tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37035808807010481132024-02-19T03:33:45.775+01:00Amid the Olive TreesSarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-81608169469248858782012-03-12T08:02:00.000+01:002012-03-12T09:11:00.444+01:0010 Things Women<div style="text-align: center;">
So, we'll just slide over the whole discussion of why I haven't posted since August and act as if it's not at all strange for me to be suddenly writing a blog post today. And what better way for me to ease back into my comfy blogging slippers than with a <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/2012/monday-listicles-37">Monday Listicles</a> list? </div>
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This week Ms. Stasha of <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/">The Good Life</a> herself has chosen the topic which is loosely defined as 10 things about women, in honor of International Women's Day (March 8, in case you missed it). Here in Italy the day is celebrated as an excuse for women to go out with their girlfriends and watch male strippers. Which could be fun, I guess, but is not the first thing that comes to mind when I think about "women."</div>
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What did come to mind for me were several songs by or about women, so that's what I've decided to share with you. I've listed them in the order in which I thought of them . . . Tell me which one is your favorite!</div>
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1. I am Woman, Helen Reddy</div>
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2. These Boots are Made for Walking, Nancy Sinatra</div>
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3. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Cyndy Lauper</div>
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4. I Love Rock & Roll, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts</div>
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5. Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves, Aretha Franklin and Annie Lenox</div>
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7. You Don't Own Me, Lesley Gore</div>
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8. Independent Women, Destiny's Child</div>
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9. Paid My Dues, Anastacia</div>
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10. Respect, Aretha Franklin</div>
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If you stop by <a href="http://northwestmommy.com/">The Good Life</a> today, you can see what 10 things a whole passel of bloggers listed about women. Aren't you curious? I know I am!</div>
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<a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/category/monday-listicles" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.northwestmommy.com/home/Listicle3.jpg" /></a></div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-18959862418517658922011-08-22T10:46:00.005+02:002011-08-22T12:07:30.157+02:00Yin-Yang You<div style="text-align: center;">It's <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/2011/monday-listicles-7">Monday Listicles</a> day again and this time it's a doozy. Kim from <a href="http://zookbooknook.blogspot.com/2011/08/yin-yang-part-one.html">Zook Book Nook</a> chose YinYang as this week's list topic. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Do you know what YinYang is? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Let me quote Wikipedia: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">In <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_philosophy" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Asian philosophy">Asian philosophy</a>, the concept of <b>yin yang</b> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_characters" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Simplified Chinese characters">simplified Chinese</a>: <span lang="zh-Hans" xml:lang="zh-Hans"><a class="extiw" href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%98%B4%E9%98%B3" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="wikt:阴阳">阴阳</a></span>; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_characters" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Traditional Chinese characters">traditional Chinese</a>: <span lang="zh-Hant" xml:lang="zh-Hant"><a class="extiw" href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%99%B0%E9%99%BD" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="wikt:陰陽">陰陽</a></span>; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Pinyin">pinyin</a>: <em>yīnyáng</em>), which is often referred to in the West as "yin <i>and</i> yang", is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only exist in relation to each other."</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">Got that?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Here's my list of the Yin Yang in my life:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1. <b>Italian-American</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBWhH3Y-yamFJB8sU1y3sowtatKBWIpjLcTtbc7mWdHlRTi7Xp6BlpveCsNf1zc94xUvn8LnvLe25_TPq1eFe6FEiOj4LVKRB86krArGOjGMY0WdoXZwXWT9VxLPKKEx-MMP8NsZHJRLK/s1600/it-am.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBWhH3Y-yamFJB8sU1y3sowtatKBWIpjLcTtbc7mWdHlRTi7Xp6BlpveCsNf1zc94xUvn8LnvLe25_TPq1eFe6FEiOj4LVKRB86krArGOjGMY0WdoXZwXWT9VxLPKKEx-MMP8NsZHJRLK/s1600/it-am.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
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</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">I have both Italian and US citizenship now, but neither country recognises the other citizenship. For the US, I am only American. For Italy, I am Italian e basta!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">2. <b>Reader-Writer</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIo_JqsoQi77sooMmbgQ_FuzQZK6UQwmXjd6drPoIM0qnb9pelf3kUnDBOhXLqa5194_toHrIlUnmZnoflZv57jnzVjdkdlB8JEdqb9bOAtdQvPvSV96Wh2RNUuMfC7N97sGvCgs6MYQS/s1600/2086eabae0a9b385af3fda31436bd666-person-reading-book-clip-art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIo_JqsoQi77sooMmbgQ_FuzQZK6UQwmXjd6drPoIM0qnb9pelf3kUnDBOhXLqa5194_toHrIlUnmZnoflZv57jnzVjdkdlB8JEdqb9bOAtdQvPvSV96Wh2RNUuMfC7N97sGvCgs6MYQS/s200/2086eabae0a9b385af3fda31436bd666-person-reading-book-clip-art.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6hmfbCxGoN23Ak1KsrBiMEqqPYJrr82-fWaNbmX2d2lJsk-ccuHd9wjp77OX_4EV6kGEISrh0VOsh28QK_WDMPQNAKGCVUf0_n-FT1ZAFPw8lvnoze1UvLY3sSj0wY5uZybNuc93cZ-C/s1600/ia_writer_1052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6hmfbCxGoN23Ak1KsrBiMEqqPYJrr82-fWaNbmX2d2lJsk-ccuHd9wjp77OX_4EV6kGEISrh0VOsh28QK_WDMPQNAKGCVUf0_n-FT1ZAFPw8lvnoze1UvLY3sSj0wY5uZybNuc93cZ-C/s320/ia_writer_1052.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I am doing one of these two things most of the day, every day.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">3. <b>Teacher-Learner</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-wOzPLF2TWUzRqklgAVWjrMsKczRcm7wKjG6sL0YonftnsDfn5QkHdpuUFub_ArkikyAliGdm5-YBNjm7XntrOFaYVdz-HnYbxywpsc-dlCdRQNsMzhPFEZmowlcdKyVhLiH9cyzMoDz/s1600/207-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-wOzPLF2TWUzRqklgAVWjrMsKczRcm7wKjG6sL0YonftnsDfn5QkHdpuUFub_ArkikyAliGdm5-YBNjm7XntrOFaYVdz-HnYbxywpsc-dlCdRQNsMzhPFEZmowlcdKyVhLiH9cyzMoDz/s320/207-1.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">My students are a lot older and somewhat better behaved than the ones in this picture, but the idea is that I learn as much as I teach every time I go into the classroom.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">4. <b>Good Mommy-Bad Mommy</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSCEPEPD4RfvWnnx8Q5ipd9793FzjELVoEhE1wewDcIhsD11cq2QTtAjfj7J8BJhBezB_V-0vX_T1N8lSNKNnXWzcK8jCmhEwg8axOdlMqZYsYH0G-ne4G4sQ-9v6uymtoYaNchZ9Imuj/s1600/bad-mommy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSCEPEPD4RfvWnnx8Q5ipd9793FzjELVoEhE1wewDcIhsD11cq2QTtAjfj7J8BJhBezB_V-0vX_T1N8lSNKNnXWzcK8jCmhEwg8axOdlMqZYsYH0G-ne4G4sQ-9v6uymtoYaNchZ9Imuj/s320/bad-mommy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">It ain't easy being the first love of someone's life and, at the same time, the person who rains on their parade with rules, responsibility and those irritating life lessons!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">5. <b>Sedentary-Active</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTviaxal02dsnE0VrWyH8NxWSbMIPOhC8D-oC2cRupK_9YGg4_7_g9k-xR_OePi9OpM0imA8xkixmOLwrQGV8PXvtI52VovIGoSvaQP-PAVxhB_jmJ-2VyelVYmBgC5-JWzXJKt7TcRfx/s1600/gluteal_atrophy_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTviaxal02dsnE0VrWyH8NxWSbMIPOhC8D-oC2cRupK_9YGg4_7_g9k-xR_OePi9OpM0imA8xkixmOLwrQGV8PXvtI52VovIGoSvaQP-PAVxhB_jmJ-2VyelVYmBgC5-JWzXJKt7TcRfx/s320/gluteal_atrophy_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Always working on the balance between these two. I spend long hours seated at the pc working and then vigorous bursts of working out . . . I guess I'm somewhere mid-ground between these two lovely ladies!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">6. <b>Interior-Exterior</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkrzlfnxLQravYSDfMB3YFGQ2Fez2A6Shdh5jen1fVgVVdcLbVdh2pfQueFEas2Dr5I3mCZsMzlfVXKvHG7AmAwJTHLLFO8_Ar1VU6JOnRNr2MpYzF9iDKFK0KQivCzSkeUNStgbatMHw/s1600/De-Chirico-Archeologi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkrzlfnxLQravYSDfMB3YFGQ2Fez2A6Shdh5jen1fVgVVdcLbVdh2pfQueFEas2Dr5I3mCZsMzlfVXKvHG7AmAwJTHLLFO8_Ar1VU6JOnRNr2MpYzF9iDKFK0KQivCzSkeUNStgbatMHw/s320/De-Chirico-Archeologi.jpg" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">De Chirico - Archeologi</td></tr>
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Another area I work to keep in balance. I do a lot of both work and pleasurable activities that use only my mind, so I have to remind myself to get out of my own head and interact with the rest of the world!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">7. <b>Soft-Hard</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcybYFpSWknQTsKAvJWy8RO-BPWZuFekXb-umdDAcnwCFaLAHtNKq9eUSkN15lJ1mdpP0UY8SkSgTV9xcB5rexNRHRS4AgP3JrVcXRZUmv0AWzO-gHc6szvgxHou9F-3OzOCl9fNGf2Pg/s1600/coral-hard-soft-water-reef-color-colour-colorful-colourful-ocean-sea-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcybYFpSWknQTsKAvJWy8RO-BPWZuFekXb-umdDAcnwCFaLAHtNKq9eUSkN15lJ1mdpP0UY8SkSgTV9xcB5rexNRHRS4AgP3JrVcXRZUmv0AWzO-gHc6szvgxHou9F-3OzOCl9fNGf2Pg/s320/coral-hard-soft-water-reef-color-colour-colorful-colourful-ocean-sea-8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">When people first meet me they often find me "sweet." Ha! Ha ha ha ha ha!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">8. <b>Shabby-Chic</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">One day ratty old tshirt and no makeup - the next, silk and heels.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGcYTbeYQnjx9LKLHUd7yo7eLiS3XT2-luVGAqZxTS0Ak-pqkuNEi2wy6qOu_XJV8ZrnaefiUlNjdiNYLKFAX175fvmQgemrYcLdWiQXN9wiaE80v1Sx7uqrg4OZXJArXT2wTzx3H4xz7/s1600/IMG_3974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGcYTbeYQnjx9LKLHUd7yo7eLiS3XT2-luVGAqZxTS0Ak-pqkuNEi2wy6qOu_XJV8ZrnaefiUlNjdiNYLKFAX175fvmQgemrYcLdWiQXN9wiaE80v1Sx7uqrg4OZXJArXT2wTzx3H4xz7/s320/IMG_3974.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's my blog, so I can show you only the pretty pictures, if I want to!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">9. <b>D&G (not Dolce & Gabbana)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO2KgVHb1jUhZvf6jcEAsI8_TOaiDi_SQeHpZ_ijsuEHdNPwVl4WDI0H6OysAkmTkKeBoPe1GfCRegPXuQCdAs2D8uu-Xl4SvtyoEo6eaMzaaIlMYfNM366tTbVQuUhyphenhyphenNG9EF7crLsGnlp/s1600/IMG_0885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO2KgVHb1jUhZvf6jcEAsI8_TOaiDi_SQeHpZ_ijsuEHdNPwVl4WDI0H6OysAkmTkKeBoPe1GfCRegPXuQCdAs2D8uu-Xl4SvtyoEo6eaMzaaIlMYfNM366tTbVQuUhyphenhyphenNG9EF7crLsGnlp/s320/IMG_0885.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCLEjnNRy48fvH8Qq7tZzgfHurUcRVgm_KJ0jt4jfLXwwwRPBKkgmF4U7V9ujYKlvFFE90te6gdhybLu7JIJaCh_5hT6seKbIVCWRfLOCh2ji4UczZwgnpeaY5ZOWE8IjHtaAGgtRafEJ/s1600/IMG_1570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCLEjnNRy48fvH8Qq7tZzgfHurUcRVgm_KJ0jt4jfLXwwwRPBKkgmF4U7V9ujYKlvFFE90te6gdhybLu7JIJaCh_5hT6seKbIVCWRfLOCh2ji4UczZwgnpeaY5ZOWE8IjHtaAGgtRafEJ/s320/IMG_1570.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">G</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Two different personalities, two different ages and completely different interests </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">= </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">two different parenting styles.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">10.<b> Right-Wrong</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoL6hZp2XQ80EdMdfSrdj_LL08pBvIGzs7doBur9KFxvpbRVmZHBwD5MGSO-8TRVEAPg4_LDneo9p41ONwkeAdzqZ4TOp0zmP1aDo8ITp_Xi7HDU_2UOEau2tuxZuziatvmFGpwrO4CzWS/s1600/judge_distinguish_right_wrong_1079735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoL6hZp2XQ80EdMdfSrdj_LL08pBvIGzs7doBur9KFxvpbRVmZHBwD5MGSO-8TRVEAPg4_LDneo9p41ONwkeAdzqZ4TOp0zmP1aDo8ITp_Xi7HDU_2UOEau2tuxZuziatvmFGpwrO4CzWS/s320/judge_distinguish_right_wrong_1079735.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I have strong opinions and express them forcefully.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I am always SURE I know what is right and wrong.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Until you show me how the other side of the coin is equally true.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">And then that's cool, too.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Stasha at <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/">The Good Life</a> has asked me to choose next week's Listicles topic, so . . . here goes:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b>10 Places You Love</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">To play along this week, next week, whenever you feel like it, just link up over at Stasha's place.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wwww.northwestmommy.com/category/monday-listicles.com" target="_blank"><img <br="" src="http://www.northwestmommy.com/home/Listicle3.jpg" /> </a></div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-69392558847209717572011-08-20T11:08:00.002+02:002011-08-20T11:12:12.762+02:00The Land of Giants<div style="text-align: center;">My husband and I took my younger son, G, to the local amusement park this week. We would have taken my older son, too, but at age 14 he is way too cool to be caught dead outside of the house with his parents. So just the three of us headed out to Miragica, which claims to be "the land of giants." Didn't see any giants or anything even very large there (besides the rides), but I guess these places need a theme.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNhWSf8DuMp1f5K0yASNuM-AcF0Z6cAn9jLZaW_Smdjx_idkoyHTmlOdaykl_U7X8v438bav2lKu4XetAkVSM53ipKJKvfcq32lllNnJ7c-BuvcpNhV1wiIMDTuhFgcSmCM9WPb1QtHre/s1600/miragica5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNhWSf8DuMp1f5K0yASNuM-AcF0Z6cAn9jLZaW_Smdjx_idkoyHTmlOdaykl_U7X8v438bav2lKu4XetAkVSM53ipKJKvfcq32lllNnJ7c-BuvcpNhV1wiIMDTuhFgcSmCM9WPb1QtHre/s320/miragica5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I love all the crazy rides and willingly stood in long, hot lines for 30 seconds of wild hysteria.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdqtAGIocgoNsK7RSoUCsdNcSxtjdWAcqNBHo3-XxivKyvkoL-klmzoSAMDTMBnUwXiKVjVzI20ihyphenhypheno9Q3uexnraVJg7TO2aAbOSbdpW_0ynUMiGujbzI_uybPIzlhTEx8zyXKjFLzuv-/s1600/miragica6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdqtAGIocgoNsK7RSoUCsdNcSxtjdWAcqNBHo3-XxivKyvkoL-klmzoSAMDTMBnUwXiKVjVzI20ihyphenhypheno9Q3uexnraVJg7TO2aAbOSbdpW_0ynUMiGujbzI_uybPIzlhTEx8zyXKjFLzuv-/s320/miragica6.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long, hot and SWEATY lines . . .<br />
