Start of Summer Reading

 Literary Escapes  No Responses »
Aug 032023
 

One of the best parts of beach days is the uninterrupted reading time. Since we have been on the Atlantic Ocean seaside, which is famous/popular for surfing and jumping waves, I have been enjoying time on the sand in the sun. Being more of a land-lover keeps me well away from the waves that I dramatically consider a threat to my life. 🤪

In the past few days, I have finished these two books: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion and The Letter by Kathryn Hughes.

Both of these books were recommended to me ages ago, but they have sat on my list. However, they both came up on my Kindle Unlimited suggestions and I decided to give them a go in preparation for my summer reading time.

I enjoyed both in different ways. The Rosie Project was cute and made me think in the mindset of someone on the Asperger’s spectrum. I could relate to a lot of the main character’s tendencies for schedules and order in life yet also see the freedom and openness that can be found in letting go for the controls.

With The Letter, it was a quick compact read that I could imagine happening. It had the elements of mystery and love as well, so that was a definite win for me.

So, I would definitely recommend both as quick and light reads that aren’t the usual James Patterson or Danielle Steel type of “trash novels”. Though, I’m still a fan of those too!

With that, I’m off to get started on my next read! 😅

~T 🔥🐉♋️

Reminders to Self

 Going Mental  2 Responses »
Jul 282023
 

It really doesn’t take long to follow the path of least resistance and return to old habits – whether deemed good or bad.

M came back on Sunday. On Monday, we went out with friends for lunch and an evening out. My stomach was a bit in shock with the return to booze and food, so I went easy on both.

On Tuesday, we got up early and went for a long walk. The finding of a Beagle dog on the road and waiting for her owner to pick her up threw off our schedule a bit so that I forgot it was market day as I did a bit of emails, writing, etc. before we went off for a beach day. On the way, we got bumped from behind so that further offset our schedule and focus. All was fine and went alright, but by the time we arrived we wanted to eat and drink. I tried to keep the consumption light.

Wednesday was a quieter day with a morning walk into town for croissants and home for coffee. We had lunch with our friend, but again didn’t overindulge. Yet, there was still food and drink as the focus, which made me feel tired and heavy. By the time I had had a nap, though, all was reset so we drove to Cannes for a walkabout and dessert. Sometimes when we find we are “bored” from lack of activity, we end up eating and/or drinking.

Yesterday wasn’t too bad in that regard, though we still went in for a morning coffee and croissant. I always feel that at least the walk to and from town (about 15 mins each way) makes it OK to then have the treat. We spent the afternoon on the beach, but still had a light carb-filled lunch. In the evening, we met up with our friends and had burger dinners with a bit of rosé.

This morning, we went into town for the usual c&c, but went to the other side of town to get a longer walk in. 🤪

While I enjoy all the interaction and activity that we do, I find myself more aware of the focus on the ☕️ and 🥐 or simply food and drink. When I am on my own, I definitely have the morning cup, but usually no food. So, I know that it is M’s influence that I get encouraged to include more eats than I might do alone. It’s not a complaint in any way, but more of an observation at how easy it is to let this behavior go as normal yet not necessarily “good”. I had been on a good trajectory to get my weight gain under control again. I had felt results. However, I do now wonder if that is being undone by my lack of willpower to be strict again.

It’s an interesting consideration as to how much one can or should live with willpower and control over diet and exercise vs. just going with the flow and letting the mood decide. As with everything, there is a balance no doubt. I think I am still working that out, which is slightly harder to do when everyday is basically like a holiday…. 😅😅😅

Now that I’ve written about it, it’ll stay in the forefront of my mind for pondering and perhaps I shall return my awareness to the center so as not to lose the benefits that I was getting. 😬

~T 🔥🐉♋️

Thoughts on AI, copyright, etc.

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Jul 242023
 

This is really a kind of stream of consciousness post on the topic as I’m formulating my thoughts to post on my writing spaces.

Teachers around the world are in a bit of an uproar over the current dominance of AI bots that are getting a lot of attention these days. Some teachers feel threatened and blame the advancement of technology. Some teachers are interested in it while some embrace what it could do to help them. Everywhere, educators are training themselves how to use programs that can detect whether a student has used AI to help write a paper or do an assignment.

People in the 40s and above are conversing over the “scariness” of AI to personalize their online experiences or even produce text pieces in their professions. Again, it is a fear-based response with their feeling of threat.

The entertainment industry has protested that using AI is a threat to their jobs and copyright issues. Yet, they have no qualms about putting their work out into the media/Internet-sphere where AI takes it sources from.

So, it is a bit of a quandary, isn’t it?

As with most issues, I stand in the middle. I see both sides. I agree with aspects of the yeas and the nays.

