NOTES  2 0 2 3

 

28 September 23

very nice concert @ Ohlendorff’sche Villa - Hamburg
very nice people and great vibes
it was 3 weeks since my previous live and I felt it, but there was no time to rehearsal during the previous days.

when I arrived at home I saw the almost full moon and I went running.
the light and the atmosphere were fantastic, running in the deep silence with the moon light, is super !
 

23 September 23

the Bolognese hills are fantastic, if done with your bike.
they become special... a mix of history, sun, effort and part of your childhood

20 September 23

today, a nice section of live recording of audio & video for an upcoming project that will be released in the next few months.
Thanks to @boat_studio_recording & @pietroballardini
 

when I began to undertake this song writing project, I did it because I wanted to transfer messages into my songs... messages/values that I could believe in and give my contribution to society to improve.

today we recorded live some of the first songs I wrote, which will be reported in a video documentary that will be produced shortly.

stay connected for updates

 

18 September 23

let the dancing begin
staying more than an hour under the sun at 27 degrees with a full wetsuit wasn't very strategic, let's say it was the best way to waste my energy.
I was feeling incredibly hot and couldn't wait to get in the water.
The water was also very hot, around 25 degrees.
I swam easily, but during the swimming portion I felt 2 starts of cramps in my feet, not a good sign.
It meant that there wasn't much fuel already, I finished the swimming portion in 5 minutes more than the year before, in 36 minutes and 46 seconds. Even if tired, I was happy to face the biking portion..

The bicycle section started well, I didn't push, but I was controlling my energy.
I arrived before the Bertinoro climb at 32.9 km/h.
The climb wasn't a problem and then obviously the beautiful descent began.
The point is that at 60 km I started to have some cramps around my right knee (the weaker leg), that is, it became more and more difficult to complete the pedaling cycle... I was afraid my leg would "lock up".
I had tried my brother's bike (beautiful and high-performance), with which I was racing, only 2 times and I had raised the seat just a little compared to my setting, that little was obviously not good and I was facing the consequences.
Luckily I ate half a banana which helped me a lot.
I tried in every way to stay calm and continue, I reduced the speed and assumed a different posture, from the lowered position of the bars to the more raised and relaxed position.
Luckily I finished the bike section without having to stop, even if the average was now inevitably compromised, 29.2 km/h
I was however optimistic for the running section, as I had never pushed up to that point, so in theory the energy was there, or at least that's what I thought...

Ps: also my nutrition during the race, 3 energy bars and half if Banana, was not appropriate.
Thanks for the bike @gio4bo it was perfect.

before starting the running portion, to cool down, I spilled a bottle of water on my head..
in addition to cooling off, I unfortunately wet my t-shirt and shorts... which wasn't strategic, as I immediately had about 2kg more and the t-shirt was constantly cold on my stomach.
I began the run and start off well but after the first 6 km I start to alternate running with walking, exactly 55 seconds of walking and 1 km running...
I continue like this until 2/3 of the race then the walking period gets longer, somehow I was gone..
I even had a hard time opening my mouth...
Just one fairly heavy cramp 500 meters from the finish in the left hamstring and then the last jog.
I knew that I had run more slowly than the year before, but I was aware that once again the mind had managed to command an exhausted body, managing a situation that was compromised right from the start without panicking.
I finished in 6 hours and 36 minutes, the cut off time was 8 hours.. so, goal achieved..!
Thank you all for the support, every encouragement pushed me to where I arrived.
 

17 September 23

I brought this medal home with willpower, my body had gone from the 60th km on the bike portion.
I had set the bike seat slightly higher (my mistake), and despite a good start (swim & bike, just before Bertinoro my average was around 33 km/h), at the 60th km all the muscles and tendons near the right knee started to cause major problems.. with the onset of cramps with every movement.
I therefore I had to change my posture, no longer use the handlebars, but stand up straight as much as possible to ease the tension on the knee. I managed to complete the running section trying to prevent cramps, with a mix of running and walking (thanks to @correrenaturale).
Happy to have reached the goal anyway, even if with an hour more than the year before.

thanks Carlo @clinicadelciclo for the bike, it was perfect.
thanks to my brother @gio4bo for lending it to me.
my little girl did her second IronKids, and this time she ran really fast, besides being beautiful she is also very fast!
Hugs to all

Ps:
- sleeping in a tent and waking up at 5am in the last 3 days in a row due to the humidity didn't help.
- Santiago's baptism in Bologna the day before didn't help
- having been in a full wetsuit on the starting line on the beach under the sun at 27 degrees before departure for an hour, had taken away 50% of my energy.

once again we brought it home, thanks to my wife Maybritt for the everything
(even though she lost my shorts on the way back to the campsite).

thank you all for the support ;-)
 

16 September 23

Among music, travels, racing, 3 children and a lot of mess, we (@hippiehappyholistic ) also managed to baptize Santiago, and celebrate just a few meters from the 2 towers #Bologna ❤️💙 TOP!

