Date night

I have a date tonight with a blond haired, blue eyed ticklish toddler. My cousin's kid was over a few days ago and asked when I'd be watching "the movie" with him. A while back, I discovered that he must be the only 4 year old I know who has never seen the Pixar movie CARS. So I promised a million years ago that I'd watch it with him... the poor kid has been waiting forever for me to come over. So tonight's the night!!! I'll make a whole theme night out of it... I'll let him drive my car to his nonna's house after the movie. I'm sure his mom will just love me for suggesting it to him. Just kidding. There will be no 3 foot boy driving my car tonight. (His aunt reads this blog so I have to say that!) It's going to be a blast though!

Alphabet Soup

I'm a new fan of Louise and saw that she did this. I had some time to kill before getting ready for work... so here it goes!

A - Age: 20-something. Old enough to be married with a kid according to several of my zias.
B - Band listening to right now: EVA - some Brasilian band I got hooked on in Italy.
C - Career future: Free lance photographer, blogger, whatever. I like to focus on the present moment and leave it in His hands. (Sociology is a pretty broad major though so who knows.)
D - Dad's name: Giuseppe - I've heard every variation on the pronounciation of this name by so many telemarketers it's not even funny. My poor papá...
E - Easiest person to talk to: Oh, tough one. I have a great group of friends - all of them.
F - Favorite song: I Hope you Dance - LeAnn Womack
G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: I'm all about the Haribold Gummy bears.
H - Hometown: Wherever my heart is...
I - Instruments: piano - 7 years of classical training over a decade ago and I can't even read music anymore (my ma is heartbroken over this) I played the Xylophone for a blink of an eye. I also played the flute for a few months.
J - Job: citizen of the world, daughter, friend, revolutionary thinker. *Free Spirit
K - Kids: someday, God willing.
L - Longest car ride ever: Kentucky Road Trip with Gen, 6 months after getting my license! My mom hid my passport to prevent me from going and although Kentucky may have seemed very much like a different country than New York, I just don't see how NOT having my passport would make a difference. I don't know what in the heck she was thinking..
M - Mom's name: Maria (Yes, my parents' names are Giuseppe e Maria...and NO my brothers' name is NOT Gesú.)
N - Number of people you slept with: I'm not married yet am I?? ... still going strong.
O - Optimum time of day to work: anytime in the a.m.
P - Phobia[s]: falling out of a moving vehicle [did I mention I totally LOVE roller coasters?] and flying over the deep blue sea. [Yet I still manage to travel to Italy several times]
Q - Quote: "You are the salt of the Earth... you are the light of the world." These are the words Pope John Paul II told us at World Youth Day, Toronto. His voice still rings in my ears and resonates in my heart, saying this phrase from the gospel of Matthew [5:13-14]
R - Reason to smile: forgiveness! Don't know where I'd be without it!
S - Song you sang last: White Wedding by Billy Idol. It was just on TV for a wedding dress segment on the morning show.
T - Time you wake up: 7:15am(Monday-Friday) 9:00am Saturday, 8:30am Sunday. There's no such thing as "sleeping in" in a house full of Italians (who swear they don't yell...they're just talking), marble tiles and high ceilings which make it ideal for sound to carry all throughout this fortress of a house.
U - Unknown facts about me: I have a tattoo that my parents don't know about. I'll tell them eventually, someday around NEVER.
I worked at the Container Store for about a year and I am the biggest bagunceira(SLOB) on the planet. I felt like such a fraud.
I am conversational in Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and ASL. Whatever random words you find in my blogs they're usually one of these languages. [except the Sign Language of course]
**I'm an international Christian recording star and singer/songwriter. :P
V - Vegetable you hate: funghi - I say I'm allergic to them but I really don't want to be rude to the host / cook.
W - Worst habit: brushing my teeth after everything I eat or drink besides water. My dental hygenist wants to smack me...too much of a good thing is not a good thing people.
X - X-rays you've had: too many to count. If I really have to think about it, more than 5...I'm so accident prone.
Y - Yummy food: stuffed peppers
Z - Zodiac sign: I think I'm the one with the goat.

Ora toca a te!

nostalgia's a killer...

Aiiii! QUE SAUDADES!!

Remind me why I'm back in the States again?

I took this back in September, I think. I was walking through the hills with friends and this image took my breath away. I had to stop for a photo.

Remember that scene in Mary Poppins when they all step into a chalk-drawn portrait on the sidewalk?

This is how that walk felt like to me. It couldn't have been real. I mean, my gosh, would you LOOK at this?

The prodigal son

It's been a busy Memorial Day Holiday weekend around here. I've been working at my new job and loving it. My brother came up from Florida (the one who bought the TV on mother's day) to spend time with the family. Oh joy. I can't tell you how excited I was. I was SO . HAPPY.... simply DELIGHTED...ECSTATIC. Am I over doing it just a little??

This man makes a hobby out of making me miserable. I was on my best behavior, was sweet and offered him many things and he was STILL disrespectful to me. I swear, after this weekend I'll be getting a non-stop ticket to heaven!

It's just hilarious when he comes up. You should see my parents. My mom and dad go nuts organizing a party with all these people and the house is all a bagunca each time he's here.

When I came back from Italy, my mom didn't even pull out the good china.

But when HE comes up... it's time to break out the silver!! She even made the man tiramisú for crying out loud.

.

I need to read up on that Bible story- You all know the one...

and start over BIG TIME because a girl like me can't afford to be grumpy...

What I need...

I read a few blogs a day here and there...Bleeding espresso's blog - I swear, her blog is just as addictive as espresso itself. I saw this "game" she did and thought, "Eh, what the heck- I'll do it too." It's a fun little way to pass the time.

