bloggers' generosity (plus more contests)

The other day I mentioned how kind the blogging community has been to me lately. Now I'm going to give you the details.

First, just before Christmas I received a care package of a crazy amount of cross stitch goodies from my friend Concetta of An Italian-Scot's Stitching Journal.

Check out my favorite, "The Dreamer," which some of you may remember is what "Sognatrice" means in Italian:


As I told Concetta, I think this would be gorgeous in a little girl's room. Now I just have to get me a little girl . . . .

Grazie mille Concetta!

Then the Italian postal service continued to bless me with actual delivery when My French Life by Vicki Archer arrived just after Christmas. I had won this book in a contest over at Robin's place My Melange.

This book is *gorgeous* and if I didn't want to head to France to visit my expat Froggie bloggie buddies, I sure do now (although truth be told, I did before anyway).


And then I got news that I also won a contest over at Valerie's 2 Baci in a Pinon Tree. I know! What did I step in, right?

Valerie was compiling a list of expat bloggers in Italy and offered up some fabulous prizes: a copy of Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well by Pelligrino Artusi (English translation) and--get this!--"hand-crafted chocolates from the best darn cioccolateria in Le Marche." Woohoo! *So* exciting!

And then I read that Geggie of So...What Else? What Else? What Else? is having a contest giving away some Burt's Bees goodies. Well I'm on a lucky streak, so of course I had to enter--and you should too!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER TO WIN BURT'S BEES GOODIES

But wouldn't you know it? I'm already a winner! In the contest post Geggie asked for a little technical help and has now offered to send me some fun stuff as a thank you. Thank *you* Geggie!

Speaking of contests, head on over to Grace's Sandier Pastures and leave a comment explaining why you need a new blog design--and you just might win one.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER TO WIN A FREE BLOG DESIGN

And finally I got a big ole virtual bacio from Jenn at The Verge. She wrote some truly wonderful, heartwarming thoughts about me which mean so much coming from a blogger who I just love visiting.

So I'm passing along this:

to Concetta, Robin, Valerie, Geggie, and Grace (and back at Jenn) for their generosity and kindness not only to me but to all of us who are lucky enough to have found them.

This blogosphere just keeps on giving I tell you, and I couldn't be more grateful to be a part of it.

la musica calabrese(calabrian folk music)

One of my favorite parts about living here is that you never know when you'll be caught up in an impromptu concerto. Seriously.

Now I'm sure some of you are thinking "Ah there goes another one of those stereotypes of 'la dolce vita' that simply doesn't exist in real life Italy."

Well I'm here to tell you that in small town Calabria, most males of all ages seem to play the guitar and will gladly break it out and start singing--especially the later into the evening it gets (and the more grappa that is flowing). And for those of you reading this who have visited here, chances are you can back me up on this.

In other words, we may miss out on a lot of "conveniences" down here, but at least we have la musica.

In fact the other night at New Year's Eve dinner, one of the younger boys who is just learning to play the chitarra battente (pictured at left) asked for some advice from Mimmo, our host and lead singer/guitar player of Marasà, a local band that performs traditional Calabrese music with a bit of an updated twist.

I just love how generation after generation picks up these songs and instruments with pride, keeping the tradition going, not feeling embarrassed or shy in the least as they sing along (loudly) when the guitar shows up.

For anyone who thinks that Calabrese music and Calabrese in general is dying out, here's a short clip of Mimmo encouraging yet another Calabrese boy on how to play the traditional way:

Although Italian musical heritage goes back centuries, including the famous chants of the Gregorian monks, Calabrian music has its own unique tradition and is rooted in songs about peasant life in the feudal system and all it entails--sung in Calabrese accompanied by Calabrian instruments.

It is music of the people, by the people, for the people, so to speak, and tells stories of both hope and hopelessness--common conflicting emotions for many Calabresi throughout the centuries.

Traditional Calabrian folk music has some common elements: high, strong vocals, a catchy, nearly hypnotic rhythm, and a bittersweet raw passion with any combination of tambourine, guitar, chitarra battente, accordion, zampogna (bagpipes), lira, mandolin, drums and more. The song rhythm you'll hear often is the tarantella, a traditional southern Italian folk dance that was performed by female victims of spider bites to rid themselves of the venom.