Thanks @raulfantini for the hospitality
(some pics of the celebration)
 

14 September 23

IM 70.3 we are in, bib 358
See you on Sunday
 

8 September 23

Ten days in Riva Del Garda,
Every day, I woke up and went swimming fir an hour..

​

3 September 23

I was playing,
I stopped to change the battery of my guitar and she asked me, how much is one of your cds?

she was drawing next to me on the grass and after a while she gave me this drawing @melissawinter.artist of the view in front of us.

a few days later we shot a video together in the same spot.

keep tuning for updates
 

30 August 23

Bologna & Tortellini ❤️💙
(pic with my family & my Mom)

20 August 23

here the new video, Dammi Una MaNO shot in Berlin nights, 2 weeks ago.

Thanks to:
Clavierento - Albrechtstr. 48, 12167 Berlin
Video and Art Direction by Oz John
 

10 August 23

from the 4th to the 7th of August I was in Berlin with Oz, a very cool photographer friend of mine
we worked quite hard on a new video and on new pictures..
soon, the results

​
15 July 23

I think I did very well, I enrolled in "Correre Naturale" (running school)
practically I will learn to run correctly .. it was about time !!!
let's see if at 70.3 of Cervia I'll do better than the year before

11 July 23

I'm happy to announce that I'll be part of the triathlon race 70.3 at Cervia on September 17th 2023.
I know that my right knee is not in shape (just to joke about it).. but I feel, once again, to be able to accomplish the race and present my self at the final line on time, before the cutting time.
I've always like the challenges, they are giving a taste to your actions.. 
I'm happy to feel alive again, with a goal in mind for my trainings.
I'll keep you posted with news and info about my training..

5 July 23

and the doctor, after visiting me, asks me:
"why do you want to run an ironman with a knee like this, just for passion? think of something else"
I immediately realized that that doctor hadn't run many races in his life to ask me that question

25 June 23

and so the waiter approached me and said "a table wants to offer you something to drink"
I didn't know what to say, since I always drink my Tea.. in the end I said "a Fanta"
Fanta is fizzy, so it's not good at all if you're playing and singing.
after a while the waiter brings me the Fanta and I put it behind me.
I was playing on the grass.
when I finally finish the last song, I turn around and say to myself "I can finally drink this Fanta"

I look at it, I take it and I see that the bottle had literally been attacked by ants
I can only bring it back to the bar, no Fanta

21 June 23

it was nice to end the concert with "They Are Still Here"
it was like having him close, or at least asking for his attention
life has knocked several times on this day, changing its atmosphere
since one cannot forget, one can smile with a veil of sadness in one's heart
the June solstice is always a very particular day.. unique

27 May 23

throughout my musical journey, I have never canceled a gig.. not even if I had fever, like today
(here the pic of the today gig)

26 May 23

with three small children.. for everything, it takes more time.. 
(memory pic thanks to Oz Photography)

18 May 23

I spent a week in Mexico..
even if the days of the flights were devastating (more than 20 hours travelling in both travels, round trip), the experience was beautiful.
The climate is beautiful (more than 30 degrees), melodic music that was heard in the clubs and on the radio, 
nice people, warm and sincere and nice company too, Jorg (together our hotel) the owner of Byblos (the most beautiful place in Italy in the 90s) with whom I worked many years in the past.
We went for a convention that was held on the weekend of May 13th and 14th, but we got to see both Guadalajara, where we were, and other villages, such as Tequila (here a couple of pictures) where the famous liquor is coming from (pictures of the visit to the Tres Mujeres Tequila company production).
We also finally met the founders of Billions, a company that performs cryptocurrency arbitrage, and we were therefore able to remove the doubts we had.
Maybe some sidewalks could have been kept better, but overall Mexico was a really nice surprise..

27 April 23

a day to remember, but in a negative sense
already driving to Travemunde, not only I was late, but I was talking on the phone and I didn't make up the right mood that usually I have arriving there..
unfortunately, as during all this April '23, the weather was cold and windy..
I had the wind on my front/left for all the time.. around 21 km/h..
as usual I started before 1pm heading to 5 pm.. 4 hours, this is what gives a sense to my day there.
I felt cold, it was difficult to move the left hand (I was losing the sensibility of the fingers) and I also had a drop in my voice, an aphonia.. that happened just 2 or 3 times in all my music years (since 2006)..
needless to say I was tired, since in the last several nights I didn't slept enough, the kids were often waking up while sleep..
nothing was working well but I was still trying to share good vibes..
I'm always convinced that a song can change your life.. 
I heard some passerby saying "today is too cold"

(I don't know German language, but this I understood).

