I think I’m starting to enjoy stickers more after my vacation in Italy…
📷 Captured on Prince Street, NYC.
Writing down thoughts like rain. And books.
The notebook 📝 “mind dump” experiment seems to find its footing. I can name it and define it, which means it has a more solid part in my morning routine.
My constructive thoughts - projects (work or personal), tasks, activities, journaling, etc. - fit in Emacs org-mode, a system I’ve used for four years. But these ideas need to start somewhere, and it’s not the computer.
Starting the day with coffee and a notebook at hand works for me. I have some precious alone time in the kitchen, and I start writing down thoughts and ideas.
Usually, it’s like rain. A drop here, a drop there, then as I continue, more and more ideas pour down on the paper. At other times, I wake up excited with an idea that was cooking on the back burner for a while, like this morning:
Books 📚.
I use a green frame for ideas that excite me and I want to do. I use a blue frame for chores and tasks I need to do. Also, in the picture are some blurred parts where I name specific people. usually it says “talk to Jay” or “email Denise” etc.
As for books, since you might be curious: There was a book I found in the bookstore in Italy about mushrooms. I didn’t get it from Amazon at the end; I decided I wanted to buy the physical book instead.
That store inspired me to try and take my reading habit more seriously. Instead of reading a couple of pages from a book, then get bored and put it down, I think I want to keep pushing for a bit (something I can define by page count or time) and then pick up another book if I don’t like what I’m reading. I used to be a reader, and I want to be a reader again.
Back Home
Being home is good. I missed my corner, my writing, and my tech. But I also miss the breakfast at the wonderful bakery down the street or going down Via Romana, where the pigeons bathe in the sunlight on the shutters 📷.
I returned with a nasty cold (negative for COVID for now) which I think I got on the airplane. My nose was constantly flowing, to the point I had to plug my nostrils with tissues. Afrin was able to cut it down to “normal bad allergy” levels.
This morning, feeling much better, I drank my cappuccino (slightly sweetened like in Italy) and wrote down my thoughts in my notebook. It will take a while before I’m “fully” back, but I was happy to feel excited about what’s ahead.
Florence is beautiful, and some areas around it look like they’re taken directly from a movie set. The wine was amazing, yet cheap and simple. I think I’m forever spoiled. The bakeries with excellent pastries for breakfast make my mouth water. The key, besides the freshness, was less sugar.
Now I plan on taking a nap (I am back to sleeping 5 hours a night), and then continue some more of my projects.
Day 8 - Copenhagen
Copenhagen also has public bathrooms on main streets and plazas, food boxes made from pure cardboard that flattens to a tray as soon as you open the cover, and dedicated bicycle lanes (with hundreds of cycles, more than cars) everywhere you go. But the thing that impressed me the most was the lack of something.
Crossing a main bridge to the heart of town, we passed over the main waterway in the middle of the capital. The air was clean and cold and we realized we don’t smell the water. The smell I grew up used to in the city and everywhere in the world was simply not there. Shocking. 📷
We’re heading home through Copenhagen. We have a connecting flight back to NYC tomorrow.
Walking around, we encountered weird metal stripes on the pavement; they reminded me of Braille. It occurred to me that’s what they are: a guide for visually impaired people who use a walking stick. Genius. 📷
We’re leaving Firenze tomorrow, and I think this is a good picture to capture a moment that will stay with me. Peace, flowers, hills of green. 📷
This was taken in one of the local wineries.
Day 7: Resting
One of the things we don’t like about Italy..? The mosquitos. This guy had its friend keeping us up at night, intruding our rest with a hungry ZZZzzzzzz whenever we closed our eyes.
We got him, and this one too. We’ll show them, we’ll show them all!
Folks of micro.blog, what kind of posts do you find more discussion friendly? Do you feel you interact more with a certain type of content? Writing? Pictures? A mix?
Why so?
Day 6: A Wine Tour
The wine tour turned out better than I expected. Small intimate group, fun guide, and the best part was that I was able to handle my wine well.
In the picture - barrels of Merlot from a cellar of an independent local winery.
Also pictured - the winery’s friendly cat was saying hi to us 📷
Finally, a relaxed day in Florence. I went on a walk and captured more of the essence of the place.
There are many small shops and bars, like this one. Whenever possible I avoided the crowds. 📷
