crimper.co.nz

Arrggh, finally got some time to get news to the world.... Settled into our apartment and getting into a routine. Although not sure if it's a good one. Go to work, come home real late (because, yes, I am a geek), try to fit in a mtb (3hours or so) after work once a week and climb the other nights. So don't get dinner till about 10-11pm. That's kind of normal here though. So might have to change it once J has returned to NZ.

Uni is good. Meeting more of the students although the ones who don't speak good English really struggle to understand my accent. If i put on an American or English one it is a bit easier, but i feel like an idiot doing that. There is a group of 5 of us though who hang out and do lunch together, so I am learning lots of practical Italian phrases through them. Although do get told off for swearing in Italian now and then - the swear words are very satisfying and roll off your tongue really well though!

As you well know, food rules my life. Along with climbing of course. But i digress. Food - lunch - that's right. Lunch here is very cool at Uni. We either go to the supermarket (which is right nextdoor) and get a selection of things and put them all on the table and everyone shares or we go to the bar down the road and get pissed. Only kidding. No, the bar does really amazing salads for real cheap, so a good alternative if we want to get out of the lab. But the whole lunch thing is a very important social time - then we go down for the obligatory caffe, before returing to work. The caffe thing is great too. Although not being such a huge coffee drinker, I very quickly learnt not to have one after mid-day - since that meant I was up all night on skype, not able to sleep. And people in NZ started complaining they were getting no work done, since I was annoying them on skype all morning! So the others have about 7 espressos a day, and i have my one machiato or cappuchino in the morning (since it is highly rude to have a cappuchino in the afternoon)and then stick to decaf in the afternoon - much to their disgust!

I have my little silver bullet to get around on - a silver city bike - a nanna single speed - one of the ones with a basket that you site really upright on. Meant for cruising, but i make her go like the wind, which does get me into trouble now and then with cars - they don't expect you to be going more than about 15km/hr on one. Need to put a bigger chain ring on it though - so i can go faster. Have found a nice detour home that avoids the busy main road - one i can really let loose on.....Have given the whole no-helmet a fair go. I thought, when in Rome, do as the Romans and all that. But it is too damned scarey. And although some may say my brain is a little warped, I kind of like it like it is and would quite like to keep it like that. So, will be wearing my red-lid in future. Should stop Mum's voice in my head "that's just bloody studid you know..."

And i just bought my first road bike yesterday. An italian handmade one. I'm very excited, just need road shoes now which i will get tomorrow hopefully and i will be away - up into the hills and beyond - exploring.

PhD is going ok - David my supervisor gets back from Sweden on Monday so looking forward to nutting a few things out with him. Have been making a start on the lit review although it is in its infancy at the moment. And have been a subject in a few studies for the other students. And helping some of them with their trials. All good, learning how the equipment works and how the lab is run. I went up to Rovereto (about an hour away) the other day for a meeting- the guys up there at another lab (it;s like a collective lab for a bunch of the uni's round the north of Itlay) are doing a lot of research into adventure sports. And they are doing some biomechanical analysis of climbing and energy expenditure stuff. So i went up to give them a climber's perspective. The whole meeting was in Italian, which was kinda fun. I learnt lots of new verbs.... and they were discussing raw data in true Italian style - lots of emotion and arm movements and jumping up out of seats. Cemented the correct pronunciation of some of the vital swear words. They thought it was hilarious when they asked what i understood, and i replied with a few verbs, some basic vocab and most importantly the vulgarities!

Today is yet another public holiday. Seems to be the season for them. 4 day working week last week, 3 days this week. It's Ascension day (the day Jesus went to heaven), so very important here. Then tomorrow is off too - i think that might just be a Uni holiday because shops seem to be opening tomorrow. But will go out to the Uni and do some work in the quiet. Because I am a geek.

We go to Roma on Saturday morning - James flies out first thing Sunday morning. Then i will come back to Verona via a bouldering wall somewhere, ready to start the first stint without James. Don't be suprised if your skype traffic goes up somewhat!