Ciao tutti,
I've been a bad boy and am not going swimming because I'm not feeling too good. This doesn't mean I'm really sick, because I never really get sick, but I'm using my feeling a little bit under the weather as a very lame but superficially valid excuse. However, this gives me time to write something before I start doing some exercises on the floor of our lovely little apartment which should compensate for not swimming - but just don't, to be completely honest. Anyway, the point is that I'm lazy and abusing a minor discomfort for the pleasure of whining about my life. If you are still interested in me and my life after this lovely introduction, be my guest and read on!
I'm sorry but I'm a bit frustrated. Work is very slow this month and my pay is going to suck, and not just because this month only has three days. People are always busy finishing things the last weeks before Christmas and the cancellation rate goes up significantly, as it has this year. This means less money, even though December is not cheapest month of the year - and that's making the understatement of the year (and seriously, it was time someone made it because the year is nearly at its end). I have been promised a shitload of courses as of the first week of January though - more than I can handle to be honest - so I'm hoping I'll be able to compensate for my current lack of money and will actually be able to start saving for the summer.
There have been some problems at work lately, some cashflow problems and stress to get a lot of things arranged and underway, which hasn't been having a positive influence on the atmosphere in the office. Veronica, our course manager, is sick quite a lot and completely stressed out and Caroline is stressed out about making sure Veronica's work gets done while at the same time trying to keep the business afloat. I'm trying to help out as much as I can, but it has become blatantly obvious to me how much I still don't know and have to learn about the job. My being completely incapable of understanding how the phone system works so I can't
even help by answering the phone may just be a little problem on the whole, but does remind
me of my utter stupidity on a daily basis. Moreover, my inaccurate use of Italian, which seems to prolong any conversation that should be handled quickly and politely, is contributing as well.
To make matters even worse, our endless listening to Christmas music has finally started taking its toll and I can't stand it anymore. I wish Christmas was already here, so we could just have the bloody dinners, open our gifts and be done with it!!! It does mean that for the first time in weeks we are now both sitting next to each other on the couch enjoying a blissful silence without any bells jingling, reindeer dashing, pop stars desperate to make a comeback singing horribly sweet Christmas songs or 'Santa, baby's hurrying down the chimney tonight!!!! Olé!
OK, that's it for the complaining, I promise. Let's focus on the good things. Olaf's making progress with his research, I only have to work three more days this month, I have been able to increase my number of private students to make some extra cash and we have been doing some pretty cool things. Two weeks ago, Sant'Ambrogio (the religious feast day of St. Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan) was a public holiday (another day without pay this month, but hush, I promised I wouldn't complain anymore), which I spent doing absolutely nothing. I slept late, played Civilization all day and we had dinner with Felix and Annaïg that night to see their new apartment. That Saturday, I did my Christmas shopping and Olaf and I went to the market traditionally held during the weekend around Sant'Ambrogio, although I didn't buy anything. That night, we went to an aperitivo at La Hora Feliz with a lot of my colleagues and some ex colleagues I hadn't seen for along time like Louisa, Amanda and of course Nissrine. That Sunday, we met up with Stefano and Elke to go to the fiera, where there was a big food and hand-crafted objects fair where we drank German beer, ate lovely polenta and I bought loads of fudge and Egyptian candy. That made me very happy.
Last weekend, my study mates Bert and Eefje came to visit and we spent a lovely weekend sightseeing and mainly playing lots of games. They brought us a new addition to our game collection: Boonanza, way cool!!!! Of course we also ate and drank way to much at the usual hangouts like Más and La Padellaccia. It was really good catching up with them after such a long time and gossiping about all the people still in Nijmegen. I also thoroughly enjoyed just acting crazy with them the way we used to in the old days. And our playing games almost felt like the game nights we used to have back then. Oh nostalgia!!!
Tomorrow, Nissrine is coming back for two last days in Milan before she goes back to Canada. She didn't get her permesso and has to start the application process again. I feel so bad for her, because now that she finally has that job she
wanted and is able to start the career she is so ambitiously striving for, the bastard Italians are just
refusing her application - without any good reason. Let's hope things can be arranged fast from Canada and that she'll be back before we know it! Anyway, tomorrow we're going to her goodbye aperitivo at La Hora Feliz which will also serve as a pre-Christmas get-together for all my current and old colleagues. Thursday night will be spent in front of the computer as we are finally going to have our Austin Powers marathon with Nissrine before she has to catch her bus to the airport in the middle of the night. Ironically enough, Friday is my only busy day this week, but I'm sure I will survive one short night, especially because it will be the last day before Christmas break!!!
I suppose one of the other reasons I'm not too happy today is because I am a bit sickly, and so is Olaf. There's a nasty vomiting flu going around and I'm hoping we can avoid catching it. As I don't get sick that easily and infections never last long, I'm sure it will pass soon enough but at least it means I'm in for a few days of headaches and sore throats. Oh well, it is winter after all. It's just that the combination of work stress, worries about not earning enough and my physical state at the moment are trying to defeat my positive attitude. But I am not going to let it and will force myself to be merry. It has to be, after all, a merry fucking Christmas!
Until I have more to whine about, I will leave you with big Christmas kisses for now!
XXX, Fe
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