The weather

Dear Reggio,

I would like to inquire about your weather plans for the remainder of the season. Specifically, why is it already wintertime? As far as I can tell, the calendar indicates that we are barely halfway through september. And I seem to recall that when I was a child living in America, it was routinely broiling and stuffy well into the beginning of october. I remember this because I was never able to wear my awesome back to school clothes during the first weeks of school because it was always too hot.

Reggio. Are you not located in Italy, the land of sun and warmth and all that good stuff? I understand that you specifically are more the land of fog and damp, but still. Could you not give us a couple more weeks of sun and summery-ness? I don't think it's asking for that much. I'm fully prepared for the wet and the fog and the damp and the grey starting in mid-october, but that's a whole month away.

Yesterday I was freezing despite long sleeves, and someone told me I should go home and make polenta to warm myself up, and I don't even know how to make polenta. Also, I didn't bring a coat back from America with me. If you could just give me enough time to procure a coat and learn how to make polenta, I would appreciate it. Please take this into consideration.

Kisses,
Straniera

P.S. Ahahaha, I just realized that not two days ago I wrote an entry that was all ode-to-the-good-weather. How ironic.

Bel tempo

Finally, un attimo di bel tempo. The sun is shining outside, my apartment is clean, someone is playing Ligabue (Le donne lo sanno) from somewhere so it is just audible enough to be pleasant but not enough to be distracting, I have some delicious cheese (viva il pecorino toscano!) and maybe a salad to eat for lunch, and also delightful evening plans, and life is good.

Not even the fact that I am working on the translation of Death, also known as the translation that Refuses to End, can dampen my spirits. Evviva il bel tempo! I had better finish the sucker before November, or else there will be no more bel tempo to cheer me up and I will probably chuck my laptop (or myself) out of the window in frustration.

Perhaps when I finish the stupid thing, I will have time to update the internet world on the minutiae importantissimi of my life, including a stint as secretary, a brief escape to the Lago di Garda, our first week back at work and the trauma of preparing for our school's open day... etc.