We've moved from Baltimore, Maryland USA to Venice, Italy in pursuit of living our dream!



Thursday, January 3, 2013

Capodanno e i buoni propositi per l'anno nuovo - New Year and New Year's Resolutions

Buon Anno, Tutti!  Happy New Year to all!

This year we opted not to deal with the crowds at St. Mark's square, however I didn't want to miss the fireworks.  At about 5 minutes to midnight we walked through Sant'Elena to the bridge going to Giardini, and around to the waterfront.  We took up a position there, at the far end of Giardini, to watch. To our amazement, we had the place to ourselves. Further up the street at the Giardini vaporetto stop, there were a few people out setting off their own little fireworks, but down where we were, complete emptiness. Heavenly.  We had a clear view of everything going on at St. Mark's.



 



Every year I make a few New Year's resolutions, this year is no different.  I find that if I write down my resolutions, and also make them known to others, I have a better shot at committing to them. So here goes- here are my resolutions for 2013:

1) Get the book project finished.   Last year, I began writing a travel memoir, the story of our experiences moving to Venice and living here. Recently I've been very encouraged by some people we've met  that this book should be finished and out there to be read.  With this positive reinforcement, the book project is now officially moved to the front burner.

2) Make exercise and fitness part of my regular routine.  I admit I ate with abandon on our recent vacation in China, and now would like to lose the extra pounds. But, this year, I don't just want to go on a diet, do some exercise and then revert back to my normal habits.  I want to make fitness and good health a priority. My plan is to reduce the excess calories I eat in the form of cheeses and desserts (yes, I am a dessert hound), and exercise regularly.

3) Parlare l'italiano molto, molto, molto.  While I have studied Italian with a tutor, and can read and understand it, I am not speaking fluently. This year I am going to give it everything I've got, and use every opportunity I can find to speak, speak, speak. Watch out, Italy!!!

Now, I've written them down, I've communicated my resolutions to all of you and all of the blogosphere. I am officially accountable for sticking to my resolutions.

What are your resolutions for 2013?????
Send me messages, I want to hear from all of you!

BUON ANNO!!!

4 comments:

Vagabonde said...

Your resolutions sound good – two actually match mine. I am not planning to write a book but my blog started so that I could write my recollections about my past for my grandchildren – so far I have written mostly about my trips, but I’ll get bet to the family. Getting fit is a must. I used to speak Italian better than English (that was when I used to spend my summers in the Adriatic) but I let it go – so I need to get back to study it again. Another resolution is to try to downscale our stuff in our house – we have way too much. The problems are the books – about 5,000 or more – we must give them away – it’s so hard.

Michelle said...

Ciao, Karen,
Well, you've had my resolutions in an email but here they are for public consumption.
1)Return to Venice this December (I know that will happen)
2)Begin an organized study of Italian by taking classes at the Community College. Unfortunately they aren't offering the "beginner" class for Winter Quarter...hopefully they will offer it in Spring.
Wishing you all the best with your resolutions for the New Year.
Michelle

karen said...

Vagabonde- Good luck with the downsizing. We got rid of just about everything when we moved over here. Books, records, cd's were the hardest to get rid of, and no one wanted them. We had rooms full of books. It's difficult, but you can do it. What we discovered after having emptied the house is that we felt a huge weight off our shoulders, like we were liberated!!!

karen said...

Brava, Michelle!!! This is going to be such a wonderful year for you, can just feel it!