<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyyu0V71WzaP14ULS1crhgG80Q3UawbBWZ8cKj5PPu7Q0JzevUSmlJjfhY3mdLusZWB09ygP6eB8VeKkBwQA0CZgxtmY_97FLDItesciig6c1rNOY1jtdeaiYJdqU2gVzkhO9t3zwxpIF/s1600/miragica7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyyu0V71WzaP14ULS1crhgG80Q3UawbBWZ8cKj5PPu7Q0JzevUSmlJjfhY3mdLusZWB09ygP6eB8VeKkBwQA0CZgxtmY_97FLDItesciig6c1rNOY1jtdeaiYJdqU2gVzkhO9t3zwxpIF/s320/miragica7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Around and around, up and down</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">No ride is too crazy for me, I'm up for it all.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF15MZUIfWkmqMurQphI8tTH-w46MsmIR6xQGr9W61Iq0-0jTh1URpsbjnSuU6DL8srEQyYydGRwboI_kJYa4Kxrx1jq4lTTAXWUG0NLL00PZVVEzxBOD-oidy03bh2UW2Enwq7oqMeNED/s1600/miragica3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF15MZUIfWkmqMurQphI8tTH-w46MsmIR6xQGr9W61Iq0-0jTh1URpsbjnSuU6DL8srEQyYydGRwboI_kJYa4Kxrx1jq4lTTAXWUG0NLL00PZVVEzxBOD-oidy03bh2UW2Enwq7oqMeNED/s320/miragica3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Even the ones G was terrified to try - like the Tower</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> - 47 meters straight up and 47 meters free fall, whoo hoo! We went this one alone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We also caught 3 shows over 2 days. You see, if you pay for one day, the second day is free. What that means, is that whether you are up to it or not, you feel obliged to go again the next day. Because you already paid for it, right?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The shows were worth it, though. Russian dancers, acrobats and contortionists . . . pretty heady stuff for this small provincial city!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYiJoq3sS5Wk-kajGzYAG4Jq1lMWufloqSlbZiEMdJcKkgq08Z0L-fNFMBNw-NnQmhQQUNiv3bQKgV5POUg8n06L0TJQdr24jAqyUf_X2W0bxHbscNEg7o-IKX0NlehSsK5oTGATbkkXed/s1600/miragica4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYiJoq3sS5Wk-kajGzYAG4Jq1lMWufloqSlbZiEMdJcKkgq08Z0L-fNFMBNw-NnQmhQQUNiv3bQKgV5POUg8n06L0TJQdr24jAqyUf_X2W0bxHbscNEg7o-IKX0NlehSsK5oTGATbkkXed/s320/miragica4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She was good!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">By the end of the second day, all I could handle was a gentle ride on the merry-go-round. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdpiJbEmpkAT0ljbIkXJlytXF4lEXQbxXTGYmfWRD8GUrgxF3xG-eJTqB6Q-4zIT3Zjl9D9W2QGA_f-Ia18J-6gCRttXr9nE4Xz-TmlNtAXqO-c9yc1vsf4VUIwmRABsoPou8b9x4snVz/s1600/miragica2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdpiJbEmpkAT0ljbIkXJlytXF4lEXQbxXTGYmfWRD8GUrgxF3xG-eJTqB6Q-4zIT3Zjl9D9W2QGA_f-Ia18J-6gCRttXr9nE4Xz-TmlNtAXqO-c9yc1vsf4VUIwmRABsoPou8b9x4snVz/s320/miragica2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">While, in the meantime, G had overcome his fear of the scary rides and decided to ride the roller-coaster as many times in a row as physically possible. I think he did it six times! I did go with him the first two times, but lost my appetite for it after the second go when my hair got stuck in the safety bar and I couldn't get off the ride at the end. The ride operators extracted my locks and said it happens all the time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih25LUUITbUHqdOTlqEWQu_FzBV9J0aUN0dbjbzp65L21tcX8K8-p_PaIHiKm5fCsAcKQqg4WgJRY7HM-u0msedJnZZ2nQtOqNzAqv8iGyieuOw1G3hQ1ubuP62UXb8WYF2s-T8Ogsdj3c/s1600/miragica1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih25LUUITbUHqdOTlqEWQu_FzBV9J0aUN0dbjbzp65L21tcX8K8-p_PaIHiKm5fCsAcKQqg4WgJRY7HM-u0msedJnZZ2nQtOqNzAqv8iGyieuOw1G3hQ1ubuP62UXb8WYF2s-T8Ogsdj3c/s320/miragica1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What will I do when G is too cool to go with his parents to the amusement park? I'll have to borrow some little kids from someone for an excuse to go!</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-7876846730758720432011-08-19T12:53:00.001+02:002011-08-19T13:50:00.842+02:00Joe Valeriano<div style="text-align: center;">My husband and I had a date night!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Wow!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">That's really a big deal around here. More so than it would be in the States. I can't speak for all of Italy, but in our town, babysitters do not want to work in the evening. They want to go out and have fun themselves! They will work in the morning or the afternoon, but the evening is sacrosanct . . . they are quite put out if you even ask.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">When my oldest son was little, I had hired a babysitter so that I could return to work parttime. I also asked her to come for two hours each Thursday night so that my husband and I could go to the movies once a week. She was shocked that I would have the nerve to ask her such a thing. She said to me, "I go out in the evenings. I'm young. You wouldn't understand!"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Thanks.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Seemed strange to me. I mean, it was just one night a week. She could go out with her friends the other six nights. And . . . I was going to PAY her, not a minor detail in my way of thinking. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Oh, well . . . that's the kind of subtle cultural difference that would just never cross your mind to even imagine. I just assumed that babysitters would work evenings. She just assumed that I would never even think to make her such an indecent proposal. Expectation Clash!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My sons are older now and we feel comfortable leaving them alone for a couple of hours every so often, so last night we grabbed the chance to hear <a href="http://www.joevaleriano.it/">Joe Valeriano</a> live in concert right here in our town.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.joevaleriano.it/">Joe Valeriano</a> is one of the top blues guitarists in Italy and Europe. And he's an old high school friend of my husband's. Last night he played with a local blues band, led by another school pal of theirs who is not famous at all. He was truly amazing on the guitar. He didn't just strum it, but had all kinds of amazing techniques on the strings. He even punched them sometimes!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdL3eJnj2rsDJRAvcqG2gv4q23RXPEIl98VYGOclQrae24YtTsCv4-KH9ykmG4MfQPZ6p8aEhlUP_N2aIJug5dNTR_1cNAA1ZSt-F_Yaf2ctTGNL5XheRaiv4D5fTinolrqWCfBs3E5FV7/s1600/joevaleriano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdL3eJnj2rsDJRAvcqG2gv4q23RXPEIl98VYGOclQrae24YtTsCv4-KH9ykmG4MfQPZ6p8aEhlUP_N2aIJug5dNTR_1cNAA1ZSt-F_Yaf2ctTGNL5XheRaiv4D5fTinolrqWCfBs3E5FV7/s320/joevaleriano.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forgive me the lousy iphone photo...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">All of my husband's high school classmates were there, cheering on their old friends, both the famous one and the unknown one. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Finally, a night out on the town for mom and dad, yeah!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ji2JUHRGCOc?rel=0" width="420"></iframe></div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-62545294224221450982011-08-18T11:48:00.000+02:002011-08-18T11:48:58.359+02:00Born to Be Wild<div style="text-align: center;">After the <a href="http://amid-the-olive-trees.blogspot.com/2011/07/men-at-play.html">Men at Play</a> road trip with my younger son, it was only fair that my husband head out on the highway with my older son for their own unique motorcycle adventure. Accompanied by my son's friend and his father they left the sea behind and head for the hills.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8EnXxVThu9EPg5vQRT2N2FEBFUqgiE2PJ8nM7LbTKC6rc9D8Y7KbTs0G0ZmdvzIsPuL0vgGTbaQr8rfWB6fFbnAgJLQveI_ij8hJcuknJUxEbixauwyTKdVbyKelehpHZyE4qqOo9nvU/s1600/IMG_1639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8EnXxVThu9EPg5vQRT2N2FEBFUqgiE2PJ8nM7LbTKC6rc9D8Y7KbTs0G0ZmdvzIsPuL0vgGTbaQr8rfWB6fFbnAgJLQveI_ij8hJcuknJUxEbixauwyTKdVbyKelehpHZyE4qqOo9nvU/s320/IMG_1639.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The Pollino is a mountainous national park in the Basilicata region. It offers breathtaking views of natural beauty and great wide-open winding roads through it all, ideal for the traveler on two wheels. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzarjqZWodi7U0oGxaqc7mVlb97t8-BitIjYkIOKsj6QF5DDfAu9IUE2D_jZRpe5jZGvGx5sF11NiHSK-nv5-gj2H4FxEl7mutDgHyBplCDo1BQGpZnDD0LkYM66vjZwkjl_MtvhfOz6n/s1600/IMG_1678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzarjqZWodi7U0oGxaqc7mVlb97t8-BitIjYkIOKsj6QF5DDfAu9IUE2D_jZRpe5jZGvGx5sF11NiHSK-nv5-gj2H4FxEl7mutDgHyBplCDo1BQGpZnDD0LkYM66vjZwkjl_MtvhfOz6n/s320/IMG_1678.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Along the way, they stopped to go for a swim in a man-made lake. It's actually a reservoir, but this is Italy, after all . . . no one told them they couldn't swim there.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvSweDYEvd9SXZ4ahFGcrfZWOhdq0nSvMlyapCPoiuCWnlbKx3zWr3d_ZaS_O19DuKngZ2hiGh4xOVH_JXNE6YZKItBFiMdQs-iuOJp-igFxKaKaiGsrA0kCyefmPMlAU702ZKdTSEnMl/s1600/IMG_1656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvSweDYEvd9SXZ4ahFGcrfZWOhdq0nSvMlyapCPoiuCWnlbKx3zWr3d_ZaS_O19DuKngZ2hiGh4xOVH_JXNE6YZKItBFiMdQs-iuOJp-igFxKaKaiGsrA0kCyefmPMlAU702ZKdTSEnMl/s320/IMG_1656.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">So they did.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMjCcht3Yv3-cIL6s7B4O1qnRPmZnQiuG1uWryu4rYrq2BLCf6K2lYBjgNt3UpBWgAd37KJ92CH3WtA-WTWq9lUlW3xyxrjnCAsDlfmvUmzIgD8OMnTQsgZloN6_oHEmrqoqxDZx6J3Bi/s1600/IMG_1658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMjCcht3Yv3-cIL6s7B4O1qnRPmZnQiuG1uWryu4rYrq2BLCf6K2lYBjgNt3UpBWgAd37KJ92CH3WtA-WTWq9lUlW3xyxrjnCAsDlfmvUmzIgD8OMnTQsgZloN6_oHEmrqoqxDZx6J3Bi/s320/IMG_1658.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice the ever-present soccer ball.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">They stopped off to visit Craco, a medieval hilltop ghost town. It was abandoned in a slow process over decades in part because many residents emigrated in the search for a better life and, more recently, because of earthquake damage.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwCYgdwzXdcZdI3T0PftkWz6VQuk90CJgVhlLhFj0B9txhL-9v9apO9LPHn3ftu3C3bgJj34TBnXqGOGYQhZF1sany-SBnWE8WpgtshnzzAprGUJWnMlw8fcQJeqSYzRRTmh0IJzOzy0y/s1600/IMG_1645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwCYgdwzXdcZdI3T0PftkWz6VQuk90CJgVhlLhFj0B9txhL-9v9apO9LPHn3ftu3C3bgJj34TBnXqGOGYQhZF1sany-SBnWE8WpgtshnzzAprGUJWnMlw8fcQJeqSYzRRTmh0IJzOzy0y/s320/IMG_1645.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1MEdXaRg4FfsMq0HMM2gaUcmsFzfhdHikQl5HbE6pknZ7ceHBS9mF8aV8sVyfzyTWCGRXPI92D_X9I6jtQcc9K-xJNTzRN5NSGQoNQGy8llbMRvEM65wvRx_eLAZzrODI1YTdAl_SRR-U/s1600/IMG_1660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1MEdXaRg4FfsMq0HMM2gaUcmsFzfhdHikQl5HbE6pknZ7ceHBS9mF8aV8sVyfzyTWCGRXPI92D_X9I6jtQcc9K-xJNTzRN5NSGQoNQGy8llbMRvEM65wvRx_eLAZzrODI1YTdAl_SRR-U/s320/IMG_1660.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">There are no photos to prove it, but the guys claim they went whitewater rafting, guided by a national level rafting champion. Apparently, the guide was a lot of fun and took evil pleasure in splashing my husband mercilessly. He, of course, took revenge and so amid the splashing and laughing they all had a good time.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV__7m8J3p6ZuuTiEtGnhyfcCyO9SQA24ACt-Ng6GN2DPLlE6rVzjht4tvWczW8oZaZJzfsPRJTu0B5vlvad2wb81Ln6ryUNogsUkXOwNCwToL8ekhWca6pphn2pC5kdEATLUAuRT6lXDG/s1600/IMG_1674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV__7m8J3p6ZuuTiEtGnhyfcCyO9SQA24ACt-Ng6GN2DPLlE6rVzjht4tvWczW8oZaZJzfsPRJTu0B5vlvad2wb81Ln6ryUNogsUkXOwNCwToL8ekhWca6pphn2pC5kdEATLUAuRT6lXDG/s320/IMG_1674.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-69569895921970584622011-08-16T11:43:00.003+02:002011-08-16T14:17:50.027+02:0010 Things I Miss About the USA<div style="text-align: center;">Hate to be a day late and a dollar short, but here it is TUESDAY already and I'm just adding my list to the <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/2011/monday-listicles-6">Monday Listicles</a> fest over at <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/">The Good Life</a>. Yesterday was a national holiday here in Italy, so I was on vacation, man! Oh well, better late than never and life's too short to sweat the little stuff (since I'm on a roll with the cliches, might as well go with it), so here I am.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This weeks topic is <b>10 Things I Miss</b>. Since I'm an American living abroad, I thought I'd tell you about the 10 things I miss about the USA.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">1. Easy access to my mom and dad. It's not ideal to be able to get together only once every two years. Not for me, not for them, but especially not for their relationship with my children.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">2. Speaking English all the time freely and without thinking about it. I do speak English quite a bit here, but if I am talking to students I am modulating my speed, my intonation, my choice of vocabulary so as to help them understand me while, at the same time, not talk down to them, ideally using language that is somewhat challenging (to help them learn something new) without overwhelming or discouraging them . . . see how that quickly gets complicated? It's not just talking anymore, it's work.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">3. Adult education. Very little happening here. If I were in the States I'd be taking courses in all kinds of interesting things.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">4. Old-fashioned doughnuts. Especially chocolate!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">5. The Pacific Ocean. I used to live in San Diego, right on the water. The ocean was always an awesome and awe-inspiring source of personal inspiration.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">6. Vast choice of foods from different countries. Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Thai and Vietnamese are the first that come to mind. Italian food is great and all, but variety is the spice of life (today has been officially declared Cliche Day).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">7. California. All of it. From top to bottom. Coast, both north and south. Mountains. Forests. Deserts. Rivers. Lakes. Cities. Small towns. Valleys, both north and south.<br />
