Since you're gone my empty arms have nothing left to hold

1. ... Er, hello world! I suppose everyone has given me up for MIA, right? /o\ damn, I don't think I've ever spent this long without updating. Or checking the FL, ugh. I swear I'll be up to date asap. Anyway, since I disappeared for two months, have a run-through of what's been going on here.

2. So, point is: I ended up swamped in finals-related cramming which went good for half and bad for the other half (because two were passed the way I wanted, the other two... one I had to skip because I caught some bothersome form of influenza and the other because even with the cramming I wasn't nowhere near ready for it), so now I have three left. Then it happened that apparently the one class I have to attend this semester is canceled and I won't know what to do about it until tomorrow, but my former supervisor for the bachelor's degree is making me do the master's thesis with her so at least there's something. And this entire deal pretty much ate up more of my free time than I'd have liked, so I ended up having to drop any social network where it doesn't take you more than five seconds to post. /o\

3. Also: if anyone has read about election results, B. came in *second*, the third biggest party's target seems to be 'let's make everyone look horrible by not agreeing with a government with the first so next elections we win!', and obviously the lovely people at the left party managed to get first but without enough votes to actually rule, so in the end I'm pretty sure they'll elect the new Pope before we have a government. Yay. If anyone around can guess, I've been wanting to cry hysterically about it since it happened. (I'm also seriously thinking about going out of the country as soon as I have the degree and I find any kind of job somewhere else, but that's not happening until graduation which isn't happening until October at best, so.) Also, two of B.'s trials are ending soon and he organizes a march against the magistrature - I'm not even sure I can stand another six months of him being relevant.

4. ... damn the new LJ update page is as horrible as I remember it, but you can't switch anymore, right? Damn. Okay, back on track.

5. I'm actually caught up with tv shows (okay, nope, I'm caught with SPN and the vampire porn, I had to drop the rest for the moment) but I haven't had time for any reaction post whatsoever so I'll see if after I'm as caught up with the f-list as I'm going to be I'll manage to do some huge meta post for everything I haven't reacted about. For now, in short: I'm not exactly getting what the vampire porn is trying to accomplish but Damon looks prettier than usual so whatever and SPN hasn't been this good in ages as far as I'm concerned, so nothing to complain on that side.

6. Oh, right, I'm also feeling totally conflicted about GOT. In the sense, I want to watch it for some things, but knowing what awaits me at the end makes me wish it aired next year. Or ten years from now. Anyone who read the books knows the deal. One thing that was very much true, though, is that if the posters are the best HBO can do then they'd be better off if they hired me. Or any person around here who can use photoshop, because my first reaction was 'damn give me the selective coloring tool and make me get rid of the blue'.

7. Concerts speaking: I'm seeing Mumford & Sons in a week and The National are coming in June! (The day after I'm supposed to be in Milan for Bon Jovi, but I'll manage somehow.) Also there's Neil Young coming at the end of July, and while the venue sucks I'll probably go because who knows when it's going to happen again. And there's Bruce Springsteen in July too, so at least I'm doing good with going to concerts this year.

8. Also: I totally failed at Christmas cards even if I had half of them ready /o\ in the next days I'm going to send belated PMs because I didn't even manage to make a thank you post for the one I received and then I'm going to see what to do with it. If you receive random cards in the middle of April or May from me, it's me being extremely late.

9. GRRM speaking: I've also apparently and masochistically ended up getting crazy into Wild Cards, aka The Other Huge Project That GRRM Has Been Doing For Ages But I Didn't Know About It, which I probably should have avoided for my own mental sanity. But I'm apparently in 'DAMN IT I'M IN WESTEROS WITHDRAWAL' mode, and I saw the first book reprinted and I thought the plot was interesting. Clearly I got hooked, and then I promptly found out that on twenty-one books, five are in print and the rest is not. Good news is that I got a Kindle for Christmas and I found a torrent for the e-books, so I'm covered, but you don't want to know the pain that it's been finding ten on twenty-one. The problem is that the eleven I'm missing are priced too much for paperbacks that were out in the early nineties, but I'll probably buy them all. Very much eventually. Anyway, there's obviously no fandom whatsoever for it, so at least I'm saved from possible 'OMG SHINY NEW FANDOM' shenanigans, since I have no time for it. D:

