A Fire In My Brain
I spent the better part of my day at my local Italian hospital waiting for and receiving an iron infusion (I'm very anemic). My husband was with me and we were sitting in the waiting room surrounded by the iconography of my religion when he said something that lit a spark in me that is burning like a bonfire in my brain.I don't know if it was divine intervention or the fact, that for the first time in a long time I, at present have adequate levels of iron in my system. (This was my third treatment).I like to think it was a little bit of both.For the first time in a long time I feel like I can actually think with some clarity with regards to telling a story, even if my brain is ablaze.I have a lot of work to do and I'm thrilled.I'm about to go all Big Bad Wolf, and huff and puff all over this story, until it's a wild fire of words. I'll worry about water hoses some other time...maybe never.
List of Books I Read in 2014
Judging by how few books I read in 2014, it was a busy year.It was something I felt a keen absence of. As it is, I have three books on my Goodreads list that I've not completed. (I've annotated those with an asterisk.)Compared to 2013 or 2012, or 2011, this list is short y'all! In previous years I averaged about 30 books per year, this is half that!
- The Diviners by Libba Bray*
- Painless Grammar by Rebecca S. Elliot
- The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
- And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard
- Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon
- Writing and Selling the YA Novel by K.L. Going
- Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
- Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead
- Sinner (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #4) by Maggie Stiefvater
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
- Paper Towns by John Green
- Perfect Ruin by Lauren De Stefano*
- Half Bad by Sally Green
- Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan*
- Prince Lestat by Anne Rice
Here are a few of my book related Instagrams from 2014.
I love seeing lists of books others have read, so if you've got one, share the link in the comments, or just jot down some of your favorite reads in 2014.I also happened upon this fun reading challenge. I'm so all over this!
Skin Cancer. Here I go again.
A few weeks ago I had a biopsy taken on my forehead of a mole that had come back from a previously excised mole that was confirmed basal cell carcinoma. Today I got the results, and it is indeed positive once more. I'll have to have it removed again, only this time the margins will have to be much bigger. My options as far as the removal here are limited. I can go to Germany and have a Mohs surgeon remove the mole, have one of the general surgeons here, or wait till April for the plastic surgeon. I don't want to go to Germany. The thing is, this is a reoccurrence, at present, the Mohs surgical removal method is the most effective way to remove all of the cancer cells, but still preserve healthy skin tissue. Yet the thought of going to a base in Germany, stay there a week or possibly more to have the procedure isn't something I'm keen on doing.Sigh.I may wait to decide until I get results for another excision I had on a mole that returned on my back that was very close to the spot I had melanoma in.Wear sunscreen. Trust me. The damage done to my skin occurred in childhood and during my teen years. I stopped attempting to achieve a golden, sun kissed skin when I was 19, and managed to get a sunburn so bad I landed in the ER. Everyday, I have sunscreen on. Every. Single. Day.My skin color is pale. I've learned to love it.
Here I am being all reflective in Crete. Sunscreen 100 SPF on my body, 110 SPF on my face.
If you'd like to check out other posts I've written on my skin cancer experiences, click right here.
Sculptures & Jane Austen in the Galleria dell'Accademia? Florence, Italy
I thought I would take this opportunity to show you another area (besides the David) that stood out for me at the Galleria dell'Accademia or Gallery of Academy Museum in Florence. We weren't allowed to photograph in many parts of the museum, but the one area I would've loved to explore was this room full of statues, called the Gipsoteca Bartolini which unfortunately was roped off the day we visited. I was totally drawn to this room, and probably spent a good 15 minutes just gazing in longingly into it.I later learned (read, I Googled) this room of statues is actually plaster casts of sculptures, all done by Lorenzo Bartolini. Plaster or stone, I would've loved to have spent a ton of time in this room, which was lit beautifully with soft light.
I couldn't help but be reminded of the scene from the 2005 movie version of Pride & Prejudice, where Elizabeth Bennet played by Kiera Knightly tours Darcy's home.
Can you see it too? Or am I just that much of a P&P fan..?Sigh. Photos of Lizzie's Tour of Pemberly, source
Sculptures & Jane Austen in the Galleria dell'Accademia? Florence, Italy
I thought I would take this opportunity to show you another area (besides the David) that stood out for me at the Galleria dell'Accademia or Gallery of Academy Museum in Florence. We weren't allowed to photograph in many parts of the museum, but the one area I would've loved to explore was this room full of statues, called the Gipsoteca Bartolini which unfortunately was roped off the day we visited. I was totally drawn to this room, and probably spent a good 15 minutes just gazing in longingly into it.I later learned (read, I Googled) this room of statues is actually plaster casts of sculptures, all done by Lorenzo Bartolini. Plaster or stone, I would've loved to have spent a ton of time in this room, which was lit beautifully with soft light.I couldn't help but be reminded of the scene from the 2005 movie version of Pride & Prejudice, where Elizabeth Bennet played by Kiera Knightly tours Darcy's home.Can you see it too? Or am I just that much of a P&P fan..?Sigh. Photos of Lizzie's Tour of Pemberly, source
Il Duomo, Florence Italy
I had so much fun sharing Michelangelo's David, I thought I'd continue with a few of my thoughts regarding Florence, which to date, is my absolute favorite Italian city.No trip to Florence would be complete with out seeing Il Duomo, as it's kind of hard to miss. I would describe as it's most magnificent architectural masterpiece. The Florence Cathedral, The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (The Basilica of Saint Mary the Flower.) When you first happen upon Il Duomo, your breath catches in your throat at it's sheer size, plus 700 year old buildings will kind of do that to you. For me, one of the best parts of visiting a city like Florence is having the opportunity to witness all of the places I'd till that point, only read about it books. Stories like, Inferno By Dan Brown or The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant.
Michelangelo's David, Florence Italy
Our first trip to Florence, happened on a whim, we'd talked about going, but hadn't made any plans, and a day before we'd set out to leave we made reservations at an Army base nearby and packed up our car. Because of our lack of planning, our intention was mostly to walk around, get a feel for the city, and people watch. On the drive down, we decided we'd pick one famous piece of art that everyone knows is housed in Florence and see it. For this trip, we chose Michelangelo's David.David was once housed outdoors, in front of the Palazzo della Signoria, but is now kept in the Galleria dell' Accademia. The Accademia houses much art, so definitely plan on spending a few hours there at minimum if you want to see more than just David.What most surprised me about the actual statue of David, was it's sheer size. It's huge. At fourteen feet tall it is practically a giant. You can read more about the statue's history on the Accademia Gallery's website.
