Texas Espresso

International Cat Day

2010-02-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

In honor of International Cat Day, I'd like to take this time to remember my beloved cat Sophie, whom I lost this past Thanksgiving and miss every day.

It is hard to think about her now and not cry. She was with me for over 15 years and was the sweetest, funniest kitty I've every had.

When I first rescued her from the pound, she was a young, short-haired, 5-lb, flea-ridden cat who fell in love with my father initially and hardly spared me a glance. My parents were about to move out of our family home with me staying on - and a house just wasn't a home without a kitty. It took me loads of money and who knows how much time to rid her and the house of fleas. more time to train her not to jump on the kitchen cabinets. and weeks for her to stop smacking my dogs. but we settled in. Who knew under that short-hair hair was a silky, long-haired kitty who would rule the roost and priss about with her tail in the air.

She loved me unconditionally and every work day, I found her waiting for me by the door or she would walk out into the garage so we could walk inside together. She didn't like it when S. and I fought or even had a loud discussion - she would meow and rub against both of us as if to calm us down. She made me laugh when I was down and kept me company when I was lonely. She would snuggle up to me on the sofa - maintaining her independence of course - and let me pick her up and hug her when I needed to. We made up songs for her, talked to her all the time and often wondered how a 8-lb cat could sound like a herd of elephants running up the stairs and down the hall.

And now that she's gone, it's astounding how a small, quiet animal leaves such a huge hole in your life. the house seems so empty without her. But I am thankful for the blessings and company she gave to me thru the years. I was hoping to have her longer but until that last day, she was still the same sweet kitty I had loved over the years.

If you are a cat lover and have a cat, take time to appreciate and enjoy your kitty today.

And so the Italian Adventure Begins...

2010-01-31T18:23:00.000-08:00

After months of scouring the internets for tickets that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg or any other detachable body part, we finally decided that to save a few bucks we would give up the dream of getting to Italy early. And so, we found a pair taking off on Christmas Eve arriving late morning in Venice. Not ideal but not terrible either. At least we would make Christmas lunch :)

Daring dashes to the madhouse stores for last minute gifts and warm clothes (hello I live in Texas, it doesn't get that cold here). Long lists of what to pack with the determination not to stuff too much into the suitcase. Bills to pay so we could come back to a house with electricity. A million and one things to do before leaving which suck up the hours before a big trip.

The day finally arrives and guess what? A Christmas miracle occurred. It snowed in Dallas. HA of course it would snow as I am leaving. It looked lovely coming down along the runway as we waited for our flight. and waited. and waited. yep, our flight was delayed but not because of the snow. We were almost an hour late in leaving but the plane was nice and the movie selection... oh the movie selection was GINORMOUS!! I didn't sleep at all! I watched Julie & Julia, G-Force, and The Hangover. (that movie was hilarious lol)

Unfortunately, we didn't make up enough time in the air and had a tight connection in Amsterdam - where, I might add, we had to run across the WHOLE FREAKING AIRPORT to make our connection flight to Venice. S got to the gate before me and as I was running up to the gate, they called my name over the intercom.lol Hopping on the little tram we were the last ones on the plane. It was snowing pretty hard by that time and frankly we ran for for nothing because we were further delayed while they de-iced the wings. actually that was kind of cool. I'd never seen that before =)

Tired beyond belief, cramped in the little puddle jumper, and just ready to get there, S. & I couldn't help but get excited when we finally saw this:The Euganean Hills. S. loves those hills and I swear I could hear the angelic music swell as we gazed out the window to see them. So after a day of travel, no sleep, snow, and hot, cramped places - even though we were over an hour late in arriving - S. was home.

Our luggage however, was not.

More later...

2010-01-24T18:37:00.000-08:00

**tap tap tap** **tap tap tap**

Anyone here? probably not and I don't blame you at all. 2009 was a pretty sucky year and life just got in the way of blogging. Plus, nothing interesting happened last year so...

However, the year ended on a good note with Christmas and New Years in Italy! Can you believe it had been 6 years since I had been on vacation? Or seen my in-laws?? Once I did the math, I couldn't believe it had been so long. sigh I totally needed it and it delivered!

So, as the new year has started (though I'm still a month late) I will be posting all about our adventures in Italy during the holidays. Where we went. What we ate. Crappy weather. Funny observations. and so on

Here is a teaser :) Where are we?

More later...

EUREKA!

2009-03-25T18:54:00.001-07:00

AHA! I have cracked the DaVinci-esque code of making a good tomato sauce!

If you had told me 10 years ago that pasta would be a staple in my everyday diet, I would not have believed it. I didn't like pasta then. too mushy. too much sauce. or bland. yuck. My family was not a pasta family so I hadn't really been exposed to the good stuff. Since meeting and marrying S. that totally changed, and I have been on a quest to make at least a comparable sauce to the one he makes.

And so here we find ourselves. What is the secret you say? Well, in my humble opinion it is two-fold:

1. Use good tomatoes.

2. Let the sauce cook. For awhile. As long as you can and still keep it "quick"

Sounds simple right? Well it is and it isn't. Let's examine the process, keep in mind its all variation on a theme depending on what you have in the pantry, or are in the mood for, or have time for.

Most Italian sauces begin with a soffritto. Soffritto is basically the saute of diced aromatic vegetables - onions, carrots, celery - in extra virgin olive oil. Add a little salt and let them soften. We usually just use onions in the soffritto, probably because we are lazy and don't want to chop all the other veggies. Then add the tomato.

Here I will digress to a more personal approach. We usually use canned organic strained/crushed tomatoes for our sauces. Fresh are good, but as we don't grow our own, when we get fresh tomatoes (in season of course!) we like to eat them with mozzarella, drizzled with ev olive oil, salt, pepper and basil. We never seem to have a surplus for sauce. From time to time we do make a fresh tomato sauce, but I leave that to the expert - S. Anyway, back to the cooking. Try out different brands of canned tomatoes (not the pre-made spaghetti sauce or marinara) to see what fits your taste best. (Currently, we are really enjoying Pomi strained tomatoes). And then, let it cook. stir occasionally. taste for seasoning. let it cook some more. You see, as it cooks out the water, the tomato concentrates and thickens - the flavor is delicious! Interestingly enough, tomatoes are one of the few fruits (or vegetables if you swing that way) that when cooked, have higher levels of lycopene and antioxidants. I know some recipes add sugar to the sauce. I don't do that. I don't really like a sweet sauce - I think the tomatoes are sweet enough on their own. But to each his own I guess.

Pretty much that is it. A basic sauce. Mix it up by adding different herbs (like rosemary and basil or even herbs de provence) or spices. I like black pepper, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika or crushed red pepper. [side note: add some red pepper flakes to your soffritto for more flavor] We also like to add a bit of vegetable broth powder (which comes from Italy) as it gives a bit of depth to the taste. If you want meat or mushrooms in the sauce, cook the mushrooms with the soffritto or add the cooked meat after the vegetables soften.

Now combine it with good pasta. Seriously, there are definitely some bad dried pastas out there. We have tried them all and DeCecco is our pick. There are other good brands but this one is the most accessible to us. (meaning I don't have to go to Whole Foods or Central Market to get it, my local grocery store has it) I just learned from S. that by looking at the cook time on the pasta box, you can tell if it is good or not (most of the time). The longer the cook time, the better the pasta. Who knew? And for God's sake DONT OVERCOOK THE PASTA! overcooked pasta is gross. It should be "al dente" and you don't need to throw it against the wall to see if it's ready. HA just get a piece and chew it. if there is a little bit of resistance when you bite it. firm but not hard, it's ready.

Once the pasta is drained we normally put in the sauce pot, stir to combine with sauce and add parmesan cheese. This technique helps dry the pasta a bit and helps the sauce adhere to it. I'm not sure but I think this is more traditionally Southern Italian. I say that only because there are so many different ways and variations of making "authentic Italian". This is how we do it, it's not even something S's mom ever did - it's our own kind of northern-italian-texan twist.

I don't mean to brag or anything, but S. has even said my sauce is as good as his mother's. High praise indeed! lol

More later...

A New Twist on Tourism

2009-02-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

Ahh Tornado Alley. I live in it. YAY!

For those of you who do not have this privilege, let me tell you that from an early age (elementary) we are given instruction on what to do in case a tornado heads our way. Believe me, if you haven't spent some time in the school hallway, on your knees, bending over with your arms over your head, during a tornado drill, you have not lived.

Can I get an Amen? HA! Anyway, I tell you this so you understand that I have a healthy appreciation (and fear) of tornadoes. When spring comes around, which is traditionally the beginning of storm season (though this year it seems to have started in winter), you can be sure that my mind automatically and unconsciously calculates the most internal space available in whatever building I'm during a storm. (It really does, just like my brain automatically calculates Italian time when I look at the clock.)

Now, don't be thinking I'm all obsessive or take cover whenever there's even a slight chance of tornadoes. I don't do that. However, I have been through one and it makes an impression. But normally, I am not that nervous during the season, just keep a watchful eye on the weather. My Italian on the other hand, did not grow up with extreme weather conditions. He has a tendency to "freak" out a bit when severe storms come our way. (shhh don't tell him I said that) I am completely surprised he has not yet built a storm shelter in our home. HA! I will admit though, he has gotten much much better =) But with his fear comes a fascination with tornadoes, that I cannot conceive. Evidently, he is not alone in that.

Over the last several years, it has come to my attention that a new tourist attraction has been created. Storm Chasing. People from all over the world descend upon our fair states looking for the awe-if not fear-inspiring onslaught of tornadoes, hail and severe storms that roam Tornado Alley. These are tours folks. Tours which have the ultimate goal of seeing a tornado spawned from the sky.

For me "storm chasers" are trained people who work with the weather centers and news meteorology teams to let them know what is developing. They are quite an organized group, full of HAMM radio operators, many with in-vehicle radar screens and whatchimacallit weather related gadgets. But not anymore. Recently, we watched a BBC produced show of a group of English travelers on a tour. In Italy, out of the beautiful town of Teolo, you have these guys who ride along with experts from OU every year. My Italian explains that while of course these storms bring about terrible damage and heartache for the people involved, it is one of the very unique "American" experiences a foreigner can have. Kind of like visiting the Southwest. It is the awe-inspiring raw power and sometimes terrifying beauty of nature.

In light of this, he dragged me to a severe storm seminar. *sigh* You would not BELIEVE how many people were in attendance! I am not even exaggerating when I estimate around 400. The place was packed. All of us were there to learn how to identify characteristics of severe storms, possibly tornadic storms, in the cloud formations. I learned a lot. As much as I griped (internally) about not wanting to go, it was actually very interesting. I even found myself a little excited about the phenomena. Anticipating severe weather so I can put what I learned into practice. What is wrong with me? lol

I am such a nerd.

More later...

Discovering Italy

2009-02-08T09:21:00.000-08:00

Today we are going to visit Sabbioneta. It is located in Northern Italy on the plains between the Po and Oglio Rivers. In 2008, Sabbioneta was added as a UNESCO World Heritage site (along with Mantova).

Regione: Lombardia
Provincia: Mantova
City: Sabbioneta

Known as “The Ideal City,” Sabbioneta was the brain-child of one man, Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna, who was from a branch of the famous Gonzaga family, Dukes of Mantova. This city was designed based on the theories of ideal city planning and built in the second half of the 16th Century. The design of the city represents the functional vision of the Renaissance period, which relied heavily on the use of proportions derived from observing Roman ruins. The rediscovery of ancient books, the theory of the Greek “Golden Ratio” and Neoplatonism also helped shape the Renaissance city planning. The outline of the city is shaped by fortifications in an irregular hexagon form with 6 bastions at the corners, much of which is well preserved.

In this city, Vincenzo Scamozzi was hired to construct the Teatro all’antica. Scamozzi was a student of Andrea Palladio, and one of the most important architects of his time. The Teatro all’antica is very important in the history of theater, as it was the first indoor theater built specifically that purpose and served as a model for the European theaters that followed. Sabbioneta also hosted an important Jewish community and Hebrew printing press, which you can still visit today. Other places of interest include the Palazzo del Giardino, Galleria della Antichi, Palazzo Ducale, various churches, the remaining bastions, Porta Vittoria – the most ancient entrance of the town - and the Sinagoga, (the synagogue).

Food. You can’t visit a city without experiencing the food. (plus it’s the best part of any trip!) Let’s start with my favorite part of the meal – dessert. Torta sbrisolona, literally “crumb cake” is a local specialty made with almonds. Traditionally dipped in wine, but coffee or hot chocolate work too. YUM. Pasta - Tortelli mantovani di Zucca. Tortelli are kind of like large ravioli, in this dish filled with a pumpkin/amaretti filling. (I haven’t tried it but next time I will and report back!) Wine – Lambrusco sabbionetano is a red wine using only local grapes grown in the area’s sandy soil.

It is a lovely city with a lot of interesting things to see. For me, part of the intrigue is the fact it was built just to embody the Renaissance thoughts of the time. If you are in the area, take the time to stop by. Sabbioneta will not disappoint you!

More later...

2009!

2009-01-12T16:50:00.000-08:00

Wow! Happy New Year's folks!! can you believe it is already mid-January? I'm sorry I've been so absent. The Italian, Christmas and work have kept me hoppin'! This year is shaping up to be another busy one but I am trying to be more organized and get back to regular blogging.

So in case y'all have forgotten me - or on the off chance anyone new is stopping by, I decided to do another "get to know me" quiz. ha Here we go:

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Actually I am. My paternal grandmother was Stacy, though I didn't get her middle name of Ann, which she went by. Doesn't it seem weird that someone born in 1900 was named Stacy? I wonder where it came from - seems odd surrounded by the Inge, Bertie Lee, Pearl, etc. names of her 10 siblings.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
OH gosh, maybe a better question is when was the last time you DIDN'T cry. I'm a crier, though I will admit its been a good week or so. Unless you count getting "teary". ha

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Hmmm - I used to think it was fine but lately it just looks messy. sigh

4. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Nope, just a cat.

5. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Absolutely!

6. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Me? Nooooo *scoffs* HA

7. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS
You know what - I can't remember! I think no, but will have to check with my mom.

8. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Hell no!

9. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Kashi Heart to Heart Oatmeal Flakes with Blueberry Clusters. OH SO GOOD. and as an added plus the milk turns blue. YAY

10. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
no, i usually pull my feet out. i know thats bad...

11. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
yes, i guess so physically. emotionally - absolutely, though you may not think it because I cry.

12. FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Absolute 100% favorite of all time? Baskin Robbins Chocolate Peanut Butter. But I like most ice cream/gelato. It's all good in my book.

13.WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Usually their smiles and the look in their eyes. You can tell when someone is being insincere by their eyes.

14. RED OR PINK?
Red. Though I do like pink now and then. but not Barbie pink. yuk

15. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
My nose. I have my mother's cursed nose. thankfully in a smaller form but they say your nose continues to grow throughout life. That does not bode well for me.

16. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
The Italian when he's in Italy.

17. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Light green - I have my plushy warm slippers on!

18. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Pesto Tortellini in vegetable broth

19 WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The Italian reading to me off a website. his accent is so cute. hehe

20.IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
So many great colors to chose from! I'd love to be a different color every day! but since I have to choose - aqua. it's the first one that popped into my head.

21.FAVORITE SMELLS?
Vanilla, cinnamon, any kind of baking smells, coffee, gasoline (I know!) spicey and citrousy smells.

22. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
My friend K.

23. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
College football and basketball.

24. HAIR COLOR?
Dark Brown.

25. EYE COLOR?
Green (sometimes blue but never brown).

26. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Nope. I do have glasses for distance vision, though.

27.FAVORITE FOOD?
It's a tie between real Italian and Mexican. but I also really like Mediterranean and good ole American.

28. SCARY MOVIES OR SAPPY ENDINGS?S
Totally love sappy endings. hey I don't care if they aren't realistic. I live in the real world I don't want to watch it all the time! I don't mind suspensive movies but bloody, gorey kind of movies I can do without.

29. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
huh I don't know - we've watched so many lately. Close Encounters of the Third Kind?

30. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
red and white striped turtleneck

31. SUMMER OR WINTER?
this is a hard one for me - i really like spring and fall best. Summer is too hot here but I like to swim so.... however, winter is a nice break. the cold invigorates me but then again, it's Texas - it doesn't get THAT cold for very long. hmmmm

32. HUGS OR KISSES?
Yes, please.

33. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Chocolate. Or Chocolate. Or Cake or cookies or... let's just say I like my sweets.

34.WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco

35. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
psychedelic flowers =)

36. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Tales from the Palaces (BBC awesomeness)

37.FAVORITE SOUND?
Rain, thunder and beautiful male singing voices

38. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles

39. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Italy. but I'm shooting for Australia one day

40.DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I used to sing extremely well but now.. not so much.

41.WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Texas.

More Later...

Gift Guide 2008

2008-11-30T19:40:00.000-08:00

I don’t know about ya’ll but I am freaking out a bit that Christmas is just around the corner! I am having a hard time getting in the Christmas Spirit this year. It doesn’t help that we are broke and the economy sucks. And I know that buying presents is not what the Season is all about, however, it is something I really enjoy doing each year.

I love to buy presents for people. I come from a family that doesn’t exchange presents except for a few times a year (birthday and Christmas). And friend-wise we are not in the habit of that either. Maybe now and then, but on a regular basis – no. So, you see, that is part of the fun of this Season for me. I like to really think about the gifts. Spend some time looking (on the internet) for unusual things that I think match the recipient well. I am not one of those women who likes to wander around the mall for hours at a time. You can’t do that in your pajamas right? Ugh I like to know what I want; go in and get it (or order it online.ha).

Anyway, I am always looking for gift guides with cool ideas so I thought I’d make my own this year. Kind of like a poor man’s “Oprah” list. ☺ Let me know what you think AND if you have any other ideas – post them. The more the merrier!

Girly Gifts

Personalized Pocket Mirror ($14) - nice, simple gift. Who doesn't need a mirror for your purse?
Shea Butter Lotion Sticks ($7.50) - I think these are just cool.
Monogrammed Sticky Notes ($14) - Stationery is awesome. so are sticky notes. Can't go wrong with these babies. Check to see if you have a store in your area because it looks like several letters are sold out on the website.
Scented Stationery ($16.50) - Anyone who loves stationery has to love these. I mean look at the boxes! They alone are worth buying! You can find them on other websites but this one also donates to causes. Look around the site - lots of things to see. A gift that gives!

Techy Gifts

Flash Drives ($24.95) - I love these drives, they make me laugh.
iTurbo iPod charger ($19.99) - I bought these for S. & I last Christmas. They work! and also come in a Razr charger, if you have one of those cell phones.
Mini Doc Amplifier ($3.99) - how freaking cool are these?? AND they look like legos.
Screwdriver Set ($7.99) - can't have too many of these sets. not only for glasses but also computer tweaker types.

Food Gifts (some may also qualify as girly.ha)

Vosges Haut chocolate bar set ($25) - This website is overflowing with nice gifts. It was hard for me to select just one. Check out the travel guide/chocolate set. yoga and choc. wine and choc. ohhh too many to count. plus its delicious.
Joe Kelly Truffle Fudge ($13) - This is the best fudge I have ever eaten. and I've eaten my share of fudge. You can order it online or if you live in a town with a Central Market, they have it too.
Effin Sauces ($5) - ok so this is more Texas-y. But the name itself is a keeper. That's really their family name. HA just spreading some Texas culture ya'll.
Tea Pots/Sets ($24.95) - You can probably find some cheaper pots but I love these glass ones. Then you put one of those flowery, bloomy tea things in it - tasty and pretty.
Smoked Turkeys - Yummy smoked turkeys out of East Texas. We get one almost every year and they are delicious. Was also on Oprah's Favorite things list one year. Sure makes dinner easy.

Miscellaneous

Table Topics ($29.95) - this game may not be new but I've just discovered it. Thought provoking "break the ice" questions. Perfect for that couple who has everything.
Phaidon City Guides ($9.95) - If you have a traveler to buy for who has an upcoming trip - just pick their city and your done. I love these guides. the clean modern look and the contents. They also have other cool books so look around.
Cool Mouse Pads, etc. ($6.95) - If you are anything like me, you LOVE office supplies. This website has so many fun things, I almost just posted the link. check out those cool paper clips, and journals, and staplers! whew I need to stop, I can go to town on office supplies, especially if they are cute!
Funny kitchen timers ($8.95) - These are just fun. would totally complete that nice gourmet gift basket you're working on.
Alessi - ahh Alessi. again, too many things to chose. Being Italian and therefore very stylish, many are priced higher than my budget can handle. but I love the wine stoppers and bar equipment. We have several pieces collected over the years and I always want to add more. Those that know modern style will definitely appreciate these things.
Pocket Pad ($3.99) - just because I am ALWAYS looking for paper in my purse. aren't you? and its cute.
Document Envelope ($7.99) - another for the traveler. All your necessary info in one place. makes it easier to go thru check-in and security. A must have.
Movies. Here are a few that I think are cool for men and women. Also, if you have a movie buff to buy for, any movies in the Criterion Collection are classic must haves (or so my nerdy, movie loving husband says).

So how about that? :)

More later...

hey ya'll

2008-11-26T14:33:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Christmas in November

2008-11-23T18:30:00.000-08:00

Do you know what I saw around the first of the month? CHRISTMAS LIGHTS! ON A HOUSE! IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD! It's just weird seeing icicle lights before it's cold.

Have you noticed Christmas comes sooner and sooner each year? Here in Dallas, Christmas music was playing over the radio before Halloween. It seems weird, if not wrong, to have Halloween stuff out along side Christmas ones. Doesn't it? Now, I will admit, I love Christmas decorations. The colors, the music, the shapes and smells. I am absolutely the worst about leaving up my decorations for weeks if not months after Jan 1. :) things looks so plain once they are put away. BUT.... really. It's a bit early to hang lights on your house before Thanksgiving. lol

I know, not everyone in the world celebrates Thanksgiving but hellooo we are in America and culturally it is part of our holiday system. When I was growing up, I could hardly wait to put up the tree and get out the decorations. BUT that was the time-honored tradition of "after Thanksgiving" activities. eat. watch football. get out Christmas decor.