There's a great description of Calabrian music heritage here if you're interested, but I think George Gissing sums it up pretty well in his 1901 travel memoir:

Listen to a Calabrian peasant singing as he follows his oxen along the furrow,
or as he shakes the branches of his olive tree.
That wailing voice amid the ancient silence,
that long lament solacing ill-rewarded toil,
comes from the heart of Italy herself,
and wakes the memory of mankind.

~ George Gissing
By the Ionian Sea: Notes of a Ramble in Southern Italy

For me, there's just nothing like that distinct Calabrese cry accompanied by the chitarra battente to take me back to when my ancestors walked these same streets, living much simpler yet much harder lives, imagining what they could offer their families if only they could get to l'America.

Goodness I wish I could go back and tell them.

You can hear more of Marasà here by clicking on "il disco" and then choosing songs. My favorites are Aquila bella, Canto ad aria, and Facci di n'ammendula and if you like bagpipes, be sure to check out A Nuziata.

If you'd like to order a Marasà CD of your very own, you know where to find me.

12 christmas memories: part IV

For Part IV of My 12 Favorite Christmas Memories as inspired by Wanderlust Scarlett's meme, I'm going to stick with the childhood theme. If you haven't yet, you should also check out Parts I, II, and III.

Now here are three more that come from my earlier years, and since we just talked about cookies, let's stay there for a moment.

7. Jeanie & Joe eating all the kolaches

Jeanie was my great-aunt's daughter and Joe was her husband. That might sound rather extended to you, but since my Aunt Babe lived about 30 seconds away from her sister (my grandmother), our families were always quite close, especially around the holidays--and my Aunt Babe remains one of my most favorite people in the world. She knows everything!

And what are kolaches? My mom's version looks something like this:


Walnut goodness wrapped in cream cheese dough and sprinkled with powdered sugar. I made these this year, but I had to improvise because I couldn't find a square ravioli cutter like she uses. In Italy! I couldn't find the ravioli cutter I needed! Harumph!

So I used a round one, which makes smaller ravioli and that made rolling these babies a lot more challenging. They're still delicious though, and that's what matters, right?

Well kolaches were probably the most sought after cookie at my grandmother's house (she also made them) during the holidays--so much so that my mom used to make a tray just for my grandfather to keep *in his bedroom*. Yes, this grandfather.

Anyway, Jeanie and Joe lived a couple hours away from us, so they came in for the holidays right as they were beginning, which left their visiting time to a minimum. And so, they'd come over, often individually, on Christmas morning, which as you can imagine, was always quite hectic as anywhere from 5 to 15 people would be eating dinner there at noon.

My grandmother always played the perfect hostess, though, despite having a million other things to do--she truly loved their visits.

But after a while she noticed that there would always be a huge dent made in the cookie tray in the area of the kolaches after Joe left--and let's be honest, it was mainly Joe who was the culprit. So my grandmother would purposely take most of the kolaches off the tray (she'd leave him a few of course), often literally as he was coming up the walkway.

"Joe's coming! Grab the kolaches!" *was* shouted.

Jeanie was mostly innocent in the Great Kolache Fiasco but she's thrown in this memory because her Christmas morning visits were always such a huge part of the holidays, and also because she recently passed away.

Jeanie was just 62 years old, and her husband Joe passed away last year after a long debilitating illness which included a heart transplant. Their children are around my age, and I think of them more often than ever.

And now with the holidays, wonderful memories of their parents have really come rushing back to me, and I hope they do for them as well.

8. I'm Mary!

OK, let's lighten things up with a fun memory from about fourth grade--when I was chosen to play Mary in the church play of the Nativity Scene.


I was never the one chosen for things like that, and to be honest, I thought one of my best friends who eventually became the angel would be Mary, but nope. I was Mary! Everyone was so proud!

I think we picked names out of a hat or something, so it really was no big feat to have won the non-speaking role. But whatever. I was Mary! I wrapped the Baby Jesus in swaddling clothes!

And I do have a photo of it somewhere, just not here. Sorry. Maybe next year.

Also, attached to this memory? I was also the one who got to put the Baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas morning in our nativity scene at home. Woohoo! The benefits of being the youngest in the house!

9. Caroling with Friends

They don't really do the caroling thing around here (not that I've seen/heard anyway), but I do have a fond memory of caroling when I was probably about 12 years old.

