Strange October Optimism

I shouldn’t be sitting in cold, clammy Copenhagen writing this. I was supposed to be sipping cool Campari with the whole family on a sunny terrace in Tuscany. The trip was planned and paid for – by my folks – and I was all dressed down and ready to strike this pre-emptive blow against the autumn blues. Then, two weeks ago, decades of questionable cheese and pastry habits finally caught up with my old man and he had a coronary. Needless to say, the trip was cancelled; as coronaries go, it was a mild one, but there were tests to be done and months of convalescence.

There is, however, a distinct silver lining to this cloud of malady. While my dad is out of the hospital and convalescing the shit out of the Danish countryside, I grabbed the opportunity to work this week. Thus, instead of dealing a deathblow to my ailing finances by carousing in Italy, I’m doing what I can to patch it up. Furthermore, I have re-engaged in the seemingly endless battle with my thesis. In fact, I sent about five brand spanking new pages to my advisor the other day – the first contact I’ve had with him in ten months. While I await his usual polite but crushing criticism, I’m feeling pretty good about my output.

This uncharacteristic surge of activity no doubt has something to do with my decision to ignore the chronic saloon fever that afflicts me and reduce partying to a minimum. I have stopped short of actually boarding the wagon again, but I am drinking far more debonairly than usual. This in turn has helped me quit the cigarettes.

In short, it’s been a good couple of weeks, and I’m nurturing a cautious optimism about the near future as well. I guess nothing gets you going like a near-death experience – even if it isn’t your own. Oh, and there’s actually torrential rain in Tuscany right now. Go figure.