Summer Book Challenge

I've come across a few book challenges recently, but usually find them after they've started and never quite feel like trying to make a rushed effort to complete them.

However, Megan over at Semi-Charmed Kind of Life recently posted a summer challenge and the timing seems right to give this challenge a go.

General rules:

• The challenge will run from May 1, 2015, to August 31, 2015. No books that are started before 12 a.m. on May 1 or finished after 11:59 p.m. on August 31 will count.
• Each book must be at least 200 pages long. Audiobooks and large-print books are fine, as long as the regular print versions meets this length requirement.
• A book can only be used for one category, and each category can only be completed once. If you want to switch the category of a book during a later check-in, that's fine, just be sure to account for that in your point total.
• Rereads can be used for a maximum of three books in the challenge. This rule is meant to encourage you to try new books while still allowing you to revisit books from your childhood or young adulthood that you might get more out of now. Please reread the entire book within the timeframe of the challenge in order to count it; no simply finishing old books or partial rereads.
• The highest possible total is 200 points, and the first five people who finish the challenge will be invited to contribute a category for the next challenge.

Here are the categories:

5 points: Freebie! Read any book that fits the general rules. 

• A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett: It's our book club book in May, so I know I have to read it anyways! 

10 points: Read a book you have never heard of before. (Just go to a shelf and pick a book based on the cover, the title, whatever you want!)

• Accomplice by Eireann Corrigan: I was wandering our school library and picked it off the shelf because I liked the cover. 

10 points: Read a book that has been on your TBR list for at least two years. (If you've had a Goodreads account for 2+ years, this will be easy to figure out. If you don’t, do your best to pick a book you’re pretty sure you’ve been wanting to read for years.)

• Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger: It's been on my list for just over 2 years...though I have plenty of other choices on my list should I change my mind. 

10 points: Read a book that won a Goodreads “Best Book” award in 2014.

• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart: Won the Best Book award for Young Adult Fiction. 

15 points: Read a book by an author who is completely new to you.

• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand: Never read anything by this author, yet have two of her books on my shelf. Time to get moving!  

15 points: Read a book by an author you have read before. (No re-reads for this one.)

• Not sure about this one...have several options on the shelf that could stand to be read, but there are also a lot of books I want to borrow this summer from the library, so I'm going to hold off listing one for now.

15 points: Read a book with "light" or "dark" in the title. (Or "lightness" or "darkness.")

• The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman: It's on my to-read list anyways, so... 

20 points: Read a book with the name of a city, state or country in the title.

• The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall: It's on my shelf and I'm trying to clean house! 

Already got a few of the books ready to go for May 1!

20 points: Read a book with an animal on the cover.

• Life of Pi by Yann Martel: Also sitting on my shelf, and it belongs to someone else! Needs read so that I can return it! 

25 points: Read a book that is part of a series with at least four books.

• A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton: I've considered reading one in this series for awhile and since I've read all the books in the series I want to read, this seems like a good option. 

25 points: Read a book that is longer than 500 pages long. — Submitted by winter finisher Kristen from See You in a Porridge.

• The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt: I bought the Kindle version forever ago and haven't even opened it.  

30 points: Read a book with an alliterative title. (All words in the title must begin with the same letter; no exceptions for articles or prepositions. Examples: Gone Girl or Nicholas Nickleby. Yes, this is tough, which is why it's worth the most points!)

• Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt: Could change...because if I come across another option I'm interested in I might switch it up!

Getting at those Goals

When 2015 rolled around I set a few goals for myself for the year. I haven't really written much about them, but I figure putting pen to paper...or in this case fingers to keys...would help me stay more accountable to achieving them.

So, here goes...

goal #1: to walk 1,007 miles

Sometime over the Christmas break I came across a site where you or a team could attempt to complete 2,015 miles. I thought it would be a solid challenge to go for half of the year in miles, which translates to 1,007 miles.

Using my Moves app, I've been adding up the recorded mileage at the end of each month.

