Thursday, 18 September 2025

18 settembre 2025, XXI secolo - September 18th, 2025, 21st century

 Diario personale, data stellare 12509.18

 Sono passati ormai diversi mesi da quando sono stata promossa a ufficiale di plancia, ma ancora continuo ad essere un po' perplessa: dopo tanti anni passati sui ponti bassi, il ricordo di quello che facevo quando ero tra gli ufficiali superiori si è sbiadito. 

Il capitano e il primo ufficiale ancora non hanno indetto alcun meeting in sala riunioni e non abbiamo quindi potuto procedere a uno zoom su proposte, procedure o problemi della nave.
Ognuno di noi ha il suo posto assegnato e dalle nostre rispettive consolle possiamo dialogare via messaggio su tutte le decisioni da prendere, ma anche questo mi rende perplessa: nessuno mi ha detto quale sia in realtà il mio compito, perché continuo a fare ciò che facevo quando ero sui ponti bassi senza soluzione di continuità.

Il lavoro di archiviazione dei messaggi che ci scambiamo continua, comunque, perché almeno da questo punto di vista voglio essere sicura di avere un riferimento per cercare tutte le decisioni prese: mi basta la mia personale incertezza emotiva, non voglio averne altre!

La lunga missione sul pianeta BB1 è stata un misto di piacevolezza (la sabbia, il mare...) e ostacoli (non sono mai stata brava con la diplomazia!), ma ora che è quasi finita tornare alle mansioni a bordo lo sento più difficile di quel che pensavo. E poi c'è un'altra cosa...
Speravo di poter essere un tramite tra l'equipaggio e gli ufficiali di plancia, ma nessuno dei miei colleghi ufficiali mi ha fatto richieste, o proposte... e non so come interpretare questo fatto.

Computer... fine registrazione... per ora.

 

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Personal log, stardate 12509.18

It's been several months since I was promoted to bridge officer, but I'm still a bit perplexed: after so many years spent on the lower decks, the memory of what I did when I was a senior officer has faded.

The captain and the first officer haven't yet called any meets in the conference room, so we haven't been able to zoom in on proposals, procedures, or ship issues.
Each of us has our own assigned post, and from our respective consoles we can exchange messages about all the decisions to be made, but this also leaves me perplexed: no one has told me what my actual job is, because I continue to do what I did when I was on the lower decks.

I keep archiving all the messages we exchange, however, because at least with this archive I can have a reference document where to search for all the decisions made: my personal emotional uncertainty is enough for me; I don't want any more!

The long mission on planet BB1 was a mix of pleasure (the sand, the sea...) and obstacles (I've never been a good diplomat!), but now that it's almost over, returning to my duties on board is more difficult than I thought. And then there's something else...
I hoped to be a liaison between the crew and the bridge officers, but none of my fellow officers have made any requests or suggestions... and I don't know how to interpret this.

Computer... end recording... for now. 

Thursday, 2 January 2025

4:30 am January 2nd, 2013

I wish I could forget the long, endless five minutes I spent trying to revive you before the ambulance arrived... I wish I could forget the moment I realized you were dead... and instead I remember every single moment of that night, Alberto... every single moment...

Tuesday, 31 December 2024

Of resolutions and dreams - Di propositi e sogni

 Minimalist lifestyle is a way of living with only the needed possessions, getting rid of all the clutter and distractions. And in the last couple of years I started to feel a urge to get rid of non-essential objects and routines in my life.

I already have a 1 meter wide closet where I have all my clothes (excepts a couple of bulky overcoats), my kitchen utensils can fit in another 1 meter wide cupboard and I'd need another 1 meter wide pantry for every canned and dry food I need. My technological objects can fit in a small trolley, and the very few books and DVDs or BDs that can soothe my soul can be easily accomdate in another small trolley.
All in all... I could easily live in a small caravan!

Except I have tons of books, hundreds of movies and TV shows on various media supports, tens of clothes of another life and other people who are no more. And kitchenwares enough for an army! These are difficult (nearly impossible) things to sell, and even giving 'em away as gift isn't easy.
Moreover there are thirty plus years of Alberto's collections of comics, magazines, manuals, gadgets that that I have no way, and no intention, of giving away.

So... my resolution of having a minimalist lifestyle is just a dream.