always cloudy and for a few minutes also raining..
30 minutes before the time I thought to stop, the urban police arrived..
they were three, one man and two women.
The man was talking and he told me that the speaker is not allowed in the Lubeck area.
I was trying to understand what happened, because where I was nothing was around me.. I was on the little promenade along the Trave channel..
while I was explaining that my sound was not loud and the people were always happy about that..
one of the 2 women said something to the man..
and he asked me "my colleague is telling me that we met already last year.. is that true?"
it was true..
so he said to me that if they had seen me again with the speaker on, they would have confiscated it and there will have been a fine of 70 euro
the lady asked me also my id and started to write down my data (it took quite a bit)..
honestly I felt treated as a criminal..
my intention has always been to share good vibes and trying to make the elderly people in Travemunde more happy.
so, that was it..
after several years of good vibes and magic moments, my time in Travemunde was vanishing surrounded by 3 police officers who were applying the so called rule..
I know what I did there.. I know how many people complimented me, how many cried, how many smiled, and how many had a good time.. everyday I was there..
but no one was there in that moment..
nothing, no one said a word, silence..

only a man approached me when the police left and said something is German..
he was wondering why I was not playing anymore..
I said what the police told me..
he said something in German, shrugged and walked away..
that was it, around 6 years of fantastic memories, sunsets and struggles.. 
the wind was still pushing its cold breeze..
slowly I walked away..

​

PS: sometimes while I was playing there, I was used to joke with myself, saying:
"one day, in this spot, they will erect a statue with my name"
I suppose I was wrong..

8 April 23

Finally the new USB pen drive of the #STRONGER album!!!
it's been rare to sell CDs or Usb sticks for some time now..
but the previous ones have been sold out  😉 !
check it out

6 April 23

I was running very quietly..
I heard a "toc" and a little pain in my right knee..
I stopped, I didn't feel much.. it seemed to me that I had maybe put my leg in a wrong way touching the ground..
I didn't know.. I said to myself, maybe it will stop soon and I continued..
the little pain was not disappearing..
I did my usual standard 6 km..
stretching, shower and slowly I couldn't move my leg anymore..
no sleep..
I went to the hospital the next morning but the only thing they could do was x-rays..
ok, they confirmed that there are no broken bones.. but I already knew that..
I'll have to do more detailed tests in the next few days.
in the hospital, however, they suspect the meniscus .. ouch..

17 March 23

Santiago Xavier Piretti
after a long journey, he reached us..
well, now let's start the adventure together #5
(check here for his firs picture)

7 March 23

www.cryptozlead.com

in 2002 I created enjoytoz, in 2023 cryptozlead, always forward.
take a look, there are 4 courses, I think they are all interesting.
I believe everyone should know what will be part of our future anyway 😉

23 February 23

In these days I'm dedicating a good part of my time to a new project that I'm following since several months, connected with cryptocurrencies. Regarding my music project, since there are no gigs in these days, it is nice to grab everyday a different guitar (I have 4) and review some songs or just improvise something new.. or try a different piano version of one of my songs.

15 February 23

During February, I had the opportunity to play twice at the Windmühle Siebenbäumen e.V., Siebenbäumen and it was really nice. It was a pleasure to mix my performance, not only voice & guitar but also with an old piano and the atmosphere with all those candles was really cozy. 

24 January 23

I just released my new live video voice & piano, recorded in an old vintage windwill..
Dammi Una maNo : link the video
I'll see you there for my next upcoming 2 gigs
(Windmühle Siebenbäumen e.V. Mühlenstr.18a Windmühle 23847 Siebenbäumen)
check the tours page (in the menu above) for tickets and more details

19 January 23

so, there are 2 upcoming events.. same very cozy place, an old windmill
Windmill Siebenbaumen eV Mühlenstraße 18A 23847 Siebenbaumen

on Feb 10th, personal concert, original songs, voice, guitar & piano
link for the tickets

on Feb 14th, celebration of San Valentine, love music, voice, guitar & piano (originals & covers)
Italian food, drinks by candlelight
link for the tickets

pass by and show some love ;-)

13 January 23

are you ready for the next gig?

In an old windmill, cozy acoustic atmosphere.. voice, guitar & piano.
 

Friday Feb 10th - 7:30pm - Windmühle Siebenbäumen e.V.

Windmill Siebenbaumen eV Mühlenstraße 18A 23847 Siebenbaumen

Eventbrite link for the tickets

pass by and show some love

04 January 23

like in fairy tales.. you enter the mill and find a piano.. you sit down and play by candlelight.. wind and rain outside. (memory pics of the day)
see you here (Mühlenstraße 18A, 23847 Siebenbäumen DE) on February 10, 2023 at 7:30 pm, for an acoustic concert, voice, guitar, and piano.
link to the online tickets