I have carried these traditions on into adulthood. Coerced my Italian into following along. but this year will be different. I threw away our artificial tree this year because it was kind of crappy and many of the light strands no longer worked (it was pre-lit). And S won't be here to hang lights out on the house until closer to Christmas. so is it worth it? should I just set out a few Christmasy things to make the house look festive. What do you think?

Hmm it's a quandry.

More later...

UGH

2008-11-13T19:55:00.000-08:00

I know - I suck! So sorry for the lack of posts. I am working on one this weekend!

Sincerely,

the lame blogger

more later...

2 Days in a Life…

2008-09-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

I’ve been crazy busy the last several weeks! However, as this is a full disclosure blog, I thought I would share with you what the last two days of my life have been like. Here we go…

An afternoon of culture at the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA). Sitting around waiting for people to climb into this Hummer. That thing is about as long as an eighteen wheeler. Frankly, you have to bend over to walk to your seat and it has a kind of “porn lounge” feel to it; but I tried not to think about that. HA! As a side note, I am very excited to report that the DMA is one of the few American museums that is on the King Tut exhibit tour. It starts Oct 3 and I can’t wait to see it! WOOHOO.

Next on the agenda – dinner at the 6th Floor Museum. A somber venue dedicated to the assassination of JFK but very interesting. Now located in the legendary Texas Book Depository, the exhibits are fascinating if not a bit morbid. They lay out actual known facts, cover conspiracy theories and currently have a very cool exhibit of home movies sent in from people who were there (with brief bios of the people who shot the footage). That exhibit is only there until mid-Oct so if you are in Dallas, go. I know it seems an odd place for dinner but even Dallas locals fail to visit the museum and it is very, very interesting. I did have to laugh at the poor museum worker who was being cross-examined by a visiting Canadian on whether the French audio tour was in proper French. Like that Texan knew! HA!

End of Day One.

Day Two begins with a classic Dallas pastime. SHOPPING at a very posh store with Dallas roots. May I just say to the man in the lime-green Lamborghini - DUDE, the black shirt with flames along the buttons, open to your navel is NOT a good look. (I know, lime-green, it’s criminal! Sigh) Lovely afternoon sitting under a tree watching the “Haves” shop, until a bird decided to poop on my shoulder. Nice and classy. I am nothing if not classy ☺ Cleaned up and then onward to Ft. Worth (FW).

A perfect Texas evening with a cool breeze on a rooftop terrace bar. Reata is a cool restaurant with a story and almost as locally famous as Joe T. Garcia's. (ohhh Joe T's. makes me want to move to FW just to be close to it) Sorry I digress. They serve delicious food and are located in downtown FW in Sundance Square. Man, I wish I could’ve stayed there all night! But no, alas, I am but a working woman and it was off to meet the star of the evening.

Here he is! This is Gus (short for Augustus) and though he may not look like it - he is 100% real! A really pretty Longhorn and he just stood there patiently while people took their picture with him, or ON him as the case may be. I am totally a city girl and I was AMAZED how huge Gus was. Taller than his handler and wow, he's massive.

Not a bad way to end the evening. How much more Texan can you get? I'm exhausted. hehe

More later y'all...

WHOA

2008-09-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

Look at the size of this hurricane! It takes up almost the whole Gulf!

Well, Ike is on his way and Houston and the coastal cities have been evacuated. It's supposed to be a big one folks! You'd think being in the northern part of the state and 5+ hours away from the coast, we wouldn't have to worry much in Dallas. But, I've heard a wide range of scenarios, from heavy rain and wind to hurricane strength winds and 6" of rain in a short amount of time. (thats A LOT of rain) Hopefully no tornadoes will head my way =)

Wish us luck and keep everyone in your prayers.

more later...

Something New

2008-08-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

A strange phenomena seems to overtake people when they learn my husband is Italian. As in FROM Italy. All of the sudden, they come running to me looking for advice on where to go and what to do in Italy. It's flattering really, others thinking you an expert on something. HA little do they know.

That being said, I do LOVE to talk about Italy and have fallen in love with it since meeting my husband. It's a place I never gave much thought to until I met him. And now, I can really get passionate about the subject. Besides, I totally have an edge with my own live-in tour guide/historian who gives me a "local" point of view and knowledge. I am infinitely grateful for that! I haven't seen one-one-hundreth of the places in this beautiful country but I have been on the "roads less traveled" and I think, seen a very different Italy then many of my fellow travelers.

I've come to realize there are two types of travelers. Those who want to cram in as much as they can, hitting only the "hot spots" and spending little time in any one place. And those who want a slower paced trip, maybe seeing a few of the highlights but also spending time trying to experience the place and culture of the people. Both kinds of travelers are fine - it just depends on what you want to get out of the trip. I like to be the second kind of traveler though, preferring the side road trips to the small villages and towns that aren't overrun with tourists. It's with this in mind that I've decided to periodically post little featurettes about lesser known places in Italy which are interesting and worth a look if you have or care to take the time. (is "lesser known" correct grammar?)

Since I've rambled on and on, this first one will be short. It's a beautiful town at the beginnings of the Alps, not well known, no history of too much significance (that I know of) and utterly charming just as it is.

Region: Veneto (Northern Italy)
Province: Treviso
City: Asolo

Asolo is a ancient pre-Roman town known for its glorious sunsets and beautiful setting. It's a very "medieval" town with walls that date back to the 14th century. It has a slow, relaxing pace which is conducive to nice meandering walks thru narrow streets, under porticoes and arcades.

It was inhabited by and/or inspired such literary figures and artists as Robert Browning (his last volume of poems - Asolando - named for the town); his wife Elizabeth Barret Browning; Henry James; Ernest Hemingway; Igor Stravinsky (composer) and Carlo Scarpa (architect).

Things to do here:

Climb the 1,000+ steps up to "La Rocca" (the ancient wall in the pic below)
Visit the castle of Caterina Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus born of a powerful Venetian family and a well known historical woman
See the Roman amphitheater ruins
Meander thru the open markets and shops
Sit at a cafe or in the square, sipping Prosecco (wine made in this region), soaking up the atmosphere, watching the day go by

It's not big, but it is enchanting and evocative of days gone by as well as the affluence of today.

Oh I forgot. One interesting and a little bizarre fact - The Asolo Theater was taken apart by the Ringlings (of circus fame) and rebuilt in Sarasota, FL. Kind of along the same lines as the original London Bridge being in Arizona. huh interessttinngggggg

More later...

On looking for chocolate

2008-08-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

For those of you who might not be aware if it, one of my favorite foods is chocolate. Seriously, I think chocolate should be its own food group =) AND to make it even better, science now confirms what I've always known deep inside... it's good for you!

So, since it happens to be my passion (hehe) I love to try out and look for new, delicious, cutting edge candies or bars, as the case may be. Imagine my surprise when I went into a little market near my house and found this. Imagine those cartoons where the characters stop in mid stride when they see something. Oh yeah that was me. What is that?Bacon? Chocolate? are you kidding??? I mean these are 2 of my most favorite foods. but together? I am intrigued.... and of course, had to try it. I looked at the box. hmmm - there are directions of how to taste this. cool. and OH. MY. GOSH. heaven in my mouth. The chocolate was a "dark milk chocolate" (41% cacao) which had the deep flavors of dark but not quite so bitter. the bacon is in little pieces. smokey. salty. chocolatey. I am so not kidding - you have to try it. IT IS SO GOOD.

I was feeling pretty good. It was my new favorite chocolate bar. And as an added bonus, it is expensive. meaning - I can't afford to buy it often so I won't eat so much. lol maybe that is not a bonus but for me and my "dieting," price is a good deterrent. Plus, that just makes it all the more special when I do have it. Right? right?? well that is what I am telling myself anyway.

So, I go on living life. content in my new discovery and telling anyone who would listen how delicious that chocolate is. that is until I went back into the store the next week. you see, as I was so distracted and enamored of my bacon bar that I totally missed another tiny display of Vosges chocolate bars. So as I was checking out with my bread and freshly made mozzarella, my eye was caught on a lovely packaged bar. hmm.. what is this one? deep milk chocolate (well, I know I like that). smoked almond. good. grey sea salt. mmmm better! Just a little taste can't hurt. again OH. MY. GOSH. Barcelona bar, thy name is ambrosia. this is everything I love about life. sweet, deep chocolate. smokey from the bits of almonds. and salt. oh sea salt, that little crunch, that salty among the sweet. I decided to taste it like the box instructed me to. and let me tell you. Letting that chocolate melt on my tongue against the roof of my mouth, slowly giving way to the crunch and smokey saltiness of the almonds and sea salt. heaven. simply heaven.

You must try these chocolates. be prepared for a bit of sticker shock but hey its a "treat". feel free to send me as many bars as you'd like. haha and another tip, maybe you should try it once you get home or at least in the car. your murmurs of ecstasy could be a bit embarrassing in public. ::wink::

PS - I think I heard a rumor that this was "delurking" month in the blog world. I may be a month late (my internal calendar is totally screwed) but nonetheless I would really love to hear from ya'll. you don't even have to comment about my going on and on about chocolate - tell me what you'd like to read about? what can I do for you?

More later...

MIA

2008-08-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hello? Hello? ::tap tap tap:: hello? If anyone IS still here - I greatly appreciate it though I will say, I sure don't blame you for not.lol I have been a terrible blogger, and for that I am sincerely sorry. I wish I had some interesting excuse like being pregnant or something (seems like that is usually the case with MIA bloggers.lol) but alas, you won't be getting any of those announcements from me!

Nope, the only excuse I have is that I've been MELTING in the hot Texas summer. A month of triple digit temperatures (or 40+C) has me basically shut down. As that only accounts for 1 month away from blogging, my only other excuse is that I am boring and have nothing exciting going on. Let's see what is new....

1. I started working for a small event company. I really like it and the staff (all 3 of us). It is alot of fun and interesting to be more on the special event side of things rather than corporate meetings. Here is a picture of one of my coworkers. Isn't she cute. The owner brings her to work some days and I love playing with her. Furry friends are always nice.

The drawbacks are that it is not full time and has no benefits. *sigh* I could totally be happy making a good living as a contract planner but without health care - how can I? *getting on my soapbox* I will be honest - I never really thought much about our healthcare system until I didn't have any insurance through a company. It SUCKS. and is practically impossible to get (or afford) an individual or family policy. I have spent years paying for premiums that I never used and while I am in good health (thankfully) you never know. then where would I be? Stuck with thousands of dollars worth of medical bills I can't afford to pay - that's where. *stepping back down before I really get going*

2. I have spent a lot of time shopping around in various farmer's markets, well when I venture outside anyway. I am in full tomato eating mode here. I mean who wants to cook in this heat anyway? The freaking salmonella-tomato-scare really put the kabosh on early summer tomato eating. And for some reason, my tomato selecting skills have really failed me this year because the yumminess has been a bit spotty so far. However, it has not made too big of difference as I am averaging 1 tomato each day. lol

3. The rest of the time I have either been a) reading or b) playing PacMan World 2 on the PS2. Most books have been of the romance/fun genre as I am not really up to real-world drama or sad stories at the moment. However, I am really excited about this book - my husband is reading it and I have just ordered me a copy. We've never read the same book at the same time before so it should be interesting. It sounds very interesting and timely since it is set in Asia.

4. I am looking forward to the Olympics. Aside from any feelings I have pro/con about China - I love the Olympics. And am dying to see the new Mummy movie set there but have promised my nephew to see it with him when he gets back from vacation. I know it didn't get good reviews but I like those movies, and I am 100% confident it will entertain me.

5. I am slightly jealous of everyone's cool and fun vacations. It's been awhile since I've had an actual vacation. (I don't really consider not working a vacation since I am stressed trying to find an income source) But good news! I am planning a trip to Italy this coming fall/winter. Either over Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday. I am leaning towards Christmas/New Years but airfare prices might rule that out. While I'm there I also plan on a side trip to Paris to see some sights and meet up with my favorite podcasters. So while that seems a long ways off, it will probably be here sooner than we think! At least it will make for some interesting postings. Hopefully, between now and then, these posts won't totally suck. hehe

See - nothing terribly interesting. unless you want a list of romance books I've read or 101 ways to eat tomatoes. lol

More later... (and thanks for coming back)

Following the crowd

2008-06-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

A lot of the blogs I frequent have been having some Flickr fun, so I've decided to have some of my own. If you are interested in creating your own Flickr Mosaic, here’s the scoop.

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.

b. Using only the first page, pick an image.

c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker

1. What is your first name? (this is by an artist named Stacy Alexander - you have no idea how many "almost" naked "stacys" popped up on this search. evidently I am a slut.lol)
2. What is your favorite food? (it was really hard to decide which pic to use, all the chocolates looked so good but this pic just made me laugh)
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush? (honestly, i had the HARDEST time deciding who this would be. there are so many. but in the end - I had to go with JDM. I mean have you SEEN PS I Love you? if not, you are missing one gorgeous bottom. sigh)
6. Favorite drink? (how cute is that. I know, my drink is boring)
7. Dream vacation? (this thing is harder than I thought it'd be. so many places I want to see...)
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

So let's see what we get...

1. Butterfly by Stacy Alexander, 2. Chocolate Bar, 3. The Lone Star State, 4. rojo sobre negro (mosaico) / red on black (mosaic), 5. jeffrey_dean_morgan_99, 6. Gilligan the sink pirate, 7. AUSTRALIA IS BEAUTIFUL, 8. belated happy birthday miss V!, 9. velon-fin, 10. Lovers, 11. to my friends, 12. Naked pour on Cyncra

cool. that was fun. let me know if you decide to do it too.

More later...

How does your garden grow?

2008-06-01T08:51:00.001-07:00

Location: Sister/Brother-in-law's garden

Time: Arrived later in the morning than planned. DANG HOT and humid

Purpose of visit: Gathering delicious home-grown produce, of which it has just been learned that potatoes are the only things ready to be "picked" and all onions have been pulled. *sigh*

And scene...

City girl, hands on hips and already sweating, surveys the alternating rows of leafy green and ugly dirt brown. picks up the phone and dials...

Sister J. picks up the phone - "hello"

Me - "uhm, which ones are the potatoes?"

J. - explosion of laughter which lasts a good 5 minutes.

end scene.

My Cherokee and farming ancestors would be appalled.lol But hey, I've never had a garden. I had NO IDEA what potato plants looked like. I can identify tomato and squash but other than that - I am hopeless. My father just shakes his head and says "city girl."

hehe however, now I know. AND I know how to harvest potatoes. Can I just say - OUCH! gardening sure does remind you of muscles you did not even know you had. I have found I'm more of a "sit in the dirt and dig" gardener rather than a "bend over and make your legs scream in pain" kind of gardener. lol

But..BUT look what I have to look forward to... can you see it? Barely peaking through are TOMATOES! WOOHOO I wish I had taken a better picture but it was so sunny it was hard to see what I was shooting.lol They have planted a ton of tomatoes, mostly heirloom and I could not be more excited. Can you believe I used to hate tomatoes? This is what happens when you only taste those mealy yucky ones from the grocery store.

I also can look forward to some lovely squash - yellow and zucchini. I have already instructed J. not to get rid of the squash flowers as I am going to try filling them with cheese/ricotta and fry those puppies up. It's something they frequently do in Italy, but I haven't ever had the chance to try them. this time - OH YEAH.

I am already combing the internet for the perfect recipe. I'll let you know how they turn out.

So sorry the posts have been far and few between of late. Life is at it's normal mundane pace and pretty boring in Tx Espresso land. I will try to do better for those of you still checking in. hehe you never know, things could get more interesting soon! =)

More later...

Mother-in-laws are fun!

2008-05-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

The other day I was skyping with S. and in the background I heard a lot of commotion going on.

me - "what's all that noise?"

S. - "oh that's mom. she's doing laundry."

me - "are you helping her??" ::preparing to get on my soapbox::

S. - "no"

Me - "S! I know your laundry is in there - you know how to do laundry - you help your mother! or at least offer!"

about this time S.'s mom asks what I am saying as she can hear me over the speakers and understands my voice is louder and not as sweet (ha) as normal. he translates, laughing.

I hear her make a scoffing noise followed by some rapid Italian that I barely heard (read understood) until I heard the word "mammone". What? you don't know the word "mammone'? Well it means "mamma's boy" and is entirely fitting in many (read most) Italian men. God love'em. LOL

upon hearing her rant, I burst out laughing. His mom, surprised I knew what that meant, started laughing too. I could just see her rolling her eyes and making hand gestures at her own comment.

so I said to her via S. "what are we going to do with that man?"

Her response, translated from Italian was basically " Kick him in the ass. don't you agree?"

to which I replied "SI, certo!" which in my english translates to "yes absolutely!".

then we laughed together in complete womanly harmony. ahhh common bonds transcend all language barriers...

more later...

Fun with Mail

2008-04-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

YAY!! they're heeeeeerrrrrrreeeeeeeeee.

Have you heard of Moo cards? My friend Sara, who is in fact a networking guru and always seems to be ahead of the curve with great ideas (I'm a little jealous), has talked about these cards for ages. I finally got around to checking the site out and it is so cool!

Basically, you can send them any pictures you've taken or created, crop it and make postcards, note cards, stamps, greeting cards and minicards. They print the order and zip them to you. It was the minicards that caught my attention. I decided I need to have just some "networking" cards with my info on them to pass out to people I meet along the way. If in fact I meet new people - lol.

However, I was too impatient to actually send them any of my photos. Well, to be honest, since my mac crashed I don't have too many on the computer and was too lazy to go thru my backups. (I will one day though) so, I used some pre-made designs available and came out with some REALLY CUTE cards!

Aren't they cute? So bright and fun! They are smaller than regular business cards, so of course I had to buy a holder too.

Anyway, I thought I'd share because I think it is a really cool idea. They take about a week to print and another week to receive them as they are shipped from the UK. But so worth it. They are reasonably priced too.

You should see the creative ideas people have with these cards. My favorite are the framed vacation pics that are actually minicards - you know like in one of those multi-pic frames? So creative!

Ok - this is my hip and trendy tip of the week. I'm not sure how many of these I can do as I am not as hip and trendy as I'd like to be. hehe Be cool with me - order some moo-cards!

More later...

Birthday Aftermath

2008-04-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

Thank ya'll for the birthday wishes! I had a nice day. I got several phone calls, emails and e-cards - it made me happy. My Italian in-laws sang me happy birthday in English no less =) I also got the lovely flowers from my sweet husband. Aren't they bright and happy? Tulips are my favorite (as is the color red) - they are always so beautiful and vibrant. ::sigh:: One day, I want to go Holland and walk amongst all the colorful Tulips, happily snapping pictures. ::sigh::

So I had a day of well wishes which is EXACTLY what I like (along with a few presents.hehe) and then my friend and I went to dinner. and YU-UM it was good. We had tex-mex and margaritas at a restaurant that just opened up "near" my house. They have delicious chips and salsa plus a yummy queso mixed with spinach dip. my favorite! I realized last nite that I like salsas that are not hot immediately when you eat them but have the kind of heat that comes afterwards. mmm it was good.

Being the sweet friend she is, E. brought me a couple of computer games and a GORGEOUS cake. Here's a pic. Aren't you jealous??? Those are fresh flowers on top, I hope you can see them well cuz they are so pretty! She got it at a bakery here called Dallas Affaires. I love their cakes. When S. and I were planning our reception (which we didn't ever have.lol), I went there to taste their wedding cakes. oh so good. so many combinations of cake and icings. ah heaven.

Here's a pic of the inside of the cake. look closely - in the middle you will see an amazing raspberry/chambord filling. I cut it weird because I didn't want to mess up the flowers. Man it is good and now I have a ton of cake left. Oh the sacrifices I have to make in life. Maybe I will share some of it with my parents who are coming in this weekend but we can't be sure. lol

All in all it was a nice birthday. I missed my Italian A LOT and wish so much he could've been here. But I know he was with me in spirit and he was the first one to wish me a happy birthday. However, it was a birthday full of love and well wishes - not to mention great gift cards, good food and gorgeous flowers. In my book, that's a pretty good day.

More later...

Conversations with S. - Birthday Edition

2008-04-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow is my birthday. yep, for you Americans out there - the day after taxes =) Anyway, I'm not too excited about this bday. ::sigh:: Probably because my honey will not be here and I don't really want to turn 37. But I do like to tell people so they can send me good wishes (or thoughts) - is that bad? lol I don't need presents but I like to know people are thinking of me 1 day a year. =)

Well, enough of that - now on to my conversation with S. First let's go back in time a couple of weeks.

Scene:

S. and I were talking on Skype. I was reminding S. that my birthday was coming up (HA - forgetting birthdays will NEVER be a problem in our house) so he asked me what I wanted as a present. hmm what do I want? I didn't really know! There are a lot of things I "want" per se, but nothing I really need or want him to spend money on. So I settled on a department store gift card and some flowers. I know - it is not much of a surprise nor terribly romantic but boh.

End scene.

Flash forward to today. Again, on Skype with S. just having a normal chat. Abruptly S. interrupts the conversation:

S. - I have to make a phone call, I'll call you back.
Me - taken aback a little but say - Ok.

about 5 minutes passes. then skype starts ringing. it's S. - he's back.

S. "giggling like a school boy and using a teasing lilty voice" - hey. I made my phone call.
Me - ok.
S. - "still giggling and using the teasy voice" - I called someone in Texas. hehehehe
Me- "getting suspicious" - ok. who was it? was it J(my sister)?
S. - no. "STILL giggling like a school boy" it wasn't anyone in the family...
Me - hmmm. was it a flower shop? (am laughing now)
S. - it's called the flower box and I think these flowers are going to be better than the other places.... etc etc. (here he really warms to the subject and starts going on about the various shops he could use and how he thinks this one is the best)
S. - are you going to be home tomorrow?
Me - well most of the day, but not early afternoon. have an appt. @ 1:30pm.
S. - "sounding defeated" oh... I told them after 12. "giggling ceases"
Me - don't worry, they always deliver to me late. you know, on their way back to the store.
S. - "perks up and is back to being excited" - OK good!

