Due to the need of optimize my time, in the last couple of years my blogging has evolved to a rather monochromatic kind -physics, physics, physics. But it needs not be so: once in a while, there has to be a post here on personal matters.

So here you get to learn personal matters on yours truly. In particular, one bit of information, which by now is public even in my facebook profile so there's no point to avoid mentioning here: my wife and I separated by mutual consent yesterday.

After 23 years spent together with her, this sounded a rather striking piece of news to many of my friends. Indeed it is. What I explained to them was that although my marital life was not terribly unhappy, I felt that I was "settling" for something that did not give me much any longer. Once love is gone you can accept to reconfigure your relationship, but it will not be the same thing anymore. And I thought I was too young for that. At least, I felt so.

The rest is a bit chaotic but not too dramatic. I moved to a place nearby, see my kids more or less as (in)frequently as I used to, and try to keep in good terms with my ex-wife, although she is not quite ready for that yet. Of course I made her suffer, and I feel guilty for that; but one can only judge these life decisions at the end, and we are not there yet. As for my kids, they are doing fine; better than I did when my own parents parted, 38 years ago.

Other considerations involve money (I am poor again), reactions from friends and family (mostly okay), logistics (fair but moving in Venice is a trip to hell), and of course my personal sentimental life (looks good). If the above summary sounds too simplistic, that is because I am just drawing a sketch here. This much I can share.