Thursday, November 13, 2008
One Minute Writer
Well, I'll never know if I don't try...and free-writing is a technique I teach in my essay writing course at the university...so let's give a whirl!
Today's writing prompt is "If you had the opportunity to write as a career, what would you write?"
I would like to write movies, funny movies about real life situations, relationships between less than normal people. I mean people who have an interesting approach to life, a different way of seeing things and interpreting everyday events.
Time's up?!! Well, I didn't get much written, did I? Hmmm... I suppose this one-minute business is just meant to force you to write something, anything to get the creative juices flowing. In the same way that I ask my students to use free-writing to generate ideas. But, at least I give them 5 minutes!
I suppose that if you like what you've written you'll continue with it...using up other precious minutes! ;-)
Interesting, I'll have to try it again another day!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Happy Birthday!
Until this year! We have been having such a warm fall that we were finally able to pull off an outdoor party for G. He invited 10 friends (5 girls and 5 boys; unlike his brother he has never gone through a "Girls? Yuck!" phase). I organised 12 different outdoor party games, but the kids didn't want to do anything organised at all. They had a wonderful time just running and running and running around the yard...playing with the cat, talking to the dogs, riding bicycles, playing ping-pong, hide and seek and other spontaneous games on their own.
Free play is such a rare treat for Italian kids these days. Every day of their week is super-organised between school, homework and after-school activities. Then about 95% of them live in apartment buildings and never get to play in a yard at all. The parks here are few and far between and, in any case, do not have grass to run or play on.
It was a wild free for all, but a good time was definitely had by all!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Comfort Food
The perfect evening for Chicken and Broth, an American classic that I have Italianized by serving the broth with pastina as a first course and then the chicken and the vegetables seasoned with a bit of salt and olive oil as a second course.
Here's how I prepare it...
I use a pressure cooker to speed things up. Place a whole chicken, two peeled whole onions, 3 or 4 peeled whole carrots, 2 stalks of celery and 1 whole unpeeled potato in the crock pot. Cover with water and add 2 bouillon cubes. Close pressure cooker lid. Cook for 20 minutes at minimum from the time the first steam is released from the cooker.
Cook your favorite kind of pastina in another pot. Drain and serve in bowls with chicken broth.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Shanghai Chinese Restaurant
The people running the restaurant were friendly and efficient, but one day they were shut down by the Health Department for poor hygiene. I know the bathrooms weren't very clean, but the food always seemed good.
Well, since then we hadn't been back. We decided to take the plunge and try out the new setup. It wasn't easy to find friends brave enough to risk the "restaurant that had been closed down by the Health Department." Italians are pretty reticent about trying foreign food, in any case. Their attitude is usually, we have the best food in the world, why eat anything else? Italians are famous for seeking out Italian restaurants while traveling abroad! But, we managed to round up an adventurous family and off we went...
I'd say the bathrooms were a lot cleaner than they used to be, but the food was mediocre. The best thing there was the new owners' son...
This little guy had a great time playing with our kids. He didn't seem to speak any Italian besides "ciao" and "acqua." The kids tried speaking to him in English, but that didn't work any better than Italian! They had a great time anyway... You can't see it in the photo, but he had a toy laser gun and had no end of fun shooting G. who willingly died dramatically about a thousand times!
On our way out, I asked the father what the boy's name was and he replied, "Francesco. He was born in Rome!" That was the last name we were expecting, but...of course...he was born in Rome!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
High School Musical 3
Watching popular teen films in the theater in Italy is quite an experience. Let's just say that the audience participates quite actively...they clap at the beginning and end, they scream and hoot when their favorite actors come on screen, they theatrically deep sigh as a group when the main characters kiss (or almost kiss...this is a Disney film, after all!). When Troy takes off his top in one scene, the female element in the audience just about exploded! I must admit, the kid does have extremely good muscle definition! ;-)
I think D. studies these movies as mini-lessons on teenager/boy-girl relationship behaviour. And then...there's the basketball!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Halloween, continued...
Halloween is only an imported holiday here in Italy, there is no tradition of it. In the schools they talk about it in English class, teaching them all of the worst aspects, such as throwing eggs and turning over trashcans...(what are they thinking?! because obviously that's what Italian kids do now!) In past years my children tried trick-or-treating, but people just didn't get it and the kids came home empty-handed. But, through the miracle of marketing, people are catching on, and G. went trick-or-treating with his friend P. last night and came home with a major haul of candy. He was quite satisfied!
A classic Halloween poem...
Halloween
by Robert Burns
Upon that night, when fairies light
On Cassilis Downans dance,
Or owre the lays, in splendid blaze,
On sprightly coursers prance;
Or for Colean the route is ta'en,
Beneath the moon's pale beams;
There, up the cove, to stray and rove,
Among the rocks and streams
To sport that night.