A group of girlfriends, probably about 10 of us, went around one evening and sang and sang and sang--and if anyone wonders why I know the words to just about any Christmas song, this is probably why. Seriously, try me.

One blustery December night, instead of going home after school, we all went to the house that would serve as Caroling Central. We got all bundled up (it was *freezing*!), and then walked around town, avoiding slushy puddles and snow piles, stopping at random houses, especially near those that were all lit up, assuming they'd certainly appreciate the effort.

We got invited into so many homes, drank far too much hot cocoa, and even made some cash--which we spent later that night on pizza if I recall correctly. Guess we could've donated the money, but hey, we were 12. And hungry.

Ah, and of course there was a huge slumber party afterwards.

I had almost forgotten about this memory until Wanderlust Scarlett and I got "talking" via email. I'm so happy that she reminded me! I don't have contact with most of those girls anymore, but some of them are still my best friends--and you know who you are--and I'm certainly thinking of you this Christmas.

Ah, small town America in the late 1980s.

Come back tomorrow for the final installment of My 12 Favorite Christmas Memories!

what's cooking wednesday:thumbprint cookies

Or, "12 Christmas Memories: Part III"

(If you haven't yet, do check out Part I and II.)

6. Cookies!

I simply couldn't do a series on my Christmas memories without cookies.

My grandmother always made cookies for the holidays, but my mom? She goes crazy. In addition to making them for the family, she's now started selling trays of homemade cookies and candy--and she's doing so well that I just may have to go to America to help her next year. Go Mom!

And so, making cookies is definitely one of my fondest Christmas memories. From the time I could walk, I was around the kitchen helping make cookies--although for a while there I didn't do much other than steal chocolate chips off the table, earning me the nickname "Cookie Monster" from my mom's friend, her baking partner for many years.

But eventually I worked my way up to working with sprinkles and candied cherries. You know, the Big Time.

My mom made it fun not only for me but also for the friends I was allowed to invite over to help decorate the cut-out cookies--there were far too many stockings and Santas and snowmen and bells and wreaths for just one or two people to decorate.

So at my mom's house, we'd have decorating slumber parties every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Just the other day, in fact, one of my best friends and regular participants in the bake-a-thons left a comment here on the blog longing for the days of such innocent fun.

And I'm so with her on that.

(I'm the one without a blurred face; maybe 12-13 years old here? Not sure.)

And yes, in case you're wondering, my niece is fully prepared to keep this tradition going. Just the other day my mom said that she's getting to the age where she can have some friends over to help decorate (she already helps my mom with the cut-outs).

So next year, 9-year-olds at Nana's!

Before this year, I have never done the Christmas cookie thing by myself--why would I when my mom had it covered? But now that I've been here for a few years and have really missed those tastes of home, I decided that this year I'd make some of my mom's recipes and give out trays to Italian family, friends, and neighbors.

I highly doubt any of them have ever even seen the cookies I made, so it'll be an interesting experience for all of us.

Yesterday I finished up the last of six types that I made this year, and I've already decided that next year I'll try my hand at even more. My mom had sent me some things like chocolate chips and brown sugar, but since I decided on Operazione Biscotti at the last minute, some cookies just weren't going to happen this year for lack of the proper ingredients and tools.

But look out Christmas 2008!

I'm not going to share all the recipes with you now, or even the photos just yet, but I will let you in on what has to be one of the easiest and tastiest cookies ever for this week's What's Cooking Wednesday. In fact, this is a great one to make with kids because they get to play around in the dough as much as they want and they really can't ruin it.

"Unless their hands are dirty," adds my mom.

The words of wisdom never end I tell you.

These classics will also be my entry in Food Blogga's Eat Christmas Cookies event. Go check out all the great cookies over there--just beware you'll probably leave hungry.

Thumbprint Cookies*


2 c flour
3/4 c confectioner's sugar
1 c butter
1 tsp vanilla

Jelly of your choice (I used apricot and strawberry)

Combine flour and sugar and then cut in butter until well distributed. Sprinkle with vanilla and mix dough with hands until smooth.

Shape into 1 inch balls and place about 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet.

Indent centers with lightly floured finger (or thumb!) and fill with jelly.

