Buone Feste!

Merry Christmas to everyone from Mad Eye Moody! At least, that’s what I’ve been calling myself. Basically, I hadn’t slept well and had to get up early consecutively last week, then partied Friday and Saturday ‘til 4am (gotta luv dem drunk dials). Sunday morning, I woke up with a red eye. Apparently, a capillary in my right eye burst and now half of it is red! Eugenia is a pharmacist and says it will go away in some 10 – 15 days… LOL. Anyway, it’s a little early but I won’t be able to check the internet for a little while as the Benatti family will be off skiing in the alps while I am on vacation here. They wanted me to come before I came over here but at the time I had plans to return to England for x-mas. So now, without any specific plans for the holidays, I’ve decided to stay here in order to save money and soak up the local culture rather than travel solo during this wonderfully depressing season known as ‘The Holidays.’

So, I am writing this post now because I probably won’t be checking the internet for a little bit. A little recap~ last weekend it snowed a little bit (perhaps I will have my first White Christmas) and my terrace was all ice, fun times sliding to and fro. On Friday, I went to a graduation in Modena at the local university for a friend/student…. very interesting/different ceremony! Then, on Saturday I went to Mantova, which is a damn cool city.

I spent my week reading Cujo and now I am on to Dostoevsky’s ‘The Gambler’ and ‘Plato’s Republic’ sent direct from Cali by my parents. They also sent me another package which should contain the book you recommended, Jim, so I’ve got plenty to read for my vacation. I intend to study Italian, read, watch movies (also sent by the parental units) and keep writing. I finished two drafts of a short story called ‘The Sculptor’ and have decidedly abandoned another called ‘Iridium’ which was supposed to be based on Plato’s ‘Realm of Forms’ and the idea of absolute perfection. But how can you write a story about perfection when the writing itself is intrinsically imperfect? This is my dilemma…

For Christmas, I’ve got a bottle of premium MMII Montepulciano and for New Years… a bottle of ’98 Brut Monogram Franciacorta, which from what I understand is some premium shit (?). Both were given to me by students of my class and fellow connoisseurs of wine (can I call myself that, yet?).

I want to wish a Merry Christmas and a damn fine New Year’s to all my family, and to friends back home: Zev & Russ, Jimmy and Jonny and all the others… I miss you guys… Steven (wherever you are)… Todd, out there in Beantown (remember our last new years in LA? Haha!), my Active homies and all you guys around the tarn, Jan in Germany…

So here’s my party: It’s THAT time to let go of the past and look to the future!

5…4.….3……..2……....1…………*@#%#$^%@$#^ HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!