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Sun. 25 September

And indeed, at 8:00 A.M. new time, 9:00 A.M. old time, 9:30 by the alarm clock that I still haven't figured out how to reset, bright blue sky and three antennas visible from where I lie on my bed plus faint waning nearly last quarter moon still fairly high in the sky — and indeed, today is a new day and yesterday only a memory now.

Woke up a first time at 4:20 new time, although as I slept I'd been aware of some headache (after the beer on the piazza, I also had some grappa there too — just so much closer to dropping all drink), but it was James calling in, a few administrative details, welcome but not earth-shattering.

Then a very hard time getting back to sleep — could not get my mind off [. . .] Finally fell asleep [. . .] first rays of dawn, I had to wear my Air France blinkers to get to sleep — also, not skeeters but some nasty little stinging insect until I wrapped myself carefully up in the bedclothes as if to steam some more weight off me — and in fact, waking I weigh 79 kg clear.

And after that, I heated the leftover eliche from yesterday, ate them — plus coffee, grapefruit juice, a few black grapes (unlike the green, the black are thick-skinned full of seeds and have no flavor at all) — and went back to bed and slept to 12:45!

Since then, I've mostly read L'Europeo, an Italian newsmagazine — notable article about pulcinella birds, Fratercula arctica, possibly a kind of puffin: they mate for life but take an annual vacation separately — and did the administrative cleanup corresponding to the morning's phone call from Chicago; then did 50 situps: with maybe a second and a half pause around 20 — still, I'd say it counts. So apparently, 100 is definitely thinkable. Extrapolating — which is to assume no barriers — I should reach around 130 by the time I get back to the rink in 54 days.

[. . .] Pushups are painful after all; also I have a long ways to go before I see real progress, since many years ago I believe I got up to 24 or so and now I think I can barely manage 12: I don't even know; first I need to establish my current level.

The tan (I'm working on it now, I'm lying in the buff in my afternoon pool of sun in my bedroom) is another matter: first, there's not perpetual sun here; second, there's no pool or beach where it's socially acceptable to tan; third, I won't be back until mid-November which in Todi is winterlike I'm sure (last year I was here around Nov. 28 - Dec. 3 I think, and it was cold and rainy and I was wearing a winter jacket). The solution may be to find a suitable hill and take a towel & a book.

At this point, I should be praying for clear hot weather nonstop, basically: despite my not liking it for walking, that's what I need to be walking under, to sweat off some pounds and get that tan; and days I don't want I should be tanning too. Skating days of course don't matter either way.

. . . .

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Page updated: 7 Dec 20