At the end of March, my total is 258.1 miles, keeping me just about on pace to make my goal. I'm hoping that with the nicer spring and summer weather it will be a little easier to get out and crank out a few more miles every week.

goal #2: to read 75 books

For the last few years I've set a goal of how many books to read. It really helps me to push myself and using Goodreads' Reading Challenge encourages me to stay on point.

As of today, I've read 31 books.

Best book I've read so far this year? I've rated 4 books with 5 stars so far, but the stand out is The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay. I was home sick one day with complete intentions of binge watching something on Netflix and started reading this story.

I did nothing all day but read. I HAD to know how this story would unfold.

goal #3: to regularly attend yoga

I've been practicing Ashtanga Yoga for almost a year now and I really want to commit to this practice. So far this year, I've been doing my best in getting to the studio, but with all the illnesses I've had I feel like this has been a little more up and down than I would like. And like every normal human being, sometimes it's easier to sit on the couch than drag my butt to yoga.

I did just order a brand new, fancy schmancy yoga mat. I hope it's worth it.

So, here's to the rest of the year...and a healthier and more consistent yoga practice.

goal #4: to learn more conversational italian

It's starting to become a little embarrassing to tell people how long I've lived in Italy and still be struggling with the language.

But what I've learned is that needing to use the language is the key to learning the language.

Unfortunately my daily life doesn't require conversational Italian.

I just finished a 12 week Italian course at local school International House. I had a wonderful teacher, Valentina, and considered taking more lessons with the school, but as our school year winds down and the pace of activities picks up, it just doesn't feel like the right time.

So, now back to Duolingo and working hard to immerse myself in experiences that will require me to practice my conversational Italian.

goal #5: to visit five new countries

Well, it seemed like a fair number to try and go for. Right now, I've reached two of the five for the year. I've got #3 planned for the last weekend of May and hopefully #4 on track for the summer. That leaves #5 for the fall.

So, who's coming with me?

Raving about Ravenna

Before jumping on the Ravenna bandwagon...because I am most certainly going to do that...pardon this interruption for a quick note about Easter Sunday.

I was invited for Easter lunch and egg dying at Leah's apartment. Christine and Leah were kind enough to share their plans with me and we had a fun afternoon. We dyed eggs old school style, no kit, no crayons, just vinegar and food coloring...and some tape.

Leah had Peeps! omg. My craving is satisfied.

Thanks ladies! The food was delicious and our eggs were, well, colorful, to say the least!!

Back to our regularly scheduled programming.

After my jaunt to San Marino, I headed to Ravenna, just a little ways north from Rimini. I had heard about Ravenna before, as my good friend Kate had visited there before moving back to the States two years ago.

Ravenna is most known for the most gorgeous collection of Byzantine mosaics.

Did you notice that the picture is made entirely of fingernail sized squares?

I mean, even the street signs are mosaics.

According to my good friend Rick, "The Roman emperor moved his capital to Ravenna and kept close ties with the other Roman capital at Constantinople (called Byzantium)" (p. 185, Rick Steves Italy 2011).

love, love, love

a little shaky on full zoom...

Once I saw how amazing these mosaics are I became kind of obsessed.

It's easy to see how artist Gustav Klimt took inspiration from the mosaics in Ravenna for his work during his golden period and pieces like The Kiss.

I began searching online for local mosaic artisans. I found a list from the Ravenna Tourism Office with a list of local studios. Another helpful list was a forum post on Trip Advisor that listed these artists.

Koko Mosaico Via di Roma, 136
Barbara Liverani Studio Via Girolamo Rossi, 21/a
Imad Punto Mosaico Via Francesco Negri, 4/a

Near Basilica di San Vitale I found another shop: Annafietta on Via Guiliano Argentario, 21

I admired something at each shop, but in the end decided to buy from Barbara Liverani this time around. She had a large variety of pieces for sale and the prices seemed on track with some of what I had seen around town. She was super friendly, allowed me to practice my broken Italian with her, and, well, I just liked her.

Barbara's workspace

This looks like the perfect spring frame to add to my collection of treasures from around the world. 

