Venice: Day 3

My third day in Venice started at the crack of dawn for a little running tourism with Venice by Run. Following the instructions I'd been given via email, I made my way to Campo San Bartolomeo at 6:50am. The city was completely deserted and it was a special thrill to be out at that hour, like I was on a secret mission of some sort. Arriving at the meeting point, I immediately spotted my guide Giulia (not hard because she was the only other person around and we were wearing nearly identical neon pink jackets). I couldn't believe it!

If you enjoy running and are in Venice, I can't recommend this enough. You get to experience the major tourist points of the city with nobody else around, plus a wealth of information about the history and culture, and all the insider tips you could hope for about where to eat and drink and hang out like a local...not to mention a good workout!

After the run, I had breakfast and then went out for my daily wander. This piece of street art caught my eye on the way to Accademia. What a complicated relationship tourism destinations have with tourists. Can't stand them, can't manage to live without them.

It started raining again, and I eventually made my way to the Peggy Guggenheim museum to take refuge from the dreary weather. I found much inspiration in the collection (which I will share in another post) but one of the things that I most loved seeing was this group of children touring the museum. So important to expose young people to art! 

I had a Table for One lunch at the museum cafe (an easy solo lunch, especially since I sat at a bar with a window seat). I enjoyed a salad with red radicchio from Treviso, pecorino cheese, and walnuts plus the ubiquitous bread basket that accompanies all meals in Italy. The courtyard view and people watching made it a truly enjoyable meal.

After the museum visit, I went wandering again. As I learned in my morning run with Giulia, there are a few campos in Venice that still remain true to the roots of that word: small fields/patches of vegetation in a courtyard square. 

I continued my walk along the Zattere, the old timber delivery area of the city that is now a spacious promenade with breathtaking views. This decorated crane caught my eye - I wonder what it is used for, and whether it is common practice to decorate industrial machinery in Venice.

Around the corner from the Zattere is a gondola building workshop housed in a very old building, even for Venice standards. I love the collection of hats on the wall.

One of the things I really wanted to do while in Venice was eat cichetti (local version of tapas) and have a spritz (local preferred happy hour drink). The famous Cantine del Vino già Schiavi was nearby the gondola workshop and absolutely packed with people, so I ducked in and made my way to the counter.

The small bar and bottle shop didn't disappoint with its ambience or selection of cichetti. I tried two bruschetta-style toasts: one with creamed cod and the other with egg salad topped with edible flowers. And of course an aperol spritz. I enjoyed eavesdropping on multiple conversations while having my happy hour treats.

I had time for one more stop in the afternoon, so I headed to the Cà Rezzonico, an absolutely impressive palazzo that houses the museum of 18th century Venice. My jaw dropped at the luxury of the architecture and interior furnishings, starting with the internal courtyard in the entryway.

At Cà Rezzonico I saw perhaps the most lavish and intricate chandelier I've ever set eyes on. That glasswork and colors and flowers!! Surreal.

There are three floors of priceless art at the palazzo, but the piece that stood out the most for me was this marble bust of a veiled woman by Antonio Corradini (1725). How on earth can somebody create such perfection from stone? That drapery is so perfect and gauze-like and yet you can still see her expression underneath. Unreal.

After viewing all the old masters at the palazzo, I had to rush back across the city to the Teatro la Fenice for a concert I'd purchased a ticket for prior to leaving the US (seemed like a guaranteed good activity for a solo traveler). I shared a box seat with a German lady and and a very funny older Italian woman whose daughter was playing trumpet in the orchestra. Definitely a worthwhile experience, and a stellar way to end my third day in Venice.

An Organizer at Heart

The grand paper calendar. I love this format.

It's no secret that I adore planning. It's like comfort food. Soothing, reassuring, makes me feel like all is right in the world.

I've used a paper calendar since high school and it works really well for me, especially this vertical format where every day of the week has the same layout. It drives me nuts when calendars will treat Saturday and Sunday as half-columns, or double them up. I also really like the to-do list at the side.

Being self-employed, the reality is that each of my days could potentially be a rest day or a work day. I do try to maintain a consistent schedule, and after several months of unpredictable hours and random (and urgent!) tasks, I've finally settled into something that feels right.

