Book club

We had the monthly book club meeting yesterday. It was about the book "Yellow Blue Tibia". I really enjoy the meetings of the book club. It gives me the chance to read books that I would never buy and read. This one for example was a science fiction book. I would never buy a science fiction book, as it is not the kind of stories I enjoy to read.
But I am glad I read this one. Even if the end of the book is totally confusing and quite disappointing, if we would remove the last let's say 60-80 pages of the book (I don't remember from where exactly I started to not like it), then it is a very enjoyable book to read.

The next book chose for the book club of January is "The girl who fell from the sky". I still didn't start it, as I am already reading other two books. Fortunately, I have a long train ride ahead of me (to go to Italy for Christmas), so it will be the perfect occasion to read a bit more.

Wanting to travel

I am not going to have a work contract in February.
I actually asked to my boss to start my new contract from March.
Why?
I work too much and this year that is coming to an end didn't bring me anything good in terms of work, despite the time I dedicate to it, the passion, and all the rest. At the same time, months and years pass by and if I don't take the chance to do what I always postpone, I may never have that chance.
I need a trip.
I don't need a holidays.
I need a trip and for a trip I mean traveling the way I like.

I am not sure on where to go.
I will have about a month. I would like to spend some days in the Netherlands. Why? Because the Netherlands is always good and I love being there.
Same goes for San Francisco.

Let's say that out of a month, I would have two weeks to myself for traveling (which may mean just going to a place I have never been before and exploring the place without moving around too much). I was looking on internet for some tips of places where a woman can travel alone without problems.

The thing is, I am a traveler. I have been to many places in the world. I got to this book called: "Fly Solo: The 50 Best Places on Earth for a Girl to Travel Alone".... I read the reviews of it. It is not for me. My idea of traveling has nothing to do with finding a party, or what to wear, or where it is fashionable to go. Furthermore, I wouldn't buy such a book to travel through Europe. What I am more thinking about is either going somewhere to scuba dive for an entire week or to go hiking somewhere, maybe in Costa Rica.

Here the characteristics that the place where I would like to go should have:

- Nature. Underwater, forest, mountain. It doesn't matter, as long as I am not going to spend two weeks in a city.
- I need a place which can be safe for a woman to travel and be alone.
- Not too expensive, otherwise I could not afford it.
- Not stressful. A place where people are helpful in case of need.
- I don't want to have to drive a car to go somewhere. I want a place where by public transportation I can get to the places I want to see.

I was thinking of going to Oregon and then from there down to San Francisco. There is plenty of nature in Oregon, but February may not be the best month to enjoy it and in the USA without a car you basically get nowhere...so it may not be a good choice.... :-(

I though of going scuba diving in the Cayman Islands....but it may be a bit too expensive....

I thought of going in some park in Costa Rica.........but if I am going to walk in the forest and see a lot of animals and get totally excited for it and happy, it would suck to not share that with someone whom I know would love that as well.

It is very very longtime that I want to walk in Patagonia.....but I am not sure this would be the right time and two weeks are not enough to do that.

Hard decision.....any suggestion, shared experience, warning, etc is more than welcomed!!!!

Season of presents thinking/shopping

We are getting close to Christmas again. I have to admit not only that I love Christmas, the Christmas atmosphere, the family getting together (even if often my family getting together ends up in some kind of minor drama), etc, etc, but I also love the materialistic aspect of Christmas.

I am not at all a materialistic person, but I love to find small gift for the ones I love. The presents I chose are never too expensive or pretentious, but I love to walk around looking for inspiration thinking of what the recipients of my present may like and of what could make them happy.

However, there is one person for which getting a present is always a major source of stress, which resolved in the last years in never getting anything for him. My father. I remember when my sister and I were little and we were going with my mom to search for presents for him (when my parents were still together). There was never a way to make him happy. First, he likes expensive things and dislike the un-expensive ones. So, a sweater which was not from Armani or especially Missoni generally ended up hidden somewhere to be given some year later to my sister or I (still completely new) with the excuse that it was too tight for him.
Clothing was to avoid as a present to him.
Anything too expensive was to avoid due to my sister and mine financial limitations.
Anything we could think of that he may like, either he already has it (in the last model, the best type, the coolest one, etc, etc) or he actually doesn't like it so much.
Anything handmade is not appreciated at all.

So considering the last development of my tormented non-relationship with my father, this Christmas I felt I would have liked to try to find a small present for him again. I thought of getting him a CD of a group that he may like and he doesn't know yet. I thought of the Editors. The risk is that our present is going to be a flop again.

How can you find a present for someone who already has everything he may want or like?
Any smart idea???

A poetry- Zucchero Chocabeck

My father came to visit me after my surgery.
Unexpectedly, I had a very good time talking to him. I can't allow myself to believe that people may change and that he may have started to care about me. The disappointment if this wouldn't be the case would hurt me too much. I have learned something about him in my life till now. But I have to admit that I was happy to have him here, that he was nice to me, and that he behaved like a "normal" caring father I guess should behave. So, it was nice.

Yesterday, I went out in the car with him and he was playing the new CD of Zucchero, an Italian singer that I really like. I read that this last album of Zucchero was really good and different in comparison to the previous ones. I read that it was a very intimate album.

At the first track of the album, I got goose bumps on my arms. The music was so melodic and the song so intense, that I felt like I was reading a wonderful poetry, and even more. My father this morning, before to leave to come back to Italy, left me the CD, so that I could listen to it all. I am listening to it now. I don't like all the songs in the same way (e.g., I am not crazy about "E' un peccato morir", even if it is more Zucchero old style), but I suggest the CD anyway or at least to get some of the songs, because they are marvelous. I am amazed that Zucchero is not better known outside Italy. He is one the contemporary Italian singers that I like most. Of this album, "Oltre le rive" touches me to the core.

Another important thing. I saw on the CD that Zucchero supports the Associazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla, another good reason to get this CD: enjoy the good music and also do something good for others (in this case people with sclerosis).

Let me know if you like Chocabeck too.

pause...stop...restart

I just had a surgery. Out of nowhere this summer, getting checked for something else, the doctor found a cyst badly placed that needed to be removed.
In a couple of month the cyst went from invisible and undetectable, to annoying, kind of painful and anyway always in my mind. As one of my philosophies is to get rid of things that have to be done, I tried to schedule this surgery for as sooner I could.
The sooner was this past monday.
I got to monday totally scared. I can face dangerous situation well, but when it comes to my health (or to the health of someone I love), I feel like I am a big baby. But everything well. The surgery went well, I am still alive, the people at the hospital were all nice and helpful, the doctor who performed the surgery seemed competent and nice (and according to my mom also very handsome), the pain now is bearable, and I am already at home.

I am not good in resting. Not good in pausing my life for whatever reason that it is not dependent on my personal choice. But this was something I had to do, and even if I didn't decide to go for it (and I would have honestly happily avoided it), I am happy the surgery is past. Now I have to "behave" and be able to pause my life and rest.
I left the hospital yesterday around lunch time and today I thought that I could already work, since I was at home feeling slightly better. I quickly got punished. After about an hour behaving like nothing happened, my head started turning, I felt very dizzy and I had to hide in bed for some hours. Did I learn my lesson? To be able to pause and stop my life when necessary, like when my body is sending me messages to slow down......

we will see.....for now I am looking forward to a healthy re-start.....and this so much for living in the present :-(

But I guess that now I have plenty of times to read the books that I have never time to read.