So I am getting birthday flowers! YAY!

My husband is not the most thoughtful man but he is SO CUTE when he buys a present or does something for me. He gets so excited he can hardly stand it. giggling like a little boy, I can almost see him dancing around with the secret (maybe not literally), always wanting to give it to me early - it just melts my heart. At Christmas, I make him wait and WRAP the presents - as well as stocking gifts, hello - Santa still comes - so for birthdays or anniversaries, I give him a break.

LOL. he can sure make me laugh. I just love that Italian.

More later...

Conversations with S.... and Chuck Norris

2008-03-25T16:06:00.000-07:00

Today, calling my husband on Skype for our daily afternoon chat, I noticed a quote beside his name which made me LAUGH OUT LOUD. It read:

“Yes I can” - Barack Obama prima di incontrare Chuck Norris “No you can't” - Chuck Norris prima di assassinare Obama con un calcio rotante

Before I translate, please let me say he was in no way making any political statements.

It means:

"Yes, I can" (speaks for itself and refers to Obama's now famous speech/catchphrase/youtube song) - Barack Obama before he met Chuck Norris
"No you can't" - Chuck Norris before he hits Obama with a roundhouse kick.

Why is that so funny you ask? Politically speaking we are about as opposite from Chuck Norris as possible. I think he is probably a nice guy, obviously well studied in martial arts. But what makes it so funny to me is that over the last years, I have become aware of the subcultural phenomenon that IS Chuck Norris. Did you know this exists?

There are whole websites dedicated to CN with sayings such as:

- There is no chin behind Chuck Norris’ beard. There is only another fist.
- When Chuck Norris does a pushup, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the Earth down.
- Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

This all stems from Walker, Texas Ranger which we all know is a terrible show, yet people watch it everywhere! Italians LOVE him, and many times when I am talking to S. he is watching Walker. Did he ever watch it here - NO.lol I was never a fan of the show though I did watch it occasionally to see if I recognized any of the places (they shot it in Dallas). And I understand its appeal since it is so over-the-top, but I never got the cult behavior until recently.

NOW I understand why he had a small cameo in "Dodgeball". NOW I understand the "Walker, Texas Ranger" lever on Conan O'Brien's show. And this Saturday Night Live short. So funny. sigh

So there you go. We are all now aware of the cult of Chuck Norris, and I have to say, some of those quotes are FUN - NY. Even the Italian sites, if you can't read them - look at the pics. My favorite is the cat of Chuck Norris. Makes me laugh every time... but then again, I am a big nerd.

Ah, my fellow Texan - you are a giant among men. hehe

More later...

Man! She is good

2008-03-24T22:29:00.000-07:00

I've posted about her before but dang, I wish I could sing like this. There are few singers that can sing this well at 7:00am, especially after partying at a festival like SXSW. Seriously ya'll you should get her album. (sorry, this is live so you have a bit of the radio show before the song starts).

Love her...

Welcome to Texas Food

2008-03-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

Now we come to the food portion of our Welcome to Texas (WTT) series. I must tell you upfront this section will have multiple entries as we have several "Texan" foods. But to start us off, I thought I would begin with our German/Austrian roots. Did you know that Texas had a lot of German immigrants back in the day?

Yep, primarily in Central Texas, also known as the Hill Country, you will find quite a bit of German influence - with towns like Fredricksburg, New Braunfels, Boerne, well, how could you not? And so of course with this migration, came the comfort foods of home BUT now with a Texas twist. So with no futher ado, I give you -

Lesson #2 - Chicken Fried Steak (aka, delicious goodness)

Chicken fried what you ask? Is it chicken? is it steak? well my friend it can be both! But traditionally it is steak. This has become a very southern food but according to Wikipedia, it originated in Texas. All because of our German settlers. In Germany (and Austria) they eat what is called Weiner Schnitzel. which is very good and traditionally made with tenderized veal. Well, beef is something Texas has a lot of and thus our chicken fried steak was born.

Normally, this dish is made out of cheaper cuts of beef which are then tenderized, battered and fried (like chicken). It is usually about the size of a big plate, served with mashed potatoes and covered with cream gravy. additional sides are beans (my favorite and the most common in my opinion is green beans) and a roll to sop up the unused gravy. I THINK in other parts of the south, they may use brown gravy, which is delicious in its own right, but here - its cream gravy with specks of pepper. YUM!

As you can see by the picture, I rebelled against the norm by ordering these fried potatoes, just because I wasn't in the mood for mashed. It's ok my friends - it can be done. and believe me those fries were GOOD. Other variations are chicken fried chicken or the CFS in sandwich form (yes, really. a sandwich). They are good as well and the chicken looks pretty much like the steak but it is not original. hehe

Now a word of caution - not all chicken fried steak is created equal. You must, I repeat MUST, purchase your first CFS by a reputable restaurant or a good home cook. There are some nasty CFS's out there and I would hate for you to miss this deliciousness by coming across them. So ask the locals or check things out on the internet cuz a bad, gristley CFS can scar you for life.

Beverage of choice with this dish - Beer. Wine? come on, really? look at that grease and gravy - beer, iced tea or coke (soda, for non-Texas speakers) are best.

Don't forget to sop up the gravy with the roll (which I didn't get, but whatever) and chase it down with some good pecan pie or cobbler. hehehe

Buon appetito ya'll

More later...

Welcome to Texas

2008-03-05T13:13:00.001-08:00

Since I am a native Texan, I have a tendency to overlook peculiarities that we have. It has been interesting to see these characteristics through the eyes of my Italian husband. So, I thought I would share some with you as they pop into my mind. Just in case you ever visit or move to Texas. Please know that there will always be some regional differences (aren't there always?) and even though I have a North Texas perspective, I am going to generalize anyway. hehe Feel free to "correct" me.

Lesson #1: Weather - Extreme Sports, Weather Edition

"If you don't like the weather in Texas, just wait 10 minutes."

We have weird weather. Huge storms throughout the year, tornadoes, completely bi-polar temperatures, etc. Let me give you an example:

Today was a beautiful day. Blue, clear skies, mild temps in the 70sF (21.5C). I had my house open all day =) Tomorrow - high of 45F (7C). A high we will hit IN THE MORNING. afternoon temps - 35F (1.7C). Cold rain mixed with snow expected =) and this is the second time in a matter of 4 days that we've had this scenario. We actually had big fat snow Monday night. it didn't really stick at my house but I sure had fun watching it.

I will be honest - this is not the biggest temperature swing we've had. We can have a variation of 30+ degrees over a course of hours. (seriously) And usually in the winter we will have some wintry precipitation - mostly in the form of ice. Not this year though - except during this first week of March.

Not only do our temperatures change drastically in a short amount of time but we also get big thunderstorms. Always in spring, but also just randomly throughout the year - anytime our warm gulf air hits with something arctic. thunderstorms you say? beh - big deal. Yeah they are a big deal. The thunder is HUGE (rattling the windows), the lightening is fast & scary and usually you hear at least one circuit box explode.lol have you ever seen a lightening storm? Just lightening, streaking across the sky - no rain, no clouds, just streaks of light crackling through the sky. Its beautiful and terrifying.

Now, along with the thunderstorms we get tornadoes. and hail. not ordinary hail - though we can have pea or quarter size hail, we also get baseball-softball size hail. I remember saving a piece in the freezer once, because S. did not believe me when I told him the size. It had shrunk a bit but he was a believer after he saw it with his own eyes. hehe

Tornadoes are something else. I remember doing tornado drills in elementary school in the spring. We'd all line up against the walls in the hallways. sitting cross-legged, bending over with our arms over our heads. Did any of you ever do that? lol teachers would open the windows in the classrooms and we'd all be waiting in the hall. I don't think kids do that anymore, though I need to check. I've always had a fear of tornadoes but it was just part of life.

My Italian on the other hand is not used to these extremes in weather. The 100+F (38C) temps in the summer kill him - when we bought a house, it had to have a pool because he refused to live another summer here without one. He does not like thunderstorms AT ALL and completely freaks when tornadoes are around. hehe

Weather and a good thunderstorm is something I will really miss when I move from here. I know my Italian will not miss it one bit. But to me it is exciting and wild, kind of an adrenaline rush seeing the power of Mother Nature. maybe its just part of my Texan blood? It's probably because we are a bit crazy. hehe

In conclusion - when in Texas, layers are a must (except in summer). keep an umbrella in the car. wherever you are staying, always scope out the best place to run in case of tornado. during a thunderstorm, enjoy the thunder but unplug your computer; take out the candles/matches & flashlights - JUST in case lightening hits something and the power goes out.

And remember... if you are having crappy weather - be patient. more than likely, it will change in a matter of hours.

More later...

::Update:: Well, it is 10:00am and we've already hit our high of 42F (5.5C). Yep, by 7:00am we were already headed into the 30's. WooHoo Here comes the snow!!

have you tried this?

2008-02-28T15:39:00.000-08:00

I am now addicted. It is hard - 5 minutes is not a lot of time. There is also one about naming countries. oh yeah - I'm not even posting that one. hehe

112

Let me know how you do!

More later...

What the...?

2008-02-28T12:05:00.000-08:00

Can anyone please tell me why Congress is probing into steroid use in baseball?

Maybe it's steroid use in all professional sports, I don't know but I DO know I don't understand. And now, the FBI has opened an investigation into Roger Clemen's testimony to Congress??!??

REALLY??? Is that what our government should be focusing on right now? Is the United States in such a grand position in the world they have NOTHING ELSE to do?? war -bah! economy - Bah! healthcare - Baha! Trillions of dollars in deficit - who cares right? that's nothing.... but steroids, well it's good to see my hard earned tax dollars at work. and on a topic that affects so many of our citizens. they sure have their finger on the pulse of the Nation.

now, I'm not saying all these steroid/doping cases are not newsworthy. I understand the use of steroids has risen in young men/women, which is alarming. I do think professional athletes have a responsibility to those that look up to them and to ticket holders/buyers/fans (I know it's not fair, but hey you're getting big bucks, and it's the price you pay for fame) - but I DON'T think the Congress of the United States of America should use its valuable time looking into this issue. Aren't there sport authorities/commissioners who can do this crap? Owners making obscene amounts of money on the games?

Does Congress even work 5 days a week now? I can't remember - but you'd think what little time they are working, should be spent on issues that affect us all.

The NERVE of them. I feel like it is really a slap in the face to us constituents. If you can't tell - it really pisses me off.

More later...

I need some help

2008-02-17T18:18:00.001-08:00

I have a friend from work, a male friend to be exact, who is super in love with his girlfriend and will soon be proposing to her. They are dating long distance and he & I talked alot about dealing with that, since I did it with my Italian husband. So anyway, when the two of them were discussing the possibility of marriage, he asked her where she wanted to go on her honeymoon. Guess what she said? Yep - Italy.

Of course, I always told him if he wanted to plan a trip to let me know - I would be happy to supply him with info. They will be spending a whole month (!!) there and I was trying to think of suggestions as to where to go. I have been blessed with traveling frequently to Italy, but unfortunately, I've never had a whole month at a time and there are alot of places I haven't seen. He sent me an email the other day requesting info so now I need some help! I know many of you live and travel in Italy extensively, so I thought you might give me a few suggestions or links to pass along to him. (and those of you who have travel-related businesses, don't think for one second I will forget about you!)

They have never been abroad so of course they should do some main tourist cities. But since they will be there for a month, they also have time to hit the countryside and see charming villages or other, less popular regions. What do you think?

First on my list is Venice. I heard some quote the other day that most people only spend 1 day in Venice. CRAZY! It is such a romantic city and deserves so much more time than just a day. Yes, it can be ridiculously touristy, but once you hit St. Marc's square and ride the gondola, run the opposite way from all the crowds. There is such an interesting vibe that can be found if you really look. Where locals are happy to share their city's history with you. where prices are not so outrageous and you can see the local inhabitants making their traditional crafts and foods. I was telling my husband the other day, that we really need to explore the islands (there are SO MANY) - even he, an almost local, hasn't visited many of those.

Also, in the Veneto - I really like Verona. It is a lovely city with an awesome Roman arena and Juliet's balcony (which isn't really real.. come on you knew that, and that's not it, I just like that window). The castle is cool to visit and I found the atmosphere low-key with really pretty buildings. The Euganean Hills around my husband's hometown are also beautiful with so many little towns and a ton of Venetian villas. Or you can venture up north and hit the Alps - I mean come on - romance in the mountains!

Then you certainly can't miss out on Tuscany. Florence, Sienna, San Gimignano, Volterra (I loved Volterra), the Chianti region, etc. Romance is always in the air in Toscana. Rome. Bologna. Ferrara (a town which the Italian says is very sexy. don't know if that is true or not). the Cinque Terre. Positano. areas of Sicily, Calabria, and Le Marche - ugh, I have to stop. There are so many wonderful things to see and do in Italy. How do you condense it down to one month of romantic traveling? I have asked him some basic questions about what they'd like to do but I don't think they know much about Italy and what it has to offer.

So, I need your help. Can you share any general Italian links you refer to from time to time? What about places you have visited that might be a bit off the beaten track but are so beautiful and romantic no one should miss them? I would love to help him surprise his bride with the trip of a lifetime. Wouldn't you?

Aww... young love. bridging the miles and language barriers and making it work. so sweet.

More later...

On new loves and misc things...

2008-02-09T21:11:00.001-08:00

It is true... I have a new love in my life. He is cute, athletic and a little bit slobbery (but so sweet you don't even notice). Here he is in action:

Isn't he the cutest thing you have ever seen? Check out his website here (I love the music) and his myspace here. I really can't get enough of that Tyson =)

Would you like to see another cool video? LOVE IT! How do those people do that! Do you think you would freak out if you witnessed that in person? I totally would!

In other news, I usually forget about the various statistic tools I have downloaded for my blog. So the other day, I came across one of them and decided to check out what words and phrases bring people to my lil ole blog. Here are a few of my favorites:

"slutty names/slutty stacey painter" (are they looking for this post?)
"glory hole locations in dallas" (ACCKK! uhm yeah. I don't even want to know. for clarification on why I might pop up on that search - click here. TOTALLY different subject)
"chia seed houston texas" (have I ever even typed the word "chia?')
"are french mothers mean?" (I don't really know as mine is Italian. but check comments here and here to see if others' are!)
"mother-in-law buy underwear" (embarrassing and funny all at the same time. and hey, at least I am not the only one!)
"green-eyed monster activities" (random, right? are there really activities for that? hmm.. I'm thinking I don't want to know. this is my green-eyed moment)

I think I should keep an eye on those keyword activities. I didn't realize what a wide variety of subjects I have covered. hehe

Hope you're having a great weekend.

More later...

World Nutella Day 2008

2008-02-04T18:53:00.000-08:00

It's here! These lovely ladies have been hard at work baking and promoting another World Nutella Day. Thanks ya'll - it is always a day I look forward to. hehe

This year, I decided to try a new recipe and made these little puppies. It is a very easy 3-ingredient recipe that you can find here.

I have to be honest - I was a little disappointed in these cookies. I think the fact that I didn't have self-rising cake flour put me at a disadvantage. I tried following some substitution recipes to make my own cake flour - I don't think it worked. They were a bit heavy but I think with the right flour they would be GREAT!. I spread more nutella on half and made a peanut butter buttercream to go in the others.

All in all, I will add the recipe to my repertoire, but next time will use the right flour for a lighter cookie! I also think rolling them in powdered sugar or sprinkling them with it will add to the flavor.

Now go and enjoy that NUTELLA!

more later...

Another Conversation with S

2008-01-31T16:36:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I've shared this with ya'll before, but my Italian is not a very typical Italian man. In many ways actually, but today I am going to concentrate on romance. As you probably know, one of the stereotypes of Italian men is very "Latin Lover-like". You know, passionate, romantic, over-the-top dramatics to get his woman. Macho, womanizing, Fabio-ish men.

Yeah. uhm...not so much. Which of course is VERY good in the "macho, womanizer" category, but not quite so good in the romantic one. Honestly, most of the Italian men I know, are not this womanizing type - I mean, hello they seem to date 1 person for like 15+ years! 1 PERSON. (kind of makes me feel like a slut.lol) I have been accused of dashing many an "Italian lover" dream when I talk about my Italian. lol

Anyway, I am mostly fine with the non-romantic gene of my Italian. I am not a very romantic woman either, so no big deal. I don't really trust men who are very mushy or romancey. Nor is he a big compliment giver. Which can annoy me at times when I need a bit of "oh honey you look great" even though I know I look like crap.lol However, since those really sweet, melty moments are not an everyday occurrence, when they surface unexpectedly, well I go all gooey inside. Case in point...

Skype conversation this afternoon. Not much conversation going on, usually just me talking, as S is looking up work stuff on the computer. I am "studying" and getting sleepy...

S - "Stacy are you getting asleep"
(I love that, "getting asleep" instead of falling, I just can't correct it)

Me - *eyes popping back open* "Uhm no. I was just resting my eyes for a sec."
(I come from a long line of non sleepers, just resting my eye-ers)

S - *laughing* "Stacy....."

Me - "No, no. I'm awake. *pause* Yeah, I am kinda sleepy. hehe, How did you know that?"

S - "Because you are always chatting and saying your little things, so when you get quiet, I know."

Me - *about to get very insulted and gearing up for a good pout* (I'm thinking - so is he saying I am annoyingly chatty and can't shut up??)

I am about to let him have it when he says...

S - "that's one of the things I love about you. Its so endearing. I love to hear you talk and tell your stories."

All poutiness and indignation quickly drain from my body...

S - "it relaxes me. makes me happy."

...to be replaced by those warm, gooey, lovey-dovey feelings.

Awwwwww... he may not be a romantic Italian, but he sure can be a sweet one.

More later...

Upcoming excitement

2008-01-29T20:58:00.000-08:00

Nothing much to post about lately. I have been diligently studying for my upcoming certification exam - which is SATURDAY! UGH!

However, during my "strategic disengage" moments I have been searching for a good and delicious Nutella recipe. (how did you like that corporate speak thrown in there?) I think I've found one!

Check out the website for all the info so you can participate too!

I know I've been posting alot of videos lately but like I said - things have been pretty boring in Espresso land. lol Since, I have been sharing fun diversions with you lately, I see no reason to stop now. hehe I have discovered a VERY funny show lately, which has given me hours of enjoyment. I don't know if it has made it to other countries or not and it is adult humor (I sure wouldn't let the kiddos watch it) but I liked it so much, I have downloaded several episodes to my ipod. We even talk about it at work and I find myself almost quoting lines. So here you go, short pre-view into the world of Rules of Engagement. Hopefully it makes you laugh too and you can see a some free episodes on cbs.com.

LOVE IT!

more later...

It's raining and I'm bored

2008-01-21T18:02:00.000-08:00

I never took typing in school. I pretty much learned to type while using the computer. I always wondered how fast I was because sometimes I can really get going, others I hunt and peck. Frankly, I didn't care enough to go test myself until I came across this post. AHA - someone has done he work for me! WOOHOO, since I am in a testing mode, let's see how I did...

72 words

Touch Typing online

Is that good? I took it twice, the first time I got a 68 with 4 words wrong. Then I got this one, with 0 words wrong :) Not bad for someone who never learned the correct finger position. Certainly not 90+ but hey, could be worse. I love computers...hehe

More later...

Fun with Food

2008-01-13T07:24:00.000-08:00

You may have seen this as it's been on several food blogs, but I think it is SO FUNNY, I had to post it here :) funny and oh.so.true.

Love it! Bacon is really my favorite food, well ok my favorite savory food - I cannot discount my love of chocolate.

More later...

A bit of a girl-crush really

2008-01-06T11:26:00.000-08:00

It's true. I have "discovered" a new musician and I.love.her. She writes her own songs, plays the piano and has such a beautiful voice. I downloaded her whole album and honestly, I love almost all of the songs (I think there's one I could do without). That is pretty good in my book. Normally, I get an album and only like a couple of songs. Her name is Sara Bareillis and here is her new video.

Those in the US may have seen her in a commercial and she is just breaking into the radio scene. But, for those of you abroad - here's some new music!

I've been a singer my whole life but never considered myself a musician. I took 7 years of piano lessons but am really no good. I never could play in front of people. sing for them - yes, play - uh no. lol So anyone that can do both brings out the "awe" in me. =)

Enjoy!

More later...

Conversations with S. - A Montage

2008-01-02T18:20:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Ya'll! Can you believe it's 2008?

Usually, at this time of year, I think through some resolutions and reflect on the past year. But this year, I decided to be different. 2007 was not a great year for us - could've been worse and could've been better. I am glad it's over and am looking forward to a better 2008. So with my newfound positive attitude, I decided I would not make resolutions save one.

To live in the now.

No more procrastination. no more "what if's". no more "i'll start tomorrow's". This applies to all aspects of my life. diet. exercise. education. etc. As the Italians say "Basta!"

So in light of this new beginning, I tried to enjoy every moment of the time I had with my Italian. even the arguing, annoying times. lol If any of you have had a long distance relationship you know that as soon as you pick your loved one up at the airport, the countdown to their leaving begins. ::sigh:: So here you go, highlights of my 10 day reunion. (ok, so maybe not highlights, but funny parts anyway. At least I thought they were funny enough to write down. lol)

** Warning: Italian cursing below.LOL**

On our neighbor's yard full of HUGE blow up ornamenty things. (nowhere but America folks):
" ... hehe...its funny"

When he sees the inflatable Santa in an airplane - same yard:
"... ooo look it has a propeller! And it's moving!"

For about 5 days straight...
"I want a burger. Let's have a burger. I want a burger. I want a burger." -then- "... ooo taco bell"

Checking out the movies on TV and reading their descriptions:
"How can they list a movie's info and not include the director!"