Among the bonny winding banks,
Where Doon rins, wimplin' clear,
Where Bruce ance ruled the martial ranks,
And shook his Carrick spear,
Some merry, friendly, country-folks,
Together did convene,
To burn their nits, and pou their stocks,
And haud their Halloween...
You can read the whole poem here.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
School Strike
It's interesting to see how their individual choices for spending their free time differ. The activities they have chosen reflect their personalities, as do the condition of their desks...
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Zucchero "Il Volo"
Ho camminato per le strade
col sole dei tuoi occhi
ci vuole un attimo per dirsi addio...spara
Che bella quiete sulle cime
mi freddi il cuore e l'anima
ci vuole un attimo x dirsi addio...
X questo troppo amore, per noi
e questo bel dolore
Ti prego no, ti prego lo sai!
Sogno, qualcosa di buono
che mi illumini il mondo
buono come te...
Che ho bisogno, di qualcosa di vero
che illumini il cielo
proprio come te!!!
Ho visto il sole nei tuoi occhi
calare nella sera
ci vuole un attimo x dirsi addio...spara
Che bella quiete sulle rive
mi freddi il cuore e l'anima
ci vuole un attimo x dirsi...addio!
Ma dove andranno i giorni e noi
le fughe e poi i ritorni
ti prego no, ti prego lo sai!
Sogno, qualcosa di buono...
Siamo caduti in volo
Mio sole
siamo caduti in volo!
Siamo caduti in volo
Mio cielo
siamo caduti in volo!
Baby don't cry, baby don't cry
Baby don't cry, baby don't cry, baby don't cry
X questo amore immenso, x noi
e il gran dolore che sento
ti prego no, ti prego lo sai!
Sogno, qualcosa di buono...
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Fly Like an Eagle
The other day, when I took Tigro the tomcat in for vaccines, the vet was happy to tell me that Tino (as my younger son named the little bird) was alive and kicking. At the time it had seemed that he was partially paralysed because he couldn't seem to move his right leg (do birds have legs? Stick-figure legs...). Apparently, however, it was all psychological! When he was left on his own in a cage at the vet's office he got up and hopped around to take care of his "business." But, when people came around, he played dead.
I thought that was pretty odd, personally, but the vet swore it was true. She said little birds like Tino are literally petrified with fear when people touch them. They can even die of a heart attack from fear. Well, I'm glad our attempts to save him from death by cat didn't cause him to die of fear!
Some volunteers from the WWF came by the vet's office to get him and took him to a bird shelter where he is living happily ever after amidst his similars. In a cage (which I hate)...but she promised me that it's a *really big* cage that he and the other birds can fly around in.
Anyway, his fate would have been sealed if I had left him on the driveway that day. Tigro is turning out to be quite the hunter and, besides finding lots of dissected lizard bits scattered about on the patio, on two separate occasions we've found dead sparrows with Tigro using them for batting practice.
This one's for you, Tino!
Monday, October 27, 2008
I Can't Stop Loving You
Who knows, maybe it was your parents' favourite song? Hey! It might be more interesting to do a search for the number 1 song nine months before your birthday, to see what song you were conceived to. But, then again...eh...maybe not... Maybe we don't want to follow that train of thought too far...
My birthday song is "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles. Can't beat that!
What's your birthday song?
Sunday, October 26, 2008
I Kissed a Girl
What?! This song that is about girls kissing girls? Which, in my opinion, is really only about titillating men who are interested in girls kissing girls, because in my own ignorant-about-the-whole-issue opinion, no self-respecting lesbian could love this song. Please correct me if I'm wrong... This song that, in any case, talks about kissing people whose name you don't know, but that's okay because they are just your experiment...
Ok, calm down. The kid probably doesn't have any idea what is being sung. Maybe he thinks it's about boys kissing girls and he's starting to be interested in that possibility...that's okay...I guess...
Usually when my kids love a song with objectionable lyrics, I explain the lyrics to them and talk about why I'm not crazy about what the song has to say. But, in this case, that's a discussion that I think could get way too complicated for his 11-year-old brain! We have talked about what being gay means, but there is so much more in this song.
My answer to his declaration was a simple, "Oh? That's nice, honey." And not another word...
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Let's Play Tag
Not that I've meant to *give up* on Amid the Olive Trees, but I have been very busy elsewhere and it's been hard enough to keep up Molfetta Daily Photo. But anyway, let's see...
1. I do a lot of work in translation of texts from Italian to English in a wide variety of fields and, as a result, know more than I should about things like evapotranspiration, aerodynamics, the use of waste water in agriculture, etc. Don't ask...
2. My feet spread out after having my first son and I wore larger shoes, but now they seem to have returned to their normal size...