So if you're ever in Ravenna and have a burning desire to buy a mosaic to take home with you, I hope you'll stop by Barbara's studio and check out her work.

Several of the studios appear to offer classes...and that may put Ravenna on the agenda again.

Visiting the 3rd Smallest Country in the World

When 2015 approached I decided that I was hoping to travel to five new countries during the year.

Egypt was #1 in February.

That was a BIG trip.

So for spring break, I thought I'd go a little easier on my wallet and stay within an area I could easily travel by train.

Landlocked within Italy is a small republic, the 3rd smallest in the world, known as San Marino. It claims to be the oldest republic, founded in 301.

WOW!

Travel to San Marino is easily done by car or bus from neighboring coastal town, Rimini.

With this is mind I arrived in Rimini Monday afternoon, with plans on exploring Rimini and spending Tuesday in San Marino.

Looking down the beach.

Rimini, a beach town still facing off-season, felt a bit deserted, but also somewhat cheap and seedy. I was suprised to find Paganello, World Beach Ultimate Cup, taking place on the beach just down from my hotel. A team from San Franscisco was playing the men's final while I was on the beach.

San Francisco Revolver playing in the ultimate frisbee tournament

While Rimini is fairly unimpressive, reminding me of what I envision the Jersey Shore or Myrtle Beach to be comparatively, San Marino was quaint and had beautiful panoramic vistas.

I spent several hours wandering about the historic center of San Marino, tackling country #2 for the year and #27 overall. (Though I never counted Vatican City before...and maybe I should have!)

The section of San Marino is perched high on a hill, making certain the you can see the Adriatic off to the East and the Italian countryside in all directions.

Walls and towers surround the city. Stone streets lined with shops weave up and down the city.

My overall opinion: San Marino is cute, but tiny, and there's not a lot to do. So, go, get your passport visa stamp, have lunch, and then be on your way...to Ravenna (post to come!)

my new passport stamp! #happygirl

Can you see the sea?

Have you been to one of the world's smallest countries?

Fiori e Sapori

Today was the annual flower market on the Navigli. It's held every April. There were over 200 vendors selling flowers and other related items.

I've been taking a Photoshop class online...
Today's lesson was on collages. Just finished this one.

It was so colorful out there! And crowded, but what else would you expect!

Here are some pics from the day! Enjoy!

spring is in the air!

The weather has been improving.

I've recovered from two terrible head colds and a round of the stomach bug. #theworst

That means I've finally been able to get out of my apartment and enjoy some of the blue skies and spring air.

I sampled gelato from two more of the gelateria's on Swide's list of the best in Milan.

I stopped by Attimi di Gusto a few weeks ago. They definitely had some unique flavors on hand, but I stuck with some more traditional favorites of mine. A lot of the gelato here appeared to be made without milk, and the gelato was felt 'icier' than I prefer, so this place doesn't quite hit the top of my list.

pistacchio e nocciola (I think! struggling to remember my 2nd flavor!)

Another day, Caitlin and I headed out to il massimo del gelato, north of Parco Sempione. This place was AMAZING! It's a good thing that it's not so close to my apartment, otherwise I'm sure I'd be a frequent visitor. They had at least eight different flavors of chocolate!

#incredible

pistacchio e caramello salato

We thought about going back in for seconds.

And probably should have.

I took time to wait in line at Luini's for a panzerotto. (Have we discussed Luini's before?) You just must stop here when you are in Milan. I generally stick with a classic choice of tomato and mozzarella, fried. (They offer baked options, for you health nuts.)

There's always a huge line.
Thankfully, it moves along quite nicely.

Caitlin and I rode bikes through the city. (We're warming up for our trip to Amsterdam later this month.)

Caitlin and her teddy!
ahahahahaha!

I finally made it back to the Saturday market on Via Tabacchi and bought both cut flowers and some to plant in my flower boxes.

my flowers!
with my favorite avett brothers line created by The Oyster's Pearl

freshly planted!

What have you been up to so far this spring?