Like only a dream will be the "museum" I so much wanted to create in this house, so that family, friends and fans along could visit regularly to learn about the big adventure of the Star Trek Italian Club from the early beginnings to the day of Alberto's untimely death.

I had two options for the "museum" in mind, but alas... I would need money and the effort of pros to get 'em done. And I have neither money nor pros at hand!

For the record, plan A, the grand plan, consists of a brand new "Ammiragliato" - an off-the-grid structure that could withstand sysmic activity, floods and tornadoes. It should be disabled-accessible and open to the public. Four different rooms of 16sm each, in which the various stages of the Star Trek Italian Club history, from the 80s to 2012 will be on display. With transparent cabinets, interactive computer stations, and video installations. I would use both original furniture and replicas and the technology in display would be the actual devices used in the various eras - from the Commodore 64, to the Macintosh computers, to the latest PCs. I would live in a caravan (for real!) and the old house would become a kind of "ruin" to behold.

Plan B is just a renovations of the house I live in, the original "Ammiragliato", with all its flaws and problems (no accessibility, no flood proofing and so on). Things would remain exactly as they are now, but the house itself would be patched and refurbished to its old self. No (much) mould, no broken windows, no falling gutters, working pipes and so on. I would live here, so visiting hours would be limited, but I could easily offer a cup of tea or a strong coffee to the visitors!

As I said, no money, no pros and no way to obtain them - unless I win a huge amount of money with the National Lottery (I buy a ticket every year, but no luck so far)! So no Plan A nor Plan B. No minimalism.

I  have no resolutions for next year, as usual, only my dreams.

 

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Lo stile di vita minimalista è un modo di vivere con solo i beni necessari, liberandosi di tutto il disordine e delle distrazioni. E negli ultimi due anni ho iniziato a sentire l'urgenza di liberarmi di oggetti e routine non essenziali nella mia vita.

Ho già un armadio largo 1 metro dove tengo tutti i miei vestiti (tranne un paio di cappotti ingombranti), i miei utensili da cucina possono stare in un mobiletto largo 1 metro e mi servirebbe una dispensa larga 1 metro per ogni cibo in scatola e secco di cui ho bisogno. I miei oggetti tecnologici possono stare in un piccolo trolley e i pochissimi libri e DVD o BD che possono lenire la mia anima possono essere facilmente sistemati in un altro piccolo trolley.
Tutto sommato... potrei tranquillamente vivere in una piccola roulotte!

Solo che ho tonnellate di libri, centinaia di film e serie TV su vari supporti multimediali, decine di vestiti di un'altra vita e altre persone che non ci sono più. E utensili da cucina sufficienti per un esercito! Sono cose difficili (quasi impossibili) da vendere, e persino regalarle non è facile.
E poi ci sono più di trent'anni di collezioni di fumetti, riviste, manuali, gadget di Alberto che non ho modo e non ho intenzione di dare via.

Quindi... il mio proposito di avere uno stile di vita minimalista è solo un sogno.

Come un sogno sarà il "museo" che ho tanto desiderato creare in questa casa, affinché familiari, amici e fan possano visitarla regolarmente per conoscere la grande avventura dello Star Trek Italian Club, dagli albori fino al giorno della prematura scomparsa di Alberto.

Avevo in mente due opzioni per il "museo", ma ahimè... avrei bisogno di soldi e dell'impegno di professionisti per realizzarli. E non ho né soldi né professionisti a portata di mano!

Per la cronaca, il piano A, il grande piano, consiste in un nuovissimo "Ammiragliato", una struttura off-the-grid, antisismica e protetta da inondazioni e tornado. Dovrebbe essere accessibile ai disabili e aperta al pubblico. Quattro diverse sale di 16 mq ciascuna, in cui siano esposte le varie fasi della storia dello Star Trek Italian Club, dagli anni '80 al 2012. Con armadi trasparenti, postazioni computer interattive e installazioni video. Utilizzerei sia mobili originali che repliche e la tecnologia esposta sarebbe quella dei dispositivi reali utilizzati nelle varie epoche, dal Commodore 64 ai computer Macintosh, agli ultimi PC. Vivrei in una roulotte (davvero!) e la vecchia casa diventerebbe una specie di "rovina" da ammirare.