10. Oh, and in the mess above described in the first point, it happened that a guy who could pass for Richard Madden's little brother except with brown hair/eyes exists and he SOMETIMES, and with that I mean 'two times each year', appears in my university. And I was sitting behind the guy during the only written final I had this round. I'm going to spare you the reactions to finding out the guy's existence - they were mostly the kind you overgrow after fourteen, but clearly the one time I run into a guy with whom I'd totally consider trying to flirt (and I'm a total fail at flirting and related) he shows up twice and then I don't see him around anymore. *facepalm* Help. Obviously not having crushed on people at fourteen is showing up now. Ah well.

11. Okay, that was what's going on with me. Soooo tell me what's up with you all? I haven't managed to check the FL also because at some point I fell behind with TV and I didn't want to risk spoilers, and I'm not sure that I'll see everything that I missed because LJ only lets me go back so much :/ I'll try to go check individual journals instead, but meanwhile if something happened with you tell me/link me? I missed LJ, I want to get back into the swing of things. <3

1) Thanks so much to everyone who sent those pretty glass hearts ♥ my profile looks a lot prettier and my v-day sucked a lot less than it usually does. ;) Ilu all.

2) Dear world, I'm ready for this session to be over and for the weather to get better, because when you live in the only sort of civilized city where buses don't have wheels for snow in 75% of the cases and if it snows a bit 75% of the public transportation gets shut down and so you end up at home revising which is exactly what you did since vacations were over, you start to go stir-crazy. At least another two and then I can just go see five movies in a row. And the fact that a lovely coffee shop/bakery that sells glorious not-so-tiny cupcakes opened near home therefore making it the only reachable not-useless place around is threatening my levels of sugar, not that I regret cupcakes.

3) Okay, uh, you remember when I said that I couldn't be bothered with Ringer not being just plain stupid anymore but bordering on (imo) offensive? Yeah, I take it back because today's episode was just - I have no freaking words. Rant under the cut, feel free to ignore if you a) like that show, b) don't watch it (and it's good for you). Also: discussion about triggering material (non-consensual sex).

( seriously? SERIOUSLY? )

4. And after that rant that was probably too long for that show, and to remind myself why I'm watching it next week after all, here, have some Misha being OMG ADORABLE NEXT TO THE GUINNESS WIN CERTIFICATE. I'd just like to state that having contributed to be in a Guinness primate feels pretty darn awesome. I have something to tell my nephews now. ;)

5. Also, the porn battle is sadly over. :( I managed six fills this round which was awesome. Posting will happen tomorrow or so. (And recs as well probably.)

6. Aaand it's almost 1 AM and I have fic to finish and stuff to study/revise tomorrow so I'll just thank everyone for the shiny sparking hearts and be off. Sigh. One of these days one of these entries will be full of exciting RL shenanigans, but this isn't it.

I usually cut politics related things but I'm not doing it this time. And I know that probably most Italians on my FL are voting tomorrow and Monday, but I still want to state a couple things about it. I'll try to be brief.

So, tomorrow and Monday we're having a referendum here. It's about:

a) Whether to keep water supply a public business or not;
b) Whether nuclear energy should be an option;
c) Abrogating or not a law which states that the PM and people in charge of a ministry can't go on trial while they're in charge.