Bake in preheated 325°F (163°C) oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove to rack to cool.

Easy peasy and tasty too!

*I should note that the original recipe calls for a cup of chopped nuts--I just don't like them in this, so I don't put them in. If you want to, put 1/2 of them in with the flour and sugar in the beginning, and then, after you make the dough into balls, roll them in the remaining nuts. Thanks Christina for reminding me to include this!

Buon appetito!

5 post meme(nothing like a one-trick pony)

I was tagged by new blogging buddy Goofy Andie (that's the name of her blog, I swear!) to do the following:

1. Post 5 links to 5 of your previously written posts. The posts have to relate to the 5 key words given below (family, friend, yourself, your love, anything you like).
2. Tag 5 other friends to do this meme. Try to tag at least 2 new acquaintances (if not, your current blog buddies will do) so that you get to know them each a little bit better.
3. Don’t forget to read the archived post and leave comments.

I like this meme because it gives me a chance to point out posts that new readers may have missed. I do keep a list of posts that new visitors can read to get to know me better--they're in my sidebar under "Just arrived? Check out some of my favorite posts"--but here are five more, per the meme:

FAMILY:

Big Gifts from Little Ones

This one is from May of this year and talks a bit about my niece and nephew back in the States and all the fun stuff they send me. Check out the label "family" for more family posts.

FRIEND:

Calabrian Women's Summit 2007

First published in March 2007, this post recounts my first meeting with fellow expat blogger in Calabria, Cherrye of My Bella Vita, and Dawn, who we're still hoping finds time to write up one of these blog things. We had an awesome time and recreated the magic in August before Cherrye left us to get married in Texas. I know some of you, like me, are missing Cherrye lately, but she'll be back soon to tell us all about it, I'm sure.

The label "friends" will take you to more friends posts.

YOURSELF:

Sunday Scribblings: Chronicles

I've written many, many posts about me and other than searching the "me me me" label, you can also find a lot of those on my sidebar.

But now I'm going to point you to one that says a little something different about me than any of the memes or lists I've done over the past 11 1/2 months. You might have missed this one as it was first published way back in January, less than two months into my blogging adventure. I hope you enjoy it.

YOUR LOVE:

Helping Hands

Another May post about how P surprises me every now and again. There are lots of P and love posts under the "love" label.

ANYTHING YOU LIKE :

Seeds of Truth

This last one was hard! I didn't know which direction I should go in, but I finally decided on a snippet of my fiction writing since it's a part of me that gets ignored early and often around here.

This May post was my first entry in a fiction writing contest, and I even ended up with a prize; check out other writing related posts under the "writing" label.

Now I'm going to tag 5 bloggers who are all doing NaBloPoMo, some of whom I knew previously and some I've just met. Show us what to read please!

Alyndabear
Candid Karina
Gill
Jill Althouse Wood
Miss Eliza

Today I'm thankful for:

Believe it or not, NaBloPoMo. I've realized through this experience that it's not as difficult as I thought to post something every day--except for internet issues (fixed as of now...yeah!). Getting into the habit of writing, taking more photos, being more creative about posts--these are all good things, and I have NaBloPoMo to thank.

But even more than that, I'm so thankful to have met even more wonderful bloggers through the experience. One can never have too many blogging friends, I say.

stepping up while i sigh

The only time I really lament not having a car around here is on Sundays when there’s no bus service and I have somewhere to go. Like to the internet café in a nearby town to post something on my blog to keep my NaBloPoMo streak alive. Because my internet is still out.

And so I am relying on the kindness of friend and fellow She Who Blogs member Qualcosa di Bello of Piacere, Dog Blog, Write Away, and probably another in the works knowing her. If you want to talk to someone who knows a lot about time management, visit this homeschooling, Italian-class-taking, doggie-and-sometimes hedgehog-caretaking super mom.

Anyway since I get the feeling that she kind of likes to blog, I turned to her to save my NaBloPoMo hide and hit publish at the appropriate time. They say the internet will be fixed within 48 hours of Friday afternoon, but I wasn't about to risk it.

Grazie Qualcosa!

So now what do I really have to say today? Hmm. How about we stick to a photo that reflects how I’m feeling.

I think that about sums it up.