Il piano B è solo una ristrutturazione della casa in cui vivo, l'originale "Ammiragliato", con tutti i suoi difetti e problemi (nessuna accessibilità, nessuna protezione dalle inondazioni e così via). Le cose rimarrebbero esattamente come sono ora, ma la casa stessa verrebbe rattoppata e ristrutturata per tornare a essere quella di prima. Niente (non molta) muffa, niente finestre rotte, niente grondaie che cadono, e poi tubi che funzionano e così via. Vivrei qui, quindi gli orari di visita sarebbero limitati, ma potrei facilmente offrire una tazza di tè o un caffè forte ai visitatori!

Come ho detto, niente soldi, niente professionisti e nessun modo per ottenerli - a meno che non vinca un'enorme quantità di denaro con la Lotteria Nazionale (compro un biglietto ogni anno, ma finora non ho avuto fortuna)! Quindi niente Piano A né Piano B. Niente minimalismo.

Come al solito, non ho propositi per l'anno prossimo, solo i miei sogni.

Tuesday, 13 August 2024

Birthday parties

Sometimes I wonder... what would we be doing today if Alberto was still alive. And I have no definite answer. I cannot fathom what would have happened with our job, with our everyday life, with our money, with our house. 
But today is one of the very few days I am absolutely sure where and what we would be doing: preparing Alberto's birthday party. Being today a Tuesday, probably we would have invited people over for the weekend, starting on Thursday (which is Ferragosto) until Sunday.
Pizza, barbecue, water pistols, binge watching movies and/or TV series, videogames and chats... so many hours spent chatting! These are the memories I have of past birthday parties, and I'm sure we would have forged new memories like those.
If only Alberto was here today.

Wednesday, 23 August 2023

The Return of King Lillian - my review

I just finished reading a book, a novel. I wanted to take a break from reality after many books about popular science.

And I had to recollect myself before writing this humble (spoiler free) review of mine because, boy!, reading The Return of King Lillian, by Suzie Plakson has been a sad-happy-sorrowful-joyride!

I'm in love. With her style and her imagination and her characters and her Whole Wyde Whirld.

While I was reading (a paper book, not Kindle or anything virtual), I heard Suzie's voice narrating. Possibly because I started her novel soon after listening to her PDK show, but also because her words are like lyrics.
The fact that I'm a professional translator had me also think how challenging it would be to translate the book in Italian (or any other language for that matter).
It would be like translating a song: you can translate the lyrics, but not the lyricism. And Suzie's style is musical at heart.

The story is kind of a classic hero's journey, from childhood to womanhood to kinghood. Not dissimilar from many children's literary worlds, but with wonders fresh and new. No spoilers, as I said, but I will never see a horse, a sock, a peacock or a red rose with the same eyes!

The characters, Lillian first, are so vividly depicted, so deep are their emotions that, as with most of the best children's literature, you can emphasize at many levels. A child will see wonderful and colourful people and creatures, an adult will (as in my case) relate to their adventures and misadventures.
A couple of chapters transcended the "fairy tale" becoming my reality for a while, and the narration became so personal that I had to stop reading and wipe my tears. But, again, I don't want to spoil it, so I'm not saying anything more on this.

Something magical also happened while I was reading, something that I had done often in my youth but never later... I was compelled to draw pictures in the book. Of objects or scenes or characters. I'm no artist whatsoever, but I just felt doing it, to make the book "mine"! Like I did when I was much younger. 


And when I reached the end (pardon me... the last page of "The Beginning"!) I felt the circle closing. And all I wanted was to begin reading the book all over again. Like a delicious dish you want to eat again, and again, and again...

I can read Suzie's book again of course, but you know what I would really, really love? To see the story turned into a musical. Not with expensive sceneries or special theatrical effects, just the minimum to spur the viewers imagination. Because there is one thing that's absolutely missing...
The songs!
Again, no spoilers, but I would simply adore to listen to the songs!


"She mewed herself awake", and so did I when I turned the last page. Back to reality! See you soon Whole Wyde Whirld!

Thank you, Suzie!

Wednesday, 14 June 2023

Alberto

I'm grateful to have had you in my life. I'm glad to have you in my memory. 
I just wish you were here to celebrate another anniversary with me.
Together.
Forever and beyond.