Trying to figure out the new guide format on the TV (we have fiber-optic service, kinda like satellite):
"ugh I don't understand this freakin' thing"

Still messing with guide:
"VA FA CULO!"

to which I added innocently:
" don't throw the remote because they get broken that way." lesson learned my friends, lesson learned.

I love that man. ::wink::

More later...

Christmas Discoveries

2007-12-29T12:19:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas this year! Ours was really nice albeit short. My Italian came home for the holidays (though he couldn't stay near as long as I'd have liked). But he did bring me lots of Italian deliciousness to enjoy while he was here. So instead of thinking about how much I miss him, I thought I would share with you some holiday joy and yumminess of the Italian kind.

Nowadays, most everyone has heard of the traditional Italian holiday cakes Pannetone and Pandoro. Pannetone is probably the most well known and comes from Milan. Pandoro is my favorite and comes from Verona, which is a beautiful town from my husband's region. That's not why it's my favorite though - I don't like raisins (pannetone has those) and I like to slather nutella on the pandoro. hehe If you haven't tried them they are very buttery cakes with kind of a coffee cake texture.

However, did you know that each cake has several variations to it? with lemoncello, with chocolate, with chestnuts, with english cream, etc. I am just learning that after all these years. So of course S. brought home several of these cakes, one of which I am now enamored of and am picturing here. ::sigh::
I give you "Il Budino".

Yes, that is a chocolate shell. And yes, those are liquidy tunnels of chocolate! It got a little banged up on the trip over but who cares? It is SO GOOD. Check out the site, to see all the varieties Bauli offers, it's in Italian but who needs English when looking at cake?!?

My next discovery is what I would call cookies but Italians call them pastries. They are my new favorite cookies and S. being the sweet man he is, let me eat them all. hehe They are called Ricciarelli. They are originally from Siena and made out of almonds. A delicately sweet and moist cookie that tastes like marzipan in cookie form. Oh. My. Gosh. they are good! And in researching a link to post here I found out they have different kinds! Click here to see the varieties. You know what this means don't you? I MUST TRY THEM ALL.

I'm not kidding, if you see these in the store or happen to be in Italy, grab them. You won't be disappointed. You need to eat them pretty quick though because they dry out and are not as scrumptious. I haven't seen any in "these here parts" but I will be placing an order with my Italian soon. I will also be stocking up on my next trip to Italy (coming this spring).

Well that's it for now. Since it is almost New Year's - BUON ANNO!

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

more later...

2007-12-24T21:37:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I wish you and yours a very happy and safe holiday season.

100th post...Christmas Edition

2007-12-19T18:19:00.000-08:00

WOW! I can't believe I am on my 100th post :) It's a milestone for this beginning blogger. In honor of this special event, I thought I would share more personal info of the Christmas version.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper, of course. Please see below. There's just something about tape, bows and scissors that just brings out the kid in me. But I also really love CUTE CUTE bags, and specialty wrap items. hehe

2. Real tree or artificial? hmm I really like real trees with the nice smell but feel guilty about cutting one down just for Christmas. Also, its a pain to get rid of after the holiday.

3. When do you put up the tree? in the past? Growing up we always put it up during the long Thanksgiving weekend. Stef and I have mostly carried on that tradition. However, this year, we put it up on 12/15. I wanted to wait for him to get here so we could do it together.

4. When do you take the tree down? After New Year's for good luck. Oh man, I just remembered this year I will have to do it all by myself. curses!

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes - but I don't drink it much. My dad is the only one in my family who likes it (especially with the 'nog' in it) and Stef's never had it so... I was on a big search last season for a good recipe but then got lazy and didn't make it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? when I was little I LOVED playing with dolls and Barbies. One year, maybe I was 7 or so?, I got FIVE Barbies or Christmas!! PLUS the Barbie dog. hehe I was in heaven. hehe

7. Do you have a Nativity scene? I do. For the past few years, my sisters and I have all gotten a piece of a special Nativity set. Last year, we got the final piece - so this year we are complete!

8. Hardest person to buy for? gosh so many. My mom - definitely. She has everything she needs and gives you ideas like "a new ironing board cover". ugh. My sisters are hard too and don't even get me started on the in-laws.

9. Easiest person to buy for? My nieces/nephews, especially the younger ones. We have trained them young to make wish lists so its a matter picking the one you want to give. It takes a little coordination from the adults but all in all a good system. (One I am happy to say I started as a kid, when I would go through the big book of toys and mark everything I wanted.lol)

10. Worst Christmas Gift you ever received? can this be something from a White Elephant gift party? If so, then the fake dirty diaper I got at a high school club party.lol Other than that, nothing comes to mind. I'm not braggin' or anything but I'm pretty easy to please. hehe

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. I LOVE expensive Christmas cards, hand addressed and stamped with the cutest USPS stamp I can find. (this year, they suck!) I try to send them out every year but every now and then I get lazy (or broke).

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I also like A Christmas Story. hehe

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? By nature I am a procrastinator. combine that with the fact I like to really put thought into the presents I give, usually its mid-December before I get it together. This year I am trying to change that bad behavior (procrastinating) so I started buying last month =) Most of it online - I don't like to shop really. If I can't find it online - I go in knowing what I want, get in, and get out. No panic for me this year!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? oh yeah

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? FUDGE. TRASH. and so many kinds of cookies, I can't even name them all.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? colored. though honestly, if I really think about it - I like both equally. It depends on the year and my mood. I think clear is very sophisticated and you can see the ornaments a bit better, but colored remind me of my childhood and they are so fun and cheery. Our pre-lit tree has colored but I always add some clear too.

17. Favorite Christmas song? most all Christmas carols. I LOVE to sing carols, I've been singing them at the top of my lungs all week in my car with my favorite Christmas "tape", yes I said tape. Though I also have a perverse affinity for Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas".

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I like to stay home. :)

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? yes, but I have to sing them.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? star, though I like angel ones too.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? morning for sure. As a kid, we got to open 1 on Christmas Eve but everything else on Christmas morning. Christmas morning is my favorite!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? oh.my.gosh. the CROWDS!! TRAFFIC!! rudeness - where's the Spirit people?

23. What is the "corniest" family tradition you do, or miss doing? decorating the tree while playing our Christmas records. (yes records). Robert Goulet. Burl Ives. Andy Williams. they are oldies but goodies. Now my niece & nephew are enjoying them - the tradition continues. It makes me happy (and if you don't know who those singers are you are too young!)

24. Ugliest Christmas Decoration ever invented? oh gosh where to start. I'm not a huge fan of the big inflatable thingys people put in their yards nowadays. Fun for kids I guess but eh

25. Which looks best, theme trees or homey trees? definitely homey trees. The only theme trees I like are in the mall or in front of public buildings.

So there you go. post 100 baby! 25 Christmas things you need to know about me.

More later...

On Christmas Confessions...

2007-12-10T20:46:00.000-08:00

Conversations with S...

S - "so what are you doing today?"

Me - (giggling with glee) " Oooo I am wrapping presents!!"

S - silence.... and then "Stacy... did you buy more wrapping paper?"

Me - "huh? No.... why do you ask? (answering as innocently as I can)"

S - "Stacy.... how may rolls did you buy?"

Me - "only a couple... but I really didn't have ANY. (just a slight understatement)"

S - "hmphf...." (I can practically hear him rolling his eyes)

Me - "but it's so pretty! really I didn't spend that much. did I mention how fun and pretty it is?"

S - "yeah yeah..."

LOL

What can I say... it is an addiction I am not proud of but none-the-less is there.

This applies to all types of wrapping paper and the accoutrement that goes along with it. Because birthdays are sporadic, I can temper the compulsion most of the year. But Christmas... *sigh* Christmas - I must give in to temptation.

COME ON! It's so pretty and colorful; shiny and sparkley - how can you resist? Every year I can hardly wait for the Container Store to send out their "Gift Wrap Wonderland" catalogue. I'm not kidding when I say I could spend A LOT of money on this crap. But hey, my presents are always some of the prettiest under the tree. New gift wrap is part of my Christmas tradition and every year S. & I have the same conversation. lol

And in recent years - cd and gift card cuteness have been added to the melee. See - I bet you couldn't resist them either.

Ah I love Christmas. The colors, lights, decorations, carols. And while I know Americans have totally commercialized this holiday, I think you can still keep the true meaning alive and enjoy the hoopla. My house is still a bit bare but S. will be home on Friday so I am biding my time.

I have almost all of my presents purchased and once the tree is up - my gift wrapped boxes will SHINE! WOOHOOO

More later...

Cruel Intentions

2007-11-30T21:04:00.000-08:00

He just had to do it. Knowing my love of all things chocolate and pastry-like, my Italian just "happened" to send me this freaking picture... and in the body of the email - "I had two :)"

Son-of-a-@#&@#

Why oh why doesn't Dallas have delicious pastry goodies like this??

His parents just brought this tray home the other day for snacks. I am so jealous. One of each please. How soon can I move?

lol

More later...

You know its Thanksgiving...

2007-11-12T21:24:00.001-08:00

... when you see this.

Nothing brings in the Holiday season like a 1st grade "concert." Aren't they cute - all those Pilgrims and Indians? Of course, half of the hats had fallen off by the end of the 15 minute program. As well as one of the hyper kids falling off of the riser. LOL

It's all fun and games until someone falls off the *riser....

More later...

* No Pilgrims or Indians were hurt in the making of this program.. he was fine!

Fruits of our labor

2007-11-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

Well, what we've all been anxiously been awaiting FINALLY arrived last week. Jiminy, I had no idea it would take so long. What am I talking about?? The fruits of our glass-blowing labor - the PAPERWEIGHTS. Everyone that participated has been dying to see them, and still 2 weeks later, we are still talking about the fun. :)

Seriously, several people have asked about it. I really didn't forget - but we didn't get them until Thursday this week. I must say, I am pretty happy with the result. Mine is a bit bluer than I wanted it to be and the lime green I picked came out more yellow but... it is cool.

Here is a pic of all of our glass:

Cool no? Mine is on the end, 2nd row - marked Stacy. Darker than I planned but its ok. I really like Donna's (2nd on left, 2nd row). Her's had this really cool swirl pattern noone else seemed to master. I am not sure how she did it. And Tracy's on the top had a really nice overall coverage. We have no idea how that happened either. lol

What do you think?

Here's a close up of mine so you can admire my genius. HA You see the silvery blue edges? That is from the torching. For some reason my paperweight had a thicker layer of clear glass so it looks like the colored part is kind of floating in there. I'm sure it has nothing to do with my rolling skills. LOL

Poor guy, I think he had to do a lot of reshaping to mine. It still is not perfectly round on the inside. lol Oh well, I may have NO artistic talent but I sure did enjoy the process.

More later...

Fun Force 2

2007-10-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

Well ok, it was not a real sanctioned fun force day, however we laughed alot today reminiscing about our teen idols (Andy Gibb, Sean Cassidy), shows we grew up with (buggaloos, land of the lost, the monkees) etc. We hit Youtube so fast they probably had server failure. hehe

It is a good thing we are in a room by ourselves, because we were really rowdy. lol We also cracked up over the video below. My friend K sent it to me last week and every time I watch it - I laugh out loud. Gotta love cats =) It may not sound like it but we really were productive today. Still crazy busy with no signs of stopping soon. Oh well as long as I have time to laugh - I will survive!

More later...

Fun Force

2007-10-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

Lately work has been brutally busy. Our product tour launched last Thursday which initiates 2 more months of craziness. sigh However, the company I work for has this thing called "fun force" in which each department ("team") does something fun and team-building for half a day. And so, as a break from the busy and a celebration of our launch, Friday we headed to a small town in the area, had lunch and did a bit of glass blowing!!

Well, ok not really blowing the glass but we did help create our own paperweight! hehe After signing our life away via a waiver, we watched a short demonstration from the artists and then got busy. I swear when one of the artists started blowing the glass - it looked like a big clear bubblegum bubble; then he flicked the steel tube a few times and VOILA - A chili pepper! He showed us a piece of the glass he'd just blown which was so thin it looked like cellophane paper.

Now, I have seen the masters of glass blowing at work in Murano but for most of my coworkers this was new. I have to admit, for some reason I am FASCINATED with hot molten substances, be they glass, metals or lava. I don't know why - I think they are beautiful and I just want to reach out and touch that gold-red liquid. I won't, but I want to.lol

To start off we picked the colors we wanted in our paperweight by looking at jars of different colored glass pellets. Once we selected 2 or 3, we each took turns by the ovens (which burn at about 2100+ F). The artists would stick the steel tubes into like a tub of clear molten glass, then hand it to us. You would have to keep the tube rolling so the glass wouldn't misshape or drop to the floor. The clear glass was so pretty, it reminded me of thick golden honey. The base color you picked was in a bowl and you kind of dipped your glass in it. Like dipping an apple in caramel. dip and tap, dip and tap to cover the clear glass. I was not very good at this. My guy had to reshape my glass alot. hehe It is way harder than it looks!

Anyway, then he would take the tube and stick the glass back in the "glory hole." Yes that is really what they called it. and it never failed to elicit a giggle out of us whenever they said it. LOL (come on - you know that is funny! even if a little twisted) We are a very mature group as you can see. hehe Next we spread our 2nd color out on a cooling table, either in a random pattern or in very precise lines, whatever your preference. Once they took the glass back out of the glory hole we rolled it in our next color. After that, they would shape the glass into a ball - poor guy had to shape mine alot, I was really bad at this - my glass was all lopsided. then stuck it back into the clear molten glass for a kind of outer layer. We would then sit at this bench and roll the tube while they scored the glass, and finally hit the steel tube with a knife in order to release the ball.

I got to do an extra step because I had picked a "reducer" color. That means, if you heat it with a torch, the color recedes and the metal color underneath comes forward. OH YES, I got to use a torch! WOOHOOO - I picked a cobalt blue that when heated pulls out some silver. The torch was cool. This is my boss torching her reducer colors. lol

It was really a lot of fun. We heckled each other throughout the process and laughed all afternoon. They are a funny bunch. Here are our paperweights "baking" in the finishing oven. I guess they will file down the rough parts and do whatever they do to finish the glass then send them to us this week. I think mine is the one on the left, 2nd in the row. the mostly blue one. I hope it turns out pretty, I picked the cobalt blue reducer and a limey green. It's hard to tell when everything looks gold and red from the heat. I will post the final product when I get it. I know you will be waiting with baited breath. lol

If you get a chance to watch artists work with glass, do it. Especially if you are ever in Venice - take the time to visit Murano and see the masters at work. They have been working with glass forever and it is so interesting. It looks so deceptively easy and the way they can shape/manipulate the glass will amaze you! (and of course you will need to buy a piece) Also, if an opportunity ever comes up to participate in working with glass - try! It will give you a better appreciation of the artistry it takes to create in that medium and heck, it's just fun!

Have a good Monday! Back to the grindstone for me =)

More later...

Living History

2007-10-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite genre of books is historical fiction. I find it fascinating to lose myself in some historical place, imaging the everyday life of the characters in vivid detail. Part of my fascination with history is to explore the people and what their lives were. mundane details are so interesting, how they traveled, shopped, cooked, cleaned, bathed, etc; what kind of education they received (or didn't), what determined their station, well I could go on and on.

I know these are fiction but they explore different time periods and most of the authors I read do extensive research. Anyway, what's really cool is when I can read a story and recognize the places they are set. even better VISIT the places in which they are set.

Case in point:

Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex

This is a story about Isabella & Beatrice d'Este, sisters in the famous Este family. (I was very excited by the Este family because my husband grew up not far from the town). Isabella marries Francesco Gonzaga (of Mantua), Beatrice marries Ludovico Sforza (of Milan). Isabella is by far the most famous of the sisters and was reputed to be a very powerful woman and close companion of Leonardo Da Vinci. Reading the story sparked an interest in learning about all 3 of those families and Gonzaga became much more than a NCAA college to me! And look, here is a picture of modern day Mantua as taken by my husband a couple of weekends ago (without me, sigh). But cool no?

Another example:

The Rossetti Letter by Christi Phillips

I loved this book from a first time author which is set in Venice, both modern and historical times. Venice is of course my favorite city in Italy and in a region I have visited many times. So I am reading the book and they start mentioning Padova. Hey Padova - I am very familiar with that city! Back in the day, it was a refuge for the Venetians during the heat of summer and the countryside is full of Venetian villas and palatial grounds. Not giving anything away about the story, the main historical character writes to her cousin in Padova and the city itself becomes an aspect of intrigue and possibly a refuge? Anyway, as I was reading about it- the faded facades I have seen in person came alive with the grandeur they once must have had.

And finally:

In the Company of a Courtesan by Susan Dunant

Set in Renaissance Venice after the 1527 sack of Rome. I will admit, at times this book is hard to read because it does give you a very vivid picture of the not so nice aspects of the renaissance world. It was dirty and gross and some of the savagery is simply astounding. But wow, to read the descriptions of the places you may have seen such as the "ghetto" in Venice, well that is amazing. I knew basic history about the "ghetto" from my husband when we visited it, but reading how everyday life may have been in that small space and actually being able to stand in it, well the past really comes alive. Honestly, I can't wait to go back and wander the streets, with a more vivid picture of what it may have been like 500 years ago. This picture is not the "ghetto" but I don't imagine the general landscape looked much different in the past.

I could go on and on, but I won't. =) I know not everyone is as passionate about history as I can be, but I think if you can actually experience some of it, it becomes more interesting. It doesn't even matter if the history is 200 years old or 2000, it is the continuation of life and all the changes that must happen to sustain it. The fact that hundreds of years ago, someone stood in the exact spot you are standing. I wonder what they were thinking/doing. Were they thinking about the future or the past: or just about getting through the day. What did their world look like and would anything be familiar to them in this age?

Its one of the things I love about Italy when I'm there. What can I discover today? Who discovered it before me? Who will discover it after me?

Deep thoughts...hehe

More later

Cultural Repartee

2007-10-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Cyndi's recent post, I decided to open the topic of meat in pasta with my Italian. In response to my telling him about her post, he laughed and said:

"Nope, only in ragu. I would've probably done the same thing."

Me: "Why is that? What is the big deal?"

Him: "Maybe it's because the chicken covers the taste of the pasta. The pasta doesn't taste like pasta, the chicken doesn't taste like chicken."

Me: "But together they make a new taste which while different, can be just as delicious."

Him: "It's like putting the chicken and pasta in a blender, puree-ing it, and eating it. The tastes all cover each other up."

Me: " Oh please, part of eating is enjoying textures, you wouldn't blend it! and plus, you CAN taste each thing separately when you eat them together. There are layers of tastes. I thought you Italians were culturally adventurous! One of the best ways to understand culture is to understand the food."

Him: "We are adventurous with food. We like to go to Asian restaurants, Mexican (in Italy?), etc. but when we go, we know we are going to eat those particular tastes. When we eat pasta we like it in particular ways. I know people who take their own pasta when going away for an extended amount of time in case they can't get what the like there."

Me: " Ya'll are food snobs. lol I don't understand but thats ok, I like Italian Italian food."

Him: " We are a bit of snobs. We don't like interpretations of our food!"

AHA - that is the crux of it all. It all dwindles down to that one sentence - "we don't like interpretations of our food". Yep, it should be as Mamma makes it and no other way. hehehe

Works for me because Mamma makes it GOOD.

More later...

Lessons Learned

2007-10-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

Things here in Texas Espresso-land are pretty boring lately. However, I have learned a few things in the past couple of weeks that I'd like to share.

1. NEVER, NEVER go to PetSmart on a Saturday. Did you know they have adoptable dogs and cats there on Saturdays?? I'm not kidding, I almost cried. I wanted to give all of them a new home and I couldn't get out of there fast enough. poor animals... makes me so sad.

2. Maybe I DO like Westerns. I saw 3:10 to Yuma and it was so good. Especially now, I don't seem to handle sad movies well, (which is why I don't like Westerns, or so I thought), but I must say, I really enjoyed this Western. Russell Crow... Christian Bale.. I mean what's not to love? they are FABULOUS! (and hot, albeit dirty throughout the whole film)

3. No matter how much money you spend on a comfy cool pet bed, a big envelope which has traveled from Italy seems to be a discerning cat's bed of choice. It is also very handy during playtime as you can dive-bomb under it with your front paws and attack imaginary critters (ahem..balls). AND it makes a crunchy noise - who knew it was kitty nirvana?

4. When I got married, I didn't change my last name. This came about from a mixture of my laziness and the fact that my husband likes my last name. It sounds very American to him, plus women don't change their names in Italy. It used to not bother me when people would address mail, checks, etc to me combining my name with my husband's last; but NOW IT DOES. I have repeatedly told my (very conservative)family that my name has not changed and they continue to ignore that. It has become one of my biggest pet peeves. Helloooooo that is not your decision. I don't care if you think its weird, its my choice thank you. Respect my AUTHORITY! (had to throw in a SouthPark reference there)

5. I can pick a good tomato! I know, I know, tomato season has ended but I have managed to eek out the last yummy tomatoes of the season. This summer I have been gorging myself on caprese salads. delicious tomato...fresh mozzarella....sea salt... olive oil...bread to sop up the lovely juices... man I am drooling already. The funny thing is I never really liked tomatoes before I met my Italian. and for some reason, (maybe from all the trips to the farmers market) I have just be craving fresh tomatoes. so good.

6. Never EVER watch R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet." If you see it on the IFC channel - run away! I think he is already a freak, but anything called a "hip-hopera" is just wrong. Strangely compelling ... but like a bad wreck you can't look away from and wrong nonetheless. I have no idea why we wasted 1.5 hours watching it - I couldn't get the tune out of my head and during the night I even dreamed another chapter.lol

OK, I guess that is enough for now. Check back for some good ole Texas fair going later on this month.

More later...

