
Here comes the time of yearly wrap up, and now that I think about it, I have really no particular achievement to share. This blogging year has been pretty much the same as the previous one: not many posts written, same amount of visitors, the “Mythical Method”” is still the most read article, which makes me ponder a bit, actually, as that means that I have been unable to write something as interesting or useful since 2014, ah, yes, I have one thing worthy to be mentioned, I reached level 10.000 of Candy Crush, which makes me a world class player indeed.
I have nothing more to say about the topic, but I would like to make a wrap up still on the positive side of this pandemic year – there is always a bright sight even in the darkest moments -, as resilience made me develop new interests, habits, opportunities, some of which will not be altered, I hope, when everything ends, because it will end someday. So, here is my top five list of facts, for which I have to thank Covid 19:
N°5 I SAVED A LOT OF MONEY ON MAKEUP . As I wear a mask most of the day, lipstick has become useless. Why should one put on something nobody can see and that, besides, stains the mask? Talking about stains, the first time I saw a friend of mine taking off her mask, I found it so repulsive, as there were not only the marks of red lipstick left on it, but also those of brown foundation. No need to say, I immediately dropped using foundation myself. When we wear masks, after all, only our eyes can be seen, so make up must focus on eyes mostly, any other effort is a waste of time. On this purpose I have watched an endless gallery of tutorials on how to obtain a glam, sexy smokey eye effect with lots of glitter, which, I might rightly define chic, but not that fitting for one day at school. What a shame.
N°4 MY SKIN QUALITY IMPROVED DESPITE MASK ALLERGY. I have spent a fortune on masks as I soon developed a tremendous mask allergy, which took the form of a sort of acne or rosacea on my nose and cheeks. After many months of skin disaster, during which I had to use topical antibiotic and cortisone, I came across a blessed cream : Ceravè ( I don’t know if it has the same name outside Italian borders). Well , “cera” is the Italian word for wax and this is exactly the effect produced on your face and body: a soft , moisturising wax which forms a barrier between skin and mask. I have not had a single blemish on my face since I started to use it.
N°3 STAFF MEETINGS AND SCHOOL MEETINGS OF ANY KIND PLANNED FROM REMOTE ONLY. Schooling has been in presence these last months, but all meetings have been planned from remote to avoid dangerous school gatherings. This means I can now enjoy a certain freedom during these inexorable rituals, which cadence teachers’ lives , as they have become the occasion to put into practice all those little tricks I have learnt from my students during online classes: freeze effects when boredom reigns, so you sneak out and make a coffee; disturbing noises whenever you are asked to give your comment; pretending the line does not work if you are caught unprepared because you were somewhere else, or just quitting unseen if the session is too prolonged.
N ° 2 I LEARNT NEW TEACHING TECHNIQUES. During online classes months, I had to reorganize my way of teaching and communicating in order to be more effective, as the atmosphere and learning environment is not the same as sitting in a classroom with lecturers and classmates. I imagined that my words needed to go hand in hand with images in order to be catchy. Hence, I have learned to use GIMP, a cross-platform image editor, to make my power- points as attractive as possible. I have now become addicted to GIMP. I could spend hours and hours refining, cutting, colouring, giving effects, editing pictures. GIMP is my new totem.
N°1 THE KITCHEN HAS DEFINITELY BECOME MR RUN’S KINGDOM. Weren’t my husband named Mr Run, he would certainly be known as Mr Cook. Cooking has always been one of his greatest passions, which he develops to such a level of accuracy and perfection , that could actually be considered a professional on this matter to all effects . We have dozens and dozens of pots, pans , the most disparate cooking tools, one of which, in particular, has always been the target of my mockery, as to my eyes it completely useless – we have two actually – : a sort of big plastic spoon with a slit, with which you can divide the yolk from the egg white . It is a must have, he assures. When lockdowns came to an end and I was back to school in presence, as my husband was still allowed to work from home, I thought it had arrived the right time to make a definite handover of kitchen responsibilities. Nobody has ever regretted my cooking talents so far, if there had ever been any.
That’s all for this year. I hope we will be able to see the end of this endless tunnel as soon as possible. Happy 2022 everyone!!!
Always look at… etc, etc. Happy New Year to you and to some of your lovely pupils – every other one is a nasty brat, I hear. Cheers
I like to picture them as nasty every now and then, but they are not, they are just…..young. Happy New Year to you and your family. Cheers.
Happy 2022 to you too! Thanks for mentioning GIMP; online classes have certainly taken some adapting to.
I have become GIMP obsessed. Whether we like it or not, online classes will be the future, so we must be ready forse them. Again, have a great year. Cheers. Stefy.
Thank you 🙂 I’m certainly going to try it out with my next set of powerpoints
Ha! I never wore much make up to begin with, but I started using eyeliner. Someone took a pic of me with mask and glasses on and I had no eyes at all, no face of any sort. It was so creepy! My only defense at this point is some eyeliner.
A few years back the boys in my house just took over the whole kitchen. I have mixed feelings about it. They’re very territorial, so I’m pretty much locked out. On the other hand, I don’t have to cook or clean.
Happy New Year!
The kitchen has never been my scene, so it is with the utmost pleasure that I gave him full control ( even if every now and then he threats to resign).;)
I can’t comment on make-up vis-à-vis masks but I can confirm that a major pharmacist chain in the UK stocks the CeraVe cleanser…
I wish you the very best for 2022, Stefy, and of course to Mr Cook.
My very best wishes to you and your family, Chris. I just wish for an “ordinary” year, that would be really great.
Stefy
Your blog-posts are always worth reading. `Don’t do comparisons with statistics as basis, ‘that way madness lies.’
Best wishes.
I’ve been down with C booster reaction all Xmas. Can only get better.
You had been spared by Covid, but you coudn’t dodge vaccine reactions. Everything has become so hard. I will get the booster at the end of January and I will experience the vaccine mix, as I had AZ for the first two shots . We’ll see.
Wish you a super speed recovery.
Stefy
Health & Happiness in 2022!

Both very much needed. Thank you Cindy. :*
Happy New Year! Stay safe.
Thank you, Robert. You are very kind. :*
Thanks for the wishes and thanks for the tip . . . it didn’t occur to me to stop wearing makeup . . . what a waste!
Happy New Year.
Hence, you need all the videos on glam smokey eyes. I’ll send them to you straight. :*
No thanks; I quit smoking more than 30 years ago and never looked back … that’s why people often sneak up on me.
Happy New Year!
Ti auguro un 2022 ricco di gioia e serenità. Buon Anno🎉🎇🎉
Reblogged this on Have We Had Help? and commented:
More from my gorgeous friend Stefania in Rome xx
Happy ever existed New Year, my forever darling. Stay safe and tuned for more wins… 🤗💖🤗👍