WHISKY TEMPS, EXAMS AND CARICATURES.

Today in Florence the temperature was 43,5°, the same of a good whisky. The air was similar too, so humid that breathing resembled to drinking.

Today, I also had my final teaching exam: two lessons of one hour and half each in two different classes, grammar first in a first level class, then conversation in a second level. I am pleased with how I did, will get my diploma in a few days and have to contact the director of the school tomorrow morning so that she can let me know if and when I can do some work, and therefor earn some cash. I'm torn between the desire of getting some work and money, and the call of the boulders, whether they are in Ticino, Dolomites or Varazze. Anyway, since I've told the director that I want to work as soon as I can, the situation is already out of my control, so I think I'd better relax and enjoy the moment.

On another note, you have surely noticed the new picture that adorns this blog. Well, I asked a friend from UKB to draw something for me, and he's been so gentle to do that cool caricature. While this is largely to please my ego, I take the chance to officially thank Richard, and I suggest you to check his talent on his website in the links section.

And, before you ask, yes, I look like that and I'm proud of it!!!

SOME CLIMBING

At the top of Amiata this afternoon it was 19°, some 14° less than here at the sea. I only had a couple of hours of gentle pulling, and am glad to report that I'm quite happy. I did the usual circuit of very easy stuff, then had a go at "Il Motorino di Mario" ( http://bouldr.net/climbs/378/Il%20motorino%20di%20Mario ) that I and Eric opened last year at Fb 7a. It's one of the loveliest problems I've done, small dishes and a final slap to a blind crimp. Well, it was a blind slap: today it was a static reach far past the hold. I was quite shocked, I had to concentrate and search for the hold actually under my palm. I thought I had used some banned foothold, but there are no banned footoholds, if I remember correctly (Eric was it an eliminate?). Anyway.

Then, my project. Ahh, my lovely project. My super hard project. It's proper pulling, of the finest quality. I still haven't done the first move, the second one, and am close to doing the third move. I think I will try first to do it one move into it, because it's still as solid as Gibraltar Rock and perhaps features the two hardest moves I have ever tried, because the holds are there, small and wrong facing, they are definitely there, but they are so difficult to put together. It's seriously burly, fingery, needs flexibility, precision, focus, timing.

Briefly, I don't think I'm capable of doing it, but this doesn't mean that I can't become capable.

So at last I put up a new problem on a nearby boulder where I had already done one new line and finally fell a few times trying the full traverse while a big grey boar was running around.

I hope I'll have many more days like this, at Amiata or, even better in Switz if we manage to find someone to keep Arrostino. Damn cat.

I HATE SUMMER

It's official: I hate summer. There's no need for it. It's just boiling, the sea is flat, the boulders are sweaty and the mountains are stormy. I can't wait to be wearing again heavy clothes while at the boulders, I can't wait not to weak up in a pool of sweat in the morning.

38 degrees on wednesday. The gym has no air conditioning. So the question is: why do I go there? Because it's still better than to try and climb, dammit.

Anyway, I climbed quite well lately at the gym, so I'm happy about that. Sadly most of the hard gained power from the winter and spring is gone, sigh. I'm sure I won't start again from square one, but I was hoping I would keep more of it. Who knows, maybe I'm just too tired or too destroyed by the climate.

Oh well, we will see. This post is boring, the sea is boring, the summer is boring and I want to climb somewhere cold.