Especially because of B (which is a main point for this stupid government, who's stuck on building nuclear centrals in a country where we still haven't disposed of the nuclear waste from the eighties, where we can't dispose of trash and where it takes a 6.0 earthquake to destroy a city because we build cheap, not safe) and because of C (since the PM has currently four trials going on and other about to start, including the one about paying underage girls to have sex with him), they gave this no space in the news. The public broadcasting received fines because they didn't air information about the referendum in the right spaces, and a bunch of politicians including the PM are being like 'this is useless, I'm not going to vote'. Clearly they don't want people to go - if 50% of the people who can vote do it and -yes- wins, PM = fucked. Nuclear program = fucked. Privatizing water = fucked. If we don't reach the quorum, it's for nothing and they do whatever the hell they want. And this had also happened years ago with a referendum about artificial impregnation and researching on embryos - same government and Church said not to go voting, it didn't reach the quorum, and the consequences weren't that great (at least for people trying to have children using that kind of technique - now they have to go outside the country).

Now. There are campaigns around to promote awareness for said referendum, and it looks like it might be possible to reach the quorum in spite of the fact that the information about it has been close to zero; but the point that really annoys me is that these idiots are trying to pass a message which consists in, if you don't want it, DON'T VOTE instead of going and saying no. Because you can say no if you don't agree with it. And this is what's pissing me off to insane degrees. It basically means that voting is optional. And it's not just in these cases - I heard enough people saying that they can't be bothered to vote because they don't like anyone particularly or because 'it's all the same anyway' or because 'politics suck so there's no point'.

Actually? Sorry, but no. If you went to school they taught you that voting is a right and a duty, not just a right. You can also go in and leave it blank, if you really don't like anyone. But voting is the only way you have to change how your country is run, and if you want to keep things as they are, good. Wake up, go voting and say NO. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I won't be the one saying you should vote yes even if that's what I think you should do, but please, for the the love of everything that's dear to you, wake up and exercise your goddamn right to vote. Because if you don't and you think that it's not worth anything, then it'll come a day when maybe you won't be allowed to at all and you'll miss it. People died to allow others to vote. Here, women couldn't vote until 1946. And I do realize that politics mostly suck ass and that half of the time you don't like everyone, but case is, there's always someone who's less bad than the others. And saying that 'you don't understand it' isn't an excuse - buy a newspaper and read it regularly, because these people run your country, and their decisions have consequences (also for you), and if you don't care about that, then you don't care about your own benefit either. And that's why I can't stand politicians saying that you shouldn't vote. Because any politician who says that is someone who should go home asap, and who doesn't know what doing his job means. And I'll be very happy if this round the quorum is reached, however it goes. But please, if you're Italian and you can vote, just DO IT. You can leave it blank if you don't have an opinion, you can say no, you can say yes, you can also vote for one issue and refuse to vote for the others. But please, just do it. At least, if your side doesn't win and it turns that whoever won was wrong, you have all the rights to complain later.

Okay, that was it. Thanks for the attention and sorry for the spamming. Also sorry if it sounds somewhat preachy, but I feel pretty strongly about this, if it wasn't clear already.

Today was the 150th anniversary of the first meeting of the Italian parliament.

I went out and everywhere was draped in Italian flags. All open shops had something red-white-green even if it wasn't a flag. Considering that it only happens during the World Cup it felt quite nice, even if I might not be my country's most ecstatic supporter, or at least not of my country's current state of affairs. But I don't know, considering that most people from a certain secessionist party *cough* Northern League *cough* didn't go to the parliament today and that I really don't think that we're a country united in the way US/France/England/Germany/whoever is, it was a good feeling. Also it kind of felt awfully nice as well that my mom made pasta in three different colors so that the plate was green sauce-plain-red sauce.

( it got long so I'm cutting it. )

Then today I was linked this and... well, except for my PM's new declarations about Lybia and public school being full of evil teachers indoctrinating kids, this pretty much covers everything for which he should be made fun of. to be 100% truthful: the first time I watched it I laughed like crazy, then I watched it a second time and I wanted to cry from embarrassment (because if this is what people get of this country from the outside then it's really true that we lost all credibility). (PS: don't mind the Italian subs/title, it was the first I had on hand XD)



Be right back cursing the existence of this man and hoping that I don't have to wait another two years to vote.

