Home – 42M

Now

Updated: (What is a “now page”?)

In this period, I am:

Coordinating a European Solidarity Corps project

Last year, my good friend and colleague Antonella from Comunità Circolare and I submitted a Citizen Science project proposal under the ESC programme. It was approved (first in national rankings!) and has officially started in April 2024.

In a nutshell, the idea is to gather data on particulate matter concentration with DIY air quality monitors. For info, check out ScienziAria (italian only).

We’re about halfway through, and I am as confident as I ever was that it will turn out to be a success on several levels. But I must also say I underestimated the overall time and effort that was (and is) needed on my part, so there’s that.

Teaching Italian without teaching Italian

Basically, I help people practice my beautiful native language through one-to-one conversations plus active listening (and sometimes bad jokes).

Kinda like the TEDx Teaching English without Teaching English, but with Italian.

Another difference is that Roberto Guzman is a full professor at the University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla Campus, while I am but a humble galactic hitchhiker.

So yeah, if you want to improve your Italian, feel free to reach out. I am open to take on new students at this time. You can’t opt out from bad jokes, though.

Freelancing as a Simplicity Web Coach

Yes, that’s a perfectly valid job title. Not made up by me at all! 😜

My goal is to simplify people’s web sites through bespoke coaching and consultancy – ultimately helping them save time, money, and energy.

All of that doesn’t really matter if you’re not doing business. Pretty much everyone can just make a simple blog like this one (or even simpler).

But for anyone who cares about their bottom line, hiring people with expert knowledge can prevent costly mistakes and ensure peace of mind.

Need anything to do with simplicity, web, or both? Head over to my business site.

Learning to dance Lindy Hop

Classes started again last week! After 4 months of inactivity (due to summer break), I had forgotten almost everything. But I’m starting to remember.

I took on Lindy Hop last February. I’m still terrible at it, but I’m having a blast!

(As an aside: I always thought dancing just wasn’t my thing. I was wrong. Think you’re bad at something? Don’t despair. You can still learn and have tons of fun!)

Blogging here and there

I’ve finally got around to adding a box at the end of each post to remind people they can contact me (only after just 6 months of publicly committing to it here).

While I was at it, I did something similar for my RSS. I got the idea a few months ago from Manu’s RSS (so I ripped off a sentence – er, put in a subtle reference).

My personal blog is a hobby, so I only update it in my free time – and it shows. But there’s also another blog that’s been on my mind (and heart) for years now.

I’m not working on it, though – so yeah, don’t hold your breath. But one day…!

Selling stuff and decluttering

It’s been months since I’ve moved, and I still have lots of stuff to declutter. Most of it is in good condition and still potentially useful, so I’m trying to sell it.

I’ll give the rest away for free or, if I can’t do even that, I’ll toss it. But if it has any kind of sentimental value, I’ll digitize it first (as a keepsake).

It’s not super urgent though, so I guess I’ll keep on putting it off. Just kidding (sort of), but I do expect this to take me a few more months. Little by little.

Taking care of myself

…or at least I’m trying! 😊️

But it’s all too easy to forget about self-care. So, here’s reminder:

Apparently, I like this little reminder so much that I rarely edit it substantially, no matter how I’m actually doing in any given period. So there’s that! 😜️

Living in the south east of Italy

Until I move again! 😁️