsenic came unfortunately to my mind very very often and not for good reasons.
The arsenic is a chemical compound of not necessarily very pleasant characteristics. If ingested or breathed, it can cause serious health problems, including death. Because of my work, during my stay in San Francisco, I came into contact with some undefined quantities of arsenic on a regular base, every year, for over a month. The result of this being different symptoms, more or less scary (and all together very scary to me): headache, stomach pain, nausea, nails that became much whiter (like the natural white of the top of the nail diluted into the nail....very impressive to see it), etc, etc. After months, I finally got the results of the test to check for a possible arsenic intoxication. I have arsenic in my body, but the quantity is not so high to require a treatment.
The thing is, since I knew that I may have had got arsenic in my body, I started to look on internet for possible harmless solutions to it and ask everyone. More than one person suggested me to start to take some pill containing cysteine (which is an amino acid) and in general increase my intake of sulfur, as sulfur seems to be able to capture the arsenic in the body and help the body to eliminate it. I got pills of sulfur and of cysteine. I started to take them during my stay in San Francisco and since I didn't finish the package yet, I still keep taking them. And you know what? my hair never looked more amazing than now! Cysteine is supposed to help hair and skin...and no kidding...it really does!!!
At least this light arsenic poisoning is not all that negative. I got some fabulous healthy looking hair now!!!
There is this old movie I like and that in Italian is "arsenico e vecchi merletti" (Arsenic and Old Lace in English). Every time that the word "arsenic" comes to my mind, I immediately think about this movie. However, in the last months the word arsenic came unfortunately to my mind very very often and not for good reasons.
The arsenic is a chemical compound of not necessarily very pleasant characteristics. If ingested or breathed, it can cause serious health problems, including death. Because of my work, during my stay in San Francisco, I came into contact with some undefined quantities of arsenic on a regular base, every year, for over a month. The result of this being different symptoms, more or less scary (and all together very scary to me): headache, stomach pain, nausea, nails that became much whiter (like the natural white of the top of the nail diluted into the nail....very impressive to see it), etc, etc. After months, I finally got the results of the test to check for a possible arsenic intoxication. I have arsenic in my body, but the quantity is not so high to require a treatment.
The thing is, since I knew that I may have had got arsenic in my body, I started to look on internet for possible harmless solutions to it and ask everyone. More than one person suggested me to start to take some pill containing cysteine (which is an amino acid) and in general increase my intake of sulfur, as sulfur seems to be able to capture the arsenic in the body and help the body to eliminate it. I got pills of sulfur and of cysteine. I started to take them during my stay in San Francisco and since I didn't finish the package yet, I still keep taking them. And you know what? my hair never looked more amazing than now! Cysteine is supposed to help hair and skin...and no kidding...it really does!!!
At least this light arsenic poisoning is not all that negative. I got some fabulous healthy looking hair now!!!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Insomnia
France, night
Since a weeks if not more, I started to suffer of insomnia...I don't know how to stop it. I fall asleep, I wake up, I start to think, my mind begins to spin and there is no way I can fall asleep again.....I guess I will work at night now...
Since a weeks if not more, I started to suffer of insomnia...I don't know how to stop it. I fall asleep, I wake up, I start to think, my mind begins to spin and there is no way I can fall asleep again.....I guess I will work at night now...
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
everyone in the water
France, night
Kitesurfing here in the South of France is very popular. I got familiar with kitesurfing because the olandesino is crazy about it and loves doing it. And me, I love to watch kitesurfers (but too scared to try it). It looks so cool, so scary, so adventurous. I just tried to control the kitesurf on land, it is so difficult. I felt I was risking to fly away....
And it is beautiful to see all the kites up in the air, near to each other.
The kitesurfing season seems to be at its full now. Every time I went to the beaches near by, I always saw a lot of people kitesurfing. And when you see them jumping and turning, it is so crazy.
Just to give you an idea of what it is about, check this out:
Kitesurfing here in the South of France is very popular. I got familiar with kitesurfing because the olandesino is crazy about it and loves doing it. And me, I love to watch kitesurfers (but too scared to try it). It looks so cool, so scary, so adventurous. I just tried to control the kitesurf on land, it is so difficult. I felt I was risking to fly away....
And it is beautiful to see all the kites up in the air, near to each other.
The kitesurfing season seems to be at its full now. Every time I went to the beaches near by, I always saw a lot of people kitesurfing. And when you see them jumping and turning, it is so crazy.
Just to give you an idea of what it is about, check this out:
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