On Mothers and Underwear

2007-09-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

Recently, I was reminded by the very funny Katia about the "benefits" that come with a European mother-in-law. It seems that the Italian ironing obsession extends beyond its borders and into France. If you don't know what I am talking about, let me digress for a minute.

~~~ digression
Italians iron EVERYTHING. And by everything I mean everything, encompassing more than mere shirts & pants, oh yes - socks, underwear, sheets, etc. I have to be honest with you - my Italian and I have fought over the evils of ironing. It seems initially, he had a misguided opinion that I would work full time AND iron his stuff. Yeah - I had to quickly squash that idea. Hey, if you want your socks and underwear ironed - either do it yourself or take it to the cleaners - love you lots =) I do realize that some things need to be ironed and if I stretch my imagination, I can understand ironing sheets (my mom can't sleep on wrinkled sheets) but I'm not doing it. Stef's mom loves to suggest teaching me to iron and chocks my refusals up to "crazy American" behavior. hehe

Take my word for it - it is a national obsession, I mean past-time in Italy, ask any expat living there.
~~~end of digression

Evidently, this extends to France. Katia tells a very funny story about visiting her in-laws; her French mother-in-law finding her dirty laundry bag, washes/dries it; and then proceeds to iron her thongs. =) Woohooo THIS scenario hits close to home.

A couple of years ago, my in-laws came to visit for a couple of weeks. One of those weeks, I was working so they basically hung around the house during the day. Well, one day I came home and Stef's mom was very excited. grabbing my hand, chattering at me in Italian, gesturing wildly, and dragging me upstairs to our bedroom (stef trailing in our wake). Much to my surprise, she pulls open my dresser drawers and proceeds to show my how nicely organized they are now, everything neatly ironed, folded and stacked. Oh but not just any drawers - lingerie drawers =) panties, nighties, you know, the regular things you keep in drawers that are not necessarily made for family viewing.

Stef then proceeds to tell me how hard his mom worked, organizing and ironing my "unmentionables" while his mom stood beaming at me. Of course, I had to thank her profusely all the while inside, I was mortified. When she was left properly praised, I smacked Stef and asked him WHY he let her get into my drawers??? He of course had that "what" look on his face and couldn't for the life of him understand why I'd care. I mean, sure some are plain white undies used purely for function, but do you really want to your mom digging through the other items picked out especially for sake of seduction? Yeah, I know I am a repressed American but COME ON. lol

He finally got the idea, but of course we never let on to his mom how mortified I was about the whole thing. And really, I know his very sweet mother only did it because she sees me as her daughter and thats what mom's do. I mean, my mom is happy to help her girls with cleaning or laundry, ironing or whatever we need, but she wouldn't dig through drawers to do it. LOL

I am totally lucky with both wonderful parents AND in-laws - I love them dearly. But it never ceases to amaze me the cultural differences I can see between the two. Each have their own frustrations and blessings. =) I must admit though, in regard to the panty issue - I am glad I'm not in that club alone! lol

More later...

9/11

2007-09-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

I don't usually post much about 9/11 mostly because I start crying and so many people give very touching tributes that are honestly much better than anything I could do. But this year I read a post by one of my favorite authors who watched the whole thing unfold outside her window and I thought others might like to read it too.

So many of us can remember exactly where we were when the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center. Me - I was driving to work, a bit annoyed cuz I was running late, needed to get gas and thinking "what the heck are they talking about on the radio?" Later, getting nothing done at work, watching every minute of coverage and feeling so helpless, hundreds of miles away, only able to watch and cry. I don't have many friends in NYC but I do have one, who worked for Morgan Stanley at the time - though I didn't know which office he was in, and that company took up many floors in one of the Towers.

Thankfully, I did manage to reach him on his cell. He had walked to a friend's apartment in NJ and was on the balcony drinking a beer, watching the military jets and helicopters fly around. Uhm... back up a sec - JETS?? Like in a war zone? How unreal is that? I could hear them over the phone, but was glad he was ok.

My thoughts and prayers are with those who lost loved ones on this day 6 yrs ago.

More later...

Who am I?

2007-09-06T18:04:00.001-07:00

I have to admit I am a total personality quiz nerd. So when I saw this quiz over at Italian Trivia, well I had to do it. Here are my results:

Your Personality Cluster is Extraverted Intuition

You are:

A true wordsmith - a master of words
Original, spontaneous, and a true inspiration
Highly energetic, up for any challenge
Entertaining and engaging, both to friends and strangers

What's Your Personality Cluster?

HA! I am not so sure about the "wordsmith"-ing and if you stop by here regularly, you might be questioning that as well. lol But, since my life is fairly boring lately - mostly consisting of late nite skyping with the husband, working, Saturday soccer games, and working some more - well, I don't have much to blog about. Hence, the quiz =) I am also very "iffy" about the inspirational, but hey - it sounds good anyway. hehe

Hope your September is going well!

More later...

The First Day of the Rest of our Lives

2007-08-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

6 years ago today, I married the love of my life =)

We have had some great years and not so great years but it has always been interesting and full of laughter. He has enriched my life more than I ever thought possible. What a blessing to find someone you can like AND love. I know its cliche, but really - each year I love him more.

Here's to the many more years of fun, love & laughter !

Buzz Words, Lesson #2

2007-08-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

When last we visited corporate America, we were exposed to a new and exciting world of vocabulary. And now, as I am back in the throes of the madness - I thought I would share more "buzz word" knowledge.

"Socialized" - shared knowledge. Pass it around to fellow coworkers and groups so that everyone is aware of what's going on. I socialized this problem with the team in order to cover all bases.

"Adjust for real time" - pretty self-explanatory I think. Adjusting time lines/deadlines to fit realistic dates.

"Reach out" - communicate with. We reached out to the marketing team in order to get the materials out to the customers.

"Spin up" - kind of promote, add responsibility. We will spin up Suzie so that she will be 2nd tier support behind me.

"Shared resource" - personnel that is shared between/paid from different departments. Suzie can't be spun up any higher because she is a shared resource. (this one is my least favorite - I don't like people being referred to as resources)

And that concludes this session of Buzz Words 101, part 2. I will continue to monitor the situation in order to keep us all up to date. Corporate America will thank us.

More later...

Futbol...Soccer...Calcio... what?

2007-08-12T11:31:00.001-07:00

My very first memory of soccer was when I was young, maybe 6 or 7, visiting Grandma in Oklahoma and attending my cousin's soccer game. It was a hot summer day, everyone was just standing on the sidelines (no bleachers) and I was BORED! It was the longest, least exciting sporting event I had ever been to. sigh

And so, with that memory in my head I found myself here -->
Yes, I know it is indoor, but hey it's Texas and they are just starting. hehe My niece and nephew are having a great time playing and because I love them, I will go. I really know absolutely nothing about the game though, and am not that interested in learning. What I do know is this:

1. Players run ALOT. Like the whole game. which actually brings us to point #2.
2. Soccer players have great legs and butts. hehe
3. Italian player are just as good at theatrics as playing the game.
4. David Beckham is really really hot, but his voice is as high as a little girl's.

But wait, you might say? Lady - you live with an Italian! Aren't they crazy fans for calcio? Fans that are tried and true, with a deep deep passion for the game? Well... that could be true for most Italians, but not mine. S is not that interested in sports. He's a skier, a really good skier, and likes to watch that, but otherwise - nah.

Of course we had to watch the Olympic soccer games - well, at least Italy and USA - and that was very fun. My most favorite parts were when they rolled around on the field clutching parts of the body that weren't even touched. hehe That is the entertainment to me. I was not even bored during the games, at times they were quite exciting. AND, Bend It Like Beckham is one of my all-time favorite movies. So see, I have made strides in my opinion of the sport.

That said, I am glad S is not a crazy nut fan, so that we haven't had to spend our weekends watching European soccer. However, sometimes I do miss having a man interested in football and college basketball. Spending a nice Sunday yelling at the TV when the Cowboys do something stupid is always enjoyable. I am a fan of those sports - at least in the sense that, I like to watch my favorite teams only and LOVE March Madness. But I guess, its a small price to pay for not having a rabid "calcio" fan to live with.

Life is full of little compromises...

lol

More later...

God loves me

2007-08-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day back going into the office and working full-time again. Can I just say... I AM EXHAUSTED! hehe Man, I got spoiled working from home.

It was a good day, and so fun to be back with my coworkers. This is definitely my most favorite place I have ever worked. I actually like getting up to go to work. Well ok, I don't love waking up (see #35) but I love working there.

That being said, it was so hard getting up with my alarm. And working ALL DAY.. whew. I missed visiting with my sister and her kids, I missed my cat, and I missed my phone call with S. My feet hurt and my hair looks like crap. But since I have not won the lottery and am not independently wealthy, I guess its work for me. Could be worse =)

I will just have to play with sis/kids this weekend, the cat - well, she was happy to see me until I fed her, after that she has completely ignored me and is currently lounging by the pool. Hopefully S & I will figure out a talk schedule to fix that problem. sigh The hair will continue to look like crap until I get it cut on Monday. That will be a red letter day because it is hot as hell here and I have a lot of hair! As far as my feet are concerned - shoes are off and I am being completely lazy this evening to recuperate. hehe

So with a couple of pieces of my artichoke pizza (almost as good as you find in Italy), I settled in to watch some tv. Can anyone explain to me why I have to turn up the volume to even hear some shows but others are blaring when they come on? I mean, on the same channel even! since my sound system remote is broken, I have to get OFF the couch to turn it down. This does not work with my couch potato plans.

But in the midst of my grumblings guess what I happened to find on tv this evening? THE MUMMY RETURNS! one of my ALL time favorites. It is blaring at me, but totally worth it. Oh Brenden, how I have missed you.... Oded Fehr you do make my heart pitter-patter with that black swathed swagger and big scimitar. Ahhh... peace and relaxation.

God sure does love me.

hehe
more later...

Harry Potter is a hunk

2007-08-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

Guess what I did this weekend?? Saw the new Harry Potter movie at the IMAX theater in 3.D! Woohooo

It was so cool. The movie is freaking awesome. Loved. it. and seeing it in IMAX is very cool. The 3D part was only about 20 minutes but it was worth putting on those huge silly glasses they gave us. I tried not to worry about if they sanitized them or not. hehe

As one who had never been to a 3D movie, I had to laugh out loud when the green glasses flashed up on the screen, as did the whole theater. Except the poor lady sitting next to me who missed the "speech" before the movie started telling us not to put them on until they flashy thingys. so SHE had them on the whole movie. hehe sorry but it was FUNNY.

Anyway, back to the movie. I really loved it. and seeing those kids in IMAX and close up - well let me just say, they are some good-looking kids. I found myself noticing Harry's manly jaw and neck. not in an ooogie way but in a "huh, hes gonna be a handsome man" kind of way. and the acting was amazing. Its one of my favorite so far.

After the movie, we had a yummmmmy dinner full of HP talk. My friend had just finished the last book and was dying to talk about it. As I probably won't read it (I've only read 2, more interested in the movies), I let her tell me ALLL about the ending. and I must say. It is good!

I am so amazed at the vision of JK Rowling and its so cool how one can have so much imagination. Plus the complete character stories she has created. WOW. Listening to my friend talk about the books made me want to pick them up to read. Or at the very least, don a Gryffindor scarf.

More later...

Summer is

2007-08-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

Don't you think? hehe

More later...

I'm a schmoozer baby...

2007-07-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

Hey I got my first blog award! Avery has bestowed upon me the coveted "Schmooze Award."

What is that you ask? Well, to quote Avery who quoted Jessica - “...schmoozing is the natural ability 'to converse casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection. Good schmoozers effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way.' "

I can definitely say, with absolute certainty, I am a schmoozer! Which thankfully, works in my favor in my job =) So now I get to pick 5 bloggers who have the power of the shmooze

Let's see ... hmmm ... so many schmoozers so little time...

1. Sara @ American Girl in Italy. She is one of the first expat blogs I ever read and I keep going back. I haven't met her in person but I think she'd be someone I'd enjoy knowing and DEFINITELY has the chatty gene =) WOOHOO

2. Katia @ An Aussie lass, A Frenchman and a Burmese. She is an Australian married to a Frenchman, living in Paris. She is SOO FUNNY and also has a podcast I love to listen to. Even us professional schmoozers can learn from her.

3. Ninotchka @ cease cows, life is short. She has a darling family and is funny. What more can you ask for?

4. Jessica @ In search of dessert. An expat living in Switzerland. I haven't been reading her blog long but I really like it. She is funny and interesting!

5. Frog with a Blog. He is such a funny cute Frenchman. Always makes me laugh and seems like the type who could talk to the wall. (as can I) Check him out.

So now, if I've got this right, I post the directions to participate:

1. Write a post with links to 5 blogs that have schmoozed you into submission.
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the award.
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Power of Schmooze Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.

I am not sure if I did this right but hey, it's my first time.

More later...

Conversations with S

2007-07-28T20:27:00.001-07:00

So today I was talking to my husband using Skype (oh my gosh, can I tell you how much I love Skype? Where were you my fair Skype 8 yrs ago when I was racking up HUGE telephone bills?) and I was asking him about his day. I would like to take this post to highlight some very "Italian" moments we had. It went something like this...

(words in Italic were those in my own head - regular type was spoken)

Italian moment #1:

Me - "hey my love, how was your day?"

Him - "good, I just got back from hiking in the hills for 4 hrs."

Me - (4 HOURS! Will I have to hike 4 HOURS if I move there?) - "Oh, wow that's a long time. How was it?"

Him - "oh great! it was a beautiful day, no one around, I walked about 15 kilometers - here I am downloading the pictures and sending them to you. (how much is 15 kilometers? oh my gosh, about 10 miles. 10 MILES. IN THE HILLS - I don't know how to walk in the hills, I walk on FLAT LAND) yeah, its so nice. there are bars along the way where you stop and get coffee, and a few restaurants - when I got done I had a gelato."

Me - "huh. What kind did you get?" (hey, if gelato is the prize maybe I CAN walk 4 hours... nah, I'd rather just have the gelato)

Him - "It was very good! It was chocolate and vanilla cream. VERY good."

Me - "nice. What else did you do today?"

Him - "went to the post office, got a hair cut - found a place just 2 minutes from the house, so I biked over there and they let me walk in. It only cost 12 euros!"

Me - "cool. how does it look? is it short?"

Him - "yeah it looks good. short. they are 12 millimeters in length."

Me - (giggling to myself) "12 millimeters? How do you know that? I don't know anyone who knows the EXACT length their hair is cut."

(see what I did there - boring story then WHAM. threw in some very Italian stuff. These are the moments when my heart wells up with love. I love how Italians refer to hair as "hairs". and call them they. and the fact that he knew the length was 12 mm and went on to explain to me why he knows this measurement. hehe )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Italian moment #2

a little while later... talking about my father, who while retired a few times over, still wants to work so he drives new/used cars between dealers. sometimes he goes on long trips to different parts of the country which is where we find ourselves here...

Me - "Dad is stuck in Atlanta. They flew him in and the car he was supposed to drive back didn't work so, he has to stay over the weekend until the mechanic can show up."

Him - "why don't they put those cars on the truck? That car is not new! If it has miles on it, it is not new. They are taking your money for a new car and the motor has been used, it has mileage, and it's been sitting out in the hot sun!"

Me - (oh great, now I've opened up a can of worms. it's like *discussing ice, or engraved jewelry.) "It was a used car."

Him - "Oh."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Italian moment #3

Me - "so what are you doing now?"

Him - "I'm in bed. OH I need to download **&$#$ (some Italian radio show I don't remember the name of so I am using characters - its not a bad word!) Tonight, the program is about the Princess of Belgioioso. She used to live with the corpse of her lover."

~~ here we went on an obsessive search to find out about the principessa. It was a bit fruitless, I did not find out about the corpse but she does seem to have an interesting story. We then got sidetracked and starting discussing Gothic literature, most of which I haven't read or heard of.

* on ice and engraving - First, Italians as a whole, freak out about ice in drinks here. 1. because you aren't supposed to drink liquids that cold. but most importantly 2. you are paying for a full drink and they fill the glass up with ice! they are cheating you! Secondly, my Italian doesn't like to engrave jewelry. Why you ask? Because you pay for the weight of the precious metal and if they engrave it you lose some metal. THEN the jewelers gather up all that "dust" at the end of the day, melts it down to make other pieces. which they then sell at FULL PROFIT. (rolls eyes)

We are a hot couple are we not? hehe.

It is days like this that I appreciate the very different mind and way of thinking my Italian has. It is so endearing. With that cute accent saying things like "they" when referring to hair. And how he falls asleep listening to some historical or cultural program. no romance books for him! (thats what I read to fall asleep. lol)

I just love that man.

More later...

on going back to work and various sundry of things

2007-07-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

I have one more week of my "work from home" contract left! After that, it is back to the commuting grindstone for me =) I am not complaining though - I am just happy to keep working.

It will be an adjustment. I have been working from home for 3 months and it's been nice to hang out in shorts and a tee and swimming whenever I want. Always having time to run an errand and yet STILL working efficiently and well. hehe It has in fact, shown me that if I want to start my own business in Italy or do work from home there, I can!

Since I will be back to 9-5, I really need to work out a study schedule. Right now, I am studying 2 things - Italian, and for a professional certification. The certification has to be completed by Feb but the deadline for use of practical Italian in everyday life is still undecided. What should I do? study Italian on certain nights and for my certification on others? do both each night? so much reading and note-taking. UGH, I have to really get my study hat back on. It's amazing how easy it is to forget how to learn.

So see? I am busy but have nothing exciting to talk about. No travels upcoming; not going out much in order to save some money; and boring reading. I will try to come up with some interesting tidbits or recipes to share though.hehe Try not to write me of just yet. hehe

Any and all suggestions for managing continuing education while working full time are welcome. lol

More later...

**PS - the chocolate Shelley sent was DELICIOUS. I haven't tried the coffee yet - but I will. Thanks again!

I love mail!

2007-07-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

A little while ago Shelley moved her blog and had a housewarming party. If you left a comment you had a chance to win some Roman coffee and chocolate! YUM. Of course I had to participate because who can pass up a chance like that?

And guess what? I won! She did a random drawing and I came up the winner. woohooo Last week I got a lovely package in the mail with my prize. The coffee smells wonderful! I swear, my whole house smells of that comforting coffee smell. I love how Italians wrap things up like individual little presents, don't you? The chocolate made it in one piece AND was not melting which is quite a feat for shipping in July. I haven't tried anything yet but I will be treating myself this week. hehe

Thanks Shelley for the goodies!

On another note, my sweet husband is playing tour guide in Venice today for my cousin's wife and her 17-yr old daughter. They haven't ever met but each are so sweet, they should be having fun. Isn't it cool that the girls are traveling around Europe for a month together? What a wonderful memory and exposure to other cultures for the 17-yr old. She's never been out of the country. And they couldn't find a better tour guide then my Italian. Venice is one of his favorite cities and he knows so much about it. Makes me a little jealous. I would love to be there, but know I will be going back sometime soon. I have never been in July though; I wonder if the canals stink? hehe

Hope your Sunday is as beautiful (and hot) as mine!

More later...

"A lonesome man on a rainy day who does not know how to read."

2007-07-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

... Benjamin Franklin - on being asked what condition a man he considered the most pitiable.

Thankfully, I know how to read and it's a good thing, since all we've had in my neck-of-the-woods is RAIN. for like a solid month. every day. Mostly, it's sporadic but today...ugh. It has rained all day. buckets. which is not good since our ground is already saturated so we have flash floods all over =) woohoo. Last year drought - this year flooding.

Anyway, as it's pouring today and work is slow. I thought I would share my rainy day activities with you in case you find yourself *ahem* unable to swim in a pool you & your Italian husband HAD to have in order to deal with a "normal" Texas summer.

Books:
- Queen of Babble in the Big City, by Meg Cabot

If you have never read this author and like funny books, you should definitely check out Meg Cabot. She writes alot of teen books too, but her adult ones are hilarious. My favorite and the first one I ever ready was "Every Boys Got One". Oh my gosh, it is funny AND set in Italy. If you like Sophie Kinsella type books, you will love Meg. However, being that I am a fast reader and since I've been waiting for months for this book (its a sequel) I finished it too quickly. But thankfully, I got another one in the mail just yesterday~

- I am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

YAY, just in time my first Sisterhood of the Traveling Books book arrived yesterday. WOOHOO, I am just starting it and haven't read this author before so I am looking forward to getting into it. Thanks Michelle!

Websites/Podcasts:
(as a small aside, I also check all my favorite blogs but am not listing them here)

- Meg Cabot's blog. She makes me laugh and has funny cat stories - whats not to love?

- katia and kyliemac. Two expats living in Paris recording podcasts. Katia (long a like in katie) is from Australia married to a Frenchman. Kyliemac from Michigan(?) working as an au pair in Paris. They are really funny and now I can't miss an episode.

- frog with a blog. An Frenchman speaking English with an atypical accent which doesn't sound french at all and is very charming. His "short and shallow" interviews are great.

TV Entertainment:

- The Mummy AND The Mummy Returns. 2 of my all time favorites. I own those movies yet still can't not watch them every time they come on tv. Hours of enjoyment was had.

- 2 episodes of Charmed. I didn't watch this show until the later seasons, so early episodes are always worthy of watching. hehe

So there you go. Fun for a rainy day. Tomorrow, more rain in our forecast and I think I am going to take my niece up on her offer for a date - we're going to see Evan Almighty. should be fun.

More later...

My Fellow Americans...

2007-07-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 4th of JULY!

To all my fellow Americans here and abroad - have a wonderful day! I hope you get a chance to grill some goodness, eat some ice cream, and watch spectacular fireworks!

(Hope yours is not as rainy as mine is probably going to be)

More later...

Forewarned is Forearmed

2007-06-25T22:47:00.000-07:00

Picture this... a lovely fall day, spent wondering thru villas in the Venetian countryside. The astonishing grandeur of the homes, gorgeous art, beautiful gardens, a fun hedge maze to wander through. Add to that, good food and a handsome Italian acting as your personal tour guide; sharing the history of the area, speaking in that sexy accented English... sounds like a perfect day no?