In education, we cannot stop advancement. The whole point of education is to promote the advancement of the youth to create, imagine, theorize and apply to a better future. So, why do so many educators want to hold on to the past? It’s the ego – I had to study and write my own papers, so should you. I didn’t have the convenience and help of technology, so I had to think for myself and create myself – so you should, too. But, why? Shouldn’t we instead encourage ways to make the most of the technology AND bring forward the more traditional ways?

In age, there is not a lot that can be done other than to just have an open mind. We don’t seem to mind watching TV programs with commercials convincing us to buy or take prescription meds for just about any minor or major ailment without considering how we are being brainwashed into believing we need them. We don’t mind when stores put certain items on sale to convince us to buy something we may not necessarily need. So, why is it scary that our online advertisements are for things that we mention we might actually need, instead? Why is it scary that a machine can analyze and filter information in seconds to make things more convenient for us? Isn’t this what we wish for everyday – easier and faster?

In entertainment, well, I get it. My livelihood does not depend on me getting credit for my work. I have not yet experienced finding copies of my own work out there or losing out because a machine has done it faster and cheaper. Still, I sort of feel that whatever I “agree” to put out into the public space is always going to be up for grabs. I would hope that there is some overseeing of giving credit where credit is due, but this is hard to monitor. I fully support the fact that the government has to create some more viable policies to ensure that the individuals do not suffer. Yet, if you’re gonna be in the public eye, why is a machine any worse than a person “borrowing” your words that you’ve put out into the space already?

It’s still a quandary.

It’s interesting anyway and I’m sure that even just 50 years ago, we never would have imagined having such a conversation. When we watched The Terminator it was just a sci-fi wishy washy idea that machines would take over control of the world. Now, here we are….

~T 🔥🐉♋️

Reboot Detox 2023

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Jul 212023
 

Every now and then, I try to do a fasting lemon water detox. The longest I have done is ten days of just lemon water throughout the day and no food with the exception of a smoothie at the end of the day when my brain thinks it wants food. The shortest I have done is half a day, which I suppose no one would count as a “detox”.

I try to time my detoxing with when M goes out of town. It works nicely since I do not like to cook and hate to cook just for one, especially. Though I can easily live off of ramen and cereal for a few days, I felt that this week was the perfect timing as my body was also literally sending out screams of “stop feeding me!”

When my physiotherapist massaged my hip joints and pushed around the belly, she suggested a break from the booze and food would be good for me. I hadn’t told her that I already had a plan, so I took it as a sign from Lady Universe of encouragement to go forward with the detox plan.

So, I half started upon dropping M off at the airport on Sunday night. Monday night, I did go off plan as I already had agreed to go on the taco, rose wine night with friends. Then, it was back on it fully from Tuesday. Here we are three and a half days later and I feel great, a little sleepy still, but physically better.

It’s as if my body has said “Thank you 🙏”.

Although I had planned to just do lemon water and a smoothie every day until M’s return on Sunday, I was doing some more reading and realized that to avoid a bounce back effect once I return to eating fully, I am going to ease myself back to a new regular diet with a focus on vegetables and mostly raw food. In fact, I may stay 90% vegetarian for a while yet just because I think my body is still in need of a healthy routine for a bit more.

There are some things I have learned from the past few days. One is that I do not need to consume so much food – ever. Another is that I do not need to eat just because it looks good or I can. While I do enjoy the pleasures of food and the community of eating with others, I can have a better awareness of how much and what I actually consume. I can eat with others without eating as much. I can also be choosier about the quality and type of food I eat if I eat less.

I’ve also learned a few things in other areas just from my not focusing on meals and food.

One is that other people seem more affronted by my lack of eating than I am. It’s as if it is some kind of personal attack on them if I choose not to be eating or drinking. Some go so far as to avoid inviting me out or interacting with me during mealtimes because they assume, for me, that it would be awkward – really it’s awkward for them. Luckily, I do not mind as it’s one less angst I have towards being social.

Another is that people put a lot of assumptions around food which reveals more about themselves than it does about me.

So, I have been enjoying a quiet week. Some social interactions, but not a lot. I am no longer thinking about my next meal and yet staying very active and productive. My body seems to have cleansed itself decently as my bathroom visits are less frequent (sorry for the TMI, but it’s an important point when detoxing/cleansing). My sleep is OK, but I think that is more related to heat and needing to get up early to avoid the heat after 10am than my diet. I’ve done more walking and exercising these past five days so far than I have in months.

With that, I am happy to report that my reboot detox 2023 is going successfully well!