3. When I'm listening to music on the radio, I have no idea if the songs are in English or in Italian unless I really stop and think about it...
4. Often throughout the day, songs related to whatever I am doing will just pop into my mind. So, I guess I associate events with music stored away in my brain.
5. Weight-lifting gives me great physical and mental pleasure. I haven't really got any muscles to show for it, but it's the process I enjoy...
6. I like getting attention, but would never want to be famous.
The rules of this game are as follows:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.
I don't think I'm going to tag anyone...but if you read this and would like to do it on your blog...well, consider yourself tagged!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Rollerboy
Well, he's working on staying vertical so far...
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
You never know what you'll find on Internet!
So, I discovered this neat gadget that determines the reading level of your blog. This blog was rated "College Undergrad" level...
Well thank goodness, considering I teach at the university and all...at least I'm up to my students' speed! But what's got me confused is that my other blog "Molfetta Daily Photo" is rated at "Genius" level! What does that mean? That I'm more intellectual when I talk about Molfetta then when I talk about home life? I guess recipes, poems and conversations with my children don't require a lot of big words! Sticking to the basics works fine around here!
Next, I found a great site for registering to vote overseas. The Overseas Vote Foundation will take care of everything for you...get you registered, get you an absentee ballot...all on-line! You can even vote on-line! I'm excited since (gasp!) I haven't voted in a US election since I've lived abroad...that means for the past 21 years! What a lame citizen I've been! Well, that's about to end!
And on a lighter note...if you love bags, but despair about the high prices, guess what? I found a great contest where you can win a free handbag from handbagplanet a handbag producer that will be celebrating the launch of their on-line site by giving away one free handbag every hour on October 15th. Check it out!
Okay, it's time to drag my cold-infested body away from the computer and start cleaning up around here. Why don't mommies get sick days?
Monday, September 29, 2008
What is this...a zoo?
D. and F. were against the new addition, but my thought was that it would perhaps be a good idea for G. to have a responsibility all of his own. Generally, F. takes care of the dogs, I take care of the cats and D. takes care of the bunny. And it was a heck of lot better birthday gift idea than *another* Nintendo DS, which is what he had wanted. So, we now have Boris, a Russian hamster, living with us! He is very cute and innocuous...I just hope he likes red, that was the only cage they had at the pet shop!
No sooner had we pulled into the driveway with Boris and his supplies in tow, did I find a little birdie lying on the ground! Now, I have to admit that I do not like birds. I mean, they're great to look at as they fly by at a distance (the greater the distance the better!), but I do not like getting up close and personal with birds. So, we sent F. out to the rescue. This little guy, who G. promptly named Tino, seemed perfectly fine, but he had one leg pulled up and seemed unable to fly. We made him as comfortable as possible in a basket lined with some soft rags and decided that if he survived the night we'd take him to the vet.
Well, this morning he was alive, though not especially well, and I took him off to the vet's in a shoebox. Her diagnosis was neurological damage rather than orthopedic, as in the leg isn't broken. Later today a friend of hers who studies veterinary medicine at the university, and knows more about birds, will pick up Tino and take care of him.
Tomorrow we're due back at the vet's with Tigro, the kitten, for vaccines and we'll let you know about Tino's progress.
D. was a bit exasperated by all this animal activity yesterday and cried out, "What is this...a zoo?!" But, really he's just as crazy about all our pets as the rest of us!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Sveta's Turkey Loaf
Because often I do get stuck in a recipe rut...fixing those "sure hit" recipes time after time. Well, yesterday I spent the morning on a wild shopping spree with my Russian friend, Sveta, who told me she wanted to fix a Turkey Loaf. And guess what we had for lunch at my house yesterday?
Here's her recipe...
1/2 small onion
300 g. deboned turkey breast
300 g. fresh ricotta
1 egg
some bread crumbs (how much? depends on how compact you like your loaf)
salt and pepper to taste
a pinch of ground nutmeg
some parsley
a dash of extra virgin olive oil
300 g. sliced speck ham
Heat oven to 180° celcius. Blend all the ingredients (except the oil and ham) in your food processor until you have a fairly smooth mix. Lay your slices of speck on a sheet of waxed paper (in Italy they have what's called "carta forno" which is similar to waxed paper, but without the wax) and form a loaf on top of the ham. Wrap the ham around the loaf, using extra slices to close up any uncovered areas. Grease your cooking dish with some olive oil and gently roll your loaf into the center of the dish. Bake for 1 hour, approximately.
Optionally, you can use a slightly larger baking dish and add diced potatoes, seasoned with a bit of salt and olive oil, around the loaf.