Oh yes, it was... until "It" happened. On the way to visit the villa pictured above, all my water, espresso and wine caught up with me. Still a ways from the villa, driving the winding hilly roads of the countryside, my endurance was pushed to the limit, but FINALLY we arrived at our location. Much to my delight, the first thing I spotted was a few buildings not far from the house. And look - there is a BAR! Bar=ladies room. I am saved! And so, while my Italian purchased the requisite espresso enabling me to use the facilities (tip for traveling in Italy - you ALWAYS have to buy something to use the bathroom) - I hurriedly, yet gracefully (ahem, cough-sputter) ran, I mean walked to the restroom.

I entered. then promptly, with a speed that defied my condition, turned around and walked right back out. grabbing my Italian on the way while he was trying to gulp down the hot espresso. all the while asking me, rather loudly I might add, "what is wrong? what are you doing? why are we leaving?"

Those of you that have spent time in Europe, may have already guessed the horror I happened to see when entering the bathroom. This naive little Texan who was not, I might add, warned beforehand of the sight I might see in the public restrooms. And so, I feel it is my responsibility to warn women around the world that there is always a possibility in Italy you might come across one of these. A "Turkish toilet". Or more aptly, a porcelain hole in the floor, with treads on either side of that hole for your feet.

I dragged my husband as far as that villa, and proceeded to hunt down, in a feverish pitch, the facilities in the building. Thankfully, I lucked out. I found a regular toilet, though lower than what I was accustomed to, one I knew how to use. My husband patiently explained to me (when he got through laughing) that these types of toilets are supposed to be more "hygenic" - a word I would come to hear alot of when dealing with an Italian - though he didn't really go into detail on how one utilized such a thing. To this day, I still don't fully comprehend how to go about using one of these. I understand in theory, but what do you do? completely undress from the waist down? Do you just pull things to the side and hope you have something to hold onto? what if you are wearing pants - I mean EWWWW, I don't want to take my shoes off! More hygenic or not, no thank you.

I have successfully avoided using those in all of my subsequent trips to Italy. I have also, in the telling of the tale, scarred my sister into thinking that ALL toilets in Italy are of that type. (though I have tried and tried to "un-convince" her of that) I feel that while this is not a pretty subject, and I refuse to post a picture (hence the pretty villa pics), travellers should be warned. Be prepared. Either learn their correct usage or when you see one, know you will have to hold it a little longer. Don't be shocked as I was. Knowledge is power. hehe

more later...

The Legacy of Them

2007-06-19T22:28:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I meant to make a post commemorating my parents anniversary. How many years you ask? 51! After 4 years of dating, in June of 1956 my parents started their journey. 51 years, 4 daughters, 6 grandkids, and numerous pets later, they are still going strong. It's quite amazing isn't it?

I was thinking about them today and what the relationship has been through over those years. Many moves, hurricanes, tornadoes, unemployment, health issues, financial issues, 2 girls in college at the same time (during financial issues no less), deaths, births, time apart, time together and now semi-retirement (semi because those 2 can't seem to just not work). I must say, it is not a bad legacy.

We have a family reunion planned this weekend, so I was reflecting on the fun we always had when we all got together, coupled with my parents recent anniversary. I came to a startling revelation. My extended family as a whole has quite of a tradition of long marriages. On both sides actually, though mostly I think of extended family as my mom's side. My dad's side is very small. His parents died when I was young and I only have 2 cousins on that side. Both of which are WAY older than me (my oldest cousin on that side was at my parents wedding!). But on my mom's side, I have 20 cousins, with only 2 younger than me. Most are married - 3 have never been, and 3 divorces (one of which just remarried). I never really thought about it before.

I attended my grandparents 50th and they were together, holding hands for several years after that; mom's sister is now on her 52th, another sister has her 50th in a year or two, and the other siblings are probably in their 40-something anniversary years. That is pretty amazing in this day and age. Now, I realize that staying together that long doesn't necessarily mean it is a happy marriage or that you should stay married just to stay married. And to be honest, what does a "happy/good marriage" really mean? But whatever the marriages are, they seem to work. I am not trying to make our clan out to be some exceptional family - we have our problems of course - however, in these times where the divorce rate in America is reported to be 50%, it seems an accomplishment worth mentioning.

I don't know about my cousins, but what I learned from my parents about marriage is that perseverance is one of the keys to making it work. It is not love and romance all the time. Let's face it, every day life is not so romantic. There are times when being married sucks, when you think "why am I married to this person" (and come on, you know we all think that at times), when life throws you curve balls, and when things are so good, you're so happy - you are just overflowing with love. My parents also taught us how to fight, which personally I think is a good thing. We're pretty open about our feelings and fighting was not something my folks did behind closed doors. Of course, when I say fighting it does include yelling and arguing but not meanness or anything. It was more of a lesson on communicating and working through an issue, whether it be a problem, or frustration or whatever. As a kid, it didn't make me feel insecure, it was just part of life - heck, I fought with them and my sisters and we still loved each other.

As a result, my own marriage is strong because we are not afraid to let our feelings be known, good or bad. When we are angry or frustrated, we let it out and then move on. My own family laughs at us about it. (One time when we were moving, he really made me mad, I stormed off to our old house to clean and my sister called the new phone number. He answered, said I was not there, he had pissed me off and I had gone to clean. We laughed about it then and we laugh about it now.) As a family, we've never repressed anger or frustration. You communicate it in a respectful manner, and get over it. Getting it out in the open actually takes the heat out of it. And come on, our almost 6 years together have not been so rosy. Immigrating, assimilation into American life, working, unemployment, money and financial stress, health issues, being apart - then together - now apart again. We have run the gauntlet folks. There have been bad times and good, but always laughter. And because of these hard times, I can honestly say we are closer and more in love than we have ever been.

My parents also taught me that hard times are merely passing phases, and to keep that in perspective while looking at the grand scheme of things. We don't take marriage lightly in our family - it is a commitment that you work on and work through. In my opinion, marriage has become trivialized today which is a sad thing. I think divorce is sometimes inevitable and better for all parties involved; marriage is not for everyone. It in itself does not validate someone's life. And don't even get me started on the whole "we must protect marriage...we value marriage in the USA..." blah blah blah political statements, which inevitably will be forthcoming in this next election. UGH - PUHLESE. But I digress.

I think I had a pretty realistic view of marriage going into mine (as realistic as it can be without experiencing it) and I owe it to my parents. I appreciate the lessons they taught me and the example they have been. 51 years - its a lifetime. There is no perfect marriage. You can learn from others mistakes and successes but ultimately, you find out what works for you. Who knows if S. or I will ever see that anniversary (or live that long), but it is an accomplishment worth striving for =)

More later...

Daddy's Girl

2007-06-17T08:39:00.001-07:00

Growing up, I was the typical Daddy's girl. I followed him everywhere. He was my hero, my friend, my tea party attendee and just my Dad.

When I was really small, maybe 2(?) and not able to talk much, I used to call my father "Big Boy". (don't ask me why) A story my family loves to share was the time I got "lost" (more like hid in the clothes rack, with my parents frantically looking for me) in a store. The employees found me and announced over the store intercom for "Big boy to please pick up his child at the front counter." HA! back in the 70's things weren't as scary as they are now.

I am close to both of my parents, but from my dad I got my sense of humor, my eyes (and unfortunately my cheeks.lol), my laid-back attitude, and my natural aptitude for flirting (a charming, harmless type of flirt). Now both of my parents could talk to the wall, but as my husband found out a few years ago when we went with my dad to a home show, which took us forever to get through because my dad talked to EVERYONE - it is from him that my chatty nature is derived. While I have a nice blend (I think anyway) of personality traits from both of my parents, my true nature is more like his.

We have always had a good relationship, even in the terrible teen years. Because of him, I really like men, enjoy being around them, appreciate the differences between men/women (this does not mean those difference don't also drive me insane at times), and communicate well with them. He also taught me how I should expect to be treated by the men in my life. which is, in itself, a very valuable lesson.

So even though I am not with him in person today, I will talk to him several times and let him know how much I appreciate him being my father. I count my blessings for having the parents I have. I hope he has a wonderful day, knowing how much his daughters love and appreciate him! (isn't he cute? He really was a cowboy!)

Locally grown = YUMMY

2007-06-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or does it seem like there's a national trend going on? One where people are being more picky about what they eat, how it's grown/produced and the importance of supporting local farmers? Well, living with the Italian, I have become much more aware of ingredients in my food and the preservatives and chemicals added to it. Lately, I've seen more and more organic products in mainstream grocery stores. And personally, I think this is great. I won't get started on the additives in our food or genetic modification or now the cloning issues going on, but I do hope that this new trend is just beginning and will grow into a force where corporate America will take notice that the people here deserve and expect better products.

Anyway, I digress. I was so happy in the last weeks to see our local "D Magazine" front cover headline "Eat Local" with articles about our downtown Farmers Market. It reminded me about how much I enjoy going down there and so this morning, my sister and I took a trip downtown to do some shopping. To be honest, our market has some work to do bringing in more vendors but it has grown over the years and there are definitely more stands where the actual farmers who grew the produce are selling it. These are my favorite stands. And it was really good to see the crowds shopping. I didn't find the mushroom stall but will try again next trip.

Today, I was on a mission to find local Texas grown tomatoes and man did I! I had one tonight in a Caprese salad and it was so sweet and lusciously red, I was in heaven. I was a bit disappointed in the fruit selections but I found some yummy Texas figs, onions, new potatoes, organic basil & rosemary plants, cheese from a nearby dairy and organic, free range chicken & eggs (I love the blue egg in there!) from a local ranch. Not a bad haul! This is the kind of shopping I like, talking to the growers and picking ripe, fresh produce =)

After that, with this heat - it was swimming time! WOOOHOOO, it's perfect water temperature and it feels sooo good to get that exercise again. Go out, support your local farmers and enjoy the delicious fresh food your own markets provide - it's a good thing. Yummy food, a little sun and a good book to read. On a hot Saturday, what else could you want?

More later...

There and Back Again

2007-06-02T20:13:00.000-07:00

You would think that the repetition of an action would make that action become easier with time. Wouldn't you? I'd say mostly this is true. However, I seem to have an exception to this rule in the form of taking loved ones to and from the airport. It seems no matter how many times I do it, it will never become easier. *sigh*

So instead of focusing on my sadness, I decided to share some observations I made "there and back again". =)

1. Go the speed limit. It seems policemen are out in force on a Friday night at 3:00am (or rather Saturday morning). Hey, I'm old - it's been awhile since I was out late like that. lol

2. Airport check-in desks don't open until 4:30am. which is met with a bit of trepidation when you should be checking in at 4 since it is an international flight.

3. There are A LOT of people flying at 6:00am on a Saturday. Shocking, I know!

4. The airport is not as creepy as I thought it would be before dawn. (see #3)

5. THAT is what a sunrise looks like! I have a personal creed which states, that unless it is humanly impossible to avoid, one should not get up before the sun. The sunrise was very pretty peaking over the huge wall of storm clouds with its soft pinks and purples; but I still prefer the fiery reds and oranges of sunset.

6. Evidently, 3.5 hrs of sleep is enough to keep me awake all day with no napping required *groan*. I usually get physically ill on a couple of hours of sleep - normally I would just stay awake all night - but I guess my sick factor begins right under 3.5 hrs.

7. God sometimes throws you a bone and stops the rain when driving home, which would not have mixed well with the bouts of crying that popped up during the drive. =)

8. Kitties inexplicably have some sixth sense which makes them extra sweet and loving when you are sad. AND they reinforce this by snuggling up against you all day even if you can't go back to sleep (though not from lack of trying!).

9. While trying to sleep and watching one of my favorite shows (Most Haunted on Travel Channel), I reflect on the fact that my husband and I happily indulge each other in our TV viewing selections. Me - his fascination with "B" movies such as "Spiders vs. Earth" and "THEM!" which is about large nuclear ants; Him - my fascination with shows like "Ghost Hunters" on SciFi and Most Haunted . It's endearing....aren't we sweet? hehe

10. The thankfulness I feel for safe journeys and the knowledge that hard times are merely passing phases. =)

And now just because it makes me smile, here is a gratuitous picture of Sophie which mysteriously found its way onto my computer. Stefano evidently thinks she is cute too!

More later...

And we're off...

2007-05-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

Our big trip for Memorial Day weekend was a 1-day trek down to Houston. Why Houston you ask? Well, the Italian Consulate is located there and I needed to submit my application for Italian Citizenship. Yep, that's right folks. I am hoping to be a dual citizen in the next years. I am applying as a spouse of an Italian citizen (no Italian blood in me at all!) as you can do after you've been married 3 yrs. I wish we had known earlier you could file while living in the USA since we've been married almost 6!

Aside from the 2-hr wait to speak with our lady, the process was painless. That place was BUSY! It is the 2nd time we've been there and both times, it was packed. Who knew people had so much business with the Italian Consulate?

For citizenship, you have to do some legwork beforehand and gather documents, but mostly it's straightforward. Or as straightforward as Italian bureaucracy can be. Basic stuff is required like proof that your marriage was recorded in Italy, long form of your birth certificate (with apostille - had anyone ever heard of this before dealing with immigration?? not me), local criminal checks and an FBI fingerprint clearance thingy. That thing took me forever to get. And so, everything is filed and I was properly informed approval can take up to 3 yrs. Yep, you read that right - 3 yrs. See why I wish we had know about this 3 yrs ago? With my luck right now (ie, FBI thing) it will probably take all of those 3 yrs to get it.lol oh well, if it's not approved by the time I move, it's back to the Consolate for me.

Which brings me back to why I wouldn't mind going back to the Consulate. yumminess thy name is Lupe Tortilla!! Lucky for me Cherrye emailed me some suggestions for restaurants in the area (which I had requested from her). I have been to Houston several times but am not at all familiar with the town. Can I just tell you?? that food was DELICIOUS. Stef and I split some mixed fajita's and had queso for our chips. Gosh it was so good. Their tortillas were scrumptious! no margaritas this time but next - oh yeah. If you ever get the chance, go. I sure wish they would put one here in Dallas. Thanks Cherrye - we loved it!

And so that was our big trip. It was a quick trip, we got back yesterday . Hopefully, my citizenship won't take too long. Don't worry, I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize my American one, but once it's done, both Stef and I will hold dual citizenship. I think thats cool =)

More later...

Google me!

2007-05-25T08:23:00.000-07:00

Sognatrice posted a funny Google activity on her blog today which I just had to try! Basically, you type "Stacy needs" substituting your name in the place of mine of course, into Google and hit search. Then you see what pops up. What have I learned from this exercise? Evidently, Stacy is a very slutty name! Good grief, I can't post most of what popped up. Which brings me to another question - what names do YOU consider slutty sounding?

My findings...
[my comments are in red]

~~~
Stacy needs sex and she needs it fast... [ahem... no comment]

Stacy…needs a soft pace to fall that day or she needs a shoulder to cry on... [don't we all?]

Stacy needs unconditional love – guess I better get a dog. [HA! this really was an entry]

Stacy (Needs a hug). [yes I do and I also need to be 29 again, as this result goes on to describe "Stacy"]

Stacy needs to kick-up her voice and work harder at it. [hmmm...again no comment.LOL]

Stacy needs your vote! [for my 2008 presidential vote of course]

Stacy doesn’t need to wear slutty/trashy outfits to look good. [but doesn't it help? HAHAHA]

Stacy needs some toning. [oh lord, this one is so true]

Stacy needs to nap... [always, power naps are the best, though I don't take them enough]

Stacy needs to develop single mindedness and focus. [truer words can not be spoken.hehe]

~~~~
Let me know if you do this too! It's fun

More later...

My First Interview

2007-05-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

Sognatrice put the call out for interviewees and so I responded! It is the least I can do as a dedicated blogger. In case you wanted to know a little bit more about me, here you go.

(1) What is usually the last thing you do before you go to bed at night?
Read. This is of course after I slather my face with "wrinkle-away". Late night reads usually consist of some sappy romance or funny book, so I can just relax and get sleepy-eyed.

(2) If you could live anywhere in the world, no cost/language/partner/other prohibitions, where would you go and why?
This is a very hard one for me. There are so many places I find unbelievably gorgeous. I am going to cheat a little bit and give you 2.
Italy - in a villa overlooking the beautiful countryside with a hint of sea beyond because I love the pace of life you can have there, the fascinating history you find around every corner, and the FOOD.
Southwest US- anywhere with a red-rock view in the Southwestern United States. I will admit it was my husband that really helped me see the majestic, unique beauty that is the Southwest desert. Give me a modern house with a pool and miles of glass overlooking the stunning contrast of red desert against blue blue sky. It is so peaceful, the quiet and vast space where the starkness lends its way towards so much beauty in every small detail. (and I love the food there too!)

(3) Do you consider yourself crafty? (Interpret as you wish.)
Hmm.. very interesting question. Crafty in the sneaky sense? I could be, but chose to not live life that way. Crafty in an artsy way - not so much =( I used to think I was and I can occasionally make a cute "craft" but I really have no artistic ability in a drawing/painting kind of way. That is one thing I really wish was different about me - I'd LOVE to be a painter.

(4) If you could only drink one other thing besides water for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Chocolate shakes. Because its CHOCOLATE and thickly yummy. I suppose if I was more sophisticated I would say some kind of wine but I have to be honest (see #3) and chocolate it is.

(5) The Bradys or the Partridges? *or* ER or Grey's Anatomy (or both if you like)?
Bradys. Now that is not to say I wasn't totally in love with David Cassidy (Keith Partridge). I just watched the Brady's more. (HA - as I am typing this, "I Think I Love You" is playing in my head... *sigh* David. If you are too young to know that song, don't tell me.) I loved ER when George Clooney (or as I like to refer to him, Mr. Texas Espresso #2 ) was on it, but it just didn't hold the same appeal for me after he left.

Be sure to let me know if you would like to be interviewed in the comments. Then I will send you some stimulating questions.

1. Leave me a comment saying "Interview me."

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

More later...

2007-05-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

Your Inner European is Italian!

Passionate and colorful.
You show the world what culture really is.

Who's Your Inner European?

Guess I chose the right European to marry! I love doing these silly little quizzes. hehe Go see who you are! (and let me know)

More later...

Peace man...

2007-05-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

Sophiecat on a normal day...

Sophiecat on catnip!!!

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing

sorry for the grainy-ness, but it was at night and I didn't have many lights on.

More later...

It's an Italian Miracle!

2007-05-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

Not to be overly dramatic or anything but I mailed a Mother's Day card to my mother-in-law last week (like Monday or Tuesday) and she got it on SATURDAY! Can you believe it??? Shockingly, my mom's Hallmark store in small-town Oklahoma carries cards in Italian, German, Spanish and French. lol Probably, a store in Dallas does too, but I sure can't find it!

So she sent me a "Festa della Mamma" card and I sent it last week, thinking it would take about a week to get there. But it took less. I couldn't believe it. lol We've never had a huge problem with the Italian post like some have but it usually takes some time. YAY! Better early than late =)

On another note, I read a really good book this week. The kind that intrigued me AND made me laugh. Kept me up late late late and I finished it in 2 days! It's called The Rossetti Letter by Christi Phillips. It is her first book and is set in the 1600's in Venice. It is about "the Spanish Conspiracy". Some scholars say the Spanish officials had a plan to takeover Venice; others say it was the Venetian Council themselves who circulated the rumors. Whichever is true, the book is great. I really like her writing style. She switches between present day and the 1600's with ease. It's very descriptive without being "too much" (like Frances Mayes can be, but I still mostly like her). It also makes you want to run out and hit a library with historical texts and letters. Pour through them for days, weeks, months and develop your own historical theory! hehe

Well, maybe that is only me. lol However, I look forward to her next book due out next year. You should pick it up if you see it. It's an interesting read!

More later...

Deep Thoughts

2007-05-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

I am honored to be named a "Thinking Blogger" by my new friend and soon-to-be neighbor Cyndi at Reboot. She has elevated me to the ranks of all those esteemed bloggers that I love to read. Thank you!

To live up to that title, I thought I would share with you my thoughts of late. Let me warn you - they are not pretty. Depressing even. So please indulge me for a moment and once I get this off my chest, I am sure I will be back to my normal happy self.

There is not alot of new news in my life at the moment, but as I am going through boxes of memories and, let's face it - plain crap, I find myself crying at the drop of a hat thinking about the past and looking at the future. This week my tears were mostly focused on aging. And not the kind of aging I am dealing with at 36, with all kinds of wrinkle prevention creams and lotions. lol (Good lord that is a big business isn't it? but thatsa topic is for another day)

No, I am talking about parents. I am the youngest of 4 girls and my father was 40 when I was born - you do the math. Now, let me stop for a moment and say that blessedly, my parents are in very good health. I can't tell you how thankful I am for that. I am very close to both of them and really try to cherish every moment we have. (Of course that doesn't mean we don't get on each others nerves now and then) But in the past few years, I have really noticed my parents aging. They've always been very young looking and both still have some brown hair, but age is showing on their faces and in the slowing of their steps.

The other day, I had the unexpected surprise of my father staying with me for a night. He is retired, but likes to drive cars for dealerships and happened to have a trip to Houston. As he was coming through Dallas, he decided he was too tired to go on and would hang out with us kids for a night. It is always hard for my parents to decide which girl to stay with when they visit, so I was really excited to have him. We had a nice evening with my sister and her family - laughing and talking. We came back to my house and my sweet dad fell asleep on the sofa. But seeing him sleeping like he was, really hit me about how fragile he was becoming.

It's freaking me out. I mean I AM MOVING TO ITALY. And will be thousands of miles away if one of them has any trouble. I guess both Stef and I are dealing with this, though his parents are younger than mine. He and I have a mutual agreement that at any time in our lives, no matter what our finances look like - we will always have money to go home. My family knows this and also that if I am needed at home to deal with anything, I will be there regardless. As I have said before in this blog, the life we've chosen (and by life I mean bi-continental) can really suck at times. It is so full of excitement and sadness all at the same time. But what happens once I move? what will I do so far away from my family? How will I handle the distance as my parents get older? Why do you only really appreciate your parents as friends when you become an adult?

