LOL 10 Times

It's Monday Listicles time again! I have to say this weekly appointment with Stasha's lists over at The Good Life is becoming addictive. I can hardly wait to see what the topic will be each week.

This week anyone who wants to play this game should share 10 times they actually laughed out loud.

Some of these chuckles (actually belly laughs) date way back and some are kind of hard to explain, but I will do my best . . .

1. When my personal trainer told me my body was becoming a
"force to be reckoned with"

Oh yeah, I'm tough!

2. When my very sweet and discreet friend finally cut loose and told me her ex-husband had a little one

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. "La 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 click here.) 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!

4. when my son calmly said LOL instead of actually laughing

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!

Just like this

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.
You'd have to hear it . . .

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!

We should have tried THESE outfits on!

8. Burger She Wrote 

Cracked me up . . .

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.

That's my name, don't wear it out!

10. "Ooh Girl," this is an oldie but a guaranteed LOL every time

Be patient, little blog...

This poor blog has been so neglected for so long, it would probably growl at me...if blogs could! Not long from now I'll finish that mega-translation I've been working on since the end of November and will (perhaps) have some time to dedicate to you, blog dear.

For now, I've copied this meme from Michelle at bleedingespresso...

1. My uncle once: slept through the landing of the man on the moon!

2. Never in my life: would I say "never in my life."

3. When I was five: my uncle (same one as above) taught me to say "buenos dias." Little did he know he was sparking a life-long interest in foreign languages!

4. High school was: yucky.

5. I will never forget: the births of my sons.

6. Once I met: Mitch Easter. Does anyone remember Mitch Easter? Let's Active? Am I alone here?

7. There’s this girl I know: who is the best shopping date around!

8. Once, at a bar: I won a t-shirt for my exceptional dancing!

9. By noon, I’m usually: wondering what to cook for lunch, another lunch.

10. Last night: at 10:50 p.m. 300 Italian radio stations played the same song by Fabrizio De Andre: Amore Che Viene Amore Che Va.

11. If only I had: a Mini.

12. Next time I go to church: will be the first time in 2009.

13. What worries me most: my children's future happiness.

14. When I turn my head left I see: my black purse dumped on top of my green purse, an Italian-English dictionary, the book I'm translating, my cell-phone, the house phone and a memory stick.

15. When I turn my head right I see: two paintings by my grandfather hanging on the wall.

16. You know I’m lying when: I turn red, bright red.

17. What I miss most about the Eighties is: ska music.

18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be: Ariel, the fairy spirit.

19. By this time next year: I hope to have been paid all that backpay the university owes me!

20. A better name for me would be: impossible to find...I love my name.

21. I have a hard time understanding: higher math, Molfettan dialect, limited mentalities.

22. If I ever go back to school, I’ll: study a little bit of this and a little bit of that, whatever catches my fancy.

23. You know I like you if: you make me laugh.

24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be: my children and husband for putting up with me.

25. Take my advice, never: say never.

26. My ideal breakfast is: a tower of waffles and bacon with maple syrup!

27. A song I love but do not have is: I Can Feel You, by Anastacia or So What by Pink.

28. If you visit my hometown, I suggest you: have a Plan B for your day because I don't have a hometown, never lived anywhere longer than 2 years before coming to Italy.

29. Why won’t people: mind their own £%*&**+& business?

30. If you spend a night at my house: bring warm pj's, it's cold in here!

31. I’d stop my wedding for: someone giving birth unexpectedly or having a heart attack. But, what wedding? Been there, done that!

32. The world could do without: unkind people going around hurting others with their unkind actions.

33. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: eat brain, tripe or tongue.

34. My favourite blonde(s) is/are: my sons!

35. Paper clips are more useful than: a poke in the eye?

36. If I do anything well it’s: cuddle.

37. And by the way: if you do this meme, let me know so I can read your answers!

Okay, I copied the last answer from Michelle, but I'm curious!