My kids were still raving about how good it was when they went to bed last night! Now, that's my measure of a successful meal
Thursday, September 25, 2008
I Fell Down and Went Boom
In that millisecond of time between starting to fall and landing, I thought to myself, "Self, how can I stop this fall?" and the only answer that came to me was, "Self, you can't. Go with it." And, that fast, boom I was down in the mud.
The next thing I saw was my younger son G. looming over me in the sky, looking rather concerned.
G: Mommy, are you laughing or crying?
Me: Both. Ha, ha, sob, sob!
G: Why?
Me: Crying because it hurts. Laughing because I feel really silly.
G: Yeah, you look pretty silly. (eruption of relieved giggles...)
And then he had to pull me up off the muddy walkway and help wipe the mud off my jeans, and away we went on our original outing.
As if nothing had happened at all.
Until that evening.
When everything started to hurt real bad.
Older son D. wanted a bedtime cuddle with Mom, so I invited him to curl up with me on the big bed on the condition that he not move too much 'cause Mommy was not feeling too well.
Me: D., you're moving.
D: Yeah, so?
Me: Well, when you move, you move me and right now I don't want to move 'cause everything hurts.
D: Why?
Me: Well, you know, Mommy fell down today.
D: So?
Me: So I hurt myself when I fell down.
D: Why?
Me: Well, I banged my ribs and my hip and my arm and they hurt.
D: Why?
This was not a very fruitful conversation up to this point, two people talking at cross purposes, until I realised exactly *who* I was talking to. This is Mister "Fall Down All Day Every Day and Pop Back Up as if Nothing Had Happened." Mister "Basketball and Soccer on Concrete? No Problem."
Me: Okay, right. So, when you get older it hurts when you fall down.
D: Why?
Me: Well, your body just kind of gets tighter and less elastic.
D: Oh, I get it! Like when babies fall down and they just bounce back up 'cause it's like they're made of rubber!
Me: Yeah, that's it. Mommies aren't made of rubber!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Forgotten Language
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to return to our childhood point of view every so often? Just to remember what it was like? And to feel what our children are feeling right now?
Forgotten Language
by Shel Silverstein
Once I spoke the language of the flowers,
Once I understood each word the caterpillar said,
Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings,
And shared a conversation with the housefly in my bed.
Once I heard and answered all the questions of the crickets,
And joined the crying of each falling dying flake of snow,
Once I spoke the language of the flowers. . . .
How did it go?
How did it go?
Monday, September 22, 2008
Fried Nolca Olives
Right. So, by now you've figured out that I live "amid the olive trees." And a great by-product of living in this particular setting is....we have lots of olives!
Today's "If It Ain't Easy, I Don't Cook It" lesson is on the preparation of fried black olives. These are Nolca olives and they have a lot of "fruit" to them. They are completely inedible raw (like all olives, as far as I know), but fried they are quite delicious!
The olives should be washed in cold water and then dried thoroughly. Heat a fair quantity of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan and throw in your olives, plus some halved cherry tomatoes, some fresh basil and a pinch of salt.
Cook over a medium-high flame to get started. Then cover the pan and reduce the flame to the lowest possible setting. Shake the pan to mix the olives regularly. Cook until the olives soften.
Serve as an appetizer with bread and cheese, if you like. Yum, yum!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Anastacia
Paid My Dues, Anastacia, 2001
[Spoken:]
You can say what you want about me
Wanna do what you want to me
But you can not stop me
I've been knocked down
It's a crazy town
Even got punched in the face in L.A.
Ain't nothing in the world that you keep
me from doing what I wanna do
'Cause I'm too proud, I'm too strong
Live by the code that you gotta move on
Feeling sorry for yourself
Ain't got nobody nowhere
so I...
(Held my head high)
Knew I (Knew I survive)
Well I made it (I made it)
I don't hate it (Don't hate it)
That's just the way it goes
Yeah
I done made it through
Stand on my own two
I paid my dues, yeah
Tried to hold me down
You can't stop me now
I paid my dues
[Spoken:]
so like i told you
You cannot stop me
I paid my dues
Now I'm still tested everyday
people try to mess with Anastacia
gotta nothing in common
cause I handle mine
and I thought I better let you know
I'm no punk I can't get down
I don't give a damn about who's around
that was just fine 'til now
So I...
(Held my head high)
Knew I (Knew I survive)
Well I made it (I made it)
Oh I (Don't hate it)
That's just the way it goes
Yeah
I done made it through
Stand on my own two
I paid my dues
Yeah yeah
Tried to hold me down
you can't stop me now
I paid my dues, yeah
yeah yeah yeah
Took so long to get me here (here)
But I won't live in fear (fear)
You try to steal my shine (shine)
But first they wanna build you up (up)
Then they tear you down (down)
It's a struggle tryin' to bubble
so I...