~T 🔥🐉♋️

Bonjour de France! 🇫🇷

 Going Mental  1 Response »
Jul 172023
 

We are officially on our summer holidays! ☀️🎉

Although, to be fair, it doesn’t look or feel that much different from our regular days since neither of us “work” all day long. Plus, M is always “working”, so even when on holiday he is messaging, fielding calls, etc.

Still, the environment has changed and we have plans to explore a bit more of France and some islands over the next couple of months.

Yet…it has a sort of odd feeling to it as well.

This week, M is in the UK on his own doing a mix of work and pleasure traveling. This means I am on my own in our place in Lorgues, but without the puppies. 🐶 🥺 It’s best for them that we were able to find a nice couple, we think, to house- and pet-sit for us. Despite that, I had this weird sense of anxiety yesterday when I dropped of M at the airport.

Perhaps, it was a little bit of residue from the last time he left me on my own as it resulted in my ankle-break. Perhaps, it is some premonition yet to be known. Or, perhaps, it is just a jumble of emotions that are brewing inside of me in quietly coping with different levels of stress as we prepared to leave for about a month.

This is the first time that we have left the dogs for such a long period of time. This is the first time we have strangers in our house for such a long period of time. This is the first time that we have started to live the life that we want in having a home-base, but still be free to come and go in our travels around.

So, I suppose it is natural that we/I have this anxiety. Possibly, M manifested his anxiety through work-stress while I have buried it within until now.

Yesterday, when I got back, I was exhausted. I just wanted to sleep without any disruptions or distractions. Although I had a dinner invite, I could not summon the energy to be sociable, try to speak French, stay awake. Even with a short afternoon nap that usually refreshes me for the late Mediterranean evening culture, I still could not find motivation. So, I stayed in – because I could! 🤪 I was in bed by 9 and probably asleep not that much later.

My sleep wasn’t great, but I was not awakened by anything other than my own alertness.

Thus, this week, I have planned to detox my body, reboot my physical health, and refresh my mind. I started this morning with an early walk and attempted a light job, which would be more aptly referred to as a fast-walk, but that’s OK. I prepped some lemon water, relaxed with my cup of coffee on the balcony, did some work, and am now already at the end of my to-do list for the day. Tonight will be my last solid food night for the week as I had already agreed to go out for unlimited tacos and rosé with music. Then, tomorrow, I go on my liquid detox of lemon water and smoothies to try to give my body a break from the booze and overeating.

To encourage myself, I have booked a couple of massages that also allow for a couple of hours at the spa as a way of mini-retreat treatments mixed in with a means of distraction from wanting to eat and of refreshing – one of my goals for the week.

So, I’ll be back towards the end of the week to let you know how it goes! 🙏🏽

~T 🔥🐉♋️

Good and Busy Days

 Going Mental  2 Responses »
Jul 102023
 

Whenever I try to think back to the days and what I have done or what I do, I find that it is somewhat hard to recollect. 🤔 I am not sure if it is brain fog 🤯, lack of focus/clarity 😒, or busyness, or the opposite. In any case, these days have been good.

Each week, I usually share on social media a summary of the days (like this). Mostly, it is for my own records and nostalgia value as every year FB likes to send a reminder of what was happening the year(s) before. M likes this feature a lot more than I do, but it’s also a great way of reminding myself of how the days pass since I currently have some kind of short-term amnesia problem.

Our days are about to get busier and more transient with the summer months upon us. This weekend, we are off to France for a few weeks where we will stay at our rental, travel West to Biarritz so M can do some surfing 🏄🏾‍♂️ and me some beach bathing 👙🏖️, then we will be back in early August for a few days. Then, we haven’t yet decided the next plans just yet.

At the last minute, M decided to get us some house/pet-sitters – a bit of a sore subject and story for another day 🤪 – so we found a nice couple, we hope, who were initially interested in coming over the winter holidays when we plan to be gone. As a kind of test run and spontaneous plan, they agreed to come this week. The nice part is that it frees us up from taking the pups 🐶🐶 with us, which wasn’t a problem at all before, but the flexibility makes things a little easier for us, to be honest. However, with that decision, I have had to make lists of things to do to prepare for unknown houseguests – adding to my daily tasks. 😅

Still, no complaints here. It’s all part of the fun and sun ☀️!

