Somehow I’m lacking the energy to carry me through the entire work week functioning at maximum potential. I had to take a break on Wednesday, pathetic. Of course I still worked in the afternoon, if you can call what I do actual work, but the morning was all about staying in and chilling out. I don’t know where my energy flies off to, but it certainly has migrated elsewhere. It’s hilarious that I feel pride when I’m not in the house upon Olga’s arrival for work at midday. I feel like it shows I’m actually doing something with my mornings. Wednesday I spent most of the day reading and collaging.
A casual morning is a slow-paced kitchen experience. I take my time unloading the dishwasher, organizing the cupboard perfectly, filling the dishwasher with maximum efficiency, and finally conquering a well prepared breakfast. As it happened Wednesday I had a loaf of banana bread waiting in the kitchen, so breakfast preparation wasn’t too involved…just cut up an apple and spread a smidgeon of cream cheese onto one slice of the tasty treat, but the kitchen was perfectly put away.
Tuesday afternoon I started on my second baking endeavor, mission zucchini bread. The recipe I came upon was very different than anything I have tried before, and I ended up putting in some homemade apple sauce, no butter, minimal sugar, and only a spoonful of oil. What is this healthy business? Honestly I was nervous that the bread would be to healthy to tempt anyone to try it, so I chopped up a bar of chocolate and threw that in as well. Problem perfectly solved. Who could ever resist a cake-like bread full of chunks of chocolate? Turns out the whole Brambilla family can. Alfonso refused the bread because there was green in it. Alberta refused the bread because the batter looked like the vomit on the street we passed on our way to dance (to be fair to her, this was absolutely true). Francesca politely denied the bread because there was cinnamon in it (I guess she can smell 1/2 tsp. of baked cinnamon in an entire loaf of gluten free bread). Maurizio didn’t have any that night because he fell asleep early, but he did actually end up eating a lot of it later. Olga passed on tasting it fresh from the oven, but she told me on Wednesday morning that she went home and made her own without an apple, and she and her husband ate the whole loaf! I will deem this kitchen experiment a half success.
But, as I was saying Wednesday I was lazy.
I read some of my new book while enjoying the life of the street Via Bagutta.
Favorite spot to read and people watch, living room balcony.
I collaged some in the morning and I need to catch you up with what’s been developing in the sketchbook!
magazine collage
Happy Birthday Alex! Can’t wait to go exploring with you!!
I have now used an entire stick of glue in my sketchbook and added a lot more material to the pages, it’s getting a little heavy and I love it! I still do not love my desk, it scares me. How to reconcile a love for collage and a detest for mess? Life can be so troubling at times. On that note, wow I am a lucky person to be able to worry about the state of my desk.
As a true child of the United States, I have been missing the festivities of Halloween. There are minimal decorations, a sincere lack of elaborate costume planning from the family (us Au Pairs have been debating about this predicament for weeks!), and no excess candy packages to be found anywhere (mission obtain M&M’s has begun)! As a little holiday spirit, I prepared an orange-red breakfast this morning. Really, I didn’t plan this in the slightest, I actually despise these colors, but when I put it up for a photo my first thought was, “Wow! So festive!” So now we will be celebrating my breakfast as Halloween themed.
To continue the Halloween morning, this happened:
This picture screams I am an American!
Even ignoring the unplanned patriotic themed outfit, I am holding a massive pumpkin and posing for a photo. Classic American. If you ever would like to start conversations with an abundance of Italians, all you need is one prop – a large pumpkin. Paula and I went for a walk in the Brerra District this morning, and unfortunately I found this pumpkin early in the walk. We had just been discussing where to find large pumpkins and then crossed the path of a fresh produce stand complete with large pumpkins. Knowing that this opportunity is not an everyday experience, I ignored the fact that I would be back to that very spot in the afternoon and spontaneously bought a large pumpkin that I then had to carry around for the rest of the morning. I worked out my legs yesterday, why not start on the arms today? Got a little more than I bargained for as my arms are still shaking as I write this post. The looks, the laughs, the comments…totally made every moment of carrying my 12 lb pumpkin around Milan for an hour worth it. For the rest of the afternoon I just want to stand on the street holding my pumpkin and seeing how many new friends I can make. Someone needs to get on this research of discovering why a pumpkin can initiate conversation from Italians while a smile can not!
Seriously, who is looking for a doctoral dissertation project? ‘Cause I got one for you!
Maria e Milano 