All of it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">8. Ethnic diversity. Where diversity means more than just being from the next town over.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">9. Dressing however I choose. Beautifully, sloppily, vintage, with an odd hat. However I like. Theoretically I could do that here, but I would be quickly labelled "that crazy American lady" and have a hard time keeping friends.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">10. Knowing what to expect and how to do things. Life on auto-pilot. Not having to start from zero all the time or ask someone to help you. This is obviously less of a problem for me now, after having lived here for 19 years, but in the beginning I sometimes felt like I had taken all my "adult" knowledge of how to get around and get things done, which I had acquired over a lifetime, and thrown it out the window, wiped the slate clean and was starting over again as a child who had to learn everything one step at a time.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Of course, there could be equal, or longer, lists of "things I do <b>not </b>miss about the US" or "things that are wonderful about living in Italy" - don't get me wrong!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">To see other fun lists like this, head on over to <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/">The Good Life</a>. Why not add your own list while you're there?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wwww.northwestmommy.com/category/monday-listicles.com" target="_blank"><img <br="" src="http://www.northwestmommy.com/home/Listicle3.jpg" /> </a></div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-7388199124864745252011-08-09T14:07:00.000+02:002011-08-09T14:07:42.928+02:0024/7<div style="text-align: center;">Some of you may remember that last month I was following the <a href="http://www.femalefatlossoverforty.com/">21 Day Rapid Fat Loss</a> fitness program. Well, when I finished those three weeks, not only did I realise I had gotten great results, I also realised that I was hooked. The exercising/clean eating thing had captured my attention big-time and I decided that I wanted to continue.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1ky5Nte7ECbR7CU8VOcnmIkRsRfpMvPvgSvjMjjCgJ8UrsxMaL9TXOXh6LF1CDL3sqfeUYpFLhyWZV6L2lSJMTgPRML6hMajn3tJ1mzSxbQQImIV8v-pGMDCcWCu7tGpPOhuoDZo-INo/s1600/fitness1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1ky5Nte7ECbR7CU8VOcnmIkRsRfpMvPvgSvjMjjCgJ8UrsxMaL9TXOXh6LF1CDL3sqfeUYpFLhyWZV6L2lSJMTgPRML6hMajn3tJ1mzSxbQQImIV8v-pGMDCcWCu7tGpPOhuoDZo-INo/s1600/fitness1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">That's why I signed up for Shawna Kaminski's six-week <a href="http://www.femalefatlossoverforty.com/blog/shawna-247-pg-1/">24/7 Virtual Coaching Program</a>. Shawna is in Canada and I am in southern Italy, so choosing her as my personal trainer might seem a bit wacky, but she has this great system worked out to make it possible. Every day she emails me my workout, sometimes it's a video, sometimes only audio, and a handy tip regarding health, nutrition, motivation, or some other aspect of fitness.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWen0hU7qIuQG_ZvIyfZD9eOt3iYNVvGOU5-Dh3j9ORQmr2eJhGnbB9yV6ptW8h-hfNalgRv3IergYiyYI5Oep-Oa_GxmSt13d8qzy-f_Uklzu3hM5VpJdZm34N-0pzVyFSfLupgDXZoLg/s1600/lei+pesi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWen0hU7qIuQG_ZvIyfZD9eOt3iYNVvGOU5-Dh3j9ORQmr2eJhGnbB9yV6ptW8h-hfNalgRv3IergYiyYI5Oep-Oa_GxmSt13d8qzy-f_Uklzu3hM5VpJdZm34N-0pzVyFSfLupgDXZoLg/s320/lei+pesi.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">On top of that, we are in frequent contact every day. We send emails, cell-phone text messages or use Skype. Whenever I have a doubt, a question or a problem, she's ready with advice and support. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Can you tell I'm loving this program? And I'm loving the results I'm seeing in my physique!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I am chronicling my fitness journey on her blog <a href="http://www.femalefatlossoverforty.com/blog/">Female Fat Loss After 40</a>. Hop on over and read my posts <a href="http://www.femalefatlossoverforty.com/blog/2011/07/25/247-progress-report-week-one/">Progress Report</a> and <a href="http://www.femalefatlossoverforty.com/blog/2011/08/08/247-progress-report-sara-on-motivation/">Motivation</a>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA766EEmIJE8T24IswZSfcXbPm9_f01B9i9dKBJZlCY0oiWC1i95XZL7949byEIR7TyYMOf-lI7ap8j6BaBQbkIzRT_knLw8-_sowKEx8kMR4_fWoej53qF6QjfKOTPkQpbVvXEN7RPVe-/s1600/fitness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA766EEmIJE8T24IswZSfcXbPm9_f01B9i9dKBJZlCY0oiWC1i95XZL7949byEIR7TyYMOf-lI7ap8j6BaBQbkIzRT_knLw8-_sowKEx8kMR4_fWoej53qF6QjfKOTPkQpbVvXEN7RPVe-/s320/fitness.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">As always, let me make a full disclosure: I have been provided access to Shawna Kaminski's workout programs, but I am not being compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed here are mine, mine and only mine. I only tell you about the program because I'm so darn excited about it.</div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-46414767599125087872011-08-08T15:43:00.000+02:002011-08-08T15:43:20.642+02:00My 10 Favorite Italian Foods<div style="text-align: center;">It's <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/2011/monday-listicles-5">Monday Listicles</a> time again and this week, Stasha over at <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/">The Good Life</a> wants to know about 10 foods. Foods we like, foods we don't like, foods that make us happy . . . or not. Anything about food is fair game.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I thought I'd write about 10 Italian foods/drinks that come to mind.<br />
Some are specifically foods from Puglia, the region of southern Italy I live in, others not.<br />
Some I like, others NOT.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">1. Espresso coffee</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHtQH7o2TgjUS8HhUBJB7IRXeeZ-aLDvdMscTmxljWA_GwDS9n2E-2zHKFSXVbE7AhrwUr6q8cxmHjvPRg3HukXlvxMIe9QtJmdHSH2oMiC0W06lYDHnh2WzAzorjMZuSDjCNf6FArw0c/s1600/new-age-caf%25C3%25A8-roma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHtQH7o2TgjUS8HhUBJB7IRXeeZ-aLDvdMscTmxljWA_GwDS9n2E-2zHKFSXVbE7AhrwUr6q8cxmHjvPRg3HukXlvxMIe9QtJmdHSH2oMiC0W06lYDHnh2WzAzorjMZuSDjCNf6FArw0c/s320/new-age-caf%25C3%25A8-roma.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Like, like, very big like! I do not like any other coffee in the world, only Italian espresso.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">2. Fioroni</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HiLWXUkZdhRFS3_y7N4EMwvWAHdC9nziosRwmJCJEM1EIZ_tY3sBaMzbyV2ceojKr_gEc-7DlVjLRC0fVdRQOEF_PxyQnnDDuEir3WB5bUyGB-6705nq3HN7asg-9c6I0ga20qd-iNjA/s1600/024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HiLWXUkZdhRFS3_y7N4EMwvWAHdC9nziosRwmJCJEM1EIZ_tY3sBaMzbyV2ceojKr_gEc-7DlVjLRC0fVdRQOEF_PxyQnnDDuEir3WB5bUyGB-6705nq3HN7asg-9c6I0ga20qd-iNjA/s1600/024.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Love, love, love! I love these so much I even wrote an article about them, called <a href="http://www.charmingitaly.com/fioroni-fruit-of-the-gods/">Fioroni, Fruit of the Gods</a>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">3. Orecchiette con Cime di Rape</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLXGmXPI_BK5LUUF_zRlOsOfEqn7BDU70mRe6fVCuH3KSvbvWChx5-IBkIRcskT_AeYSnhfI6_lTJgTW8_dWvCgFlUwmNFh_POYLntG74rq_nZ2xd_HUoN_5t2j21CQmLr_4GaqOBUmsK/s1600/orecchiette_con_le_rape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLXGmXPI_BK5LUUF_zRlOsOfEqn7BDU70mRe6fVCuH3KSvbvWChx5-IBkIRcskT_AeYSnhfI6_lTJgTW8_dWvCgFlUwmNFh_POYLntG74rq_nZ2xd_HUoN_5t2j21CQmLr_4GaqOBUmsK/s320/orecchiette_con_le_rape.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This ear-shaped pasta served with rabe broccoli is divine. This dish is a love for me, but I can't eat it because of the gluten in the pasta . . .</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">4. Gelato</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV4IbLwP7TwkrAuD51kNw_gbx7Ma8vJhBqdAGZQGb66osm5b7crWO5o1qCOgAuHIr2j7CONSkBUo_kYTMQYJm1ikd8y4HB69MC8gw_xkVCNXx4eAU_si8mTT0ewxRRhYefj7ZN3-Q759lI/s1600/gelati-a-km-zero-eco-sostenibile1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV4IbLwP7TwkrAuD51kNw_gbx7Ma8vJhBqdAGZQGb66osm5b7crWO5o1qCOgAuHIr2j7CONSkBUo_kYTMQYJm1ikd8y4HB69MC8gw_xkVCNXx4eAU_si8mTT0ewxRRhYefj7ZN3-Q759lI/s320/gelati-a-km-zero-eco-sostenibile1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Italian ice-cream is so scrumptious. I'm not sure how it differs from regular old ice-cream, but it differs, it differs! I had been unable to eat gelato since finding out I am lactose-intolerant, but just last week I discovered a gelateria (ice-cream shop) that sells a wide selection of flavors that are both gluten and lactose-free. Halleluiah!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">5. Focaccia</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmV3FXG5UuDGDj2i8QhlLXZ36Icy4onMJ3Ba8N15q4_ALJJSqy9THNqPaZ966-MBnMbNYeoAe6-5meIa2uloBm-NZUheOeAK_pJDQk-3bbI6PZFTgEqeb5JeIsEMz0Wqly1EXVaMK7aJ59/s1600/focaccia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmV3FXG5UuDGDj2i8QhlLXZ36Icy4onMJ3Ba8N15q4_ALJJSqy9THNqPaZ966-MBnMbNYeoAe6-5meIa2uloBm-NZUheOeAK_pJDQk-3bbI6PZFTgEqeb5JeIsEMz0Wqly1EXVaMK7aJ59/s320/focaccia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Kinda like a pizza, but with a thicker dough and no mozzarella on top. Heavenly, but a no-no for me because of the gluten.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">6. Martini Bianco</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5naY-wHDs0x-gedPtS3-oHsGqwHV_wMz50kGlkIAa_JWteCjTRjelwKV0plixhBk3mbzPqFEjblHWZw56ZBXWopa2e1rw8SNtMop-a68AIrIcFw_Xi4Qui25gsk7YecnqSd6hvtFvkoIy/s1600/3325052383_44a215c267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5naY-wHDs0x-gedPtS3-oHsGqwHV_wMz50kGlkIAa_JWteCjTRjelwKV0plixhBk3mbzPqFEjblHWZw56ZBXWopa2e1rw8SNtMop-a68AIrIcFw_Xi4Qui25gsk7YecnqSd6hvtFvkoIy/s200/3325052383_44a215c267.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My favorite brand of vermouth. I strongly associate it with hanging out at the cafè with friends and enjoying an aperitvo (see number 7).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">7. Aperitivo</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhULenCLc5dRoDD0gl8Y2VdYvH6GZkWd8XEBp8nLnG8gNVBkcenbeKEAlWevdc8H_PwLuHDW4Ve4-7gtBTxCm7e0CScw6Q5YkOtxVV_KEK__avfiA1yHPyodRwRT2QmFJAc60TXYRpSpXt/s1600/aperitivo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhULenCLc5dRoDD0gl8Y2VdYvH6GZkWd8XEBp8nLnG8gNVBkcenbeKEAlWevdc8H_PwLuHDW4Ve4-7gtBTxCm7e0CScw6Q5YkOtxVV_KEK__avfiA1yHPyodRwRT2QmFJAc60TXYRpSpXt/s320/aperitivo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">An aperitivo is a before-lunch snack you order at a cafè. Ideally it's a few peanuts, olives and potato chips to nibble on with a soda or an alcoholic drink, as you prefer. However, at many cafès the aperitivo has become so elaborate, including tartines, mini-sandwiches and more, that you forget all about lunch. </div><div style="text-align: center;">This is a like, a definite like!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">8. Raw Mollusks</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRpPzjwB5exVNglKU_LQ_FenUSP4YRWIdGBa1fZ-ACHMCvj0F-yJnLFjAq7zuejmxQ3RNpf-piUeLtsaMTE7r0mWtNetnO1c_c3NBV9MDeCbSQ6AfpHaEngHAn4dRVQ3uFCBjWexZDRos/s1600/ristdagiuliami00082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRpPzjwB5exVNglKU_LQ_FenUSP4YRWIdGBa1fZ-ACHMCvj0F-yJnLFjAq7zuejmxQ3RNpf-piUeLtsaMTE7r0mWtNetnO1c_c3NBV9MDeCbSQ6AfpHaEngHAn4dRVQ3uFCBjWexZDRos/s320/ristdagiuliami00082.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">These are absolutely the favorite food of most people I know here. The mollusks are locally fished, so you know they are fresh, and include mussels, clams, hedgehog sea urchins, date mussels (the long, thin ones - which it is illegal and an ecological disaster to fish...I googled for this photo, so don't sue me!), and those scary-looking red things that look like a tongue and move around on your plate before and while you are eating them because they are alive . . . they are all alive, you know?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This is a big no thank you for me. I know they're fresh, I know they are aphrodisiacal, I know "everyone" likes them, but not me!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">9. Taralli</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrGo3MAd611_mzXtMLRz8hFw4YaG5dnj08QmwBCHTURcfkf5REoDSE4CYk4zvwaizCku7aFBU8DAg5dtUdLBymfc_he5I2ovGo3221rY4c1xEr9W3aWATHVoUu7yPAQ8ku-GBZBSspR4c/s1600/tarallini-pugliesi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrGo3MAd611_mzXtMLRz8hFw4YaG5dnj08QmwBCHTURcfkf5REoDSE4CYk4zvwaizCku7aFBU8DAg5dtUdLBymfc_he5I2ovGo3221rY4c1xEr9W3aWATHVoUu7yPAQ8ku-GBZBSspR4c/s1600/tarallini-pugliesi.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">These are a popular local snack food. They are hard like a pretzel, but not quite that hard and not salted. Hard to describe, but good . . . best enjoyed with a nice red wine before your meal. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">10. Olive Oil</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4S2dMp9kmauZ5XGVXbkdP6EmBF7za8GEov_nlRBLcKq3CwAgE5E4AlWoSY1ZwZR_OZJB-z7ouPybGMTjazJL0RkYSoTfxUZy94h9H2R87WLgc9Osa2YRpqYDKZjBmwvXckA0oAvl-u7z/s1600/olio_d_oliva_3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4S2dMp9kmauZ5XGVXbkdP6EmBF7za8GEov_nlRBLcKq3CwAgE5E4AlWoSY1ZwZR_OZJB-z7ouPybGMTjazJL0RkYSoTfxUZy94h9H2R87WLgc9Osa2YRpqYDKZjBmwvXckA0oAvl-u7z/s1600/olio_d_oliva_3.jpeg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I can't leave out olive oil. It's not really a food on its own, but it flavors all Puglian savory dishes. We make our own from the olives grown on the trees out in my yard. Were you wondering why this blog is called "Amid the Olive Trees"?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">To read more fun food lists, or to add your own list, head on over to <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/">The Good Life</a>.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wwww.northwestmommy.com/category/monday-listicles.com" target="_blank"><img <="" div="" src="http://www.northwestmommy.com/home/Listicle3.jpg" /><br />
</a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wwww.northwestmommy.com/category/monday-listicles.com" target="_blank"><br />
</a></div></div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-48041178020616550732011-08-05T16:37:00.001+02:002011-08-05T18:17:36.169+02:00Puglian Pleasures<div style="text-align: center;">Here's a roundup of recent articles I have written about the beautiful Puglia region. To read the full articles, click on the links below, or go directly to <a href="http://www.charmingitaly.com/">Charming Italy</a>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Discover a couple of fascinating summer festivals off the beaten track in </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.charmingitaly.com/summer-events-puglia-l-estate-di/">Summer Festivals in Puglia</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPVOXmecyv2TKc63LYzXV9lpWuyTDjBrPtR3gmJXCyPm01mmXBtmLR0qRYlxanDJKzOa6ZTJbQI_kUCwcRcwBPJFzWA3kNMzU_aopT2bNJ5y7hAGvxdjCPKZvePcI50TfxG5_v3kOV16g/s1600/1188116_9375aa6937_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPVOXmecyv2TKc63LYzXV9lpWuyTDjBrPtR3gmJXCyPm01mmXBtmLR0qRYlxanDJKzOa6ZTJbQI_kUCwcRcwBPJFzWA3kNMzU_aopT2bNJ5y7hAGvxdjCPKZvePcI50TfxG5_v3kOV16g/s1600/1188116_9375aa6937_m.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Try your hand at a light, typically Puglian summer pasta dish</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.charmingitaly.com/summer-recipe/">Spaghetti with Green Beans, Tomatoes and Seasoned Ricotta Cheese</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5a1XM68s4VUjfxSAcPLEurTM02sDNgf01kN5Jeg_Ft-6IPsiWrnFwJB52eVoRBAh-_eJlsX7hqHOMwU47S7u3jWp2z8QCzvMKQwcukx7tkAkb4fexmktAZCjFnykwFeiGzp7EY9GO4mU/s1600/3639728378_1f02b708ca_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5a1XM68s4VUjfxSAcPLEurTM02sDNgf01kN5Jeg_Ft-6IPsiWrnFwJB52eVoRBAh-_eJlsX7hqHOMwU47S7u3jWp2z8QCzvMKQwcukx7tkAkb4fexmktAZCjFnykwFeiGzp7EY9GO4mU/s1600/3639728378_1f02b708ca_m.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Are you brave enough to face Dante's Inferno in the bowels of the earth?</div><div style="text-align: center;">Don't miss the incredible show <a href="http://www.charmingitaly.com/hell-in-the-cave-events-puglia/">Hell in the Cave</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4YKv2IqeUzFNlLJUwqYe8aQqkrO3JZTx6ivzFOpiN7GQHmTH7T8Ihg4NjqiGx_lWcRjMmWd3-cxhZBwgDr69Nb-tXiulLGcVuqxow7UecsWTcrBx_Rp3EaBNZ0FjMDTzzqE5lDivv_CMB/s1600/3159819904_7b9296c076_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4YKv2IqeUzFNlLJUwqYe8aQqkrO3JZTx6ivzFOpiN7GQHmTH7T8Ihg4NjqiGx_lWcRjMmWd3-cxhZBwgDr69Nb-tXiulLGcVuqxow7UecsWTcrBx_Rp3EaBNZ0FjMDTzzqE5lDivv_CMB/s1600/3159819904_7b9296c076_m.