Italian Capers

After our trip to France this summer, I wanted to send a little giftie to my french family. What says thank you more than a big box of crazy assorted Halloween candy- you know the severed-gummy fingers and the wax vampire teeth that then become chewing gum? The girls and I had a blast picking out all sorts of junk to send. When I tried to mail it from the base, I was astounded at the cost. I don't know why it was so pricey. Maybe packages are routed through NY first before they are sent to Europe? For the price, it seemed the box could go around the world a few times before reaching its final destination. Anyway....and read carefully for the funny part of the following thought process....I thought, "It might be faster/easier if I send it through the Italian post." (Did you catch it?) So, off we went- now that I am a pro, I knew when they would be open. When we walked in, there was a number dispensing ticker tape, but I didn't take a number because we were the only one...

Italians do not wait in lines the way Americans will. The "line etiquette" here is very interesting to me. Let's say you are at the Gap in the USA and you get in line to buy something. You approach the cashier and if there is someone already waiting, you stand behind them. If there isn't, you stand across from the cashier and you expect the next person who joins you to wait at the register, to stand behind you. If it's Christmas, there might even be a delineated line formation and you stand in it. (Like at a bank, or a movie theater- you know, with those velvet ropes hanging from metal poles to keep people in order.) Now you are in Italy and you go to H&M (clothing store) and decide to purchase something. You approach the cashier and if there is no one already waiting, you stand across from the cashier and you wait. If someone else comes to the cashier- THEY WILL NOT NECESSARILY GO BEHIND YOU! They MIGHT go behind you, or they may stand next to you or even in ...

This is a blast from our recent arctic (okay,Ohio)visit, but it deserves a post. When we were in the States, Spring was dawning, and with it, the weather was warming. There were 2 girls in Ohio who were sad the mounds of snow were melting. H and Z were so very excited to be in this winter wonderland that they could barely stand to think about the snow being melted when we returned to Ohio after a trip to Florida. But Uncle Crunchy had a plan..........he SAVED them a snowperson in his freezer! Isn't he the bestest???????????? It was so wonderful! Every girl should have a Crunchman!

Although I can't know for certain what other people experience, it seems safe to say that most people will, on occasion, have a little tune that runs through their minds. It happens to me, and I know My Man recently had a RIDICULOUS song in his head. He (we!) were able to listen to it nonstop for several days, and poof, one morning, he woke up and it's gone. That's how it usually goes. The songs come and go. For me, the tunes aren't necessarily songs I have recently heard, nor are they songs I really like, although that is sometimes the case. They are usually songs that are pertinent to my overall emotional state at the time. It's as if the songs in my memory make up a thesaurus. A lyric that expresses a bit of my mental state is retrieved subconsciously and then my mind strikes up the tune. Let's say I am super happy to see H-bomb, (daughter #1) then I might start to hear/hum/sing, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..." That's a rough approxi...

The following excerpt is from an actual conversation in which I recently had the joy of participating- the names have been changed to protect the obnoxious: Caller (in English): Allo? Allo? This is Marco. Me: Hello Marco. Caller: Yes, I think I have your husband's cell phone. Me: (continuing in English as the caller started it!) Well, that's not possible because my husband does not have a cell phone. Caller: This is Marco, I have his cell phone. Me: Marco, he does not have a cell phone. Caller: Yes, because I have the cell phone. Me: Marco, he does not own a cell phone. Caller: I think he left it here in my shop. Me: (in Italian) Marco, he does not own a cell phone! Caller: Oh, yes, then I don't know to who it is? Me: Okay, have a great day, thanks for calling. Hang up. The carousel pictures were taken in Strasbourg, France. We went to visit my french family and had a wonderful time. I honestly had forgotten that Strasbourg is so beautiful. More pictures to come.

This is how my sisters and I look in many of the pictures from our youth. My Dad was the family photog, so he orchestrated the pictures to memorialize our major life events. As we got older and whined about looking into the sun, we were told that the colors would look better with the sun behind him and us facing that direction.....REALLY?? WHAT ABOUT OUR SQUINTY FACES?????? Priceless. Here's the little spitfire on her first day. The boots are hand-me-downs that remain an all-time favorite. She told me they are her skipping boots, apparently, they also cause that little demure leg gesture.... Her favorite morning activity is to sort all the little shiny stones into their tubes. To mark the occasion, we had lunch afterwards at the Mensa, which is the Italian mess hall on the base. It's Z's favorite lunch locale. While it is a cafeteria, the food is wonderful. These Italians take their food seriously- and it shows! The place is always crowded. The people-watching opportunitie...

I may be the only person on the planet who doesn't think time goes "fast." That concept just doesn't have a strong root in my ideology. I have no idea why, and yes, to appease most of you, I realize that may change in the future. For me, I feel breathless and vulnerable when I think about how significant-life moments pass at the same speed as the mundane moments.....and how all of these moments only pass by once. In September 1995, my Dad passed away. I was holding his hand at the time. One moment ticked by, undifferentiated from the others, and then my Dad was gone. The moment passed quietly, and yet my entire life changed in that instant. My life-perspective, my career plans, my family- all became redefined. All in one breath. All week, I have been intermittently tearful. My daughter asked if I would cry on her first day of school. I told her I probably would and when she asked me why, I answered: because you are getting so big, because you are still so sm...