Here's how it goes:

• Mondays I start the day with some accounting and emails, then work in my studio for a couple of hours. I go to pilates at 2pm with Rico, then do another studio session until sunset.
• Tuesdays I focus on exercise in the morning (ideally a combo of strength training and cardio), then work in my studio until sunset.
• Wednesdays are studio and pilates, and every other week I get a super relaxing shiatsu massage and go to gallery openings at CCA.
• Thursdays I work in the showroom all day and can usually put a good dent in computer work and graphic design while I am there.
• Fridays I work out in the morning, then work in the showroom.
• Saturdays I have flex time in the morning that I can use for whatever needs attention, then I work in the showroom.
• Sundays I run with my running partner H., then sunbathe, go to studio, and have the rest of the day off (or, if needed, can play catch up).

Over the years I've figured out a balance of activities that makes me feel happy, gets the work done, and allows for the feeling of spontaneity even within such a controlled schedule. I plan my activities, obligations, studio sessions, and workouts way in advance - sometimes up to two months. I like to know what lies ahead, what I need to be prepared for, when I can let my hair down.

I track two main things each week to help keep me on track: # of times I exercise in a week, and the # of times I make it to my studio (computer work, photography, and graphic design don't count - it has to be metalsmithing). I have a little code to mark each day, and I tally everything in the corner of each page at the end of the week.

My minimum goal is 4x exercise and 3x studio, my ideal goal is 5-6x exercise and 4x studio. It really works. If I hit those numbers, somehow the rest falls into place pretty well.

So far in 2014 I've exercised 63 times (average of 5.2x per week, so totally on track there) and worked in my studio 35 days (average of 2.9 days per week, so just below my minimum goal).

I love tracking everything, and especially love looking back. I often struggle to recognize the things I've accomplished (the pending items on the to-do list usually stand out more than the ones I've crossed off) and this is a nice, empirical, undeniable way to appreciate my efforts.

Are you a planner? Do you keep a paper calendar? What (if anything) do you keep track of over time?

Ali Lately

One of my favorite chill-out-post-studio-madness activities is to watch Chelsea Lately. I am sort of surprised I like her program (and her!) so much, but I do. Why fight it? I've long accepted that I like trash tv, so in comparison to something like Cheaters or Coco Loves Ice, I suppose Chelsea Lately is highbrow...

Anyhow, it is the perfect thing for relaxing after a crazy week, which this one was without a doubt. I had late nights in the studio at school (3:30 and 4:00 AM), late nights at my home studio (2:30 AM) and plenty of early mornings in the mix.

I got both of my projects done, which was a good feeling. One was a 5-piece suite for Production that was loosely based on vertebrae and done in silver with gold hinge pins (I made a bracelet, long earrings, a pendant necklace, a chunky ring, and stacked thin rings) and a personal identity piece for Jewelry 3A that involved a bejeweled floral/coin piece that fits into various objects. Hard to explain in a nutshell, but I'll post on it (and the production suite) once I get it back from my professor and have a chance to take photos.

There were several earthquakes last week. Two on Thursday that were the biggest I've felt since moving here (4.2 and 3.7, I believe, but these figures may have been modified by USGS). I distinctly felt rolling/shaking, which is different from the "a huge truck just hit the building" feel of the previous earthquakes I've experienced here. I actually got under my jeweler's bench at school for the second quake on Thursday. The epicenter was a mile away in Berkeley and that thing was scary. Jangled nerves, thankfully no damage. There have been several aftershocks, and I've felt all of them. I feel anxious, like I'm anticipating and can almost feel the next one before it actually happens. I guess the best way to describe it is that I feel sort of seasick, like when you get off a boat and can still feel the swaying long after you're on firm land.

I've been trying to counter all the stress with exercise, which is my go-to stress management solution. Running, cardio dance classes, personal training, and today I tried rock climbing for the first time with some girlfriends from school. We did bouldering at a rock gym in Oakland, and I can honestly say it was better than I'd anticipated. I am somewhat afraid of heights and don't enjoy climbing, but it was good to do a new activity and get out of my comfort zone for a while.

So that's what I've been up to lately. I'm really looking forward to getting a couple of days off during Thanksgiving. I'd like to sleep a lot, hang out with Rico and the cats, and do a whole lot of nothing. :)

Getting Back on the Horse

The workout horse, that is. It's time to, as they say in Portuguese, tomar vergonha na cara and get back to an exercise regime. I was doing great back in Maputo thanks to weekly sessions with Liliana the personal trainer, but the move to Casa Cali threw a wrench in my motivation (and time) to exercise. Now that I've finally settled into a routine with school, jewelry making, errands and life in general, it's time to get back in shape.

I tried going to a dance class the other day, but the studio was frustratingly closed and I lost my momentum to go back the next week and try again. All of the Nia classes I've found require using the car, which is a huge pain as there is NO parking near any of the studios. I really, really wish I could find a Nia studio near BART, but alas it doesn't look like it's in the cards, at least this semester. So I've decided to go for the next best alternative - personal training near school.