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">If all you really want is fun in the sun, look no further than</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.charmingitaly.com/tremiti-islands-puglia/">The Tremiti Islands</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYyINwJj0uIOSlMS8hP8JgFSDfs6mRueczM2anriMvo9Rk6bI9uVLPxk7kea4tkdutFgOkZPAXh1WkV2K-4D18w13D809Aj_0ijGSF9Vi5PmKvni3SsgU46_Cl-eYcr4fPavBdZygDBQT/s1600/6010423471_1bb8360850_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYyINwJj0uIOSlMS8hP8JgFSDfs6mRueczM2anriMvo9Rk6bI9uVLPxk7kea4tkdutFgOkZPAXh1WkV2K-4D18w13D809Aj_0ijGSF9Vi5PmKvni3SsgU46_Cl-eYcr4fPavBdZygDBQT/s1600/6010423471_1bb8360850_m.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">There is so much natural beauty and so much of interest in this fantastic region!</div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-63928147755536108732011-08-03T09:27:00.000+02:002011-08-03T09:27:31.562+02:00Mediterraneo: Way of Life<div style="text-align: center;">My brother-in-law, <a href="http://gaetanogrillo.com/">Gaetano Grillo</a>, is a painter and a sculptor. He is also a professor at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brera_Academy">Brera Academy of Fine Arts</a> in Milan.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83m2EBInuXNK4izFNDuU19OJUKpbIXpCI-Vl5UmXr8pXFAr2Tt-fG5rdz4Ic3KIXBRLf5RLqa1-DQwpCF8t_nhy6R-P-sAX5pjbDcws0lwrTkdxDrEL55y9UWWcrFB60NnlkIbRo3vHa9/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83m2EBInuXNK4izFNDuU19OJUKpbIXpCI-Vl5UmXr8pXFAr2Tt-fG5rdz4Ic3KIXBRLf5RLqa1-DQwpCF8t_nhy6R-P-sAX5pjbDcws0lwrTkdxDrEL55y9UWWcrFB60NnlkIbRo3vHa9/s320/10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEELrwCP04kS8EJW89uRs-qOVcemVQWOGW4crdZGbomNc9dHdOfWHsWT_hsKTEmW3ExXQ7V_uAtsOSWuIwsPbfV4dRkYL3smwz8YVLMRLwn-yqKWMZWSnJMSqJ3W6Rm3XYE5FQXjTPn1V1/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEELrwCP04kS8EJW89uRs-qOVcemVQWOGW4crdZGbomNc9dHdOfWHsWT_hsKTEmW3ExXQ7V_uAtsOSWuIwsPbfV4dRkYL3smwz8YVLMRLwn-yqKWMZWSnJMSqJ3W6Rm3XYE5FQXjTPn1V1/s320/13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">His work focuses on what he calls Mediterraneanism, or the essence of being Mediterranean. That includes not only the colors and the particular light of this area, but also the historical and ongoing comingling of languages, alphabets and cultures.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOyF80gOna26S3N14cbURaiECUkCqwvdudr_ohrFNEBghzkXII0QG3_l-580SwHyPvdthyphenhyphensHYr0Gwex6j97apBFWZJPI4Cp43ld8wtmH2m6nwwngxVDXN5U7-btxo31BdX7Fr0aO-wVi_/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOyF80gOna26S3N14cbURaiECUkCqwvdudr_ohrFNEBghzkXII0QG3_l-580SwHyPvdthyphenhyphensHYr0Gwex6j97apBFWZJPI4Cp43ld8wtmH2m6nwwngxVDXN5U7-btxo31BdX7Fr0aO-wVi_/s320/8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">He currently has a personal exhibit of paintings and ceramics here in our city. We inaugurated the exhibit last Friday and it will be running through the end of the month, so if you happen to be in the neighborhood of <a href="http://maps.google.it/maps?hl=it&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ITIT306&q=molfetta&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x1347f786fb906abf:0x40a72a4808e06c0,Molfetta+BA&gl=it&ei=6Pc4Tu-NAsPFswak5Kgi&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ8gEwAA">Molfetta</a>, feel free to drop on by.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNVzVfHI9PQBZcrsYRBSsOS_1upxEhmzSW7-92TAewO1rmvpiQDisC8893Dpxqe6gWKaBlTl9kW3WtUqa4_Lm06kjWdnXurXZXejjCFqDi8X6kg8E7H8ZLITlr2Whlow2hSaWU-5AD5Mc/s1600/36797900_Ulisse_autunno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNVzVfHI9PQBZcrsYRBSsOS_1upxEhmzSW7-92TAewO1rmvpiQDisC8893Dpxqe6gWKaBlTl9kW3WtUqa4_Lm06kjWdnXurXZXejjCFqDi8X6kg8E7H8ZLITlr2Whlow2hSaWU-5AD5Mc/s1600/36797900_Ulisse_autunno.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">If you can't make it in person, you can always take a peek at more of his work at <a href="http://gaetanogrillo.com/">his website</a>. For now, it's all in Italian. I have translated the whole thing, but no one has gotten around to actually adding the English version to the site. When that happens, I'll give you that link again.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpJuB9ghzkIdJePCrwzHIv2mSWhHeW0l0awvLLOcRKS-QU5TLLI2s6V48FeHSmTF4imm17fLVOLeUAPTFg1LjZOlx6lykpIcdGhliYx19vLmxsS_vhSuNptlHM4HmOyGZWeicIvJgVr_R/s1600/43741986_puglia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpJuB9ghzkIdJePCrwzHIv2mSWhHeW0l0awvLLOcRKS-QU5TLLI2s6V48FeHSmTF4imm17fLVOLeUAPTFg1LjZOlx6lykpIcdGhliYx19vLmxsS_vhSuNptlHM4HmOyGZWeicIvJgVr_R/s1600/43741986_puglia.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-7966597827340051392011-08-01T16:01:00.002+02:002011-08-01T16:14:01.699+02:00LOL 10 Times<div style="text-align: center;">It's <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/2011/monday-listicles-4">Monday Listicles</a> time again! I have to say this weekly appointment with Stasha's lists over at <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/">The Good Life</a> is becoming addictive. I can hardly wait to see what the topic will be each week.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This week anyone who wants to play this game should share 10 times they actually laughed out loud.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Some of these chuckles (actually belly laughs) date way back and some are kind of hard to explain, but I will do my best . . .</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">1. When my personal trainer told me my body was becoming a<br />
"force to be reckoned with"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2vjZ_IRO0nHuY5MbiHLpfKjAbgAXLc2aGgQpyLEUEAPNe0kdjpgQDw26oK58I7etI9PG5GSC1jpKBs3Hr70YwOf8CyppzjlGvPYftYdqHZOexBxMITHiSOOW4ogHplI7XbDGv15-p-bs/s1600/wscap_025_bodybuilder.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2vjZ_IRO0nHuY5MbiHLpfKjAbgAXLc2aGgQpyLEUEAPNe0kdjpgQDw26oK58I7etI9PG5GSC1jpKBs3Hr70YwOf8CyppzjlGvPYftYdqHZOexBxMITHiSOOW4ogHplI7XbDGv15-p-bs/s1600/wscap_025_bodybuilder.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh yeah, I'm tough!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">2. When my very sweet and discreet friend finally cut loose and told me her ex-husband had a little one</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1nGuAmP0J2xPh5A4_8epf2fSmCFnzqAhJYCYSWd8tjFA1Kxo9c-Q6dQcfPkcxHi4PAhzpICC2HQSwaMSFwflJ16qowDsip-UuxuMg6e4WmT7SLoUQxtaetyHNjvkEGVzKHcKxRULd9hH/s1600/small-penis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1nGuAmP0J2xPh5A4_8epf2fSmCFnzqAhJYCYSWd8tjFA1Kxo9c-Q6dQcfPkcxHi4PAhzpICC2HQSwaMSFwflJ16qowDsip-UuxuMg6e4WmT7SLoUQxtaetyHNjvkEGVzKHcKxRULd9hH/s320/small-penis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">3. This one's kind of hard to explain, but here goes . . . in Naples there's a tradition of connecting numbers with a specific meaning. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">"L</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">a smorfia" is a book that details the Neapolitan tradition of interpreting dreams by associating them with numbers and then betting those numbers in the state lottery. (For more info, you can <a href="http://ac-support.europe.umuc.edu/~jmatthew/naples/smorfia.html">click here</a>.) So, the funny part is that my brother-in-law, who has a really bad memory, was telling us a story completely based on the number 69 and how he was sure that number represented "fear." Actually number 90 is "fear," but we had a good laugh teasing him mercilessly of his fear of the number 69!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNDgtLnIX_F7m5DMQz-RDeAkGnq4OIKNpw-4EWYIxxVvtOc5mfC1uM1s4Zu2zb8KkXkU53esybqnxhlwMaKd7nhmjkXLG4X4f44FZCsi2Nig28R086RboQVNgcoCM8XpbPiBpY24YwK2t/s1600/smorfia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNDgtLnIX_F7m5DMQz-RDeAkGnq4OIKNpw-4EWYIxxVvtOc5mfC1uM1s4Zu2zb8KkXkU53esybqnxhlwMaKd7nhmjkXLG4X4f44FZCsi2Nig28R086RboQVNgcoCM8XpbPiBpY24YwK2t/s1600/smorfia.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">4. when my son calmly said LOL instead of actually laughing</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEB27oHkOvFRI5VcKe1GRF4zmTV3rYquG447yRsDEobYjd5U4AnZTQkiX60el9C5dBAyp6skc_D9vvwQ8xrELndCVMVIptcTsJiS2ufrFnse6L7vto1kd7KEarBmw-0o9f_LnPbLH9QLR1/s1600/lol-face.jpg.pagespeed.ce.JO-yskwypc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEB27oHkOvFRI5VcKe1GRF4zmTV3rYquG447yRsDEobYjd5U4AnZTQkiX60el9C5dBAyp6skc_D9vvwQ8xrELndCVMVIptcTsJiS2ufrFnse6L7vto1kd7KEarBmw-0o9f_LnPbLH9QLR1/s320/lol-face.jpg.pagespeed.ce.JO-yskwypc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">5. when I got super-splashed by a passing car after strangely remaining dry through a monsoon storm in Japan. Just when my friends and I thought we were safe . . . a car sped through a puddle and sent a giant wave of water over us and drenched us to the skin. We had scary hair, mascara streaming down our faces and we couldn't stop laughing!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7sS98iCQspYqWEFtwEFG9qIyFnb-15plhfJ2vD-gnyfwfN6YZRYxXFJY5KB8S5jTI83FOAKaVYhKVsGl3Yf97dkezPh4kByJEZnV0QhattQI3Te6E_SDJLv4BFmg2pSwK600i9p2rxb2/s1600/CarSplashNORTH_450x350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7sS98iCQspYqWEFtwEFG9qIyFnb-15plhfJ2vD-gnyfwfN6YZRYxXFJY5KB8S5jTI83FOAKaVYhKVsGl3Yf97dkezPh4kByJEZnV0QhattQI3Te6E_SDJLv4BFmg2pSwK600i9p2rxb2/s320/CarSplashNORTH_450x350.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just like this</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">6. When my parents come to visit, our communication is always a crazy mix of English and bits of Italian. My step-father, in particular, likes trying to pick out Italian words he recognises. Once when Grandpa was playing basketball with my son, D. let fly a minor expletive. Grandpa asked in a puzzled way "porco, what's porco?" (It means pig. If you're really upset you can say "pig dog!") The funny part is the years and years of laughs we have gotten out of my son doing an impression of him.<br />
You'd have to hear it . . .</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUaCbsDwwqwczBLWa8pS7djvk5beQEz9loKuoFye2t8PdA2YLlAyQusBHHaO_Qh4kvNf4d4a8MX-Eg8d577O_L3ftOCT9L8-DFCke09VfluHXW96dK_Diuwp4Fc0tJyXtCcYnnZUZ9Wfl/s1600/porco.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUaCbsDwwqwczBLWa8pS7djvk5beQEz9loKuoFye2t8PdA2YLlAyQusBHHaO_Qh4kvNf4d4a8MX-Eg8d577O_L3ftOCT9L8-DFCke09VfluHXW96dK_Diuwp4Fc0tJyXtCcYnnZUZ9Wfl/s320/porco.gif" width="299" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">7. Trying on identical weird dresses with my best friend at the mall during the sales. There was this one dress that we could not figure out. There we were together in the dressing room, each of us twisting and turning the thing . . . which was the front and which was the back? Either way, large bits of skin were left exposed. We decided that THAT was why it was marked so far down!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sHlB8vyFhdxYFSIw6H7FZr_akWD61GqYY7GYMz7LlbyPg49vgjca1ALe55HRr-kak8lv-w-TtoHG7iIkJo6vuhlPX_Ru9Cmctwolr6WVRqJaxUIWdARoduTwmjreYzkTtfPa5RPgQRqe/s1600/zelda-girls01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sHlB8vyFhdxYFSIw6H7FZr_akWD61GqYY7GYMz7LlbyPg49vgjca1ALe55HRr-kak8lv-w-TtoHG7iIkJo6vuhlPX_Ru9Cmctwolr6WVRqJaxUIWdARoduTwmjreYzkTtfPa5RPgQRqe/s320/zelda-girls01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We should have tried THESE outfits on!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">8. Burger She Wrote </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8XOOdrnrVdK6Xpu_f4NzQi1yIc1juYF86P8Vtt8rG-bENsWaTC8ih8sEediGK_J1Cy4AmseFgbFDoxrTZs3HLVTfV77oIykbZPL5ABKvTSN1AggbRTbAGmI2Q0EYctsjO0CVkOBTgeUc/s1600/burger-she-wrote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8XOOdrnrVdK6Xpu_f4NzQi1yIc1juYF86P8Vtt8rG-bENsWaTC8ih8sEediGK_J1Cy4AmseFgbFDoxrTZs3HLVTfV77oIykbZPL5ABKvTSN1AggbRTbAGmI2Q0EYctsjO0CVkOBTgeUc/s320/burger-she-wrote.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cracked me up . . .</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">9. Again my brother-in-law . . . he's staying with us this summer and his poor memory is a never-ending source of entertainment! He just got back from Corfu, where he swears all the men are called Spiros. Unless they're named Christos. And with his fantastic memory skills he just called everyone Spiros. Which probably got him by just fine most of the time, but apparently the manager of the hotel where he was staying took major offense at being called Spiros. His imitation of Christos protesting, "Again with this Spiros thing!" had us almost literally rolling on the floor.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvBst31LzHlvQYuGvtZSF-6dGMkkmhsoqWOnCqzpoRE6dvXsgMJUcaambztYMGrptpR303vkpJnz6FZBuYCqaPadPf5Bd2ETuPy3L2sNwIlruMkYQ_xqvgShlHTC0rUJ1F5rQW0B-llAG/s1600/6940379-a-cartoon-greek-god-with-an-angry-expression.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvBst31LzHlvQYuGvtZSF-6dGMkkmhsoqWOnCqzpoRE6dvXsgMJUcaambztYMGrptpR303vkpJnz6FZBuYCqaPadPf5Bd2ETuPy3L2sNwIlruMkYQ_xqvgShlHTC0rUJ1F5rQW0B-llAG/s1600/6940379-a-cartoon-greek-god-with-an-angry-expression.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's my name, don't wear it out!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">10. "Ooh Girl," this is an oldie but a guaranteed LOL every time</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Vc8tPTVBRSc?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-35755318284861940122011-07-28T15:00:00.001+02:002011-07-28T15:06:57.497+02:00The Panini Sandwich<div style="text-align: center;">"Panini," in Italian, means "sandwiches." Plural form. More than one. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Imagine how tickled I was when my mother told me she had seen menus in the US offering a: </div><div style="text-align: center;">"Panini Sandwich"! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">A sandwiches sandwich? My favorite kind!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHyGBOv51KS2LNH7jViOnJZBtU4m2rXzUDfsNbrIYG5qhIDsGuF17VUz-FUjRs1OaT39DoWC9mY5MQs99St-jsBmMKwha9rPBJJyx5cg8-nbZX79R-BWON1H_7kMyPbKwRl0mkaaNFWJe/s1600/090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHyGBOv51KS2LNH7jViOnJZBtU4m2rXzUDfsNbrIYG5qhIDsGuF17VUz-FUjRs1OaT39DoWC9mY5MQs99St-jsBmMKwha9rPBJJyx5cg8-nbZX79R-BWON1H_7kMyPbKwRl0mkaaNFWJe/s320/090.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My husband bought three long baguettes at the bakery </div><div style="text-align: center;">- yes, we bought French bread in Italy, we are just SO international, aren't we? - </div><div style="text-align: center;">and decided to make sandwiches for himself and the boys.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CtoI8ICq7UhBgbln8mfXYzxpHhTXos0Te6tWcft0778g6_kL387rnU2aMahqzGlLMvyzvLd_ZGW_yoj3s1TCBTkHAubt-bYPUK_e2rOZHUEH-uf8CXtiAWR1WY8iN4nv_QFOJ1MmC9Fc/s1600/092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CtoI8ICq7UhBgbln8mfXYzxpHhTXos0Te6tWcft0778g6_kL387rnU2aMahqzGlLMvyzvLd_ZGW_yoj3s1TCBTkHAubt-bYPUK_e2rOZHUEH-uf8CXtiAWR1WY8iN4nv_QFOJ1MmC9Fc/s320/092.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Let's see, what do we have in the refridgerator? </div><div style="text-align: center;">A few tomatoes, a little mayo, a layer of ham . . .</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGg1YZa4Zn0mKK6hS9OOG2fScAvGWcGHXhx1ZefYwgLd6EJ5AnRTswELbRzJBs3G8QKbOuzoEhRrwpU1k62wCDyLVAcg3pY5k3tAYaJx2_iCjbuoMFuJ0Ap6voOT3hxB_yU6NzjYflwRH/s1600/096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGg1YZa4Zn0mKK6hS9OOG2fScAvGWcGHXhx1ZefYwgLd6EJ5AnRTswELbRzJBs3G8QKbOuzoEhRrwpU1k62wCDyLVAcg3pY5k3tAYaJx2_iCjbuoMFuJ0Ap6voOT3hxB_yU6NzjYflwRH/s320/096.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Add on some sliced provolone . . .</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0fUZx0BZEDpoqkx4qSdoDscwbvsWqp7F5tfgvHNaAUw32J8OeSjenm87km7G2MqaAOCzLGZiOATJh8NCTMQcdcprqFHLCG-TunQS-dh2pLNPdDrFtITBIFgdwN_aP-WnHDeDw9KHLUJl/s1600/106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0fUZx0BZEDpoqkx4qSdoDscwbvsWqp7F5tfgvHNaAUw32J8OeSjenm87km7G2MqaAOCzLGZiOATJh8NCTMQcdcprqFHLCG-TunQS-dh2pLNPdDrFtITBIFgdwN_aP-WnHDeDw9KHLUJl/s320/106.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Some more mayo and a few pickles for a finishing touch . . .