Conchords, Ransom, Teeth and Stew

Ciao Bloggisti!

Ecco un’altra lista:

What I’m watching: Caught Flight of the Conchords for the first time last night, dubbed in Italian mind you. I still enjoyed it immensely! It’s like a cross between Peep Show and Glee. Sigh! I wish Mark and Jez would set their woes to music.

Music of the day: I was thrilled to see Elvis Costello on Letterman the other day. I think he has one of the best voices in music and he was on the show to promote his new album, National Ransom. The title track sounds great and the band is tight, which bodes well for the rest of the album. Can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Best read of the day: I’m currently reading Stephen Fry’s autobiography, Moab is My Washpot. It chronicles the first 20 years of his life and is at times hilarious and melancholy. If you’re a Fry fan, you’ll definitely enjoy following him on Twitter.* Oh, this video is pretty cool, too.

*Stephen Fry left Twitter for a few days due to criticism he received after being misquoted in a recent article on women and sex. He’s back now, thank goodness!

What I’m eating: Yesterday I had lunch at a Sardinian restaurant and was served a teeny tiny portion of grilled tuna steak and malloreddus gnocchi with tomato sauce. Not bad but I was hungry after an hour! So hungry that I decided to make a good old-fashioned Beef Stew.

Stewie Beef!

I got the recipe from my Canadian Living cookbook. Simple and delicious. I even used some of the San Colombano. The only problem was that the kids were disgusted by the vegetables and took ages to finish dinner, or maybe it was the San Colombano that slowed them down. They were also not impressed by the pumpkin spice muffins I just baked. More for me!

Best moment of the day: Bellie’s first tooth fell out!! And she was paid a visit by the Tooth Fairy, even if in Italy a little mouse (?!) usually does the honours.

Worst moment of the day: Little Charlie puking all over me. She’s ok, her tum tum just doesn’t agree with formula.

Where I’d like to go: The China Power Station contemporary Chinese art exhibition at the Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli in Turin.

Things that make you go “AWWW!”: Zidane and Materazzi hugging and making up.

Laters!

Work in progress…

Ciao Bloggisti!

Just a quick post to see how you’re all doing and so they don’t shut down my account ;).
Lots of things have happened over the last few months and I don’t know where to begin.

But thanks to the panino, I’ve been having problems sitting down for long stretches in front of the computer. So instead of writing, I’ve been sprawled on my sofa like a walrus, catching up on episodes of 30 Rock and Modern Family. And of course, now I’m busy with the World Cup and I’m loving it! And it’s all people are talking about over here. It’s football, football, football all the time. “Constant, dizzying, 24-hour, year-long, endless football!”

Yes, sometimes it’s a bit much but I have to argue that there are some intellectually, spiritually and culturally-valid aspects to the game. And that’s just what I’ll talk about in my 2010 World Cup Sexy Ugly list… coming soon….

I also have to update you on the panino’s progress in my next post. What I can tell you now is that the little bun is now turning into a giant loaf of Altamura and is a SHE 🙂 Here’s a sneak preview:

22 weeks - April 2010

To be continued….

C’è Crisi???

Ciao Bloggisti,

Sometimes I like to read CNN.com to gawk at Anderson Cooper but also to get caught up on U.S. and international news. Except for one story on Canada’s Hot Spot (a joke, right?), today it seemed like it had one issue on the brain: the financial crisis. Here are just some of the headlines: “Madoff – I operated a Ponzi scheme“, “What to do if you’re laid off“, “Democrats to Obama: Hurry up and fix economy“, “Artists face tough economy“, “Track unemployment and foreclosures“. Pretty grim stuff.

The Italian papers are just as pessimistic, even if Berlusconi insists that the media is exaggerating the importance of the current crisis. Is he right? Is he messing with us? To be honest, I really don’t know. What I do know is that times are tough for everyone. There are people here who say this is the worst the economy has ever been but others who are confident that the hard times won’t last long, that the banks are strong and our money is safe. I am no Alex P. Keaton so I can’t say who’s right.

Perhaps Bugo‘s C’è Crisi holds the answer. It’s a tongue-in-cheek song about the financial crisis and what we should do about it. Should we be angry and scream about it or simply… do nothing?

Have you been feeling the crunch? How should we act/react? Is the media exaggerating?

Do Over Day

Ciao Bloggisti!

 

It’s a day late but I just wanted to let you know about this revolutionary new holiday that was celebrated in Canada on the 26th. It’s called Do Over Day and it was founded by a guy called Reggie (?).

 

It was initially created for Canadians, considering our polite yet passive-aggressive nature tempered with “a collective deep sense of embarrassment about our many flaws”. But I think it could work on a world-wide level.