Speaking of sun, we jumped straight into the height of summer heat. We went out yesterday with friends’ and despite my having switched out the wine for water very early in the afternoon, I came home sick with symptoms of heat exhaustion. 🥵

So, today, is a day for cool and dark rooms focusing on getting things done. 😬

With that, I’ll try to stay on top of posting here when I can. 🤞🏽

~T 🔥🐉♋️

Doggy Update

 Going Mental  1 Response »
Jul 072023
 

As I’m working on some other writing things at the moment, I thought I’d finish off the week with a little update on the pups! 🐶❤️🐶❤️

Peanut 🐶💜

So, Pea(nut) is doing alright. She’s not quite the same as before her viper bite, but she’s running around fine. Some notable changes in her, though, are – less interest/eagerness in food. She eats fine, but doesn’t sprint to the bowl or take food from the hand as often. She’ll eat treats eagerly, but any other extras will only be consumed if put on the floor/ground in front of her or if in competition with Monty because obviously he cannot have it! 🤪

We noticed a few weeks ago that she had a bit of a bubble around the backend of her rib cage, but as we were traveling and she seemed to be OK, we left it until today to get looked at by the vet. He said she is fine, but probably injured herself trying to escape through a narrow gate or hole or who knows what in her crazy squealing-capades. So, it’s just healing tissue and should go away in time.

Thus, in general, she is doing well, if a little less mischievous than before. 😈😇

Monty 🐶❤️

He’s the same ol’ sweet bubba boo. Although recently, he’s taken on the mischievous mantle 😬😈 and has started chewing things he can get his little mouth around. We think it is likely from boredom or frustration from the heat. There might also be a little stress involved as we have been traveling a fair bit. If it is the latter, we have some concern as we will be kenneling them for about a month this summer, but will see how it goes.

Anyway, other than an occasional sore-looking paw/leg that he has gotten now and then since he was a little puppa, he’s healthy and strong. He eats everything he’s allowed to with glee! 😅

So, that’s the little update on the pups. They are still spoiled and adored immensely!! 😝

~T 🔥🐉♋️

Happy 4th of July

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Jul 042023
 

Every now and again I like to show my patriotic side. Even though most of the world sees the US as a kind of sh*t show, I am still American 🇺🇸 in my heart and soul.

Occasionally, someone will ask me if I would give up my US passport and try to get citizenship in Italy or, even in Korea as that is now possible. Without hesitation, I reply with a definitive “No”. I feel even considering it would be disrespectful to my family on many levels. I also feel as if it would negate all of the rationales for my being adopted in the first place.

So, even though I am not a great flag-waving or “hoo-rah”ing American, I still appreciate what the country represents and has given to me in terms of a more opportune life. Plus, when I wear things like this and go “dreadful American” 🙄 on M, it gives me a little bit of mischievous glee! 😅

With that – Happy Birthday, USA! 🇺🇸 🎉

~T 🔥🐉♋️

Summer Begins

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Jun 262023
 

Although we had to wait a rather long time for the rain to stop, and we are still getting random thunderstorms, the summer temperatures have come straight in as if to make up for lost time. 🔥☀️

The wait has worked out for me as I have only just recently been able to put on a waterproof bandage so that I can make use of the pool. 😅 So, it has been lovely to do a bit of exercise in the pool and cool off from the sudden heat mixed with humidity thanks to the extra moisture in the air.

Along with the summer sunbathing time, we are also beginning our travels here, there and everywhere.

This week kicks off with my birthday getaway to London 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿. Really, it’s just an excuse to redo our planned trip at the end of February when I fell 🤷🏽‍♀️ – but I’m not complaining! 😁 So, that means I gotta run, but will update from our trip soon! ❤️

~T 🔥🐉♋️

Gnocchi Festival

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Jun 192023
 

A rather unappreciated and misunderstood (in my opinion) dish in the Italian cuisine is gnocchi – pronounced “nio-key” or “no-key” as the “g” is silent. It is a perfect combination of potato and pasta with whatever kind of sauce you like. This one was a duck ragu that was yummy, though I was helping M finish it as I devoured my own of saffron and sausage.

There are many hidden aspects of local culture here that are easy to miss as an expat. We discovered one of them last night – The Gnocchi Festival of Santa Maria di Monteleone d’Orvieto (La Sagra degli Gnocchi di Santa Maria di Monteleone di Orvieto) – one of many throughout the summer in the region. This one is explained below as a translated version of one site.

More amazing than the gnocchi and turnout even amongst locals was the dancing. We didn’t know until we were leaving that there was actually two live bands playing – the latter targeted more for the youth. The one we listened to, observed, joined in on was a kind of traditional genre that allowed for the dancing!

When I say dancing, I mean partner dance, line dance, and combinations of other more formalized dancing. It was incredible to see people know so many variations of dances and joining in! There wasn’t a shyness really, if they knew it and could move, they were on the dance floor. It was so great.

I’m now keen to learn some of the line dances and even get someone to take me on as a partner for the ones that look something similar to a Texas two-step.

It was a ton of fun and I’m looking forward to experiencing more of these cultural moments!

~T 🔥🐉♋️

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