</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzYZ8_Z_OTf8fS0kKgHUFzdi032X4bRXnmCzg5-OrYpwxmPEP2x-IENUw-5_oVrPuzyURpsfQZFbUB-Tn1sDtnQ1uMpZ3Vy6J_d4NJEI5kgD5_B1yiqY05sRWjX_wGsXOd9SJ5hjz01MU/s1600/113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzYZ8_Z_OTf8fS0kKgHUFzdi032X4bRXnmCzg5-OrYpwxmPEP2x-IENUw-5_oVrPuzyURpsfQZFbUB-Tn1sDtnQ1uMpZ3Vy6J_d4NJEI5kgD5_B1yiqY05sRWjX_wGsXOd9SJ5hjz01MU/s1600/113.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">. . . and, presto, lunch is served!</div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-15996414484641650632011-07-26T16:23:00.000+02:002011-07-26T16:23:15.334+02:00Pompeii Red<div style="text-align: center;">Sitting at the breakfast table the other morning, my husband out of the blue said, "I want to paint the wall over the fireplace."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Oh, no, here we go again, I sighed . . . only to myself, I wouldn't want to offend the guy. It's just that every so often he gets this urge to paint something. My kitchen now has blue and yellow walls. He convinced his company to paint their interiors green and orange.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Not that he doesn't have a great sense of style and color. It's just that I don't have "the vision thing." I can never imagine what something is going to look like if you change it. I like things just the way they are, thank you very much. If it's not broken, why fix it? And so on. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">So, I have learned to close my eyes and make the leap of faith. If he thinks it'll be great, it'll probably be great, so I let him paint. The only thing I have learned to put my foot down on is the choice of color. The blue and yellow kitchen was my last act of total blind faith. Live and learn.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">He magnanimously said, "You chose the color. If you're happy, I'm happy." Such a sweet guy. So, what color do I want? Hard to say, when I really kind of like the wall white, just the way it was . . .</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And then it hit me, Pompeii Red, the perfect color to complement our red and brown sofas and red-brown Oriental carpet. Decision made, the man dashed off to the hardware store and immediately came back with a </div><div style="text-align: center;">can of paint labelled "Pompeii Red." </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Perfect!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Until he started painting . . .</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxIWbGAyYtnL-DuDKMa69zz2kQLxPaE44Il1F_A1cET3RLloWcJ9jzlBSpJ64OGXDXsf6AHeZnzdxwJPshh6JUyzUJDmn9rd2Udd7SgQBGQqa4W6Zo9MJLsJJGfarfziB_iRgfQjXlzEa/s1600/008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxIWbGAyYtnL-DuDKMa69zz2kQLxPaE44Il1F_A1cET3RLloWcJ9jzlBSpJ64OGXDXsf6AHeZnzdxwJPshh6JUyzUJDmn9rd2Udd7SgQBGQqa4W6Zo9MJLsJJGfarfziB_iRgfQjXlzEa/s320/008.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pompeii brown maybe . . .</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">That is so not red, it's brown, plain old brown to my eyes.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJxKN3RJ90V7KPk7Cl-Jg9rm1-56Krc2nneBVdCxYEAzcRQUb8wWQXUeEUQ3BtMiBWNodwz-sZzVPStlttXqCte4kKWxZJS5oQFM2WeyS2ph6MReQqMLlly3uydZILFVgiXACf0gMDSGq/s1600/007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJxKN3RJ90V7KPk7Cl-Jg9rm1-56Krc2nneBVdCxYEAzcRQUb8wWQXUeEUQ3BtMiBWNodwz-sZzVPStlttXqCte4kKWxZJS5oQFM2WeyS2ph6MReQqMLlly3uydZILFVgiXACf0gMDSGq/s320/007.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Opinions differ on what shade Pompeii Red actually is. Check out the <a href="http://www.google.it/search?hl=it&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ITIT306&q=pompeii+red&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=3126l3660l2l5098l4l4l0l0l0l0l316l886l0.2.1.1l4&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1280&bih=685&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi">variety here</a>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And so began a day-long paint-mixing experiment. What color would we get if we added a bit of red? Or white? A touch of yellow?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwORHUpgebLgylKQrvO_RFbCF5mAhHV9vjvCzlyYhQTvfE5Pv6ia1wy212baqVdUEhqdLvjG1Bh43oBvF3CD6703Tz_iw-mLmvVL5tSBcrvv_ryNmSyxEnmWlZR-NVtaXY3W63YPZ4rCZT/s1600/011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwORHUpgebLgylKQrvO_RFbCF5mAhHV9vjvCzlyYhQTvfE5Pv6ia1wy212baqVdUEhqdLvjG1Bh43oBvF3CD6703Tz_iw-mLmvVL5tSBcrvv_ryNmSyxEnmWlZR-NVtaXY3W63YPZ4rCZT/s320/011.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Still too dark! I wanted a bright, luminous color, not a dead, flat color.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExykj-wb1sIUvaj0wmUJHY7BcRfZNNfpQ705Xzuohp1topkC2nbhhc-HouCNrNZ9Hc7f_fzBm3JoJZbgSidviG9g6DYIGOKGyI2uYUXN8t9ucnY8Rr_0xGleAq6Va1r-t5WTgdp63p-zX/s1600/019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExykj-wb1sIUvaj0wmUJHY7BcRfZNNfpQ705Xzuohp1topkC2nbhhc-HouCNrNZ9Hc7f_fzBm3JoJZbgSidviG9g6DYIGOKGyI2uYUXN8t9ucnY8Rr_0xGleAq6Va1r-t5WTgdp63p-zX/s320/019.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Finally, we found the perfect blend.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxMuIFsr-rNSViCzIjgKd-YOdvnTB3vekfDRQXjsZrKiqydj3OqiAWhAxlcvOpF0cukMAWJ6mRENoURnfxLfzFXQMKHbefO-50Cjeqg-k0jSB4CQBmby9G_700dunnCDm9PIV__-0AKBj/s1600/023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxMuIFsr-rNSViCzIjgKd-YOdvnTB3vekfDRQXjsZrKiqydj3OqiAWhAxlcvOpF0cukMAWJ6mRENoURnfxLfzFXQMKHbefO-50Cjeqg-k0jSB4CQBmby9G_700dunnCDm9PIV__-0AKBj/s320/023.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The maestro at work.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sB5elqbG10rdbGSfsPX_MpyHzSwDRdmWC14Gw5hYeysHUA_hXKl6b4qWRV2ZOSn7YFMmF04CP6Ba6PCco6lQaY5vksEWbFS3X6ffPmafUy1PL-JgMr1WIYy8m4virD9lJ-EQasroWKHu/s1600/120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sB5elqbG10rdbGSfsPX_MpyHzSwDRdmWC14Gw5hYeysHUA_hXKl6b4qWRV2ZOSn7YFMmF04CP6Ba6PCco6lQaY5vksEWbFS3X6ffPmafUy1PL-JgMr1WIYy8m4virD9lJ-EQasroWKHu/s320/120.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Well? What do you think? Does it work?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzr6zB3Cp3HCZF9Vxfvj0IMCbZj46M2Vn0LwDQ6ZBnCDm6ZNUFxMTtVmybznA_k7Uyq_r8vDYI7arh_utqDKjuciRlZh44tlUqU6Q_r2taRAMLXVIvJqaAxBvMWMxgMftBQyLfWfa0ToF/s1600/054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzr6zB3Cp3HCZF9Vxfvj0IMCbZj46M2Vn0LwDQ6ZBnCDm6ZNUFxMTtVmybznA_k7Uyq_r8vDYI7arh_utqDKjuciRlZh44tlUqU6Q_r2taRAMLXVIvJqaAxBvMWMxgMftBQyLfWfa0ToF/s320/054.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Does it say Pompeii Red to you?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocPbndkxy1S6HDG0_aK-RFgAd6T4n1Qp_A52t-NU6Et4YZwlxfy0PJiK-93QUpvNGMm1pe1LzyhtUVlsWkIHq3Wvs2fAL0OCqrCZOnAsxVw55KDL7-Df-0O9Oi8QtoOKQcJ8_FNQT5Uew/s1600/072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocPbndkxy1S6HDG0_aK-RFgAd6T4n1Qp_A52t-NU6Et4YZwlxfy0PJiK-93QUpvNGMm1pe1LzyhtUVlsWkIHq3Wvs2fAL0OCqrCZOnAsxVw55KDL7-Df-0O9Oi8QtoOKQcJ8_FNQT5Uew/s320/072.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Too much of a good thing is never enough when my husband is painting, so we got a bonus accent wall panel, too.</div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-44968731522348557502011-07-25T23:05:00.002+02:002011-07-25T23:54:15.429+02:0010 Italian Greens<div style="text-align: center;">This week's <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/2011/monday-listicles-3">Listicle</a> list over at <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/">The Good Life</a> asks those who want to play this game to list 10 green things. To add an Italian twist to things I decided to list 10 things that may not be green, but that make reference to the color green . . . in Italian!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Of course, they don't say "green" in Italian, it's "verde." That sounds like the first syllable of the word "very," plus the word "day." So, repeat after me: ver-day!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">1. A common Italian proverb is: "Verde, la speranza mai si perde," or "Green, never lose hope!" </div><div style="text-align: center;">Don't ask me WHY they say this . . . I don't have all the answers!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93L4lxS_wNGVGP0c-wtYO7rXyPvrRZC3z6k3TmBfdIDWMSFms3v9rIdUL3IyYgC9bVYp3972HRMIu72cu0dBMOmr3j0cEYcOoa-Vh2pXAxKsw8HtlC46L95Pz_X_paBYctaTgATg8FIoU/s1600/sfondo-desktop-343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93L4lxS_wNGVGP0c-wtYO7rXyPvrRZC3z6k3TmBfdIDWMSFms3v9rIdUL3IyYgC9bVYp3972HRMIu72cu0dBMOmr3j0cEYcOoa-Vh2pXAxKsw8HtlC46L95Pz_X_paBYctaTgATg8FIoU/s320/sfondo-desktop-343.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This image strikes me as hopeful, I hope you agree.<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">2. Essere al verde = To be broke</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqaVi20u72Eqn4zXep0CIpv36o41U7Dyk9z7NccF2oDZ7eRLdzpI52nFQWUTiqJhHHMzFyaWdV00cf5kMvJYjsfVR9Fulbspln4ZQJ_hfUQoDEunT5qPKjzejFG8xx7JZUkoiyPqJKJXt/s1600/broke-2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqaVi20u72Eqn4zXep0CIpv36o41U7Dyk9z7NccF2oDZ7eRLdzpI52nFQWUTiqJhHHMzFyaWdV00cf5kMvJYjsfVR9Fulbspln4ZQJ_hfUQoDEunT5qPKjzejFG8xx7JZUkoiyPqJKJXt/s1600/broke-2.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An all-too-common situation in Italy these days . . . </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">3. spazio verde = green area (like a park)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYf7sG9snTjxbv1DtHIdLTFN80UjJ4fYagzdWirU-Mx0XXsY_dilfaOryuuX79uVwDmtF1FDNc8EtNGlUXsEOIcpP0CmAxc2SQjzjDEByeeSxd1QjAEX1rS4wNjFyE7HBCaPnskoAZp1Qx/s1600/sf_azienda3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYf7sG9snTjxbv1DtHIdLTFN80UjJ4fYagzdWirU-Mx0XXsY_dilfaOryuuX79uVwDmtF1FDNc8EtNGlUXsEOIcpP0CmAxc2SQjzjDEByeeSxd1QjAEX1rS4wNjFyE7HBCaPnskoAZp1Qx/s320/sf_azienda3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We need more of these in southern Italy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">4. Carlo Verdone = an Italian comic actor, his last name means "dark green"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6J0Hqowz51s3mAd1FmDxtw9wa2p0sOOKOlcpR7Xh2XQPiMqvDdMQioFLKVC_PPbR8mKGK3_ButFSarm2j78TrMR3IWfsJlxaRLlBP5pxWh-tueorsQI9YMpKNQjEx0kBR-5LTzTwAQ8ox/s1600/carlo_verdone_ansa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6J0Hqowz51s3mAd1FmDxtw9wa2p0sOOKOlcpR7Xh2XQPiMqvDdMQioFLKVC_PPbR8mKGK3_ButFSarm2j78TrMR3IWfsJlxaRLlBP5pxWh-tueorsQI9YMpKNQjEx0kBR-5LTzTwAQ8ox/s320/carlo_verdone_ansa.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A face only a mother could love!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">5. Giuseppe Verdi = ok, this is technically cheating cause it's Verdi and not verde, but I like to think of this famous composer as Joe Green</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWhUflUlXRrYWnURQnCjtTomuaXlHvzl-s3YwSNvXvA9xnwx8lzv-Jt85pKZNvGgiw0uxnKS_2ROPqEOYUfy0zSNqBplGMYWxHvtkql-2Sf6ZGLdSdiEutcmCrnnWrQ8Xt-Fqkn6_YggY/s1600/Giuseppe-Verdi-La-Traviata_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWhUflUlXRrYWnURQnCjtTomuaXlHvzl-s3YwSNvXvA9xnwx8lzv-Jt85pKZNvGgiw0uxnKS_2ROPqEOYUfy0zSNqBplGMYWxHvtkql-2Sf6ZGLdSdiEutcmCrnnWrQ8Xt-Fqkn6_YggY/s320/Giuseppe-Verdi-La-Traviata_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What fine moustaches you have, Mr. Green.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">6. sempreverde = evergreen, used for the trees, but also for a timeless person or thing</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipavpdEfaK9ifEQNbq_zAoMd_kSuKybz3ESEzin0hjzUl8oGe2c_-AKOv4ZBWxrPHPTnnnSjbIfYuHexrRweVBPV5ibprdHZFL6pCnPNJBMee_GgJVGg4lXblgErCMDUdzhOhfWWPnUeCg/s1600/OFFERTE-Hotel-Canne-Nonni-270x180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipavpdEfaK9ifEQNbq_zAoMd_kSuKybz3ESEzin0hjzUl8oGe2c_-AKOv4ZBWxrPHPTnnnSjbIfYuHexrRweVBPV5ibprdHZFL6pCnPNJBMee_GgJVGg4lXblgErCMDUdzhOhfWWPnUeCg/s1600/OFFERTE-Hotel-Canne-Nonni-270x180.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love is an evergreen emotion</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">7. Here's another Italian proverb for you: "Tre cose rovinano la famiglia: moglie giovane, legna verde e pane caldo" = "Three things ruin a family: a young wife, green wood and hot bread"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZxpZj6lyp4ijM8DGJbsSwoqvjaGJ963sb7Enxo9O6SOShQIcG1skLftXvrx8qwRr410cPHG69Ns5yvRy-hEDZ-lq_aGIlmxrr5hqeDzcJvlBUq5Xc9ctEKNapkL3fex5XXHusEKVYe76/s1600/3193481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZxpZj6lyp4ijM8DGJbsSwoqvjaGJ963sb7Enxo9O6SOShQIcG1skLftXvrx8qwRr410cPHG69Ns5yvRy-hEDZ-lq_aGIlmxrr5hqeDzcJvlBUq5Xc9ctEKNapkL3fex5XXHusEKVYe76/s320/3193481.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What about a young, green wife made of wood?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">8. The Italian flag is red, white and green (rosso, bianco e verde)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mlNoTKRFG21AbZUD9DRDjCfoOSv__aJ2fQv3hu80o7m4f0MUJZruiVUVufqoWMr3WaS9F5IlZEZwOBI_kkShfyKeTHsJeh-e7uQ1FIcxZMou4HEXGEFW3dhO8RDWu4ibIdDxFEt2NKeS/s1600/made-in-italy-bandiera-italiana-ortofrutta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mlNoTKRFG21AbZUD9DRDjCfoOSv__aJ2fQv3hu80o7m4f0MUJZruiVUVufqoWMr3WaS9F5IlZEZwOBI_kkShfyKeTHsJeh-e7uQ1FIcxZMou4HEXGEFW3dhO8RDWu4ibIdDxFEt2NKeS/s320/made-in-italy-bandiera-italiana-ortofrutta.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Italian flag deliciously reinterpreted</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">9. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Federazione dei </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><em style="font-style: normal;">Verdi = the Italian Green Party, a left-leaning party that promotes issues regarding the environment, ecology and pacifism</em></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</em></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpWNmThCmiUtCKIJ-ec3ht68MhVbfawSxMl7UZA66W2VVwHyJ5vTX5wikp5CgOlyHokd4Auyqa8YTYjHM2A_jaaLRamgmXQ-fqE4bfOhVbImd0jW2XLzZBu_a1EmBxmvL1zfIVcbXJuCI/s1600/Verdi04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpWNmThCmiUtCKIJ-ec3ht68MhVbfawSxMl7UZA66W2VVwHyJ5vTX5wikp5CgOlyHokd4Auyqa8YTYjHM2A_jaaLRamgmXQ-fqE4bfOhVbImd0jW2XLzZBu_a1EmBxmvL1zfIVcbXJuCI/s1600/Verdi04.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty cutesy for a political party, but cheerful!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">10. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">Occhi verdi dell'amore - I saved the best for last . . . this is the title of a song "Green Eyes of Love" sung by I Profeti, a 1960s Italian pop band. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">Never heard of them? I bet you recognise the song, though, if you listen closely . . .</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/U8jWlu0zgqA?rel=0" width="425"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/category/monday-listicles" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.northwestmommy.com/home/Listicle3.jpg" /><br />