Today I’m thankful for:

Qualcosa di Bello—the person (not only does she step in when I need her but she also sends me tahini and books!) but also the translation, which is “something beautiful.”

There are lots of beautiful things around me even as I’m typing this at the internet café, not the least of which are some pretty nice espresso beans waiting to be ground. Yum!

all hail my camera fairy!

Remember when I told you that something not so good happened to my camera a few months ago?

Soon thereafter a fellow blogger with whom I've shared quite a few email exchanges started asking funny questions..."What kind of camera were you thinking of getting?" and the like.

Turns out that my truck-driving, photo-taking, toenail-painting blogging buddy Salena from The Daily Rant had just bought herself a new camera and had the "old" one just sitting on a shelf, hoping and pleading to go to a nice home.

And Salena thought that nice home could be mine. Can you believe it?

I couldn't either, and yet my new toy arrived yesterday. Via the Italian postal service. And I didn't even have to pay customs.

To be perfectly clear, the idea of her donating the camera to a good cause (me) came up on September 11. A couple weeks later, Salena mailed it to my mom in Pennsylvania, my mom then mailed it to me, and I was holding it yesterday, October 15...and just in time for my birthday (Thursday) to boot!

This may not mean a lot to those of you who haven't dealt with Poste Italiane, but trust me--this is nothing short of a flipping shipping miracle. I don't know what other fairies are on my side other than my Camery Fairy Salena, but I like them. I like them a lot.

And I *love* the camera. LOVE THE CAMERA.

It's a Canon PowerShot S1 IS, and my Camera Fairy also threw in a special Macro lens (that I have yet to play with) and a 1 GB memory card.

I am so beside myself with glee, appreciation, and excitement, I thought I'd share some of the first photos I took with the new camera.

Here's a morning shot from my balcony:

This is the opposite side of the village, taken a few minutes later
while on my morning walk with the dogs:

And here is proof that my roses are still blooming:

And finally, on Puppy Watch, Stella growled at me this morning when I went near her box, so I think we're getting close! Can't you see the concern in her eyes?

I didn't do anything to touch up these photos so you'd be able to see what the camera does all on its own. I've already discovered that the zoom on this thing is amazing compared to my old camera--all the photos above except for the rose were taken on zoom. Incredible if you saw what my old camera used to do with a zoomed photo!

Now I implore you--go to The Daily Rant, check out Salena's fabulous photos (doesn't matter which camera she's using, obviously, as they're always wonderful), and read about her fascinating life on the road in an 18-wheeler with her boyfriend Eddie; also be sure to check out Due Amici Designs for gorgeous, unique custom made cards.

Please go show my Camera Fairy some blog love, and thank her again for me.

Grazie mille Salena!

i'm a tomato blogger!

Go over to TomatoCasual.com and check out my post, The Tomato: A Relatively New Addition to the Dinner Table, and then click on the home page to see all the posts.

The site was just launched today, so be sure to bookmark it and/or subscribe so you can learn more about the tomato than you ever thought possible--its history, how to grow them, how to cook them, and much, much more.

On a personal note, I've spent all day today with some American friends in town (yeah for English!), and we're having a blast. Just got back from the beach, so it's time to shower off the sand and head to dinner.

Hope your Monday is/was just as lovely as mine!

what's cooking wednesday: refreshing summer pasta salad

As it turns out, not a whole lot is actually cooking in this week's What's Cooking Wednesday, but what I'm offering is still delicious.

Inspired by Sara of american girl in italy and the arrival of my first ever meeting with blog readers (woohoo!), I made a pasta salad.

Yesterday I was molto fortunata to have some special guests in my medieval village when a lovely American couple, Rich and Melissa, came to visit. And Cherrye and Peppe came from Catanzaro too! It was a bit of an invasion of Americans--the likes of which, we joked, haven't been seen round these parts since World War II.

I had planned a small walking tour through the village, which if you aren't aware, is extremely hilly. I live at the top, so going anywhere requires walking down--not bad at all. And then we must return, which can be a challenge. And the sun was beating down on us to boot.

Having experienced such a walk many times, I knew that we'd be looking for a refreshing, light lunch upon our return, so I decided on a pasta salad and a plate of meats, cheeses, pickled eggplant, home-jarred peperoncini in oil, fresh bread, and, of course, P's father's wine.

