The Institute opens back again

The Institute: Haunted: It used to be so simple. I moved the bath tub outside and had a swim. They sent me to The Institute. No big surprise. Now the race is on...

Big City

The taller the buildings, the lesser the trees.

The are less than 200 days left to the opening of Expo 2015.

A nice discovery

I've started using my new mobile camera just before the end of last Summer break, as the old device battery was exhausted and couldn't help any more. It didn't take me too much to learn that playing with it could be much more pleasant than expected. Quality is still below my (not so high) standards but at least it is always with me, in my backpack or in my bike bag.

I'm used to have a ride on my MTB at least once a week. Sunday mornings are devoted to get wet with sweat, mud and sometimes rain. This was the case of last Sunday. My usual cycling companion dropped me a SMS, early in the morning, saying that he wouldn't afford to push his feet for two hours under the falling rain. So, after few minutes of mumbling about what to do, I put on a fluo-yellow wind jacket and went out of my apartment, whatever the sky promises were.

And it was nice, after all. Even though the sky was overcast, it didn't rain and I could quickly reach a narrow and shallow valley where the Olona river flows southward and rode along the "dirty" roads that surround its banks. To my surprise it was just like going back in a Sunday morning of a century ago, when the valley was full of small water powered textiles industries and a small steam train line connected as a necklace one factory after the other.

Now it's all gone. Only the peeled off walls and the tall brick chimneys of what gave work to thousands of people still stand up. Hopefully, in the coming years, woods will swallow these remains and cover every trace of the de-industrialization process this country underwent.

Empty Spaces

"What shall we use to fill the empty spaces where we used to talk." (Pink Floyd)

I can't ask for more ...

I have all that I could wish.

The reason why I chose this picture for this post is that I had more or less the same feeling in the moment that I took it. It was one of those frequent overcast and rainy days that we had last summer and, instead of spending my time under a beach umbrella, reading the newspaper and listening to the dialogues held by the neighbours laying under the closest umbrellas, I could take all the time I wanted to walk along the coast with an eye up in the sky and another on the boulders.

These are opportunities that come more and more seldom. And when they happen you feel much more than happy. You feel alive and in tune with what's around youself.

This morning I've had the chance to go out for a ride on my mountain bike and chose one of the route that I always wanted to ride. I can't say why I didn't do it before. What cares to me is that al last I managed to do it. That's enough.

Light my way

(click or blow on the flame)

Pebbles of Viticcio's beach at Elba Island

F. & G.

Samples from a recent past time.

Flying F. on his shining blue (not shown in the picture) MTB

Fishergirl G. with her first capture of the year (and maybe life)

Black & White

Today, October 1st 2014, represents an important milestone of my life. After nearly 16 years spent working for Ericsson AB, my first big employer, I have moved under the wings of another company that just acquired the Research & Development site to whom I belong.

I've been asked how does it feel. Actually, it makes a strange effect entering into your offices, sitting at your desk and feeling that it won't be the same anymore. It made an even stranger effect having a new badge, with the same picture depicting yourself ten years ago and a new collar with different colors and brand.

Now the big questions are all about what is there ahead of us and what will it be of myself. New rules, new ways of working, new processes, new contacts and customers, of course and ... who knows. It won't be neither black nor white.

It's a matter of being patient, waiting and seeing. I've been repeating this sentence to myself since the transition announcement was given. And this is the most challenging part of the story.

There will be a time of strong decisions, long nights spent with the eyes wide open in the dark, dreams, great expectations, whispers and long terms plans between me and my spouse. It will be up to us, to stand up and ask for our part and, at last, acting according to the plot we have chosen to play. Whatever the hue of grey it will look like, we will turn it into black or white again.