</a></div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-46464617508486324702011-07-24T14:26:00.000+02:002011-07-24T14:26:46.146+02:00After the Rain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtmBRB0sZ3rPxfJE1eSkYbEva5M0s4CZurS-0aLUsXeW2cxTiIvJgAFB_ntWWq45kbNrZ2dbyyOBQTSWPRm-fUuM8HujqSq1w-F3ORAcBmTVarKRDYeXbsfnU2GzKDWSYATzUQVuiM93-/s1600/IMG_1572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtmBRB0sZ3rPxfJE1eSkYbEva5M0s4CZurS-0aLUsXeW2cxTiIvJgAFB_ntWWq45kbNrZ2dbyyOBQTSWPRm-fUuM8HujqSq1w-F3ORAcBmTVarKRDYeXbsfnU2GzKDWSYATzUQVuiM93-/s320/IMG_1572.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Yesterday it rained and rained all day. It was actually a nice chance to cool down. </div><div style="text-align: center;">A break from days on end of suffocating heat and blazing sun.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4uQF83dPpvhRjqKmUdQ5HYHHJ-YuTWcC5WuycExKU_mXxi4etqzR8kv2danmwDEkNci-SQte3Ch9JRG76tVBxap9TNs06wwDBcQX85bBZ952GFhW6a2mk1m3CD5q9CUE301AVdP3Rada/s1600/IMG_1579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4uQF83dPpvhRjqKmUdQ5HYHHJ-YuTWcC5WuycExKU_mXxi4etqzR8kv2danmwDEkNci-SQte3Ch9JRG76tVBxap9TNs06wwDBcQX85bBZ952GFhW6a2mk1m3CD5q9CUE301AVdP3Rada/s320/IMG_1579.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">In the late afternoon the sun suddenly came out.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpyybwQcZrYPQ_PrQSgqIkOk0BI2FGpdOftK9nIAFM93FGKVFZtF-06rVcOkd7c0sPVPqA-arF9Kv15LW53nA6_BiGfFcLi6q5fH5Xp9zNKWd48xW8xczbevtIR8mCiq6s0mASirwAQl7/s1600/IMG_1573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpyybwQcZrYPQ_PrQSgqIkOk0BI2FGpdOftK9nIAFM93FGKVFZtF-06rVcOkd7c0sPVPqA-arF9Kv15LW53nA6_BiGfFcLi6q5fH5Xp9zNKWd48xW8xczbevtIR8mCiq6s0mASirwAQl7/s320/IMG_1573.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The perfect time to go for a swim in the sea. </div><div style="text-align: center;">At sunset, after a rainy day . . . you are guaranteed to have the beach all to yourself.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9BncOlJiYEF9Z2BPh9KaXxhdsyzK0JtU-lwXmLsX8hVk-alnrSe7WTHUx82RgFP9av2-4SFytYEijGu8A9Xcit011VZSxm-zKzUbuJwy1g3o1re3Ywc-C8E8tEN_6-FUfJSWUBIpnEY2/s1600/IMG_1584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9BncOlJiYEF9Z2BPh9KaXxhdsyzK0JtU-lwXmLsX8hVk-alnrSe7WTHUx82RgFP9av2-4SFytYEijGu8A9Xcit011VZSxm-zKzUbuJwy1g3o1re3Ywc-C8E8tEN_6-FUfJSWUBIpnEY2/s320/IMG_1584.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">A moment for true connoisseurs.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJnbS_cYzFhkGt-8UVeOduXsaKimdAQgIVUTC3Q3jWpx2tYJ9cbKF8tu8n6J2-JWGWXhzR-9tST7JpDwCvOj5kizzV1GA6H6KhLA8nUj2m2W6iNHwC6_fsNhEYQPVQkoeDCPs5HQSrGEB/s1600/IMG_1587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJnbS_cYzFhkGt-8UVeOduXsaKimdAQgIVUTC3Q3jWpx2tYJ9cbKF8tu8n6J2-JWGWXhzR-9tST7JpDwCvOj5kizzV1GA6H6KhLA8nUj2m2W6iNHwC6_fsNhEYQPVQkoeDCPs5HQSrGEB/s320/IMG_1587.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And connoisseurs in training . . .</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_V-sbkTVg-jerUbvGFcqBeau0kNpbD65ILqpULj0rVuEgPJxRFZ_PMNaqMa3mh6St_MxfC-K3O6UM_Km62vktQ2Ml2ZsllfBC7842tPTWup85VBSiSdAV48rf1gpPgpAal-I4saKUofnq/s1600/IMG_1581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_V-sbkTVg-jerUbvGFcqBeau0kNpbD65ILqpULj0rVuEgPJxRFZ_PMNaqMa3mh6St_MxfC-K3O6UM_Km62vktQ2Ml2ZsllfBC7842tPTWup85VBSiSdAV48rf1gpPgpAal-I4saKUofnq/s320/IMG_1581.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-35102730301089328962011-07-22T11:46:00.001+02:002011-07-22T11:47:39.472+02:00'Tis the Season<div style="text-align: center;">I have to share a secret with you . . . shhh, don't tell anyone, it's actually quite embarrassing . . . but when I first arrived in Italy, I had no idea that vegetables had a season. I know, pretty pitiful. And, I was an adult when I moved here. Like 28. Not a clueless little child or an irresponsible teen, but a grownup who had been cooking for herself for years. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">So, what was wrong with me? Obviously, a large part of it was that I wasn't paying any attention whatsoever to the natural rhythms of the earth . . . and all that. I have always been a city girl. The kind who thinks milk creates itself spontaneously in a cartoon and that eggs come from the egg factory.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Well, not really that bad, but almost.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The fact of the matter is that having grown up in the US, I was accustomed to going to the supermarket and buying just about whatever fruits or vegetables my heart desired at whatever time of the year that urge hit me. If it wasn't in season in my area, it was surely in season somewhere else in the world and had been shipped in for my convenience.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">When I first arrived in this small provincial city in southern Italy some 20 years ago, there were no large supermarkets. At all. None. Oh, they had places they called "supermarkets," but there was very little "super" about them. They were tiny little claustrophobic spaces with three, maybe four, overcrowded lanes you could barely push your child's toy of a cart through . . . and a very limited selection of produce.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The place to buy your veggies here is at the fruttivendola, your greengrocer. These can range from a smallish hole in the wall to a chair outside someone's front door on which they have set the offerings from their plot of land out in the countryside.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBD4uSCqSIVWTqejuOokLsCUcViryEJ-aMgqCThs-RLI5Rn1YzdBVsVC494RKPrHZISm_mw4uXFmvsdV9S_i-9VUO2yUmky5XDF8R1oj7FldrOg7dIXBvjGr9v6ckqK-L-h5T8Mr4-uWJ/s1600/ortolana" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBD4uSCqSIVWTqejuOokLsCUcViryEJ-aMgqCThs-RLI5Rn1YzdBVsVC494RKPrHZISm_mw4uXFmvsdV9S_i-9VUO2yUmky5XDF8R1oj7FldrOg7dIXBvjGr9v6ckqK-L-h5T8Mr4-uWJ/s320/ortolana" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No genetically modified food here!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">When you see a set-up like this, you know that food is fresh! Fresh, yes, but it's a rather limited selection. If your heart's desire is asparagus, but asparagus season has passed, you're just out of luck, aren't you?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">That's why I have learned to cook with what's in season. It makes more sense to eat what's locally available, freshly picked from the fields, anyway. Better for you, too, I'm sure.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">So, what's in season here in Puglia right now? Green beans! I've got a fast and easy pasta recipe for you over on <a href="http://www.charmingitaly.com/summer-recipe/">Charming Italy</a>. All you need to do is throw some green beans, cherry tomatoes and seasoned ricotta onto your spaghetti and you'll have yourself a fresh, light and delicious Italian meal.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWBDECZT216LIE7GEJZgt66tJZiV82qGlEgZyLGmqyn-fPdZfXW_SsM9kEbob2RpiXXyrEK1K97BizOXtumMmm8aOZAa3YNwY_O0k51daUbY_KuIZNv-_jV65Do_gzbBF4zSXySEATtQ3/s1600/foto13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWBDECZT216LIE7GEJZgt66tJZiV82qGlEgZyLGmqyn-fPdZfXW_SsM9kEbob2RpiXXyrEK1K97BizOXtumMmm8aOZAa3YNwY_O0k51daUbY_KuIZNv-_jV65Do_gzbBF4zSXySEATtQ3/s320/foto13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.charmingitaly.com/summer-recipe/">Try it</a> and let me know what you think, ok?</div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-22177283867227950512011-07-21T15:56:00.001+02:002011-07-21T23:58:55.701+02:00Men at Play, 2<div style="text-align: center;">Day Two of my husband and younger son's road trip started bright and early, after a violently windy night during which they didn't get much sleep for fear that the tent was going to blow away - with them in it!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOru9CzUOkgNKZYP_aXlbRir_oeyctTrTB_ZLEuiAlWh0U1gbvAAQGRuWyl2HI0JaDmQq5i4XQqxuFQ5fturrmr6_JOe6Vq1Iunsos6mH5xe1weYpfA_s2sndnJ8StF4X5BNqH_0R3Sl1m/s1600/CIMG7589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOru9CzUOkgNKZYP_aXlbRir_oeyctTrTB_ZLEuiAlWh0U1gbvAAQGRuWyl2HI0JaDmQq5i4XQqxuFQ5fturrmr6_JOe6Vq1Iunsos6mH5xe1weYpfA_s2sndnJ8StF4X5BNqH_0R3Sl1m/s320/CIMG7589.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is it safe to come out now?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But things started looking a lot brighter after their morning consitutional . . . and a big cappucino and cream-filled cornetto at the bar. Italian campgrounds are fully equipped set-ups with coffee bars, mini-markets, deluxe (ha!) exercise centers like the one below, restaurants, you name it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsC9K2TUPENPTcliSM_pMrVwrMx2wqzLFcBDxiHuA3uUJ67YwxzP52rJ7vOmHlRUleIvkQKZoa61AEQ52F5FcCNf1njaXV3b_9hv5sPNfjfOU1veFDai_ecnr8-vaeHWzRfLA4DZCXbV3Q/s1600/CIMG7591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsC9K2TUPENPTcliSM_pMrVwrMx2wqzLFcBDxiHuA3uUJ67YwxzP52rJ7vOmHlRUleIvkQKZoa61AEQ52F5FcCNf1njaXV3b_9hv5sPNfjfOU1veFDai_ecnr8-vaeHWzRfLA4DZCXbV3Q/s320/CIMG7591.JPG" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One, two, one, two . . .</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On to the serious business of the day . . . beach time! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Getting up early has its benefits, you get the whole beach to yourself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mCWrvb3QV_ku6_acXUmDIdthhHi0nbhhxNDWWxUnwcYVI_Scn2gewiNBodKzbWRPP81Igpz2CCrKfCzgk8GdyA7U0PyXG5fjsyj6Af28clhCRVHhNzp3n0Dcrc21hnttTPd1zcjE-0Fx/s1600/CIMG7596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mCWrvb3QV_ku6_acXUmDIdthhHi0nbhhxNDWWxUnwcYVI_Scn2gewiNBodKzbWRPP81Igpz2CCrKfCzgk8GdyA7U0PyXG5fjsyj6Af28clhCRVHhNzp3n0Dcrc21hnttTPd1zcjE-0Fx/s320/CIMG7596.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These stones are mine, all mine!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">This beach is called Baia delle Zagare, or Orange Blossom Bay. What looks like sand is actually millions of small, smooth pebbles that lie from the sea's crystal clear waters all the way up to the sheer white cliffs that border the beach.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhY4nlJpGI79yFH4S_UhJRT4xLezOIhUyvA037TSD778xnucUU1uY2_C0MQ2W_LuQwj92EWdAp6D3Avv7OShnmEAVeGRg2tVpBmenamTKtP9hwRJx4E_1dRKtYLLAzsglRuQPFwh4qIRi/s1600/CIMG7599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhY4nlJpGI79yFH4S_UhJRT4xLezOIhUyvA037TSD778xnucUU1uY2_C0MQ2W_LuQwj92EWdAp6D3Avv7OShnmEAVeGRg2tVpBmenamTKtP9hwRJx4E_1dRKtYLLAzsglRuQPFwh4qIRi/s320/CIMG7599.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
This paradise is located at <a href="http://www.google.it/search?q=vignanotica&hl=it&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ITIT306&biw=1280&bih=709&prmd=ivnsm&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=-y0oTva9JpDbsgbXzfGxCQ&ved=0CDQQsAQ">Vignanotica</a>, on the Gargano peninsula.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6iUtw_poVvzkgWu-46mMEJAjPnwL-2WCWKkJD0_wyTd9tvtho2bb7Ovnhaj1mEKYuBHvOjm5aUk3qij1bR9FOi12-AjneTTvClg0LdFV62MG7WCWyvCVqoyMpeuxEIq5J7740U8GmtO7/s1600/CIMG7603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6iUtw_poVvzkgWu-46mMEJAjPnwL-2WCWKkJD0_wyTd9tvtho2bb7Ovnhaj1mEKYuBHvOjm5aUk3qij1bR9FOi12-AjneTTvClg0LdFV62MG7WCWyvCVqoyMpeuxEIq5J7740U8GmtO7/s320/CIMG7603.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
G. spent all his time face down in the water, snorkling around for hours on end. He tells me he was looking at the pebbles, but when I asked him if he saw any fish he replied indifferently, "oh yeah, there were tons of fish." Fish - how dull. Rocks - thrilling! I've obviously got my priorities all wrong . . .<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-De5aS974SYcnc3SOnMj2RmNTZ9tzRUdE5Ujm9jwbSilGHT_AxDyFGcz8rR_4ExlncWwrgXAKaGVJVMfj6UQTS0YeLjhLNKSFPHaG10scUz1NE-x8M2lKR0pHn51GwqJlMVUIJKNNg3T/s1600/CIMG7606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-De5aS974SYcnc3SOnMj2RmNTZ9tzRUdE5Ujm9jwbSilGHT_AxDyFGcz8rR_4ExlncWwrgXAKaGVJVMfj6UQTS0YeLjhLNKSFPHaG10scUz1NE-x8M2lKR0pHn51GwqJlMVUIJKNNg3T/s320/CIMG7606.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
All in all, two idyllic days that won't soon be forgotten.</div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-54680983873149552502011-07-20T20:54:00.001+02:002011-07-21T07:28:22.710+02:00Men at Play<div style="text-align: center;">My husband and younger son just got back from a two-day father and son adventure. They took off yesterday morning on the motorcycle for a trip to the Gargano peninsula - the spur on the heel of the Italian boot.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiif9PBT68llR_uelC5w-2qBm7L0kTA6pTY1pJJvGaG3MHK1P9vVvxMIG2rVX6eDzVxbmQAj11zGpD4daEenMzN2yba5DFvzqSzXxoVChQX0cHdtUsFsuWLcLCK4cqcfSCFgL7lDZqwEFN-/s1600/CIMG7570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiif9PBT68llR_uelC5w-2qBm7L0kTA6pTY1pJJvGaG3MHK1P9vVvxMIG2rVX6eDzVxbmQAj11zGpD4daEenMzN2yba5DFvzqSzXxoVChQX0cHdtUsFsuWLcLCK4cqcfSCFgL7lDZqwEFN-/s320/CIMG7570.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to roll!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">First stop was in the small town of <a href="http://en.comuni-italiani.it/071/064/">Zaponeta </a>for "the best <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focaccia">focaccia </a>in the world," according to G.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTR_kyHV53ugLLue2CHL6_nvnu9XvtyDNMrv92qm4EgfFuu7WdaVE-hDLRd1dRJxW078Owmopi5Rx70jtMBYbIQu4pHRk_JdIghFZ7F4Sie5kVNCXVbV34BcZ38t1BH4fIg0E6AoKQwysf/s1600/IMG_1492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTR_kyHV53ugLLue2CHL6_nvnu9XvtyDNMrv92qm4EgfFuu7WdaVE-hDLRd1dRJxW078Owmopi5Rx70jtMBYbIQu4pHRk_JdIghFZ7F4Sie5kVNCXVbV34BcZ38t1BH4fIg0E6AoKQwysf/s320/IMG_1492.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yum!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">Then a detour to the waterpark . . . G forgot his bathing suit at home. Good thing they're both guys and somebody brought an extra suit!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0W5waW1yPi57Q_FLtApNcnspie0YWM-ohRILe4EAB6cQUQQWWuZtSNE1qeCncfWEQ2IB7R_MTbfDbcTF28qMDfQilvB6I1u5m7DKwYks1ES9fHiRGnLZ_E-x1uk56_5bn_3t8KpgPTS5h/s1600/IMG_1495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0W5waW1yPi57Q_FLtApNcnspie0YWM-ohRILe4EAB6cQUQQWWuZtSNE1qeCncfWEQ2IB7R_MTbfDbcTF28qMDfQilvB6I1u5m7DKwYks1ES9fHiRGnLZ_E-x1uk56_5bn_3t8KpgPTS5h/s320/IMG_1495.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">A stopover at Caseificio dei Pini, where they make mozzarella from buffalo milk, is an absolute must.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl67CkVTtof1qUZYaT86r_AVEhWzmETrVNfOS5GF_j-tNWTrlAzZmWo6GArwEfmwVyLwGRN27uqK2LanK5TMX79aBxIiC7MB38rMRu16k2Z30tHWJEt_g6e6rFxkK0PS0EO5MKHrYaVO1P/s1600/CIMG7572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl67CkVTtof1qUZYaT86r_AVEhWzmETrVNfOS5GF_j-tNWTrlAzZmWo6GArwEfmwVyLwGRN27uqK2LanK5TMX79aBxIiC7MB38rMRu16k2Z30tHWJEt_g6e6rFxkK0PS0EO5MKHrYaVO1P/s320/CIMG7572.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A man and his motorcycle</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> Then finally, arrival at destination and a well-deserved dip in the sea.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yZyqDa3Xe3GQFqezhJSt5Bgfdaa_RRfAdBV-RWF5CrbpPCE6J1g4cCtSt__cL_OX2btukLSvUVWRhSTOiBdYFd_lBAHHLtBrpRYmul3iudwXVlQkVzkUAtIJpRKbETUTOJi0ZQQ_31uM/s1600/CIMG7578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yZyqDa3Xe3GQFqezhJSt5Bgfdaa_RRfAdBV-RWF5CrbpPCE6J1g4cCtSt__cL_OX2btukLSvUVWRhSTOiBdYFd_lBAHHLtBrpRYmul3iudwXVlQkVzkUAtIJpRKbETUTOJi0ZQQ_31uM/s320/CIMG7578.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">See you back here tomorrow for photos of the gorgeous beach scenery and the rather less than gorgeous campsite.</div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-68950830093618495502011-07-18T16:29:00.001+02:002011-07-18T16:33:00.082+02:0010 Words I Could Live Without<div style="text-align: center;">Words are my thing. I teach writing and I translate, so basically my brain is always working in, around, with, over, under and through the world of words. I spend my day thinking about gripping issues, such as: how could I say that better? differently? in Italian? in formal English? more colloquially? more colorfully? Could I use this turn of phrase? or would another be better? I like to play with words, rhyme words, make puns, invent nonsense words. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Basically, I love words!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">So just for fun, I'm linking up with <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/">The Good Life</a>'s <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/category/monday-listicles">Monday Listicles</a> because today's challenge is to list your 10 least favorite words. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">How can you not like a word? It's just a word, right? What you really don't like is the meaning that the word communicates . . . the concept that the word represents. Words are basically just a bunch of letters hanging out together, but there are a lot of concepts that I could live without.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">In no particular order . . .</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">1. Narrow-minded</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4TetRcOCtUsugoDOICBL1h8bT0dhnYBmM6yS5vaLwxT04zN6YZaesthT84V4sunKZXhKGul4c8JeZmi546-D2Oa0XS8X6CGeosOndEBK2-IcddDwDZRkgL0A0Qtjw3wzjlekvtPxElqv/s1600/9122%257ELaLaLa-I-Can-t-Hear-You-Posters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4TetRcOCtUsugoDOICBL1h8bT0dhnYBmM6yS5vaLwxT04zN6YZaesthT84V4sunKZXhKGul4c8JeZmi546-D2Oa0XS8X6CGeosOndEBK2-IcddDwDZRkgL0A0Qtjw3wzjlekvtPxElqv/s320/9122%257ELaLaLa-I-Can-t-Hear-You-Posters.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">2. Ugly</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlHwJW1n_Vyw4ql1m88N_bXKdRKNj0Cp3CAuE3vC1jN3rkg-vQUd845LRz97PFJhTOmKtGURA2VFRnF_67JIT_XK7vu6xNA0xe4QYVjpA_rO4HkE5w-12PyuVsWatXavAr3Q5GOCkPpP6/s1600/th_butt_ugly.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlHwJW1n_Vyw4ql1m88N_bXKdRKNj0Cp3CAuE3vC1jN3rkg-vQUd845LRz97PFJhTOmKtGURA2VFRnF_67JIT_XK7vu6xNA0xe4QYVjpA_rO4HkE5w-12PyuVsWatXavAr3Q5GOCkPpP6/s1600/th_butt_ugly.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">3. Disrespect</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUB0orHb0vjuEBEBsUafgn46Qf8pjffTr-zPtDM_duWQbLaiqDPRabYVWIXpV9PSg7A6LSQHgouhVSlW4BJ9_BzsroHyUrk2KYAiaxytTdehRtE7-qESpwI2PcKjeddyLymQ0TWBd1x-Jw/s1600/no_more_disrespect_tm_t_shirt-p235021039303034305ogxj_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUB0orHb0vjuEBEBsUafgn46Qf8pjffTr-zPtDM_duWQbLaiqDPRabYVWIXpV9PSg7A6LSQHgouhVSlW4BJ9_BzsroHyUrk2KYAiaxytTdehRtE7-qESpwI2PcKjeddyLymQ0TWBd1x-Jw/s320/no_more_disrespect_tm_t_shirt-p235021039303034305ogxj_400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">4. Violence</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNK-zvvxk-oASHmUNm88PuLUXS2HB1Rgxc3vwkhGkXNmUp8egHA-bljiIymUavrtCcRNq4zIe9O62t_T7Q_-xdoFglLHQcxDjQYqkvI9ZnnaoAaV2MQ4b4TJRX-zEeHtcxqIQrpj47dx_/s1600/Article319418_21-no-violence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNK-zvvxk-oASHmUNm88PuLUXS2HB1Rgxc3vwkhGkXNmUp8egHA-bljiIymUavrtCcRNq4zIe9O62t_T7Q_-xdoFglLHQcxDjQYqkvI9ZnnaoAaV2MQ4b4TJRX-zEeHtcxqIQrpj47dx_/s320/Article319418_21-no-violence.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">5. Rudeness</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuUC01xvaB0AcUVAMBvt8RClG_CN82wfth4I5V8OZOdiHWU5J9osjdzAY2v2XsPkdBVMSgK_jeAxk4bmrlJq8uTx6_1VLMEn97unA9CDIlmNxhDRUGDjxVNotYLmDnG6skf7HbBiAGq2a/s1600/mrrude-bogoff1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuUC01xvaB0AcUVAMBvt8RClG_CN82wfth4I5V8OZOdiHWU5J9osjdzAY2v2XsPkdBVMSgK_jeAxk4bmrlJq8uTx6_1VLMEn97unA9CDIlmNxhDRUGDjxVNotYLmDnG6skf7HbBiAGq2a/s320/mrrude-bogoff1.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">6. Dictator</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAsnI2UzoePD0ylsh-qsXmRk20BkjYIEQiII-jZA72mAhVmb8aB7juPMeVUd6Qx63itrDBWWo17pBI0x-rLber1zaJEK-wKZcAKBv1UsnvyXl9zq7hnlGENOqfxDATI4Ugs0S7Gl9TXOT/s1600/oneway_dictator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAsnI2UzoePD0ylsh-qsXmRk20BkjYIEQiII-jZA72mAhVmb8aB7juPMeVUd6Qx63itrDBWWo17pBI0x-rLber1zaJEK-wKZcAKBv1UsnvyXl9zq7hnlGENOqfxDATI4Ugs0S7Gl9TXOT/s320/oneway_dictator.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">7. Hate</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrZwjJ3sQHhjKE192asLHMQG9jIbks6I8uXO8mjlIfXgPEovfim5DWtPjLDbHuWsf4x2wFsUFWvLKWW8M5N0Br1wSiN5pEYZqhpZCi0jbp5L1RbUhGrpGai3Lv3gQMVDpf1v7GqAobQLj/s1600/I_hate_u__by_purplerainistaken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrZwjJ3sQHhjKE192asLHMQG9jIbks6I8uXO8mjlIfXgPEovfim5DWtPjLDbHuWsf4x2wFsUFWvLKWW8M5N0Br1wSiN5pEYZqhpZCi0jbp5L1RbUhGrpGai3Lv3gQMVDpf1v7GqAobQLj/s320/I_hate_u__by_purplerainistaken.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">8. Fear</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVf9tPVCrtj2-Sk8w0PH65VogF-LD3tTMW-DoDpP9o7eCfCx7EaLQvLycWUV6bqG3QeQ9-N8fMBvIeAZSClBlYjqm9_qV6gFmk6Rlq0qQsmsF6g9d2gZNBZFH5pAgLzni-9wRw-wf6l-yd/s1600/fear.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVf9tPVCrtj2-Sk8w0PH65VogF-LD3tTMW-DoDpP9o7eCfCx7EaLQvLycWUV6bqG3QeQ9-N8fMBvIeAZSClBlYjqm9_qV6gFmk6Rlq0qQsmsF6g9d2gZNBZFH5pAgLzni-9wRw-wf6l-yd/s320/fear.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">9. Incompetence</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFhc3aoKEwEVYeYWaiOvFtR2T93YBnayknSTLF9YC5wEmK7bKdSWS5USwBGm5ZHw7RWVNCyxulRwOuHxYYqsZcBM0PXdVrpQpmzaapaOa-Nv970pGGPeF1GJZfFueRoldcPR0M2o1mBl-/s1600/incompetence.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFhc3aoKEwEVYeYWaiOvFtR2T93YBnayknSTLF9YC5wEmK7bKdSWS5USwBGm5ZHw7RWVNCyxulRwOuHxYYqsZcBM0PXdVrpQpmzaapaOa-Nv970pGGPeF1GJZfFueRoldcPR0M2o1mBl-/s320/incompetence.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">10. Conformity</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigHNxAeqPjNhubFcdHe6U8CFdo__7ZklPgABZ0zVmKnIV_Vvq29xP4npl-nyawSu-D35QMAiGsiD6UzyJC9mkJbkjXxlf4MJSyrvCZYTR9Qco6tUGhaxpfrjiRgI917yLTIwn2H9uDybD/s1600/conformity_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigHNxAeqPjNhubFcdHe6U8CFdo__7ZklPgABZ0zVmKnIV_Vvq29xP4npl-nyawSu-D35QMAiGsiD6UzyJC9mkJbkjXxlf4MJSyrvCZYTR9Qco6tUGhaxpfrjiRgI917yLTIwn2H9uDybD/s320/conformity_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Stop by <a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/category/monday-listicles">The Good Life</a> to check out the words other bloggers can't stand.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.northwestmommy.com/category/monday-listicles.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.northwestmommy.com/home/Listicle3.jpg" /><br />
<br />
</a></div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-30384054845367144192011-07-17T16:27:00.008+02:002011-07-17T17:40:42.143+02:00Please don't Sneeze<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN-YPvoHn5_pbxgb4z4yDBXTPiL3G7eI44-7uNwabjBHWUR10FsUiAU-bnzE_6Gi6ehUfESh-pVX4wcyVsemx8-7UfofS9lFD2pkBvo5iUERi35UOXZTZddKuC7gJtv7Y4gasg4trOPDDm/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN-YPvoHn5_pbxgb4z4yDBXTPiL3G7eI44-7uNwabjBHWUR10FsUiAU-bnzE_6Gi6ehUfESh-pVX4wcyVsemx8-7UfofS9lFD2pkBvo5iUERi35UOXZTZddKuC7gJtv7Y4gasg4trOPDDm/s320/031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fuzzy sneezy family</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This week I had the honor of being interviewed on <a href="http://www.allerlife.com/">Samantha B: Living Allergy Free</a>, a blog for and about people who live with various allergies. In the interview I talk about both my own allergies and those of my younger son, and the effect they have on our lives.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;"><b><i>Samantha B: Where are you from, who in your family has allergies, how old are they, and what are they allergic to?</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 20px;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Saretta: Hi, my name is Saretta! I'm an American living in Italy with my Italian husband and two very Italian sons. I am the only one with “official” allergies in this family. I'm allergic to dust, olive tree flowers, feathers, cypress trees, wild grasses . . . and just about any other pollen that might float by! Besides that I am both gluten and lactose intolerant, which means I can have no contact with wheat or dairy products.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>My younger son, age 11, has atopic dermatitis, a form of eczema that has been linked to food allergies. He has tested sensitive to mollusks, peaches and apricots, and hazelnuts and walnuts, but luckily does not risk a violent allergic reaction.</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">To read more, hop on over to <a href="http://www.allerlife.com/">Samantha B: Living Peanut Free</a>.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Hope you have a fun and allergy-free Sunday!</div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-26913217308756172082011-07-16T18:56:00.001+02:002011-07-16T18:57:27.921+02:00Dinner is Served<div style="text-align: center;">This morning on the radio the dj was talking about a survey that claims Italians no longer sit down to a full multiple course meal daily. Is this possible? Are we talking about Italy?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxbZ7S49JjDm2FtY59RWK_W9Xqp3uVF6ke5NLE_AqauJcr1YL69MTObefRLy-V5W5aMTi5Fs1bh81jCGWL83zRjraF8AwnYLoaiXVSDimaVjQXka8dSK1_fQ1A-Or9AlNot0ikc-Jegpf/s1600/Foto050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxbZ7S49JjDm2FtY59RWK_W9Xqp3uVF6ke5NLE_AqauJcr1YL69MTObefRLy-V5W5aMTi5Fs1bh81jCGWL83zRjraF8AwnYLoaiXVSDimaVjQXka8dSK1_fQ1A-Or9AlNot0ikc-Jegpf/s320/Foto050.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The basic traditional meal is typically at least this:</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">1. First course (pasta, rice or soup)</div><div style="text-align: center;">2. Second course (meat or cheese)</div><div style="text-align: center;">3. Side dish (salad, cooked or raw vegetables)</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">On special occasions (like Sunday lunch, a birthday or a holiday) you would add an appetizer, possibly a cheese course, fruit and dessert. Here in Puglia you wouldn't want to forget to start off the whole meal with a course of locally fished raw mollusks: mussels, oysters, clams, limpets, etc.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96bNeIq5GtQnZG8uobFAc3aXFWiER2kqeRUKGOn9IlxNWECUxDyCpNejmGBMf4oKoP-U7aXP_-mqzHY9qXB5kFFZDyLH-AxiyPHAMBLuqLHie6AD0I2L2mvQ0fuhmyvKQ50s_1q5lonLK/s1600/ponza_vitielloarturo_21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96bNeIq5GtQnZG8uobFAc3aXFWiER2kqeRUKGOn9IlxNWECUxDyCpNejmGBMf4oKoP-U7aXP_-mqzHY9qXB5kFFZDyLH-AxiyPHAMBLuqLHie6AD0I2L2mvQ0fuhmyvKQ50s_1q5lonLK/s320/ponza_vitielloarturo_21.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I am surprised to hear that this tradition is fading away and have to wonder where the people who were surveyed live. Not in Puglia, not in the Puglia I know, anyway. Here, eating is a tradition, the number one way of socializing, and almost a competitive sport. Yes, competitive.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The women, but not only, lots of men I know love to cook, try to outdo each other with their version of traditional recipes. When eating with friends, more is always better. People bring so much food that you would think a small army was being provisioned. And yet, somehow, at the end of lunch, it's always all gone...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MhvdjrasB73VjksfRFAH2r5oNE5PJ5nbpT1F2Uj0WHnS77iK17kQW1XJK_ReqmyTIiS12XGpU14-dmJ6u-P8fupbR-o1EaCmzcLx9cBQSTXjiWVFicVZwI2s3dxULOm7EeIhoXHHlqtK/s1600/amaseno_popollaannalisa_16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MhvdjrasB73VjksfRFAH2r5oNE5PJ5nbpT1F2Uj0WHnS77iK17kQW1XJK_ReqmyTIiS12XGpU14-dmJ6u-P8fupbR-o1EaCmzcLx9cBQSTXjiWVFicVZwI2s3dxULOm7EeIhoXHHlqtK/s320/amaseno_popollaannalisa_16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">People who don't eat everything, like me, are viewed with suspicion. What do you mean you don't want any more? What? You didn't like it? What do you mean you're full? There's always room for more. Even the quantity of consumption becomes competitive.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My husband and sons and I eat lunch together every day. Lunch for us is of the basic three course variety: first course, second course and side dish. If one of these elements is missing, my older son in particular gets rather upset...well, he is a growing 14 year old. He has a fair excuse. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPm2FdUmSSq4eArjZG4lgSQ674M03Nc0xtVmCZ3TeWC3mUzVeIHCGA0c1eoWNuN6jQ_THGKqGh5mBg_j9Qh25Zmn0Dc9ObspRK-XyAIL0jzyG9ksmauqlMdz-564SMd5AKsZwBQrn3LbdN/s1600/famiglia+nania+6-3-1957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPm2FdUmSSq4eArjZG4lgSQ674M03Nc0xtVmCZ3TeWC3mUzVeIHCGA0c1eoWNuN6jQ_THGKqGh5mBg_j9Qh25Zmn0Dc9ObspRK-XyAIL0jzyG9ksmauqlMdz-564SMd5AKsZwBQrn3LbdN/s320/famiglia+nania+6-3-1957.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">All the people I know eat this way. Together, sitting down at the table, set with a tablecloth. Seems like a pity to lose such a pleasant tradition.</div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-40428113835708488262011-07-15T09:55:00.000+02:002011-07-15T09:55:10.062+02:00Iron Woman<div style="text-align: center;">What would you choose to do on a day when the temperatures are soaring up to 104° with 85% humidity? Lying in a bathtub filled with ice cubes comes to mind. Relaxing on a Roman-style couch while your slaves fan you and feed you chilled grapes might be nice.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnKbb4bIYyTJzEsl8g-D6CdlL4R_or8c8oKzmXsh8CcMDFLaVl5EhJwpRxZ5MxebJcTr9n0hyphenhyphenAXD5oeXG9n_pRd0JGts4xeWQc-Ef_o81w2DA-pChfeh5Lr3PtLpVlsgOkNSDnm5EVsjf/s1600/feminine+woman+reclining.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnKbb4bIYyTJzEsl8g-D6CdlL4R_or8c8oKzmXsh8CcMDFLaVl5EhJwpRxZ5MxebJcTr9n0hyphenhyphenAXD5oeXG9n_pRd0JGts4xeWQc-Ef_o81w2DA-pChfeh5Lr3PtLpVlsgOkNSDnm5EVsjf/s1600/feminine+woman+reclining.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">But no, I have to iron.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I know, I know, you're going to ask me "why bother?" You'll say "put it off for another day" or even "don't do it at all." I hear you. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">It just doesn't work that way in this corner of southern Italy. Going around with wrinkly clothes is a guarantee of becoming a social pariah here. Sort of the southern Italian equivalent of being a total loser who doesn't care about . . . their appearance . . . gasp!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVxJMR1Ee1KlN5MPtiIisvu-EJCV7VlARipIwbqyBIXvT4sCVrdWflUpuz1Nrb5a7dhRVJBBL9BsfRKlPGZSfeogEvTCMrt7UYTQFr_7J56valmI0YsYmX5DVDAaZLb_gPna7C9u4Xevi/s1600/Wrinkled+Clothes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVxJMR1Ee1KlN5MPtiIisvu-EJCV7VlARipIwbqyBIXvT4sCVrdWflUpuz1Nrb5a7dhRVJBBL9BsfRKlPGZSfeogEvTCMrt7UYTQFr_7J56valmI0YsYmX5DVDAaZLb_gPna7C9u4Xevi/s320/Wrinkled+Clothes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Puglian "don't"</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Appearances are super important in this conservative, provincial city. People who have money happily throw it away on designer clothes. People who don't have money, spend too much of their limited resources on the best possible clothes they can afford. And when you walk out of the house you have to be ready: clean, pressed, perfect hair and makeup . . . ready to be scrutinized, judged and commented on by every single person you pass on the street.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Who cares? Well, that's easy for you to say. I personally, don't really care about looking perfectly put together every time I go to the supermarket. But, my personal presentation reflects on my husband and my sons in this little fishbowl society. And I do care about not making life more complicated for them, so I make the effort to iron.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnj_W70Urbs1QN5LkzjaFfRAmPBMlZuJgK28unbq3pfFdwZ6QtBtWhKxCqG5uRe9cmg5oQRJIAVwC5YoFNy2rul_VNGUS3G-vPsXNr9bTyQJnDedLTozNUOQpe6hXjHCMmE4Qb5vCpvjIe/s1600/7961290-portrait-of-man-touching-pineapple-and-woman-with-cart-near-by.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnj_W70Urbs1QN5LkzjaFfRAmPBMlZuJgK28unbq3pfFdwZ6QtBtWhKxCqG5uRe9cmg5oQRJIAVwC5YoFNy2rul_VNGUS3G-vPsXNr9bTyQJnDedLTozNUOQpe6hXjHCMmE4Qb5vCpvjIe/s1600/7961290-portrait-of-man-touching-pineapple-and-woman-with-cart-near-by.