Refreshing Summer Pasta Salad
(serves 6)

1 box (500 g) pasta (farfalle and fusilli are my favorites for this)
5 medium-sized tomatoes
3 cucumbers
2 green peppers
olive oil, salt, oregano to taste

Boil pasta in salted water, drain, and set aside. Mix in some olive oil so the pasta doesn't stick together, and be sure it's cooled off before you start adding the vegetables.

Cut up all the vegetables that you'll be adding in the sizes you wish.

Add the vegetables to the pasta, and then toss with olive oil, oregano, and salt to taste. Be generous with the oil because you don't want it to be dry. Also, it's better if you prepare this at least an hour or two before you'll serve it to give the flavors time to mingle; be sure to taste test again for any missing condiments before you serve.

So as you can see, today's recipe for pasta salad is extremely easy and versatile; you can put in whatever you like including different vegetables, meats and cheeses, basil or other seasonings. What I've offered here is my staple, and the way I almost always make it.

Another note: if you're going to have it leftover, I don't recommend putting meat and cheese in the whole thing (especially mozzarella!) because they can get kind of funny sitting in there for my taste, but perhaps that's just me. I like to add such things at the table to individual proportions--also better if someone doesn't like one thing or another in the salad. Grated parmesan cheese on the top works well, though, so you can add that the whole thing if you like.

And please, please, please resist the temptation to use Italian dressing, which is how I always had this in America. All you need is some good olive oil, oregano, and salt, and you're good to go. And I promise it's even tastier.

Buon appetito!

you make me think, i give you a rose

And an award! Don't forget about the award!

In my absence from the Internet, I was named by the lovely Bella at Public Musings of a Mama as a Thinking Blogger.


Grazie! Grazie! Thank you! Thank you!

Now what's this all about you ask?

There are 3 rules:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the "Thinking Blogger Award" with a link to the post that you wrote.

So here are five bloggers that make me think, and that I highly suggest you visit as well:

1. Sara at Moving Right Along. Sara writes beautifully and honestly about tough and light-hearted subjects alike, all while keeping a fantastic sense of humor.

2. Corey at Tongue in Cheek. Corey shows us France, California, and wherever else she lands through gorgeous photos and words.

3. Judith at Think on It! Whether it's about food, fashion, culture, or anything really, Judith truly does make me think on it.

4. Ninotchka at cease cows, life is short! Ninotchka always has an awesome photo and story to share about her life, husband, children, and Charlie the Chocolate Lab.

5. goodthomas at, well, goodthomas. Beautiful writing mixed with unique, thoughtful observations--can't ask for more in a thinking blog.

Honestly, it was difficult to narrow this list down to five; I could've given out many, many more of these awards. In fact, if you see them in my sidebar, they make me think. So take some time and visit those folks as well, would you?

Ah, I promised flowers! Here are 5 shots for the winners to share, and also for all of you to enjoy--we're all winners today!

My roses as seen this morning.

Have a lovely weekend, and keep thinking!

love thursday: too many flowers are never enough

It's spring, and flowers are most definitely in bloom in the blogosphere.

Cherrye and Christina recently posted lovely photos of flowers they received; Alexandra shared a photo of gorgeous tulips that were waiting for her when she arrived in Holland. I'm sure there are many more floating around out there that I'm neglecting to link to--if you know of some, do share them in the comments. I love flower photos!

Turns out that not even my doggie is left out. You remember Helen, the flower-giving girl I've written about before?

Here's Helen giving Luna a wonderful bouquet:

FYI, because Helen is so dedicated to her flower delivery, it took her 15 minutes to scour the piazza to find all different colors of flowers.

As always, click to enlarge the photos for a better view.

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

still celebrating

Last we left off, I promised that I would make time to eat and relax on Pasquetta, as Easter Monday is called here. P and I ended up spending the day with some of his friends and their wives, and now I have photographic evidence.

There was eating:


There was drinking:


There was singing:


There was bocce:

Oh was there ever bocce.

And there was even playtime with Luna and my friend Helen:

Then today, I continued the Pasquetta celebration by turning an annoying work obligation into a fun time by meeting up with Cherrye in Catanzaro for some cappuccino with the stars (and she didn't even mind her drink getting a little cold while I took a photo or ten):


And then, for the first time in a year, some McDonald's, including a chocolate milkshake (woohoo!), with an Aussie friend who has a house in my village. Sometimes you just get cravings, you know?