(Held my head high)
Knew I (Knew I survive)
Oh I (I made it)
(Don't hate it)
Said that's - just - the - wayyyyy
(I done made it through)
(Stand on my own two)
I said I paid my, I paid my dues
Yeahhhhh
(Tried to hold me down)
But you can't stop me now (you can't stop me now)
(I paid my dues) I paid my, paid my dues
(I done made it through) oh
(Stand on my own two) oh
(I paid my dues) I paid my, I paid my dues
yeahh (Tried to hold me down)
But you can't stop me now (you can't stop me now)
(I paid my dues) I paid my dues
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Motherhood: sound bites (2)
Me: Oh, I don't think so!
G: Oh, yes you would! (pause) But maybe you're a little bit too old...
Me: Too old?
G: I think you have to be between 20 and 30 years old.
Me: Actually, there are beauty contests for older women, you know.
G: Well, they wouldn't even let you participate if they saw you.
Me: Why not?!
G: Well, you are just *too* beautiful. They would turn you away at the door. All the other women would be afraid to compete against you.
Me: You know, honey, external beauty is really not the most important thing in life. I think it's more important to be a good person, to be friendly and kind to others...
G: Oh, I know that. I'm just trying to flatter you!
Me: ....
(This boy has been watching too many episodes of "Le Veline"!)
Friday, September 19, 2008
O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of Gina DePalma, author of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen and Executive Pastry Chef of Babbo Ristorante in NYC, who was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy, Jenn of The Leftover Queen, and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso are asking you to donate to the:
Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (via FirstGiving.org)
and then, out of the goodness of your hearts and to be eligible for the O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Contest, please do the following:
1. Post a recipe to your blog using a food that starts or ends with the letter O (e.g., oatmeal, orange, okra, octopus, olive, onion, potato, tomato) and include this entire text box in the post;
OR
2. If you’re not into the recipe thing, simply post this entire text box in a post on your blog to help spread the word about the event and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
AND
3. Then send your post url [along with a photo (100 x 100) if you've made a recipe] to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on September 30, 2008.
We will post a roundup and announce prize winners on October 3.
Prizes:
1 Recipe Prize for best “O food” concoction: $50 gift certificate to Amazon;
1 Awareness Prize for only publicizing event: Copy of Dolce Italiano cookbook.
———
From the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund:
Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women; a woman’s lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1 in 67.
The American Cancer Society estimates that 21,650 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the U.S. in 2008 and about 15,520 women will die from the disease.
The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and subtle, making it difficult to diagnose. There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer but there are tests which can detect ovarian cancer when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms.
In spite of this patients are usually diagnosed in advanced stages and only 45% survive longer than five years. Only 19% of cases are caught before the cancer has spread beyond the ovary to the pelvic region.
When ovarian cancer is detected and treated early on, the five-year survival rate is greater than 92%.
Please donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fundand help spread the word!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Lunchtime!
On those mornings when I don't have to work, I like to prepare a complete homemade Italian-style meal. That means a first course, a second course, a side dish and, perhaps, even a dessert.
But, as you probably have guessed by now, I am a lazy cook. If it ain't easy, I don't cook it, right? Today's lunch was right up my easy cookery alley.
Here's what we had...
First course, Pumpkin Soup. This pumpkin was one of the volunteers that grew in our garden this year.
Ingredients:
pumpkin, potatoes, water, boullion cube, seasoned croutons
Directions:
Chop pumpkin and potatoes into cubes and place in cooking pot. Use about one third the quantity of potatoes as compared to pumpkin (that means less potatoes!) Add water to just below level of vegetables (more water makes a thinner soup, less water makes it thicker). Depending on quantity of water, add one or two boullion cubes. Bring to a boil. Cook until vegetables are soft. Blend with a hand blender. Serve with seasoned croutons.
Second course, breaded chicken cutlets. These got eaten up so fast that I hardly had time to take the picture. This is the last piece left...
Ingredients: chicken cutlets (chicken breast sliced into thin flat pieces), 1 egg, bread crumbs, milk, salt and pepper to taste, olive oil.
Directions: Beat egg in a dish, add a splash of milk and salt and pepper to taste. Put bread crumbs in another dish. Heat oil. Dip cutlet in egg mixture and cover both sides with egg. Next, place the cutlet in the bread crumb plate and cover completely with crumbs. Fry in hot olive oil till golden brown. Place on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
Dessert: chocolate chip cookies! I always use the Original Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe with a couple of variations. I use only half the quantity of chocolate morsels that they advise and I double the quantity of walnuts (I love walnuts!). I also take the cookies out of the oven a couple of minutes earlier than recommended, so that they remain soft!
So, there was no side dish today...but, hey, nobody's perfect! We got our veggies in the soup!
