I had a night full of champagne! This was the only thing left on my table! A pretty interesting tiny object with the image of this old lady with a great history:

François Clicquot, married Nicole-Barbe Ponsardin in 1798. Upon his death (1805) his widow (veuve in French) became the driving force behind the prestige of this Champagne Brand.

In 1810 the brand was renamed Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin.

In 1816 Madame Clicquot Ponsardin invented the riddling table to obtain clarified champagne of unrivalled quality.

During her life Madame Clicquot made strides in establishing her wine in royal courts throughout Europe.

It holds a royal warrant of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

It has been said that Madame Clicquot is one of history's very first businesswoman. Inventive, visionary and undoubtely strong, "La Grande Dame of Champagne".

In July 2008 the oldest unopened bottle of Veuve Clicquot was discovered inside a sideboard in Torosay Castle, Isle of Mull, Scotland. The 1893 bottle was in mint condition, having been kept in the dark. It is now on display and regarded as priceless.

Today I am not sure if it was the strong annoying wind, my ear pain, or because I simply woke up with the wrong foot but I felt aweful! And think that I went to sleep early last night very excited about the world now that Obama is in it! Well, sometimes it just happens to feel like crap!

Words, words, words! Meaningful, truthful or meaningless and fake? How many times in life did it happen that you say things without meaning them or, you actually believe and then absolutely nothing follows? I will never-ever-ever do that again...a week later you just do it! Or...I swear, I am never going to say that. Two days later you just fall in the same letters, words and sentences? I am just talking to myself! Words and sentences that I keep repeating...in every way...verbally and thoughtfully! But in the end, do all these words make sense??

In Paris, close to Les Halles. Adorable paper graffiti.

These are part of the section "Unvulnerable Grounds: in motion". I just love them!

So, the other day I was really bumped! No energy, no creativity...just too much coffee! Now I am back! I was up late the other night trying to figure out how to put some of my work together. I've started a long time ago a serie called "Unvulnerable Grounds". Then I got stucked. Now I guess, shooting the very last pieces of it (yesterday!) I finally have it all down. Now it is just a matter of laying it all down, printing, adding some text and then who knows... What do you think about it? I will put some images in different posts since the serie is divided in parts ("Stillness", "In Motion" and so on).

I feel seriously empty! I can't focus. I would love to produce some work (photos) but it seems my creativity left from the {closed} window. It's probably gone with the wind! Hopefully not. I am going to drink one more coffee and make some creative plans for tomorrow because, after all, tomorrow is a new day!

I am back at work after almost 3 weeks of holidays. I have to tell you the truth that it was a very long vacation and at the end I got really bored! But right now, after 2 days of work I am back in a state of boredom! I am not really sure which one I prefer: the one due to a too long period of vacation or the one due to the fucked up job and environment I find myself trapped in? Maybe the first one is better! Today, as I walked back to the office I found this weird purple plant. There is no more snow in my town right now, this crazy weather transformed the grayness into colors. But still I am bored to tears! Tonight yoga and afterwards a bath with Blue Lagoon geothermal salt. Purple that too!

In the meantime I'll wait for the weekend to relax, ski, eat some junk food and breath healthy air. In the white snow.

I ended up at the bar for happy hour in the snow! Very suggestive environment! Cool people and even a horse...and no...I wasn't hallucinating!

The usual table...in an unusual dress!

Trembling hands...for the cold...what else?

Spritz! Prosecco and Campari or Aperol!

And above us...the walls of the castle are listening!

Yes Francesco...it is still snowing!

Walls and nature covered with snow!

Yes...the horse...and Marco on top of it!

Even my city, with the snow, seems better than usual. Around town lights, architecture and the streets assume a more human character. Beautiful isn't it?

Yes!!! Finally it snowed again! Yesterday was such a beautiful day. Snow all over the city and it was seriously relaxing. I went around and played insanely with my dog at the park! Then I drove back home listening to the radio: "Please, drive carefully". And that's what I did...shooting pictures while paying attention to the traffic lights!

It's 8 PM and, believe it or not, we've just finished to eat right now. And I mean we've just finished lunch! I woke up a little disoriented this morning since there was no more lake to look at. Just an empty city with 3 medieval castles! But this wasn't as bad as realizing that I had no coffee at my place. "No Problem!" I said to myself. I just have to go down the stairs and I can get coffee at the office (lucky me to live above my office!!). The really bad news was that...espresso capsules were nowhere to be found. I did the only thing I had to do...try out a different capsule: the long-nasty-pseudo german-coffee! Nothing could have been worse than this decision! But I needed caffeine! I walked back upstairs with my mug, sat down in front of the window, flipping through the pages of an old architecture magazine before throwing it away. New year, new life, some order in the apartment and in my life. A new year full of good intentions. Love my work more, be nice to people and that means "Lily be less direct and do not say anymore the aweful truth about what you really think of...sometimes it hurts". A morning of reflection, of good and serious intentions. And then get ready to cook since my friend Aris would come for lunch (Roastbeef, roasted potatoes in goat butter, no wine at all since we had already too much this past weeks!).
So, I started looking at the magazine, and wondering how to make the most out of this new year: be nice! Be more respectful! Have a healthier life (less party!)! And so on!

But then, with all the effort I could put I seriously doubt that in life you can put up a wall of illusions(why did I open this magazine in the first place!): let's not be ridiculous. If you are stupid you are stupid! How can I tell you otherwise??? No! It's a new year...be nice!!!

Yes! I betcha!! I wish life was just that! But more than a theater of wonders this past year has been a circus-of-wondering-what-tha-heck-is-happening to this world and to my world!!!

Thank goodness I quickly turned the page to find this one that really appeals to me: enjoy the little things in life, even those that for some are stupid. Photos, family few friends and maybe even work...screw averything and everybody else!!!

Because seriously, if people are those who you can play like toys with absolutely no personality that just do what you want them to do well, I prefer not to have such characters in my life anymore...but, as Aris says "they are good to order and bring you the Prosecco while you sit relaxing at the lounge!!!" (he is even more evil than I am!!!

Days pass by very fast, every minute counts... just make the best out of every one of them and of every person that jumps into the train of your life...with all the good intentions...and you have no problem whatsoever since the train is yours and you can kick them out of the door when the speed limit is beyond acceptable!

I hope this year is going to be fantastic! Like the lunch we had and that just finished...remember? The one with no wine at all? We had a bottle of Baron de Rotschild that was incredible!! And couple of hours ago we prepared an apple pie that we forgot in the oven...because we were too busy putting up a list of stupid people of our little creepy town with 3 medieval castles...but all with very good intentions!!!!!

Already being away from this aweful town of mine was brilliant. Away from people I no longer stand, from political madness, from superficial gossip, from so many things made me feel great! I started everyday looking outside the window and seriously appreciating what stood in front of me...how can you not??? Being at the lake and seeing the top of the mountains covered with snow made me want to go ski very badly...that's what I'll do this week since my vacation will end on the 12th.

I left home to go spend the last days of the year (and some of the new one's too!) at the lake house. I left behind the little snow that fell on the 26th and brought with me all the Michael Connelly books I stole from my mother's bookshelf! I wanted to read them all in english but since she already read all af them in italian I decided to save some money!!!!!! anyway... I spent the new year relaxing, eating and drinking...I seriously need to eat less from now on!!!