*sigh*

La vita è bella.

calabrian women's summit 2007

I'm going to go ahead and say it. The Internet is the best invention ever.

I'm speaking from the perspective of an American who has moved to the middle of nowhere, and although beautiful, is not the cradle of expats by any means.

If you're a regular reader, you probably get the impression that I love living here, and, indeed, I do. But sometimes you need some female, English-speaking companionship--next to impossible to find down here, but this past weekend, it was the order of business as we held the first Calabrian Women's Summit, which also served as our belated celebration of International Women's Day.

And all this came together because of this fancy network of invisible wires that make up the World Wide Web. Thanks Al Gore!

Blogger-to-be (no pressure!) Dawn and I traveled to the big city of Catanzaro to meet fellow blogger Cherrye of My Bella Vita who is in the process of opening a Bed and Breakfast with her soon-to-be-marito Peppe.


In fact, Dawn and I were their first guests. We were greeted with adorable welcome baskets complete with my new favorite Kinder snack--and Cherrye only had to make up our little tags twice with Italian help from Peppe.

Bless her heart, Cherrye's going through what both Dawn and I have experienced already--the early days of learning Italian. I'm not sure that Peppe will be happy with the types of information we shared this weekend, but we thought it all rather essential. Cherrye's in for some interesting times as she perfects her language skills--more frustrating than fun, to be sure, but she's doing fabulously.

And speaking of fabulous, the B & B is simply gorgeous--comfortable, homey, and a great location.


Other than hanging out at the B &B, we had a nice if expensive lunch at a pizzeria, which surprised both Dawn and me since nothing is even open for lunch where we live...and pizza? During the day? Unheard of!

But we went, we ate, we got charged 3,50 euro for flat Cokes, and now we have organized a campaign against such unscrupulous business practices. So, yes, if you're down in these parts, that'd be us wearing signs that say "We got robbed at Ciro's" on the side of the road.

Unfortunately it rained most of the time, so we were stuck indoors with only our mouths to keep us occupied. Luckily, as it turns out, we do rather enjoy talking.

But it wasn't all bad weather. Once the rain stopped, we were able to go down to Lido on the seaside for a walk and an aperitivo before lunch.


Now I wouldn't want all of you who couldn't make the gathering to feel left out, so I've compiled the minutes of the inaugural Calabrian Women's Summit at which we discussed and reached conclusions on many important topics.

Some highlights:

(1) We will be settling our own village so that we can invent our own language that we'll call Calatalglish.

(2) In that village, there will be only what we call "delusional mirrors," i.e., those that instantaneously perform the type of airbrushing that magazines do all the time on stars. It's only fair.

(3) For fear of offending anyone, some words in Italian should simply never be used: scopare and fico are at the top of the list. Some tips on avoiding them: Say you're cleaning the floor instead of sweeping it, and always refer to figs in plural even when it's incorrect. We concluded that they'll forgive you faster for a mistake in number than for an offensive remark about a vagina.

(4) Leaving someone at the altar can actually be quite a funny story years later, but only if it involves gnocchi.

(5) Not all gay men have good taste in ties.

(6) When you call your own home in America, you shouldn't call back when the person who answers tells you that he doesn't know you and to stop calling. It'll only end in assumptions that a non-native English speaker has broken into your home and is willy nilly answering the phone saying "hel-lo?" And that won't go anywhere good.

(7) The movie "The Da Vinci Code" would have been greatly enhanced had the nun simply shrugged and responded "Boh" when when Silas asked where the key was.

(8) The southern Italian response of tsking while jerking the head upward should be outlawed. It's confusing for foreigners when the mouth says no but the head says yes.

(9) Attending southern Italian weddings can make you poor.

(10) Fancy soap dispensers, even if they cost only $8 in Wal-Mart, should be screwed into the sinks if possible, because they are fair game for visitors.


I know, now you're all wishing you had been there to bat around ideas on these pressing issues, but don't worry. There will most definitely be another summit soon, and I'll keep you posted.

The admission price is simply a book or magazine written in English that will likely end up spread across a kitchen table and discussed in great length.