Buon appetito!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
I am Supergirl
You are Supergirl
Supergirl | 72% | |
The Flash | 70% | |
Wonder Woman | 62% | |
Robin | 50% | |
Spider-Man | 45% | |
Hulk | 45% | |
Catwoman | 45% | |
Superman | 35% | |
Iron Man | 35% | |
Green Lantern | 30% | |
Batman | 10% |
Honest and a defender of the innocent.
I think that description fits! I'm going to feel like Supergirl all day today!!!
Why don't you try? http://www.thesuperheroquiz.com/
Monday, September 15, 2008
New Kitty on the Block
Sunday, September 14, 2008
A Good Time Was Had by All
It started raining at about midnight but that put no damper on the fun. We just moved the party onto the covered patio and sent the men out to buy hot cornetti with cream at the all-night bakery!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Motherhood: sound bites
After-school conversation, in the car on the way to buy school supplies.
D: "Junior High is great! I'm so glad to be finished with elementary school! I feel so big now!"
Mom: "I'm so happy for you, honey!"
D: "Yeah! I can't believe it...I never thought I'd get to this age!"
Mom: "What?"
D: "Well, yeah, with all the risks out there in the world..."
Mom: "What?!"
D: "Yeah, like that time you pulled me out of the path of a moving car...or that time I almost drowned...I'm lucky to be alive!"
Mom: "Oh, dear..."
Friday, September 12, 2008
Fried Peppers
First, gather and wash a bunch of green or red (not spicy) peppers. These are from our garden. They are not bell peppers, they're smaller and skinnier.
Next, place them in a frying pan with a couple of tablespoonfuls of preheated olive oil.
Add some cherry tomatoes cut in half, a clove of garlic also cut in half and salt to taste.
Cook covered at a relatively high heat until they soften to the consistency you prefer.
Serve warm.
It's that easy. And so delicious!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Back to School
Have a great year in your new school!
Two Schools
by Henry Van Dyke
I put my heart to school
In the world, where men grow wise,
“Go out,” I said, “and learn the rule;
Come back when you win a prize.”
My heart came back again:
“Now where is the prize?” I cried.
“The rule was false, and the prize was pain,
And the teacher’s name was Pride.”
I put my heart to school
In the woods, where veeries sing,
And brooks run cool and clear;
In the fields, where wild flowers spring,
And the blue of heaven bends near.
“Go out,” I said: “you are half a fool,
But perhaps they can teach you here.”
“And why do you stay so long,
My heart, and where do you roam?”
The answer came with a laugh and a song,
“I find this school is home.”
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Italian American Boys
But, one of the important lessons I have learned in being a mother is that my children are not little versions of me. They have their own personalities, interests, points of view...and language and cultural experiences as a result of being "Italian boys."
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The Last Time Down the Slide
"Goodbye, beach club! Goodbye, swimming pool! Goodbye, high dive! Goodbye, water slide! See you next summer!"
The summer is so long when you are a child, but the school year is even longer!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Think Positive!
Jovanotti, Penso Positivo, 1994
(Refrain: Io penso positivo perché son vivo perché son vivo,
io penso positivo perché son vivo e finché son vivo,
niente e nessuno al mondo potrà fermarmi dal ragionare,
niente e nessuno al mondo potrà fermare, fermare, fermare)
quest'onda che va, quest'onda che viene e che va (x4)
Io penso positivo ma non vuol dire che non ci vedo
io penso positivo in quanto credo,
non credo nelle divise né tanto meno negli abiti sacri
che più di una volta furono pronti a benedire massacri,
non credo ai fraterni abbracci che si confondon con le catene
Io credo soltanto che tra il male e il bene è più forte il bene.
(Refrain)
quest'onda che va quest'onda che viene e che va (x2)
Uscire dal metro quadro dove ogni cosa sembra dovuta
guardare dentro alle cose c'è una realtà sconosciuta
che chiede soltanto un modo per venir fuori a veder le stelle
e vivere l'esperienze sulla mia pelle sulla mia pelle.
(Refrain)
quest'onda che va quest'onda che viene e che va (x2)
Io credo che a questo mondo esista solo una grande chiesa
che parte da CHE GUEVARA e arriva fino a MADRE TERESA
passando da MALCOM X attraverso GANDHI e SAN PATRIGNANO
arriva da un prete in periferia che va avanti nonostante il Vaticano.
(Refrain)
quest'onda che va quest'onda che viene e che va (x2)
la storia, la matematica, l'italiano, la geometria,
la musica... ...la fantasia
Friday, September 5, 2008
Interesting Pizza
Thursday, September 4, 2008
A Slice of Life: Fun in Andria
Yesterday afternoon was spent in one of the most irritating ways possible...going to the dentist. Ours is in Andria, a town about a half an hour drive north of us (this is already irritating in and of itself. It's not like the States here, where a half an hour drive is a drop in the bucket, here a half an hour drive is a big deal!).