The icon I'm using is absolutely NOT relevant to this post, but I was dying to use it. /random

1. Hiii. Uhm, I realized I haven't posted zilch since graduation. Maybe because I've been getting up at ten every morning just because I could and then realized that I hadn't bought any presents or finished the cards for you all lovely flisters, which will hopefully be mailed tomorrow. Considering the weather, it means you'll get them for New Year's, IF you do. In case they're late... sorry, really. I just spent the first two weeks of December completely checking out. XD

That said, I think it might have been graduation but ugh, Christmas is in four days and while I'm usually not that big on Christmas anyway this year I'm just feeling like I didn't even realize it's coming. I mean, I still have three gifts to buy and idek when I'll do it, and anyway circumstances this year are sort of really of the meh kind. ( possible whining about my family being way too dysfunctional at times. )

2. Also re presents, how the heck do you manage to get out and not buy stuff for yourself instead of presents for other people? I've been out trying to manage to finish presents for the last week and in the end I got about 3/4 of them, but meanwhile I bought myself: a complete change of pencil/pens/writing stuff, a movie, a coffee cup with angel wings to hold it up (seriously. It's amazing. And the wings are pink!) which I absolutely didn't need but it was outrageously cute, new earrings (thankfully they were cheap), new make-up pencils (when I don't even put makeup on nine days on ten) and the dvd of that modern opera based on 1984 (which was half-priced and while modern operas aren't my thing it has a bunch of singers I like, the production looks very shiny and IT'S BASED ON 1984, what). None of which I strictly needed at all, and at least all of these were cheap. Still, I'm not even a shopping whore when it's not about books or cds, the hell happened to me?

3. Politics make me want to cry. I'm half-positive that I'll have to stand B.'s face until the day his time on this planet is over, and the more time passes the more I'm half-sure that it'll be a long while until I don't see it anymore. Also if there are elections next year I'll probably throw up after voting, if in order to send B. away I end up having to vote for a couple of people I'd really rather not vote for. Also if the new university reform gets approved, come March you'll hear a lot of complaining around here..

4. Also hi, this post sounds utterly whiny when it should be anything but. I don't even know, I might have a case of post-graduation blues mixed with the 'wtf it's Christmas and I'm totally not feeling it'. Among the rest I also finished my time at the library, which on one side is good because it means a) more free time and b) I got paid so for once I could go on shopping sprees described in #2, but on the other side it means I'm not getting money from there anymore. Which is very bad, but hell, in the two free months I have I might manage to find someone who wants philosophy repetitions... hey, I like using my own money. (Also I have convention to pay some stuff for still. XD)

5. On the 'let's have some squee' side, I started catching up with Hawaii 5-0. \o/ I'm just at the fifth episode now (tho I had to drop it for time reasons at the second, so..) and ohgod, is that bad that I remember the eps more by all the utterly canon slash text than by what happens in them..? /hides I enjoy it a lot though. It's very fun and it also doesn't require much brain killing, which makes it perfect atm for me. Just something for people who watched Lost though.. ( mini-spoiler )

6. With this, let's end pointless entry to go finishing the Christmas/New Year's/whatever they'll become cards. Btw, for some of the people who left prompts, your prompt became.. very long, so you'll get printed stuff. Sorry but I couldn't manage to copy everything long hand. xD

7. Ops, last thing. Uuhm, hi new friends? Should I friend you back? Say hi! ;)

Okay, this is half-ranty. Skip at will. If I could show my icon in the face of whoever runs the university's internet site it'd make me happy.

( where I find out that I might have two exams the day after tomorrow and my head just doesn't want to process it. )

Okay. Just one thing. I always think that this country can't possibly get worse, and then it does. And I can't even rant because seven hours of Heidegger are enough for my patience. And I usually cut politics related post but this time I'd rather not.

This evening, I am watching a couple of newscasts on tv. In the least important one, they gave two piece of news.

The magic octopus predicting the World Cup results was aired before this small, insignificant piece of news which I'm sure everyone in this country could do without.

Best thing, though? Same thing in the main newscast. Actually, I don't think that they talked about news number two. And yesterday they said that at that demonstrations there were one hundred people.