So here I am, tears running down my face trying to remind myself not to dwell on the inevitable. Live in the present. love my parents and enjoy the time we do have. God has really blessed me with wonderful examples to follow. I just hope I can let them know how much they mean to me and how thankful I am to have them. I know I will have sad days in the future when once again I am reminded of the my parents age, but mom & dad did not raise me to live like that. These thoughts should just be a reminder to let people know you love them and to not be embroiled in the small annoyances in life.

Sorry for such a somber post, but this is how my mind is wandering lately. Tomorrow will be a brighter day though and my next post will likely be something silly. I can't expect myself to be deep all the time. It's exhausting! Now, I think I will go back to my "What lipstick color is you" quiz.

More later...

Quest

2007-05-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

I saw a new thing today on my monthly trek into Central Market - green (or spring) garlic. Have you ever heard of it? I hadn't and it could be that I'm being sucked in by the evil spin-doctors. However, they claimed this garlic to be sweeter than normal and the shoots have a mild garlic taste and can be eaten like chives. So I thought what the heck? (on a side note, this just proves that I am TOTALLY sucked in by those end-cap displays or those displays right by the cash register. sigh) And that brings me to the second half of this post...

As I may have mentioned before, I love mexican food. (I am using "mexican" as a generic term to include authentic Mexican, Tex-Mex and any other mezzo-or-south American Latin food.) So in light of the fact I will be in Italy this time next year, I am on a quest to find and perfect good recipes that I can recreate overseas.

I've gotten pretty good with salsa, have a couple that I can break out when I need to, but am still perfecting them.
Guacamole - no problem. Got it down.
Margaritas - woohooo, been making those for years.

Now my sights are set on a really good street taco recipe. In particular, the marinade for beef or chicken to put in the taco. "Mojos" that can be used as a good marinade or condiment depending on what ya want. I have heard that some good mojos use orange or pineapple juice - is that true? Also, the street tacos I've had seem very simple but yet so full of flavor. and the meat - oh the meat just melts in your mouth. A noble quest no?

I found a few recipes and since I made another impulse buy of flank steak while on my market excursion, I decided to try a "carne asada" recipe I've been eyeing. It used orange juice, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, garlic (green garlic of course) and oregano for the marinade. Sounds good, no? I didn't grill it outside since we were having big storms so I just cooked it in a grill pan. That was probably a mistake. sigh

Now let me interject one thing - I don't cook meat very well. For some reason, meat (including chicken) doesn't work for me. I have one recipe for chicken that usually comes out well but other than that - eh. I guess I don't practice much cuz we don't eat it that often at home and I must not season it enough because the taste is never exceptional. So needless to say, this time was no exception to that rule. I was sorely disappointed in my result.

It doesn't look so bad - and the avocado salsa was delicious - but eh. It was boring. What can I do?? I like FLAVOR! I guess my quest is not over. If anyone has any ideas or recipes - send them my way!

More later...

Things I've learned (while studying Italian)

2007-04-25T20:13:00.000-07:00

1. Be brave! To learn another language you must speak and not be afraid to make mistakes. You cannot embarrass easily.

2. Move your mouth. Being from the south and Texas in particular, I've discovered I have a very lazy mouth. (hello.. thats why we drawwwwl) Italians pronounce every letter and really work their mouths. Exercises are recommended.

3. I cannot pronounce the "gli" sound very well. Don't ask me what it sounds like, I can't do it. It's HARD!

4. I have a very hard time distinguishing between double consonants and single ones. And believe me they can mean VERY DIFFERENT THINGS! Please see #2.

5. Mixing up French, Spanish and Italian in your brain, does not a good communicator make. GEEZ

6. Dialect? That is different from proper Italian?? All non-English speaking sounds sound Italian to me. hehe I am hoping the more I learn, the better I will get at distinguishing.

7. I am not "flowery" enough in my descriptions and speech. Italians can make even the simplest sentence complicated and long. Which in itself is admirable and lovely to hear, but can lead to difficulties when trying to determine subjects and verbs. hehe

8. If you throw the remote on the floor in frustration - it will break! (even on carpet) There is a price to pay for breaking the volume control - its called actually walking up to the system and doing it MANUALLY! ugh - the trials. *sigh*

Currently, I am using podcasts from learnitalianpod.com with supplemental workbooks from Berlitz and Italian for Dummies. Though it is not natural for Stefano to speak anything but English with me, we are trying to have more "lessons" on the phone several times a week. Mostly this consists of me reading stuff, Stef correcting my pronunciation, and helping me diagram the sentence.

For those of you who are working on or have learned Italian - how does this program sound? Any tips or suggestions on other resources? Maybe by the time I move at the end of the year (hopefully) I will at least have a grasp of the language and ability to communicate. Lord knows how long it will take to understand cultural nuances. hehe

more later...

thanks and the green-eyed monster

2007-04-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

Thank ya'll for the birthday wishes =) Another year gone so fast! At least the tornado closet didn't need to be used. YAY

Now for the green-eyed monster. I don't consider myself a very jealous person but sometimes.... ugh. I was talking to my husband the other day. And we were looking at his weekend options in the town he's in (and surrounding small villages). OH MY GOSH - they have a TON of stuff to do there. I mean interesting stuff that is free! Now, I live in a big metroplex and I know we have cultural events and stuff that goes on. BUT MAN. And, more often than not, you have to pay and use gas to get them. It's not easy to ride your bike to the city's cultural centers.

I swear, looking at the calendar of events for Saturday and Sunday - I found like 3 things each day I'd like to do. Is this normal? Stefano says - yeah, they always have something going on. Whether it's a small musical concert, or lecture, or excursion in the hills, movies - the possibilities are endless. Just this past weekend, there was an 'biodiversita' excursion in the hills held at some agriturismo where you learn what vegetation was safe to eat. Then you got recipes and cooked them! How fun is that? Another activity was a local food and wine festival. Learning the history of the village and sampling its local wares. Another - a private "behind the scenes" tour of a nearby villa. Next week, various archeology lectures; and on and on.

Now, I know that life in Italy is not "Under the Tuscan Sun." Most of us cannot live in or restore some beautiful country house. I know there is an abundance of red tape you usually have to go through to get in order to complete even the most mundane task. (which I am even encountering on this side of the ocean, but that's another post). Jobs are not well paying and the cost of living keeps going up. Surely, everyday life is not glamorous and you can get into the same ruts you do here.

But I have to admit, this side of Italian life is singing its siren song to me. I have lived in a big metroplex all of my life. Aside from a few years of small town college life, it's the only lifestyle I know. Where I live, you can drive a full day and still be in the state of Texas. There are many things to see and do here, but more often than not, they need to be planned. What is it like to take an hour trip to some medieval village? just walk around and see the art and old buildings - each little town or region seems to have its own unique history and flavor. Or be in the Alps or at the seaside in under 2 hours? How do you just hop on your bike and peddle to some town, sample its wares and peddle back? Not to mention, for larger trips - entering several different countries in just a day or two of driving or riding the train? Just thinking about it piques my curiosities and sparks my excitement.

I recognize the fact that moving to Italy will be a hard transition. I am trying to view life there without rose-colored glasses. Of course, I can only make assumptions about the place since I have never "lived" there. And I also am at peace with the fact that I might not like it. People might not like me, I may feel very alone and isolated - missing my family and my country. But at the same time - the activities I see offered make my heart beat faster. I am determined to do my best to enjoy all that I can once I move to Italy. To make every effort to assimilate into life while at the same time keeping true to myself. There are days where I am paralyzed with fears and doubts about whether we are doing the right thing. But then, when I see all I can do and learn... well, it renews my yearning to experience it.

That is what Italy offers me. Sure, I will still probably stress about money, jobs and language (among a million other things) but as a reward to the challenges, I get to feed my love of history and desire to learn (not to mention the FOOD). I could experience something & someplace different every weekend if I wanted to. So right now, I am going to bask in the excitement of these propositions and not think about the obstacles that still stand in the way. I do feel a twinge of jealousy that my husband has so many options at his disposal right now and I am not there to take advantage of them. But those days will come for me... those days will come.

more later...

Happy Birthday to Me!

2007-04-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday was my birthday =) I am not very happy about the 36 (or shall I say my third 12th birthday) I have turned, however, I am trying to not dwell on that and be glad I have survived another year! It was the first one I've had without my husband in about 8 years so that sucked. But otherwise, it was a good day.

I got a beautiful bouquet of yellow tulips from my love (I would post a picture but my freaking computer keeps messing up. I've lost all my bookmarks and some emails. which was not a good way to start the day, but is probably the universe getting back at me for bragging about how nothing every happens to a Mac. but I digress) as well as my Easter candy he sent weeks ago. I love Kinder's Happy Hippos!

I got several emails from friends here and abroad, phone calls from friends and family, had lunch with my sister, then she was sweet enough to fix a nice dinner for me last nite. Steak, potatoes, salad, and homemade cake with yummy homemade chocolate icing.

My niece and nephew were exceptionally sweet and made me the cutest card (with taped on candy I might add. do they know their aunt or what?). I got gift certificates for a local upscale mall and a haircut/color. Now, I am just waiting for my husband's present and my sister's. I am surprised he hasn't told me what it is yet - he gets so excited about gifts that he usually spills the beans before I open them. My poor sister is just swamped with their business and family so I'm cutting her a break (and she did make a nice dinner after a long day of work). hehe

On a very sad note. I am so so sorry for those people who lost loved ones in the Virginia Tech shooting. That is so tragic. I don't understand what is going on in the world today. Up until yesterday, the only significant event (other than being my birthday) of the 16th was that it was the day after tax day - man I wish I had a dollar for all the times someone said that to me (the day after tax day thing).

So aside from the tragic event that occurred, my day was very pleasant. Now, it's back to the normal world - looking for work and watching the severe weather come towards me... guess I need to get my tornado closet ready again. Sophie and I might need it tonight! hehe

More later...

Molto Italiano

2007-04-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

It's funny that Cyndy posted this week about Italian bureaucracy cuz today my husband relayed a funny real-life story to me that reiterates the red tape jungle that constitutes public entities of Italy. In this case it is the library. And while it didn't contain the fun activities of official stamps, forms, taxes and more stamps, it does accurately portray the way things can work in every day life.

Husband (H) to the girl (girl #1 or G1) at the library checkout counter - "Buon giorno, I have lost my library card, what do I need to do to replace it?"

Girl #1 - Are you sure you lost it?

Husband - yes, I am quite sure.

G1 - Have you looked for it?

H - yes

G1 - how long have you looked for it?

H - oh for about a month. i can't find it anywhere!

G2 - *sigh* " we can replace it, but you will need to go talk to the girl at the reference desk.

H - ok, thank you very much

Goes to girl (G2) at the reference desk.

H - Buon giorno. I have lost my library card and would like to replace it.

G2 - Are you sure you lost it?

H - yes

G2 - Have you looked for it?

H - yes

G2 - Maybe you should go back and look again.

H - Well, I've been looking for a while and I can't find it anywhere. I really would like to just replace it.

G2 - *sigh* Who sent you over here? You need to talk to the man at the other desk.

H - Ok, thank you.

Goes to Man (M) at the other desk.

H - I've lost my card and would like to replace it.

M - are you sure you lost it?

And on and on. You get the picture.lol It took him about 1 hr to find the "right" employee that would help him with replacing the card. Of course, all conversations were conducted with the utmost politeness and civility. Turns out, getting the replacement was only a matter of filling out another application. lol

I don't post this as a criticism - it just is what it is. We had a great laugh about it. It's one of those things where you just giggle, shrug, and think - that's Italia.

Despair

2007-04-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

thy name is Italiano.

(and I'm sure I did not use that word correctly)

I just got done with a 2 hour Italian session and my brain is fried. My husband is amazingly patient with what seems to be an insurmountable wall of my not understanding the language. He dutifully corrects my butchered words and reminds me again and again of seemingly simple words I cannot remember - such as "tra" and "piu".

Intellectually, I know these things just take practice and time. I know that while I am studying regularly, I have not done it so intensively that I should expect to know and understand Italian well. But gosh, it is so frustrating. What is wrong with my brain?

It's been a long time since I studied anything. Maybe I should get some of those memory enhancing supplements? *sigh* Will I ever get it?

more later...

A Texas Spring..

2007-04-08T18:53:00.000-07:00

The Legend of the Texas Bluebonnets

Once, long ago in the land of the Comanche, there was a great drought and famine and pestilence. The dancers danced to the sound of the drums and prayed for rain. They watched and waited for the healing rains, and danced again. No rains came.

Among the children of the tribe there was a small girl named She-Who-Is-Alone. She watched the dancers and held her warrior doll. Her doll wore beaded leggings and a headdress of brilliant blue feathers from the bird who cries "Jay-Jay". She loved this doll very much. Her doll was the only thing she had left from the happy days before the great famine took her parents and grandparents from her.

As She-Who-is-Alone sat and held her doll, the Shaman, or Wise Man, came to speak to the people. He told them that the Great Spirits were unhappy. He said that the people had been selfish, taking every thing from the earth giving nothing in return. He said that the people must make a sacrifice and must make a burnt offering of their most prized possession. The Shaman said the ashes of this offering should be scattered to the home of the Four Winds-North, South, East and West. When this sacrifice was made the drought would cease. Life would be restored to the land.

The people talked among themselves. The warriors were sure it was not their bow that the Great Spirits wanted. The women knew that this was not their special blanket. She-Who-Is-Alone looked at her doll, her most valued possession. She knew what the Great Spirits wanted and knew what she must do. While everyone slept she took her warrior doll and one stick that burned from the teepee fire and made her way to the hill where the Shaman had spoken -"Oh Great Spirits," she called out, "here is my warrior doll the only thing I have left from happy days with my family. It is my most valued possession. Please accept it."

Then she made a fire and thrust her precious doll into it. When the flames died down she scooped up a handful of ashes and scattered them to the Four winds-North, South, East and West. Then, her cheeks wet with tears, she lay down and fell asleep. The first light of morning woke her and she looked out over the hills. Stretching from all sides where the ashes had fallen, the ground was covered with flowers, beautiful blue flowers, as blue as the feathers in the hair of her beloved doll.

Now every spring the Great Spirits remember the sacrifice of a very small girl and fill the hills and valleys of the land now called Texas with beautiful blue flowers. And this is so to this very day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bluebonnets are the best part of spring in Texas. Roadsides, fields, hills, and countryside are full of these beautiful flowers. There is always a mass influx of people traveling to Central Texas to photograph the rolling hills of blue. Driving down the highway even, the sides of the roads are bursting with gorgeous color. Spring is officially here once the bluebonnets start popping through. It is one of the things I know I will miss seeing when I live somewhere else. For Texans living abroad - a little bit of home; for everyone else- a riot of blues for you to enjoy =)

Happy Spring!

more later...

More than you ever wanted to know...

2007-04-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

Several bloggers I read have posted this "100 things about me" meme. Reading those, I was completely mystified as to how they could think of that may things to say about themselves. So, I gave myself a challenge - to complete that meme and post it here. It has taken me a few days but voila! Here it is. (in random order as they popped into my head)

100. I am the youngest of 4 girls. Oh puhlese - don't even feel sorry for my dad, he is spoiled rotten.

99. I love the show Friends. I don't care how unrealistic it is, it is funny and makes me laugh. I can watch it over and over and never get tired of it.

98. I went to college on a partial music scholarship.

97. But was an idiot not to major in music and get the full one.

96. I don't think I have a strong Texas twang.

95. however, numerous people vehemently disagree.

94. I have a lot of Cherokee in me.

93. because of this, all of my life people have mistaken me for being hispanic.

92. my husband thinks this is nuts because without a tan, I am fair.

91. However, it is irrefutable when random strangers come up to me and start speaking spanish. HA (which even happened at his naturalization ceremony)

90. And I LIKE IT!

89. Speaking of - I love latin cuisine.

88. including Mexican, Cuban, Tex-Mex, etc.

87. I could eat latin food every day and be happy.

86. as well as pizza

85. and chocolate. sigh
.
84. I didn't like Italian food until I had the real stuff.

83. as a child, I LOVED taking my cough medicines.

82. which is why I don't do drugs. lol

81. I love sports

80. but am not athletic.

79. I am a hard worker

78. but can be lazy when it comes to exercising.

77. I have a guy-like sense of humor.

76. which is one of my best personality traits.

75. and probably why I've always liked being around guys.

74. I was a cheerleader for all of a minute during middle school (6th, 7th grade)

73. I drive a convertible.

72. I think if you haven't had the experience of flirting with cute guys while looking hot in your convertible, you are missing out.

71. At least in my head I was hot. lol

70. I was in University choir with this actor. The dude can totally sing and play the guitar.

69. He lived in the fraternity house across the street from my sorority house.

68. I got drunk with him at Pat O'Brien's in New Orleans and we had the whole patio singing "Oklahoma".

67. He wouldn't know me from Adam now but that's ok!

66. I don't like country music.

65. however, right now, the Carrie Underwood song is playing in my head so some do get thru.

64. I was named after my paternal grandmother, Stacy Ann (though I didn't get the Ann and think Stacy doesn't sound like a name from 1900)

63. She knew how to do an Indian Rain Dance but died before she could teach any of us.

62. Water is my favorite beverage

61. It really is - does that make me sad? lol

60. I love to cook.

59. but I don't think I do it very well.

58. The death of my college roommate's father changed my whole perspective on life.

57. I LOVE color

56. which can cause a problem with my "let's paint it white" husband.lol

55. I love history.

54. I should have majored in archeology in college.

53. I think I would've liked it and regret I didn't even think of it.

52. I am afraid of drowning.

51. but like to swim.

50. I am sweet by nature

49. which really annoys me at times. (honestly)

48. I have read and do own all 3 movies of Lord of the Rings

47. I know I am a nerd and am fine with it =)

46. I secretly want to be an expert at something

45. but have no idea of what.

44. I like to shop for furniture and appliances.

43. all other shopping bores me to death.

42. I love roller coasters

41. I think using proper English is important.

40. I am not easily offended

39. except by prejudice and bigotry.

38. The guy I voted for didn't win.

37. I don't like arrogant Americans

36. I don't like condescending Europeans either.

35. I am NOT a morning person.

34. leave me alone, I am nice the rest of the day.

33. My cat is not a morning person either. seriously, leave us alone.

32. Once, in 1st grade, I shoved soap in the face of a girl I didn't like.

31. That is the only time I've been to the Principal's office.

30. I don't remember ever doing something that mean for the sake of being mean, before or after.

29. When I was around 8 or so, my 12 yr old cousin told me a ghost story about our grandfather who had recently passed away. In the process of scaring me, she scared herself. We got so scared we had to run out of the house and wait for our parents on the sidewalk.

28. I will never forget that. and to this day we still laugh about it.lol

27. When we would go to Grandma's for the weekend, she would always make hamburgers and shape the patties with a wooden patty press.

26. I always wonder who got that press. and always think of her when I see one, as well as little glass coke bottles.

25. Until I was an older teenager, I thought all gumdrops were sticky and gross. It was then that I found out that my cousin (see #29) used to suck the sugar off of them and stick them back in the jar when we were kids.lol

24. I look a lot like my dad.

23. which totally shot down one of my high school boyfriend's theory that all women grow up to look like their moms.lol

22. I love tech toys and big screen tvs.

21. One day, I'd like to go to space camp.

20. My husband and I both had dogs named Indy before we even knew each other.

19. I've become my mother in that I can cry at the drop of a hat.

18. I love to eat "buttered" popcorn at the movies with plain m&ms.

17. I can't yet tell the difference between Italian and dialect.

16. My husband and I don't communicate well in the following: a)home improvement projects b) driving directions. I don't have ESP while doing a, he doesn't having it for b.

15. but that's ok, we're working through it =)

14. I went to Europe for the first time in college. Now I am hooked.

13. I like to end a meal with some sweet taste. (like a little chocolate)

12. I don't like fruit on meat.

11. I don't have any piercings or tattoos (not even my ears).

10. but I do have a secret desire to have a tattoo one day. hehe

9. I can sing in front of thousands but can't play the piano in front of anyone.

8. I got food poisoning in Austria which led to my most embarrassing moment on board our bus.

7. Since then, I am a FREAK about the shelf life of food.

6. My meat comes from the grocery store. I would probably be a vegetarian if I had to think of it in any other way. =)

5. I love to learn about people and why they do what they do. life stories fascinate me.

4. No matter how fat or thin I am, I am very hot natured. a trait I share with my mom.

3. I sometimes peek at the ending of a book. (I KNOW!)

2. I wasn't ever that interested in Italy until I met my husband. Now I am fascinated by it.

1. Two things I'm really looking forward to while living in Italy - getting to know my husband's family better and FOOD FESTIVALS.

more later...

im sick

2007-04-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

... pounding head

... death rattle cough

... complete inability to breathe through nose

My household is very concerned...

Who knew?

2007-03-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

It IS a small world after all! Lord knows, when I rode that ride at Disneyworld, I thought I might die if heard that stupid song one more time - but I've come to realize the sentiment is so true. It keeps asserting itself into my life when I least expect it.

Of course, I am a living example of how small the world can be. Hello... I married an Italian...and the whole "dating" part of our relationship was managed with an ocean between us. You might ask - "why is she blathering about this now?" Well, as it happens, I was going through some old photographs and found some pictures from a 2001 trip to Italy. (specifally the one posted here) So.. what's the big deal? It's a window with a Don't Mess with Texas bumper sticker. *Boh* HA - this window happened to be one of the front doors of a restaurant we went to in ITALY. I felt right at home =) of course, I had to take a picture - who would've thought!?!

Here was a little piece of home in the middle of Northwestern Italy. At the time I didn't know of too many bi-continental relationships; they were not the norm. Not for an American or an Italian. Nor had I given any thought to Americans living in Italy. Now, a mere 8 years later it has been my pleasure to uncover more and more Americans, and in particular Texans, living in Italy.