Andria is famous for its dairy products and organized crime. Neither of which were on offer at the dentist's office, although the cost of braces for two kids does feel a bit like extortion! And an hour in the waiting room had me ready and willing to commit at the very least some vandalism...
But, between shushing, threatening and physically seperating my sons during that hour, I had time to remember another exciting day in Andria some years ago...
My husband was there for work (at a dentist's office...what a coincidence) when his car was stolen from where it was parked right outside the door. In fact, the dentist's secretary saw the whole thing and said, "Mr. Grillo, they've stolen your car," without getting too agitated...after all, this was Andria, they're used to that kind of thing!
F. went running out to see what he could see (which was nothing 'cause the car was long gone) and was surrounded by various witnesses of the crime who basically said, "He went thataway!"
The next hour was spent driving around the "best" Andrian neighborhoods in search of our car.
Meanwhile, one of F's employees called him on his cellphone and...surprise, surprise...got the thief! Who, fair enough, said, "I'm not F. I'm the guy who stole his car. Tell him to bring me money!"
Which brings us to an interesting angle on the whole car-stealing industry. There are those who steal a car and send it off for sale in such interesting places as Albania; there are those who disassemble a stolen car and sell off the parts; and then there are those who ransom the car back to its rightful owner...we got one of those. Which, from a strangely practical point of view is...better? Well, not really, but at least you have some chance of getting your car back, if you can afford it!
To make a long story slightly shorter...F found his car parked in a dead end in a nasty corner of town and...hotwired it and stole it back! He even got his cellphone back because it was still in the car...whatta guy!
So, as you can imagine, I have mixed feelings about Andria and dentists in general.
And in a completely unrelated note...I found this picture to the left here while searching for images of Andria.
Maybe he's our thief!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Funky Bahia
Makes you want to dance in the sand one more time, doesn't it?
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
32 Things You Never Wanted to Know About Me
(I stole this list of Qs from another blog, The Daily Rant. I hope she doesn't mind!)
1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? My son G., he's a riot!
2. What were you doing at 0800? Feeding the cats.
3. What happened to you in 2006? That's so long ago! I went to the States for the summer with my sons, but without my husband. We moved into our lovely new house in the countryside in August. I lost a lot of weight. I went to my first Women's Fiction Festival in Matera with my author friend, Shannon McKenna. I did a lot of jogging.
4. How many beverages did you have today? Tea, orange juice and water. I need to drink more liquids!
5. What color is your hairbrush? It's made of wood and is a light brown.
6. Where were you last night? Out and about with my son G. to sign him up for roller-skating lessons, then dinner and TV at home.
7.What color is your front door? Dark brown wood.
8. Where do you keep your change? In my wallet, where else?
9. What’s the weather like today? Variable. First overcast and cool, then hot as hell, now overcast and cool again...
10. What’s the best ice cream flavor? Chocolate chip forever! but with big pieces of chocolate!
11. What excites you? Isn't that a rather personal question?! Well, let's be bland...a good book, going dancing, flirting, a good basketball game...
12. Do you want to cut your hair? No! I actually just did and I miss those inches of dead ends.
13. Are you over the age of 25? WAY over! LOL!
14. Do you talk a lot? Yes, but only with other people and animals.
15. Do you watch The OC? Oh, please.
16. Do you make up your own words? Yes – particularly in Italian, when I don't know or remember the word I just invent one that MIGHT work!
17. Are you a jealous person? YES.
18. Name a friend whose name starts with an ‘A’? Angie!
19. Name a friend whose name starts with a ‘K’? That's pretty hard here in Italy where the letter K doesn't exist...but I do have an American friend here named Kristen.
20. Who’s the first person on your received call list? The babysitter.
21. What does the last text message you received say? "My phone batteries are low. We'll wait for you at school." Fascinating, huh?
22. Do you chew on a straw? No. What a question!
23. Where’s the next place you are going? The bathroom, but what else is new?
24. Who’s the rudest person in your life? My son D. But, he means well...doesn't he?
25. What was the last thing you ate? Chocolate chip ice cream, of course!
26. Will you get married in the future? That's a nasty question to ask a married woman!
27. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the last 2 weeks? “Prince Caspian” Ok, I admit, it's the ONLY movie I've seen in the past 2 weeks, but I did enjoy it very much. And it was MUCH better than Kung Fu Panda in French while in France...hard to enjoy fully as I don't understand French!