 

The idea behind it is fantastic. Basically, it’s a way of reliving the most significant moments of your lives or going back to undo something you really regretted. As they say on their official website, “Imagine re-enjoying your first kiss, the birth of your first child, or even your first marriage. Picture yourself re-experiencing the fabulous meals you’ve eaten, the exotic lands you’ve visited, the epic raves you cannot recall attending. Conversely, visualize yourself making amends for your life’s imperfect moments – the time you made a pass at your wife’s sister and got caught, or the night driving home from the pub when you accidentally ran over your neighbour’s shihtzu…”. It’s like travelling back in time, righting wrongs, undoing the woulda, coulda, shouldas that burden our daily lives. Now who wouldn’t want a second chance?

 

There are some videos on the  site but I think the best “do over” in cinematic history is in Superman. I’m pretty sure you all remember this scene, when a distraught Man of Steel discovers that he’s too late to save his beloved Lois. I still get goosebumps when I watch this, and not because of Marlon Brando’s giant head floating in the sky:  

 

 

Sigh! Now that’s love!! 

 

So now I’d really love to hear what you’d like to do over. As for me, I really wish I could go back to the time I tried out for Jeopardy when I was in high school. I would just love the opportunity to tell Alex Trebek what I really think of him.

 

Ok, so get your regret caps on and start thinking!!

I wish I was Wonder Woman

Ciao Bloggisti!

Gosh, it’s been such a busy month for me! So much to do at work, my toddler’s started doing back flips on the bed, we’re finishing renovations in the house, my car conked out on me last week and I have laundry coming out of my eyeballs (lovely mental image, non?). I’m so exhausted when I finally put the kids to bed that I just don’t have the energy or the inspiration to write anymore. And that’s getting me down because I really do enjoy blogging.  But instead writing I’ve been winding down by watching the superlative  Peep Show (it’s not what you think!) or The Beatles Anthology.

So what’s a desperate blogging mommy to do? Invoke the help of the gods? Nah, I’m sure they have better things to think about, like how to best destroy the weapon of mass destruction that is Aretha Franklin’s hat.  No, I have a better idea, I’m going to ask you, my dear friends from cyberspace, what to do. How can a gal with two young kids, a full-time job and no Mr. Belvedere  get her writing groove back? What do you do to get over the dreaded “block”? What are some new blogging tricks and doodads that might help me get inspired again?

One woman who has inspired me since I was a wee lass is Wonder Woman. Yes, she’s a hard act to live up to but maybe she’s just the person to help a working mommy blogger. Maybe, just maybe if I watch Lynda Carter it’ll turn me into Wonder Blogging Woman, able to deflect bullets, meet translation deadlines, bake lasagne, lasso her kids and write killer posts with just a simple spin. Ok, it’s a long shot but here goes…

See, it worked! I was able to lasso the demonic writer’s block and debilitate him with my magic powers!! Now if I can only manage to sort the laundry in my satin tights I’ll be set.

Separated at Birth?

Ciao Bloggisti,

You know, the first time I laid eyes on Sarah Palin, she just looked so familiar to me. But I couldn’t put my finger on it. Till now.

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Uncanny, non? The woman in the second picture might be familiar to those of you living in Italy. Her name is Moira Orfei and she’s a “circus mom”. No she’s not a freak on display. She’s a member of the important Orfei circus family and was once considered a great beauty, by Fellini of all people. Now she’s famous for her beehive do and love of lipstick, just like Sarah Palin. Separated at birth, I tell ya!

Itanglish Korner

Ciao Bloggisti!

One of the things I love about this country is it’s reverence for the English language. It made life as a new immigrant a lot easier for me. I found a job as an English teacher almost immediately and I could have worked night and day had I wanted to. I’ve taught hundreds of people, from kids to police officers, from senior executives to actors. Yes, English lessons have become more fashionable than a pair of Louboutins. In spite of all the teaching that’s going on, somehow Italians don’t have the best grasp of the language. And the mistakes I see are always good for a cheap chuckle. Which is why I’ve decided to inaugurate a new feature: the Itanglish Korner, a sort of Engrish alla pizzaiola . Like the time last week when I went to El Brellin restaurant in the heart of Milan’s Navigli district. A beautiful, elegant place with traditional Milanese dishes like Osso Buco and Risotto. And lo and behold, the menu was in Italian and English. Perfect! Well, not exactly. I was more than a little perplexed the description of one dish, which boasted a delicious sauce of “anchovies straining”. It took a lot of wine to get the image of constipated fish out of my mind.

And just the other day while going for a walk in town, I came across this poster for a local fair, featuring a number of “international” artists, including everyone’s favourite grunge band:

Ha! I’m torn between Perl Giem and the musical stylings of Maury & Mary. Hmmm….

Anyway, the next time I see a terribly-translated menu or any other distortion of the English language, I’ll let you know. And if you have any Itanglish you’d like to share, send ’em in. The more the merrier!