Alla prossima!

sunday scribblings: crush

Prompt #47: Crush

I read this prompt on Friday, and I had so wanted to go the fiction route...a fast-moving piece about the planning and scheming to make a meeting with a crush seem so natural, the mix of nervousness and excitement that bubbles inside as the crush approaches. It likely would’ve been heavily based on reality being the self-proclaimed Queen of the Crush that I am. Or at least was for the major part of my life.

But I kept coming back to the same idea, or the same idea kept taunting me I should say. And every writer knows that when something nags at you, you get your fingers to the keyboard and stop asking questions.

“Because your kiss, your kiss is on my list…” he sang into the mirror of the sun visor pressed against the windshield. His big brown eyes focused on me, the four-year-old in the back seat. I probably rolled my eyes, because I always rolled that way, but inside I was smiling. I’m sure of it.

Our families were good friends, but theirs didn’t have a little girl. On top of that, I was the youngest of anyone, so I was rather spoiled with attention. His mom treated me like a daughter, and I ended up with two big brothers in addition to the one I already had; the oldest of the bunch became, as I can understand now with adult eyes, My First Crush.

Even at an early age, I remember feeling safe with him while my own brother, his brother, and even his father tormented me. And so I ran to MFC when I couldn’t take any more teasing, and he was always there to hold me, play with me, and generally calm me down.

He was only a teenager at the time, so you can imagine that he was mature beyond his years (at least as it concerned me). All I knew, though, is that I liked being around him more than anyone for the first five or so years of my life. And for a kid, that says a lot. One might even say that it says everything.

And then about that time, our families had a falling out of some sort that didn’t involve any of the kids, but oh, did it affect us; MFC went away to college and then moved away, and well, all of us lost touch.

I don’t remember the details of that period very well, but there were surely times that I missed seeing him, laughing with (at!) him, and generally being fawned over. Who wouldn’t love that kind of devotion? But it passed, obviously, because many more crushes followed.

I’m a long-term crusher, so I basically kept the same boy in mind through elementary school, then switched to a new one in high school, a different one in college. Law school, as any law school survivor won't find surprising, lacked a real crush opportunity--a sad three years without looking forward to accidentally running into a special someone on purpose.

Isn’t that the best thing about a crush? Unrequited love is never fun, but, oh, that rush of emotion when you see your crush unexpectedly (or expectedly, as the case may be), when you’re suddenly thrown into a conversation, when you’re daydreaming about those fateful meetings, when you’re recounting them later to the chosen few who know of your infatuation.

*Sigh*

Sure over time, thoughts and imaginings become more mature, but at the base of it, a crush is so innocent and young--a raw, guttural, overwhelming like for someone and his/her presence. If we’re lucky, our crushes always hold special places in our hearts.

And if I’m anything, I’m lucky.

Over the past year, I’ve been able to return to that oft-forgotten corner of my childhood. Why? Because MFC came across my name on our high school’s alumni list (I graduated 12 years after he did) and sent me an email.

He started with the suggestion that maybe I didn't remember who he was. Hah! He wrote of memories of my grandmother and times spent with my family when he was younger--priceless stuff especially since my grandmother had passed away a few years before.

I was ecstatic to hear from him, that he’s doing well, is happily married, successful, and just as funny and generally wonderful as ever. Now we’ve gotten to know each other as adults after sharing just a few years of childhood, which is quite a surreal experience. For him, I imagine that my life took a hiatus right around the phase of the froofy pink dress (wanna make somethin' of it?), and his, as far as I could tell, never progressed past Hall & Oates.

Good thing for both of us that we've moved on.

In fact, in one of those Internet-inspired twists of fate, we’ll be moving closer together for at least one day soon--he and his wife are on their way to southern Italy in April, and we’ll see each other for the first time in, oh, 25 years.

I’m only 30 years old, peeps, so this is some amazing stuff.

Through our emails, I’ve learned even more about my early years from his memories. Recently he wrote that when the house was full of company and I didn't want to go to bed thereby missing any of the fun, he was the go-to guy to get me to sleep. He (correctly) joked that putting girls to sleep was certainly no skill to brag about later in life, so he didn't talk about it much, but there you have it.

I don’t remember any of that, but the fact that he does? Wow.

Such a warm fuzzy feeling to know that I, too, hold a place in my first crush’s heart.