I think I read 5+ blogs of Texans living there. 3 or more Indianians (is that right, Indianians?). California, New Jersey, the Pacific Northwest. all living overseas and blogging about it. You hear the statistics about the millions of expats living abroad but now, those expats actually become real people with real lives. one they are willing to share with you. It's a small world not only because you can get to know people from foreign lands and cultures, but also fellow Americans from totally different parts of the States. People you might never have had the pleasure of meeting in your everyday American life. Do you think Italy has room for one more Texan?

More later...

A First for Me

2007-03-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged! I'm not even sure what a meme is or if this is one, but yay! Cherrye tagged me for the "Seven Songs for Life" thingy. Let's see how I do.

It is very hard for me to narrow my favorite music down to seven. I love music. All kinds, with the exception of most rap and country (I know that is sacrilege coming from a Texan, but there it is. hey I can tolerate it - just not my favorite).

Music has always been an important part of my life. From a very young age, I used to run to the piano after commercials to "play" them.lol I grew up singing and taking piano lessons and even went to college on a music scholarship. I am lucky in my marriage as my husband also loves music of all kinds and there's always something playing in the background in our household. Having said that here we go...

(These are in no particular order)

#7 Video Killed the Radio Star (The Buggles). I LOVE this song. =) Call me a big nerd but who can NOT sing at the top of their lungs when it comes on? And come on, it makes you happy!

#6 Are You Gonna Be My Girl (Jet). Makes me drive fast and play the "steering-wheel drums"

#5 Crash (Dave Matthews). Sexy song. no need to say more..hehe *

#4 Enjoy the Silence (Depeche Mode). Brings back many fond memories of 80s dancing.

#3 Hey Jealousy (Gin Blossoms). I thought I was so cool listening to the Gin Blossoms in college. Very alternative you know.

#2 Are You Gonna Go My Way (Lenny Kravitz). The coolest video of its time. Hearing this immediately transports me back to my favorite college apartment with my fun roommate and the cute boys across the courtyard. =)

#1 Via Con Me (Paolo Conte). I love his songs. His sound is so European. Makes you just want to sit in a cafe and smoke a cigarette (maybe I'll just hold one cuz I'm allergic to smoke)

Ok so there are 7. It is just a small sampling of all the classical, rock (old and new), alternative, jazz, classical, soundtracks, international and yes, even musicals - that we have in our possession in various forms. Now, if I understand this correctly - I have to tag some fellow bloggers. Let's tag Cyndy, Sara, Tracie, Sara, Rowena and Avery. Am I supposed to let them know I wonder? oh well, I'm winging it.

* For the sake of not repeating sognatrice I also really love Iris (GooGoo Dolls) and Everybody Hurts (REM)

More later...

I Spy...

2007-03-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

something green... something brown... something I have never seen in my backyard in the three years we've lived here!

I KNOW! IT'S A DUCK! IN MY BACKYARD!

Sorry the picture isn't so great but I had to take it through the glass of my back door. I tried to open it and snap, but it flew away when the door opened =( We do live by a lake (not ON a lake) but until today no "fowl" had ventured into my yard. Do you think it would've gotten in the pool had I not disturbed it? I wonder what Sophie would have done if she had been outside? Is that why she sometimes runs into the house at moc speed for no apparent reason? hehe

Oh well, I had to leave so it had to go too.

More later...

A DAY IN THE HILLS

2007-03-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

As I have shared before, being born and raised in Dallas has given me a great affinity for flat, wide land. My Italian, on the other hand grew up in the Euganean Hills in Italy and living here for 5+ years really made him miss his beloved hills. So, since I am missing him a bit today, I thought I would share with you his beautiful corner of Italy.

If you are ever in the Veneto region of Italy, take a detour to explore the quaint little towns of these hills. There are towns like Abano Terme with its spas of natural hot springs and thermal waters; Arqua Petrarca, home of the famous Italian poet (and one of my favorite towns); Este, home of the famous House of Este and featured in the book I just finished - Leonardo's Swans; and many more. I am mostly familiar with the Padova province but the whole area is full of interesting places to see. The cities are right on the railway so side-"off the beaten path"-trips are easily accessible. Even for a flatlander like me, the Euganean Hills are hard to resist!

More later...

I love books

2007-03-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

So when I saw this post on Cherrye's blog I had to do it. I read a ton, though after looking at the list, I see I am missing a lot! Books to me are windows into other lives, worlds and places. I can read a whole book in a day if I have the time. Both Stef and I love books so wherever we live, we needs lots of bookshelves!

Instructions: In the list of books below:
Bold the ones you’ve read
Italicize the ones you want to read
Mark in RED the ones you won’t touch with a ten-foot pole
Put a cross (+) in front of the ones on your book shelf
Mark an asterisk (*) beside the ones you’ve never heard of

1. +The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. +The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien) (I know I am a nerd, but I
love the book and all 3 of the movies!)
6. +The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. +The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. *A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. +Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. *A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. +Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. *Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21.+ The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. +Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck) (not a big fan of Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert) ( I don’t mind SciFi but I have no interest in this one, though I’ve heard its good)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks) (ugh!)
33. *Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. *The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. *The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. *I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant) (I just heard of this one last week and now I can’t wait to read it!)
40. *The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) (but I will look for it –might be interesting)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. +Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. +Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. *She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. *The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. *Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. *The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. +Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling) (yes I know my Harrys above are in red, what can I say – I bought a couple, read them and am not interested in getting any more. I do like the movies though )
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. *The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. *The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. *Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. *One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. +Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. *Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. *The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. *A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. *The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. *Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier) ( I LOVE this book)
84. *Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. *The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. *Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. *In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding) – bleh I hated this book. Dang Sophomore English!
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)- ugh, had to do a book report on this one. Depressing….
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum) (LOVE the movies though!)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch) – saw the movie, not interested in reading it.
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. *The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

More later...

Spring is springing

2007-03-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

Spring is my 2nd favorite season of the year. I love the flowers shooting up, trees budding and colors popping against the grays of winter. Bluebonnet's will be coming up soon and I can't wait to share their beauty with you. I will miss them when we move =(

Something I don't like about the season is that we also have to "Spring Forward" into Daylight Savings Time. I have never understood why we do this. I mean ok, it makes sense back in the olden days, but now? And... lucky us, this year it was decided we should set our clocks forward 2 weeks earlier. Are we really saving energy by doing this? Seems like there are so many other things we could do to use less energy. but hey who am I.

Those of us from Texas get an additional bonus with Spring each year. What could that be, you ask? *cue the scary music* TORNADO SEASON

We get lovely spring storms throughout the season which bring great thunder & lightening shows (I do like a good storm) as well as hail and tornadoes. WOOHOOO I kid you not when I say, I had hail the size of baseballs in my yard one year. I swear! I put one in the freezer to be entered as evidence when my Italian came to visit. (that was before we were married) HA - after that "Everything's bigger in Texas" had a whole new meaning for him. I wish I had thought to take a picture, but you didn't do those things back then. I will admit I get a bit nervous when tornadoes are in the area. I have been through one and they are SCARY. Though I am not as bad as my Italian. He freaks. lol poor guy, I can't say I blame him too much. Maybe all those years of tornado drills in school took the edge off for me. If you've never sat in the hall (on your knees), hands over your head, practicing the drill well then, you have had a very sad sad childhood. lol

I think of this today because we had our first big thunderstorm this afternoon. I took pictures with my phone and sent them to my email, but unfortunately they are somewhere in cyberspace. That was a fun to drive home in. Who needs to see the car in front of you? No hail or tornadoes thank goodness, but it is a reminder of where we are headed for the next few months. Life on the wild side baby!

In case you think all I can talk about is weather or my cat, here is where I prove you wrong. MOVIES I watched a few dvds this weekend so here are my reviews:

A Good Year - bleh. The scenery is beautiful and makes you want to run out and buy a vineyard in Provence (or Italy as the case may be) but the movie was boring and blah. Russell Crowe's British accent totally got on my nerves. It was so contrived and "foppish," I was distracted from the movie. There was a cute dog and you did get to see RC roll around in mud though, so alas, all was not lost.
Rating - 2 out of 5 stars

Stranger Than Fiction - loved it. It was really a good movie. Will Farrell is not his normal over the top character (which I do find funny in many of his movies, obnoxious in others) - nope, he is a very straight laced, boring, IRS agent. The humor is dry and intelligent and Emma Thompson is just perfect in her role. It is such an interesting premise - sweet & poignant - I would definitely recommend it.
Rating - 4 out of 5 stars

More later...

ME

2007-03-07T17:28:00.000-08:00

I keep meaning to do the "me, not me" blog that Texpatriate started but i can't ever find the time! So instead I am going to copy Cherrye and give you a glimpse into me =) Its not totally right but not bad... fun anyway.

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

More later...

A Silver Lining

2007-03-05T18:29:00.000-08:00

Got some good news today! The vet called and Sophie's thyroid and kidney levels are all fine. YAY!

So I am starting her on 1/2 an aspirin every 3 days, hopefully she will be better. She is playing tonight and seems more of her old self. That makes me happy. They are still concerned about her blood pressure though. I'm not sure what to do about that. I will take her back in to have it checked this week but I am not sure if it is really high or if its that she's just so freaked to be at the vet's.

Thanks for being patient through my kitty ordeal. I will write more about fun things now.

More later...

Bad News

2007-03-02T20:20:00.000-08:00

Well the news is not good for my sweet little kitty. After a barage of tests, it has been determined she has an enlarged heart which can cause bloodclots and actually did. That is why she was walking weird - the clots restrict blood to the back legs. Evidently, thats where blood goes first out of the heart.

In addition, she had high blood pressure and a fast heart beat which could be because she was at the vets all day. I have to check her heart rate all weekend to see whats what. We have to wait on her blood and urine tests to see how the kidneys and thyroid are working before we can start any medication. Monday, I should know.

I have been a basket case all day. Poor S. is ready to fly home as fast as he can to comfort us, but I won't let him. Hopefully, things turn out that its just her heart (like that isn't bad enough). But at least in that case, she would only be on a 1/2 a baby aspirin every 3 days or so and nothing else.

I couldn't pick her up fast enough today. She was so happy to be home at last. And to make things worse(?) she looks like nothing is wrong with her. Just a normal day in Sophie world. I am trying to stay positive but yet still come to the realization that her life will be shorter than I thought it would. She is such a sweet cat, never any trouble, funny and independent. Gets mad when she doesn't get her way but is quickly over it. loves me beyond reason, even loves S. though she is not as quick to show him. She is the most comforting animal I've ever had. Really - I mean if she hears arguing or yelling or you crying, she starts rubbing all over you and meowing. Does whatever she can do to make you feel better. its so sweet.

This year is not starting out very good.

More later...

I know I know...

2007-03-01T21:54:00.000-08:00

I am the WORST blogger ever. The problem is that there is a lot going on here but yet not. Does that make sense? Major changes are happening which seem to be dragging along but at the same time happening quickly. It's like some kind of time warp continum.lol I don't have anything interesting to blog about yet life as I know it is changing dramatically.

I am still looking for a job, though currently am employed contract. I'm not sure when that will end but think this will probably be the last month. sigh am trying not to worry too much. Finding a job sucks!

I am also a bit worried about my cute Sophie. She is not her normal self this evening - walking slow and didn't play at all tonight. I am going to take her to the vet in the morning (they open at 7) just to set my mind at ease.

I'm also reverting back to my love/hate relationship with the airport. I hope one day to get my love back of that place, but it seems too much lately to be about saying "goodbye' rather than "on to the next adventure". Next time you see an expat or someone living far away from home - give them a hug. It is not an easy life to be bi-continental. Rewarding of course, but not easy.

Sorry to be so blah and depressing. lol I've been feeling like that alot lately - hence the no posting. I'm really not as depressed as I sound just more sad. But this weekend should be fun, family is coming in town, 6yr birthday parties to be had, 9yr old basketball AND a Tom Petty cover band to see. Sounds like a full weekend to me!

More later...

A Day in the Life...

2007-02-20T20:22:00.000-08:00

Since Cyndy let us know Saturday was "The Day of the Cat" in Italy, I thought it only appropriate for me to make a post in honor of my little kitty. I wish we had this day in the USA - or if we do, it was better known. I'm a little late but hey, as most everyone points out - EVERY day is cat day.

So with no more ado, may I present - The SOPHIE CAT

How cute is she???

1. Sunning herself in a flower pot - she reminds me of a muffin. How is that comfy? (please dont look at the plant debris I needed to sweep!)

2. Hard at work as our audio visual consultant.

3. Making her people feel "special" by looking cute when they play with her. Sometimes you just gotta throw those humans a bone.

4. After a long hard day - a cat can only do so much!

More later...

February 14th

2007-02-13T20:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

What are you doing for this "day of love"? Have you spent a crazy amount of money on a gift? Ordered your flowers and chocolate? Found some sexy something to surprise your someone special?

I don't know about ya'll but I think all of that is just crazy and too much pressure! I don't even like to go out to eat on Valentine's because everyone and their dog is out all at the same time. God forbid if you don't have a reservation and you better like the fixed menu. However, having ranted just a little bit about the commercialization of the day and the ridiculous expectations people have about it, let me say this. I like Valentine's Day. hehe

Valentine's to me is not about spending a fortune on presents and flowers "telling" your special someone you love them. I think you should do that every day (the telling, not the spending). It's about getting out of your day-to-day doldrums, putting some thought into doing something special for the person you love. Thinking about your feelings and really trying to express them. Writing a love letter, making a gift, cooking a special dinner. That is what the day should be. I don't need flowers (though I like them) or some jewelry or slinky lingerie (come on you know that's not really for you but for your partner.lol). Nope, I want to a card with a few meaningful words written in it. That is my only request. Of course, if flowers or chocolate accompany the card, it's a bonus.

As shocking as this next sentence will be, I must share it. My Italian is NOT romantic! *GASP* I know it seems unnatural, but alas it is true. I have shattered many a friend's Italian dream with this revelation. lol He is a very un-Italian Italian in many ways (and yes, I know I am making a blatant blanket statement about Italians, but come on girls, you know it's in the back of our minds). This is not meant as a criticism against my husband either. I am totally fine with that as I am not terribly romantic either. But this year, since we have had so many changes happening and coming up, I decided we needed to have an extra romantic Valentine's.

I am going to bring him breakfast in bed - a yummy almond croissant and coffee. Bought him chocolates, which honestly is more selfish than not because he eats all of mine; picked out a very sweet gushy card on which I will write something sentimental; and a small present he will like. He on the other hand is going to fix me a lovely dinner that he actually put thought and effort into. No every day pasta for tomorrow - no sir. A card and chocolates are also expected. YUM. All in all, someone is going to get lucky *wink*.

I just threw that in to make you laugh. Have a wonderful day and do something special for your loved one!

More later...

2 months in..

2007-02-07T18:30:00.000-08:00

Well its February and I thought I would do a little "resolution update." Usually by now I've completely ignored my resolutions or forgotten what they are. But not this year! I am determined this year will be different. So every so often, I'm going to post my progress - hope you don't mind.

1. Lose weight. Slowly but surely, I'm seeing the pounds go. Dieting totally sucks.lol My plan has been to reduce calorie intake, eat healthier and learn when my body is really hungry - eat when I'm hungry and stop when I feel satisfied. That is very hard to do I think. I mean who hasn't just stuffed themselves till they are "full as a tick." Haven't you ever said - I paid for it, I'm eating it! I love food and usually, if there's food in front of me, I eat it all. I've noticed most skinny people don't do that - they stop when they are satisfied and leave food on the plate. They don't feel the need to eat it just because it's there. This is my goal. enjoy the food, eat well and stop when my hunger is gone. I get hungrier during the day, but thats ok. I have a few healthy snacks and it helps keep the metabolism going. =)

2. Learn Italian. ok, it still really sucks. but I AM studying. I've got my ipod full of podcasts and instead of listening to music on my way home from work, I have an Italian lesson. Today I even graduated myself to the intermediate casts. but WHOA! I had to back track cuz they were using past tense! oh my gosh - I am so not ready for that! I am still learning my conjugation. hehe I have also dug out my "Italian for Dummies" so I can do exercises in the evening as well. I really have to get a handle on Italian.

3. Be a better blogger. hmmm well, I can safely say this is my weakest resolution. sigh I did change the look and I have particpated in a blogging event but I still suck and need improvement. I will continue to work on it =)

4. Expand my mind, creativitiy, intellect. I do watch less crap on tv, does that count? mostly nerdy history channel stuff (or history internationa) and I am getting more answers right when my Italian poses his "questions of thought" during programs. This normally annoys me because he remembers way more from his education than I do.lol I do love history and there are many new interesting shows on which we are enjoying. (with the exception of right now, since my Italian is watching some show about the Harley Davidson plant. he keeps interrupting my blogging to share motorcycle tidbits with me. sigh - I could care less; but pause to listen and respond with appropriate ooos & ahhhs. so if my blog seems scattered, thats why. hehe) I am also reading some interesting historical fiction books about Italy. In the Company of the Courtesan and Leonardo's Swans.

Oh on a side note, we just watched a great new show on the Travel Channel - Francesco's Italy: From Top to Toe. It is really good and he is funny. He's a native Italian - who my husband pegged immediately as Venetian (which he is). Sharing a more Italian view of Italy. Tonight was the first show. He went to Padova, Vicenza, Verona, Milan, Mantua and Portofino. Most of which I have been to since my husband is from the Veneto. It was so cool. He is very Italian and Venetian - was so funny. Can't wait for next week.

Huh - did you know the gas tank of a Harley is below the seat and not the normal tank on top? yeah I know... riveting tv. lol

More later...

Nutella Day...

2007-01-28T18:25:00.000-08:00

In honor of all the hard work Sara and Shelley have put in to make this Nutella Day special, here is my submission!

I remember the first time I ever tried this yummy treat. It was in the early 90's, I was on a college trip in Europe, Munich to be exact. Breakfast was included in our hotel stay - bread, cereal, brioche, toast, etc. So I went to grab some jam and saw this mysterious chocolate looking spread among the packets. Of course, I had to try it - looks like chocolate, smells chocolately - how could I not? From then on... I WAS HOOKED. Everywhere we went in Europe that summer, my breakfast was the same: orange juice, brioche and nutella. I even stowed a few packets in my suitcase for use when I got home. Unfortunately, after that trip there was a bit of a lag in my nutella consumption. As far as I knew, it hadn't caught on in the States so I had to give it up until my later 20's. I have been trying to catch up ever since!

In honor of this exciting day, I decided to get to baking. I looked at a million and one recipes on the internet but in the end decided to be simple. Pound cake. Should it be a nutella pound cake? Maybe vanilla with a ribbon of nutella running through it?

I decided to use a recipe from one of my favorite sites "bakingsheet" and the cake turned out yummy. I will say though, I cooked it too long. It was not as moist as I like pound cake to be, but that is the flaw of the baker and not the recipe. The husband liked it alot; but then he dunks his in milk/coffee so of course the dryer the better! Here is the recipe I used. (As a side note, the batter is DELICIOUS too. hehehe)

Sour cream pound cake? what does that have to do with nutella? Ahhhh ... herein lies my genius... a yummy sour cream pound cake slathered in.....NUTELLA!

Oh yeah - it was so good. And none of the calories count right? I mean, I WAS doing my civic blogging duty particpating in Nutella Day. AND the cake was less fattening than other pound cakes (I think). So, it's all good.

Ohh the sacrifices I make for my fellow bloggers. *sigh* such a burden....

More later...

Texas History 101

2007-01-26T17:36:00.000-08:00

Here's another installation of local and state history! What do you think of when you hear "Six Flags Over Texas"? anyone?

Am I talking about the very fun amusement park we have in the DFW area? Home of my favorite roller coaster - the SHOCKWAVE. I can't tell you how many fun filled summer days of my youth were spent at 6 Flags. (not to mention scary rides and haunted houses that they have during Halloween) My sweet parents never gave us a hard time about the 30 minute drive to/from and even during our poorest times, there was always a $20 bill waiting for me to spend. Ahh... visions of "pink things" make my mouth water. (they are strawberry-ish ice cream things)

But no.... that is not the Six Flags Over Texas I am talking about.

What I actually mean are the 6 national flags that flew over Texas at different times of our history (hence the name). They are the flags of Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederacy, and United States. The name "Texas" comes from the spanish word "Tejas" which means friend. Obviously, it's easy to see the Spanish and Mexican influence - both historical and contemporary. France tried to expand its rule from Louisiana but that didn't last terribly long. However, you can see some French influence in East Texas and we do have a French Consulate in Dallas.

It's the 10 yrs as a Republic though, that I think spawned a lot of Texan characteristics. The rugged, cowboyish "Texan first, American second" attitude you can see today. Believe me - I KNOW how brash and arrogant Texans can be. And honestly, I'm not proud of certain aspects of our history or personality traits. However, I like the confidence and the little bit of wildness we also maintain. It is a huge state of varied landscapes, with wide open sky and pioneer spirit. It's people can be obnoxious, but underneath most, is a good heart and friendly disposition. As an added bonus you totally get to say things like "ya'll" and "fixin' to"! We are proud of our state (though sometimes I don't know why.lol) so if you ever get the chance to visit, do.

Put aside your preconceived notions and get to know the real Texas, warts and all. It's a huge complicated mess of interesting people and influences. Spanish, Mexican, French, German, Czech, Native American - we all have our little caveats of the land; trust me - you will find different types of Texans all over the state. In a single week (or 2-3) you can get a taste of the wild west, float down a lazy river, enjoy some Latin flair and cosmopolitan high life.

Awhile ago, we had a marketing slogan "Texas: It's like a whole other country". Even to me, a native Texan, this place can seem foreign. lol It can be frustrating but always interesting.hehe

More later...

** Disclaimer, the opinions stated above are strictly those of the blogger. Any resemblance to you or someone you know is purely coincidental. Also, any error in historical statements are a result of a faulty memory and laziness of said blogger (who wants to do alot of research on a Friday night?). And hey, please don't give me too hard a time if you don't agree =) hehe