Uhm. That's good information, isn't it? How am I not surprised that meanwhile this is going on, too?

I don't think I need any further comments. Also I'd really like to know if this happens also in other countries, but I suspect the answer would be no. Freedom of information/press, I'm sure that you're awesome, but I am starting to suspect that we never really knew each other that well.

That said, I'm off with Kant because I need to read something I actually understand and to see if I can whip something up for the luau because I already fell behind. Thank fuck my last final is on Monday and then I can stop cramming. /rant

And here we are at it again. Last term I couldn't sign up for my exams because I got into university the last year before a (stupid) reform and they had classified all the exams of the last term so that just people who enrolled with the new reform could see them. And it ended up with me losing hours trying to figure that out and, in three cases, with three different outcomes: a) having a receipt for an exam that says that I gave a class of last year's second term and not this year's first, b) a blank receipt, c) having to go to the professor's office and having them signing me up.

Now, one would think that they'd fix that, right?

( cut in case it's too long. )

Okay, rant over. Sorry about that. I'll go back to studying if I manage.

1. So, apparently last day, while making an entry, I did a mess with the private/fo settings and even when I made it visible it didn't show on anyone's FL. Incidentally, it was also the entry with my birthday wishes for elise_509 , which made the fail even more fail. So, first thing, happy late birthday! Sorry about the lateness but hey, I had done my homework. ;) Seriously, I hope that you had a great day and that next year gets better job wise and moving-wise. And that generally everything goes great for you because you deserve that 100%. ♥ With also hope for some shirtless Jack in the Lost finale and Sam getting his hair cut next season. ;) And if you want to prompt me I'll see what I can do.

2. This said, reposting some memes I had in that same entry. #1, from mothergoddamn: Comment and I will give you ten actors and ten actresses. Then post in your Livejournal with your favourite films of theirs.

( under here )

3. Meme #2, aka the icon meme VERY late.

001. Reply to this post, and I will pick six-eight of your icons.
002. Make a post (including the meme info) and talk about the icons I chose.
003. Other people can then comment to you and make their own posts.
004. This will create a never-ending cycle of icon squee.

From wandersfound:




( talk one here )

From bold_seer:




( talk two here )

4. So, I've been out of town for two days for opera reasons. And since it was Mozart-opera-reasons, it was awesome. Hell, live Mozart is one of my favorite things. <3 Also, while out of town I found myself a beige trench coat. *cough* Which I had been kind of wanting since Casablanca times, and it was on sale. So. Another thing off the list I need to own in this life. Also, I got myself a new Zeppelin shirt, exactly the same as the one I already had, but that last one would have probably gone ripped if I washed it one more time.

5. The new Stone Temple Pilots record leaked. And I'm weak. And I love it. No new N.4, but it's so good. And I'm totally buying it as soon as it arrives here, which I hope isn't in two months. Then again you barely find STP records at all around these parts. Still, STP!! New record!! ♥

6. Expect a long and bitchy politics post in the next two days or so. Americans will probably guess what I'm talking about since even the US had something to say in regards of B.'s next law project which is so 1984 I can't even. If they need a foreign country to tell them that they're doing stuff which is so wrong on any aspect that it isn't even funny... well, I have a my country is hopeless tag for a reason.

7. I signed up for deancasbigbang. Not that I needed another challenge, but I realized that since they have a 10000 words minimum section and that Wings Of Desire AU which I had started for a 25000 words minimum wasn't ever going to reach either that or 20000, probably, I figured that since I had a good chunk of it written I could take the occasion and finish the damn thing. Yaaay me? Especially when I'm still finishing to edit the spn_j2 one. Thankfully it's almost done on that part. And I did progress on both the charity fics I still owe, yaaay for that at least.

8. This said, this entry was too long already and I am out of wise stuff to say, so bye for now?

9. ALSO DAMMIT LOST FINALE I DON'T KNOW IF I'M READY FOR YOU. *sigh* I thought I was but I'm not really that sure.