I found a great studio that is literally 1 block from campus, which means it is easy to get to right after class, and the likelihood of procrastination/laziness is much less than if I had to come home and leave again (or drive!) to go to work out. Also, by paying for personal training it actually helps me take advantage of my workouts. I feel a much greater obligation to actually go and give it my all, as opposed to joining a gym or doing group classes somewhere (other than Nia, of course, which I love and am always motivated to do).

I have an intake consultation on Tuesday, and am really looking forward to getting active again. I was so proud of what I accomplished in Moz in terms of core strength and muscle tone, and it's a shame to see that most of it has slipped away in the few months we've been here in California. Time to get back at it, one step at a time.

I Tried.

I made a resolution to get back into dancing in 2010. I found a studio in Berkeley with cool worldbeat and Nia classes. I checked their website. I called to be sure they were open and got an answering service with the list of classes for today. After absolutely no indication they might be closed, Rico drove me to the studio and I was greeted with a padlocked door and no information about when classes will resume.

So frustrating. It certainly wouldn't have taken much effort to replace the regular phone message with holiday closure information, or to put a little note on the website. You'd think with all the exercise-related New Year's resolutions out there, the'd be savvier to the needs of new clients.

Meh.

Try again another day, I suppose.

Note to Self: Book a Massage

I did pilates last night and it totally kicked my ass. I am constantly amazed by the effect - both mental and physical - that stress and a lack of sleep have on me. During my last pilates class, I performed at a very advanced level and the trainer consistently pushed me just a little bit harder. It was incredible, and I was very satisfied with my progress. From my performance in class yesterday, however, you'd think I'd never done pilates in my life. I could barely hold my legs up, and they shook uncontrollably the entire time due to one measly little stretch I did during warm-up.

This is not the first time I've observed my body totally unable to function physically on the level I know I'm capable of due to being tired and stressed. I always knew stress affected me, but now I can quantify exactly how much by comparing my pilates performance.

It's really humbling, and one can only imagine what stress does to other parts of the body.

Still, there's nothing quite like exercise - even if I shake and feel like an absolute beginner - to make me relax and forget about everything that is on my mind.

Bunny Hop

Damnit. I sprained my ankle while Rico and I were out on a walk this afternoon. Maputo's sidewalks (a generous description, by the way) are "all terrain" in that they are broken and busted and full of tree roots and dirt patches and holes and trash. Some are patched up, but it is of private initiative, and usually in front of well-to-do businesses or nice apartment buildings. The rest is a mess. We were walking/jogging, and my foot slipped off the edge of one of the jagged sidewalks and my ankle rolled. It hurt when it happened, but then I managed to walk it off and all seemed fine. We got home, and I started working on my computer. Then the pain hit, big time. It is awful, throbbing, constant pain. I know it's not broken, but it is not fun, nonetheless. Rico tied some ice in a towel to my foot, and I'm hoping it gets better before tomorrow.

I have a big meeting, an all-day country-wide staff meeting at which I have to make a 45-minute presentation. I like to present on my feet - it helps me be more dynamic - so I'd like to be cured of my hobbling tendencies of this evening.

Today was a bit of a slow day. Other than our walk/jog, I made some trade bead earrings and cooked the latest batch of homemade cat food for Pria. I used a rabbit from Talho Polana that I'd had them de-bone when I bought it (they put the bones and guts in a separate bag for me to take home). I boiled the innards and bones of the rabbit, then pulled off what meat was salvageable and added it to the mix of the main ingredients. I had a moment of gross-out when I was pulling the meat off the head and found the eyeballs, then another ick moment when I found the rabbit's large intestine with 3 or 4 little rabbit-poos already formed and lined up to come on out. I made Rico come in and feel them, though I don't think the gesture was at all appreciated. Heheh.

I cooked the rabbit, chopped up the meat and innards, added a cup or so of brown rice and a chopped carrot, then poured in some of the broth from the boiled bones. Pria thought it was delicious. If I weren't opposed to eating things with fur, I likely would have found it tasty as well.

It's about time for our bedtime. I'm icing my ankle for a few minutes longer, and trying to get ahold of my dad to say hi, since we usually talk on weekends. It's hot tonight, and our air conditioner isn't working (due to a missing-in-action workman. Quel surprise!). Between the heat, the cat, our increasingly sloped mattress, my slight nervousness about my presentation tomorrow, and my sore ankle, I'm not optimistic about the quality of sleep I'll get tonight.

I guess that pre-justifies a glass of wine and an early bedtime tomorrow!