28. When was the last time you did dishes? Last night at 11p.m.
29. Are you currently depressed? Not particularly, although the whole September-back-to-school thing does get me down.
30. Did you cry today? Not yet.
31. What was the last thing you said aloud? "Why did you go out of the yard?"
32. What car do you drive and what bumper sticker(s) do you have on it? An old Peugeot 206. No bumper stickers but the hatchback is covered with little star stickers that G. decided made the car prettier!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Emergency!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
I'm the Mom!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Spinach Pie
So, step one for me is - take the puff pastry out of its packaging and lie it across your tart pan. You can also use a standard pie pan. It depends on whether you prefer a deeper or shallower pie.
Step two - prepare the pie filling.
Ingredients:
some frozen spinach (thawed and excess water removed)
some ricotta (150 grams?)
1 egg
some grated cheese (Parmigiano, Grana, Pecorino, as you prefer)
salt (to taste)
pepper (if you like it)
Process:
Blend the above ingredients all together in a deep bowl with an electric blender. Pour them into the pastry shell and bake until brown (about 30 minutes) at 180° Celsius (about 375° Farenheit).
If you like, you can add other cheeses, either cubed or grated, or diced ham. This is one of those recipes where you can follow my mother-in-law's advice and "throw in whatever you have in the refrigerator"!
Buon Appetito!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
A Poem
by Thomas Moore
I saw from the beach, when the morning was shining,
A bark o'er the waters move gloriously on;
I came when the sun o'er that beach was declining,
The bark was still there, but the waters were gone.
And such is the fate of our life's early promise,
So passing the spring-tide of joy we have known;
Each wave that we danced on at morning ebbs from us,
And leaves us, at eve, on the bleak shore alone.
Oh, who would not welcome that moment's returning
When passion first waked a new life through his frame,
And his soul, like the wood that grows precious in burning,
Gave out all its sweets to love's exquisite flame.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Big Blue Balloon
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Bees Do It
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Sunday with Nonna
Monday, August 18, 2008
My bags are packed
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Kids these days...
...are so electronics dependent it's frightening!
Here we are at a local festa with bandoliers, a fantastic light display, balloons, ice cream, you name it...
...and they are consumed by the latest Nintendo DS adventure...
Ugh!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Into the Blue
Friday, August 15, 2008
Ferragosto
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Food Happens
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Shade
It's nice to live in a sunny place...the sky is almost always blue, a beautiful blue, the sea awaits just a few meters away...
...but, the summer is hot, so hot, so very, very HOT... sometimes all you can do is lie around in the shade...
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Peach Pie
(recipe to follow in the early afternoon ... now I'm going to the beach!)
Ok, I'm back...
Pie Shell
1 cup shortening (or butter!)
2 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
7-8 tbsps. cold water
Cut shortening into flour and salt until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1-2 teaspoons water can be added, if necessary).
Gather pastry into a ball. Divide and shape into 2 rounds on lightly floured surface. Roll pastry 2 inches larger than inverted pie plate with floured rolling pin.
Fold pastry into fourths. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and sides.
Filling
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 cups sliced fresh peaches (about 6 medium)
1 tsp. lemon juice
3 tbsps. butter
Heat oven to 425° (220° celsius). Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon. Stir in peaches and lemon juice. Turn into pastry-lined pie plate. Dot with margarine. Cover with top crust. Tuck edges of top crust under edges of bottom crust and flute all the way around. Cut slits in top crust. Cover edge with 2-3 inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Bake until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. 35 to 45 minutes. Cool. Serve with vanilla ice-cream!
Monday, August 11, 2008
A Single Cloud
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Solar Power
These are photos of the crane truck that lifted the wood up onto the roof.
The man who is overseeing the job also teaches construction courses. The guys to the left have finished their theoretical courses and are doing their practical application on my roof! Do you think they need more help there? I can't believe it takes five of them to hold that beam up! And one to watch. Sounds like a joke...how many Italians does it take to...?
Thursday, August 7, 2008
If It Ain't Easy, I Don't Cook It
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
What does your Garden Grow?
This pumpkin plant took over our garden this summer. She and about 10 of her close personal friends just sprouted up all over the place and started growing like crazy. She pulled herself up the fencing with aggressive tendrils that seemed to appear out of nowhere from one hour to the next. The funny thing is that we didn't plant any pumpkin seeds. The only thing we can figure is that the seeds were in the compost we use for fertilizer. I did throw that Halloween pumpkin in the compost pile last November...
Tomatoes, tomatoes, lovely tomatoes! Good for salads, good for pasta dishes, good for sauce... the generous tomato!
Welcome to the basil jungle! We have oregano, parsley and mint, too. Way too much mint...mint is another overeager plant...put in one tiny little specimen and it'll take over the garden!
It's late summer now, so this is all that's left in the garden. It's so hot and water is so scarce that only the hardy can survive at this point. Without air-conditioning we sometimes feel that way ourselves!
Tomorrow a recipe!