Una bella mostra al Palazzo Reale

I didn't go to work today.  There is another person who uses the simulation computer, but she can only dedicate one day per week to simulations.  On those days I will make alternate plans, like taking in my laptop.  Today, I went to a museum and had my last Italian lesson.

The Palazzo Reale is the museum I intended to go to the other day - but it gets very crowded, so the best thing to do is buy a ticket ahead of time with a reserved entrance time.  I arrived in my window and was able to go right in.  There are 3 major exhibits at Palazzo Reale right now, and each one requires a separate ticket.  I chose the MC Escher exhibit, and it was phenomenal.  The exhibit included his early, less-famous woodblock prints, many of which are of Italian landscapes.  The famous works were all there, along with interactive exhibits and explanations.  There was a nice section at the end showing the cultural impact, which (of course!) included the appropriate clip from the end of Labyrinth playing on loop.  (Sadly, I have no pictures because of the whole "no pictures in the exhibit" rule)

I am now finished with my Italian lessons.  I'm very glad that I chose to do 1-on-1 lessons right away.  While I still have a lot to learn (and practice), I think I made a lot of progress over the past week.  This was a great use of my time and money, but it is also good that they are wrapping up.  I need to drill words and conjugations, which is what I've been doing for the past year.  Now I have a new selection of words and phrases to work on and a number of verb tenses I should practice.  I hope that I can spend a focused 30-60 minutes practicing each day.

Having the Italian lessons in the afternoon meant that I didn't spend too many hours at work each day.  I still feel like I'm "on vacation", rather than living and working here.  I don't want to get into a mode where all I do is work, but I need to rebalance a little bit.  For instance, I'm really neglecting my e-mail and all of my "side projects" that I intended to continue while I am here.  Yet, I want to keep seeing the sights in Milan during the week and traveling on the weekend.  If I can find a way to focus on "work" for 4 days a week and sightsee on the fifth, I might be happiest.

Tomorrow will be a full day at work, so hopefully I can turn that into some real scientific progress.  I have a hotel booked for Friday night in Genova, so I won't be working too late on Friday so that I can catch a 6 or 7 PM train.