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Send me cooling thoughts, please!</div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-554710778603506032011-07-14T20:30:00.002+02:002011-07-15T08:23:23.476+02:00I Did It!<div style="text-align: center;">That's right, I did it. I completed <a href="http://shawnakaminski.com/">Shawna Kaminski</a>'s 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss program. I did my daily workouts (okay I missed two days...) and stuck to the diet (okay, I had a couple of extra gin tonics) and I made it through to the other side. In my last post on the program I said I'd tell you if it was worth it . . . and, believe me, IT WAS!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">As I said in the beginning, for me this program was not about losing weight, but all about getting fit and healthy. But, that said, I am so thrilled with the results. My clothes fit better, I feel lighter and more comfortable in my own skin (and my bikini!) and I can actually do a few pushups, something I could only dream about 21 days ago!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Here are my stats:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJrW1MPTlXIXsCAgHorCV1g1_3jJ55EkHsjMMFr1XmjhnzaO9RTJiDaMLGVRdDYDkTXBc7hPlhWmash7Ml76JSQntox63RkRlnSw9gMJz4e9dDMa_bmWNvJBxvr1IbcIbCND7rXNASTze9/s1600/080430_womens-sizing_BG.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJrW1MPTlXIXsCAgHorCV1g1_3jJ55EkHsjMMFr1XmjhnzaO9RTJiDaMLGVRdDYDkTXBc7hPlhWmash7Ml76JSQntox63RkRlnSw9gMJz4e9dDMa_bmWNvJBxvr1IbcIbCND7rXNASTze9/s1600/080430_womens-sizing_BG.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Weight: lost 5 pounds</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Left Arm: exactly the same</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Don't ask me why I didn't measure my right arm, it's a mystery...)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chest: gained .25 inch </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Waist: lost 1.75 inches </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Abdomen: lost 2.25 inches</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hips: lost 1 inch</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Left thigh: lost .75 inch</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Right thigh: lost .75 inch</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That's a total loss of 6.5 inches of fat! Let me repeat, the weight loss was not my goal, I was not overweight, but the flab loss was exactly what I had in mind. And that quarter of an inch gain in the chest? An unexpected bonus!</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoUuEgWu_KgblkYMIn1MKN5vgArCREP13Kh3TFeJ01Q6fcWP-3138hV01f1dbJ56AoxWUqfHMJ8OO_D2Wl32uRuBh3qXt011IgKE8paOILNUTy2vR3kQQljQsPLvGAE7esFh5R_tmZueT/s1600/220px-Bodyshapes.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoUuEgWu_KgblkYMIn1MKN5vgArCREP13Kh3TFeJ01Q6fcWP-3138hV01f1dbJ56AoxWUqfHMJ8OO_D2Wl32uRuBh3qXt011IgKE8paOILNUTy2vR3kQQljQsPLvGAE7esFh5R_tmZueT/s1600/220px-Bodyshapes.svg.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm a little bit less of a pear now.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Maybe this is where I should make one of those disclosure statements in which I clarify that I have received no payment from <a href="http://www.shawnakaminski.com/">Shawna Kaminski</a> for the posts I have written on her program. Everything that I have said about the 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss program is my own honest opinion. I did receive access to her workouts and diets . . . otherwise how could I tell you about them? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">No small animals were abused during the course of this program, nor was any child labor involved . . . although my sons will tell you they were victims of duress and undue suffering. Every morning they awoke to the sound of Shawna calling out to me "halfway there!" or "almost done!" More than once they told me, "make that annoying woman shut up!" Make her shut up? No way! She's my hero!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwhYTIX4FEPMwmhO5UVqw_In3Y09-MVZyRQ4b1nds92k4byi2AQMbw_6hPUBkQCam0iFQYMLWSC_RWlZZdG9WbeCFjcqwPziaBErWvivQH8E4yIi4el6xzJXQVQcUcF13cRNdx5pVZud9/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwhYTIX4FEPMwmhO5UVqw_In3Y09-MVZyRQ4b1nds92k4byi2AQMbw_6hPUBkQCam0iFQYMLWSC_RWlZZdG9WbeCFjcqwPziaBErWvivQH8E4yIi4el6xzJXQVQcUcF13cRNdx5pVZud9/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">When I started this program I was just looking for something to keep me busy during the two weeks that my gym would be closed. But what I discovered was a whole new lifestyle, a radically different way of eating and exercising that I am super enthusiastic about. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, these 21 days were only the beginning for me. I can hardly wait to get started on Shawna's regular long-term workout and diet program. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm hooked!</div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-3863906086154666972011-07-13T15:52:00.010+02:002011-07-13T19:26:32.281+02:00Take It With a Grain of Salt<div style="text-align: center;">This is going to have to be a short post. You see I have every single pot, pan, fork, knife, spoon, plate, bowl, cup and glass that I own waiting to be hand-washed in the kitchen. In fact, you can hardly get into the kitchen at the moment. It looks as if my cupboards exploded.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKxKcjbvVAQmpqfMsCm0qFWBEqQRILG6l6cXUYvhhB9pHXjGM7HZDfmkt_dZSaZIwgSc6YGO_-Dum0HBYpVsacXryA81kZa6wkaF5huyAmCo1KCp4G6bgcIvijxPyjr8zN8fqkTaN2_nJ/s1600/800px-Dirty_dishes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKxKcjbvVAQmpqfMsCm0qFWBEqQRILG6l6cXUYvhhB9pHXjGM7HZDfmkt_dZSaZIwgSc6YGO_-Dum0HBYpVsacXryA81kZa6wkaF5huyAmCo1KCp4G6bgcIvijxPyjr8zN8fqkTaN2_nJ/s1600/800px-Dirty_dishes.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Why this mess? Well, it all started with the water running out. My house isn't hooked up to the city for water because we live "out in the countryside." Only in Italy could where I live be considered "out in the countryside," it's only a 5 minute jog into town and there are other housing developments nearby. But there's no arguing with Italian logic, as illogical as it may be, so we are officially off the grid.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This means that we have a cistern and have to call a water truck to come fill it when it's empty. Which usually happens all of a sudden, when you are least expecting it, right when the water truck guy has a thousand other off-the-grid cisterns to fill so he can't possibly get to you before the next day. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAh1evK0UG28uTNML1YioLE6UcED-OgDssrFSIhEH-zOMPbiMJjMdyQzAUTjT5vUZX4SB8vR6zElYt0-gy5e7gRB1Xcix5cj4VhuqEpGd4UbnZWbuqH5EnLFHqfsU-TVsPHXGNuz2oDn7/s1600/our-new-water-truck.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAh1evK0UG28uTNML1YioLE6UcED-OgDssrFSIhEH-zOMPbiMJjMdyQzAUTjT5vUZX4SB8vR6zElYt0-gy5e7gRB1Xcix5cj4VhuqEpGd4UbnZWbuqH5EnLFHqfsU-TVsPHXGNuz2oDn7/s320/our-new-water-truck.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This happened to us a couple of days ago, in a rather dramatic way. One minute there was water, and the next minute there was not. I, of course, never remember the magic combination of levers I'm supposed to lift, turn and rotate to switch over to the emergency water tank . . . so I did it wrong . . . and sent all our precious water reserves down into the cistern instead of up into the house. Now there was water in the cistern, but not enough for the pump to grab onto it and pump it into the house. Oops.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My husband then had a bright ide<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">a. We could add some of the s</span>alt water we get from a well in the yard to the cistern to raise the water level until the water truck could come. Great! He got that going and then told both my older son and me, "be sure to turn off the water by 3." Of course, no problem, you can count on us!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1raY2GLlGIULGhSZrCuVgFYCwcacHMRWmcTKibXRobp6pNyM5Vh-dQR_ep3mrbhUphIJWrgRJz_2VYRp9pkFSxaQe4uKRGisPE_fBmza-2y-eYeN81oFiGxgAFFgTY1v8z8xQWnRDX9kq/s1600/idea-lightbulb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1raY2GLlGIULGhSZrCuVgFYCwcacHMRWmcTKibXRobp6pNyM5Vh-dQR_ep3mrbhUphIJWrgRJz_2VYRp9pkFSxaQe4uKRGisPE_fBmza-2y-eYeN81oFiGxgAFFgTY1v8z8xQWnRDX9kq/s320/idea-lightbulb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">At about 4:15 my son and I looked at each other and said, "The water! Did you turn it off? I didn't turn it off. Me neither!" Let's just say that, even with the addition of the load of fresh water from the truck the next day, our water is REALLY salty now. Double oops.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And so, since it was pretty much all my fault, I guess it's only fair that the dishwasher does not seem to like saltwater. I have run it twice, but to no avail. It doesn't just leave everything covered with a salty, white film. The dishes don't even get saltily clean. It's like they're just as dirty as they were before I ran the load, with the lovely addition of a white, salty film on top. Very nice.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglsZmLUy0N2BK30QQf2Eh-xex13aDfSoCjNk0m5xuOt4vYlbLAHCnrh1GcRYyCNkBVNtIylbiIXZnd_hkz7uR-mfeb4dyD8wqVTX4ReS0989-71kHkcU9HLIFE2MMoBjZEQZUGHWX-B8e/s1600/298x232_wl_slimscience_st.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglsZmLUy0N2BK30QQf2Eh-xex13aDfSoCjNk0m5xuOt4vYlbLAHCnrh1GcRYyCNkBVNtIylbiIXZnd_hkz7uR-mfeb4dyD8wqVTX4ReS0989-71kHkcU9HLIFE2MMoBjZEQZUGHWX-B8e/s320/298x232_wl_slimscience_st.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">“The cure for anything is </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><em style="font-style: normal;">salt</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"> water - sweat, tears, or the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><em style="font-style: normal;">sea,</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">” according to <a href="http://kirjasto.sci.fi/blixen.htm">Isak Dinesen</a>. </span>So, for the next month, or until we use up enough of this salty water to make space in the cistern for another diluting load of fresh water, I'll be living the salt cure and crying and sweating over the sink while washing all the dishes by hand . . . in salty water. Uh huh.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">You should try brushing your teeth with it . . .</div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3703580880701048113.post-7527831470994851752011-07-12T16:55:00.001+02:002011-07-13T19:30:41.264+02:00Do you LOL?<div style="text-align: center;">My son says LOL. He says it like it's a word. A real word. Not a sequence of letters, but a word that sounds like "loll" as in to laze around. But, he means "laugh out loud" from computer lingo. He says it when something is funny. So, sure, even I know what it means, but I had never heard anyone say it . . . out loud, you know?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZr-pkbB7KZSDNKi91Qa64RQLeskrWCwyz8bnpvS4tuPU2F0JslqnbQeHIAb1yBuTbnEfzf7GieO6mhkR0tWGPtxJP4MMqXbTXqeg8TPgK2YDi6mcNuDEYxqt6SsnyIBXdtK5nTWJ61of/s1600/lol+-+zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZr-pkbB7KZSDNKi91Qa64RQLeskrWCwyz8bnpvS4tuPU2F0JslqnbQeHIAb1yBuTbnEfzf7GieO6mhkR0tWGPtxJP4MMqXbTXqeg8TPgK2YDi6mcNuDEYxqt6SsnyIBXdtK5nTWJ61of/s320/lol+-+zoom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Is this normal?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Do other kids say LOL? New words are being created every day, fair enough. They even have a special name: neologism. You know you're really an old fuddy duddy when the new words start bothering you. Eh?!! What's that you say?! <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimping">Chimping</a>? Don't monkeys do that?! <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapware">Lapware</a>? Isn't that a costume for doing that dirty dancing stuff?!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZW33qoBvVw2kAig22puENr79_toH6uT28Y7BIcCrDWl583lWfAxROEq7zx4bCyIxQSEL8sDmq6YMfWRJVYZ2wHbC-HLoZw1tTGI2yOZHdD-1eDouiKG0sCb1g2KqMNmusNOzpu8iQ2P9/s1600/lol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZW33qoBvVw2kAig22puENr79_toH6uT28Y7BIcCrDWl583lWfAxROEq7zx4bCyIxQSEL8sDmq6YMfWRJVYZ2wHbC-HLoZw1tTGI2yOZHdD-1eDouiKG0sCb1g2KqMNmusNOzpu8iQ2P9/s320/lol.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">So, my question is this: is he the only one? Or is there a whole tidal wave of LOL happening out there in the real world that I just haven't noticed since I've been tucked away in this lost corner of southern Italy? Instead of actually laughing, do people just state "LOL"? Wikipedia tells me they do:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>LOL, ROFL, and other initialisms have crossed from computer-mediated communication to face-to-face communication. David Crystal—likening the introduction of LOL, ROFL, and others into spoken language in magnitude to the revolution of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Gutenberg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Johannes Gutenberg">Johannes </a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Gutenberg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Johannes Gutenberg">Gutenberg</a>'s invention of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movable_type" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; text-decoration: none;" title="Movable type">movable type</a> in the 15th century—states that this is "a brand new variety of language evolving", invented by young people within five years, that "extend[s] the range of the language, the expressiveness [and] the richness of the language".</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSmr-x2bHxH6pyhTHsPmfEpR7pXBsa6PWhGMIX3Mq0D0CQ226X-Ytgnyc5T3M3a6jgkwCyV4rX84jWw_50Ff_sBRuwQfRwazx_NLc9yTnP0J157O2KUwG8vqiepGCImg37PvrZRnb4UNs/s1600/jesus-lol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSmr-x2bHxH6pyhTHsPmfEpR7pXBsa6PWhGMIX3Mq0D0CQ226X-Ytgnyc5T3M3a6jgkwCyV4rX84jWw_50Ff_sBRuwQfRwazx_NLc9yTnP0J157O2KUwG8vqiepGCImg37PvrZRnb4UNs/s320/jesus-lol.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cool kids probably say BRB, too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The really weird thing is that my son uses this expression in the middle of a conversation in Italian. He didn't even know what LOL meant a couple of months ago. It certainly doesn't make any sense in Italian. To say "laugh out loud" in the Italian language you'd have to say "ridere a voce alta," which as an acronym would be RVA! I guess it's not as catchy as LOL.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Logically LOL must be a verb . . . to laugh out loud is what it's got to be, but like all truly useful words, it has taken on a life of its own. Besides saying LOL in funny moments, my son tells me I'm so "LOL-y" or "extremely LOL."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCE3uSierMeCOjqh4Mp-R7E-bxWbkmyMH2viV4drC0urYmvoyqp6cNTKf6v4-AT-hif7ilx_V2_badFR5e3pLxXkD6lqYuh9gCdoLXY4L9R_d84bCN86gqhExmPLoK-WX5qGKWh-uEwM2U/s1600/17-I-lol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCE3uSierMeCOjqh4Mp-R7E-bxWbkmyMH2viV4drC0urYmvoyqp6cNTKf6v4-AT-hif7ilx_V2_badFR5e3pLxXkD6lqYuh9gCdoLXY4L9R_d84bCN86gqhExmPLoK-WX5qGKWh-uEwM2U/s320/17-I-lol.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Friends around the world - do you say LOL? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/up-RX_YN7yA?rel=0" width="425"></iframe></div>Sarettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467303139294282551noreply@blogger.com14