It's real easy. Just type your first name followed by the word "needs" to see what comes up. I wasn't too satisfied with "Eli needs" results and "Elisa needs" was a bit complicated because ELISA is the name of an HIV test. So here are ten of my favorite results for my full name. (Which only my mother calls me)

.

[1] Elisabeth needs to be thanked profusely. Starting now.

[2] Elisabeth needs my help on a raid this evening. It‘s just a side thing I do on weekends for a little extra cash.

[3] Elisabeth needs to step away from the tanning bed. ME? I’ve been scared of those things ever since that scene in SCREAM where Jennifer Love Hewitt got trapped inside! I bake the natural way.

[4] Elisabeth needs to not go off on her tangents. I'm sorry, but isn't that what a blog is for?

[5] Elisabeth needs to be serious about her schoolwork. Ok, fine. No more stopping and running off to foreign countries until I graduate!

[6] Elisabeth needs to shop more and talk less. Only if you’re willing to give me your credit card.

[7] Elisabeth needs more life experience and some energy. Oui, c'est vrai. I think a trip to South America would do the trick.

[8] Elisabeth needs to balance her dreamy idealism with temperance and practicality in order to succeed in life. Why do people pay psychiatrists when all their important life questions can be answered right from the web GRATIS?

[9] Elisabeth needs her whiny ass kicked into shape. Ok, you've been talking to my mother haven't you?

[10] Elisabeth needs monetary help to feed her 50 previously homeless dogs having picked them up over the last couple of years. Poppy-cock! She really just needs money to go to Argentina…

.

Feel free to do this game yourself and then post it back up in my comments because I'd be curious to see it too!

Poor, Little Elisabeth

73% of Americans disapprove of the Bush administration. Why do we have Bush for president ... STILL? It's a question many americans are continually asking themselves. It's the great American mystery. I found myself in the middle of a few hostile introductions over in Europe when people discovered I was an American. It was automatically assumed that I was a Bush lover and fully supportive for the invasion of Iraq. Little did they know that New Yorkers are the most liberal people in this country.

There are a few Bush lovers around these parts (like my family for instance, but I still manage to love them) but honestly, they're few and far in between. And even those who at first liked Bush, are turning on him. If you do like Bush around here, it's not such a good idea to go around saying it.

Anyhow -

I don't watch The View that often because most of the time it's just a group of women screaming about some nonsense... but I happen to love the drastic difference of perspectives of Rosie and Elisabeth.... especially when it comes to the war on terrorism... I adore Elisabeth because she's a young chica with some traditional values (and she's also got a beautiful name too)...but politcally, I'm not always with her. I'm not such a fan of Rosie but I admit, she entertains me a little. I like to listen to Elisabeth for what she says because she's smart and strong and sticks to her guns...

Here's a prerequisite clip for watching the big blow up argument on the second clip between Elisabeth and Rosie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5fRiVTQSaU

I couldn't watch the show yesterday because I was off to work but thank goodness for Youtube!
Enjoy -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iEXvOMJL6g

Il mercato & the Peanut Butter Complex

I'm SO excited! A friend of mine is in town for the week and I haven't seen her since I left Italy a few months ago. She stayed three months longer than I did..because...well, she's cool like that. She's an American too. From Chicago - not as grand as NY of course, but I forgive her.

We don't have to do much to have fun... honestly, just running into the nearest Dunkin Donuts does it for me. Granted, we talked over millions of cups of espresso while over there but it just wasn't the same. I longed for my toasted almond coffee with milk and 2 sugars so much that I found "Sciroppo di latte di mandorla" in the mercato and desperately tried to recreate it. Umm, yeah, not so much. I like the feeling of a big, hot mug in my hand with steam rising up and all. The itty bitty espresso cup just wasn't doing it for me.

Oh, and that's another thing... the market. There is no such thing as a supermarket where I was. Maybe, somewhere in the big city, but even then - COOP doesn't really measure up with Stop & Shop.

The market was walking distance from my casetta. I had to walk past an olive grove and take the shortcut through someone's vineyard to get there. And it had only two aisles. That's right. TWO. The shelves were no higher than five feet tall so everyone was able to see the entire store. There was no overhead cheesy music playing, no "attention shopper" announcements or price check nonsense. They had crazy inconvenient hours like 1-4 monday through wednesday and 12-5 on thursday and friday I think. There was another market in the village but I never went. I had grown kind of fond with this itty bitty one. Even if it was the size of my kitchen in the States. It had everything I needed anyhow. But that was just it - it had the basic necessities and the creamy goodness of Skippy peanut butter and honey mustard never makes the cut of basic necessities.

This is a big one. I call it, The Peanut Butter Complex. I never grew up with peanut butter in my home. It had been years since I've even eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I can't put my finger on it but for some reason, I had to have it even more so when I was in Italy. I drove my roomies crazy. They'd roll their eyes at me and say, "ANCORAAAA con questo penoo bahre?" -"It's just peanut butter" my roomies would tell me over and over.

It doesn't matter... I have it now that I'm back and I'm thinking a peanut butter and banana sandwich is the way to go for breakfast right about now.

ciao.

Smart Car

I'm not sure if this is old news or not, but I just heard this morning that the Smart car will be making it's way over to the USA and I'm not so sure how I feel about that. Sure - I may be paying $3.35 per gallon for gas but is the Smart Car really the way to go?

I must admit I'm a bit apprehensive. The idea of a car the size of a golf cart driving alongside an Escalade makes me nervous. Go ahead and call me paranoid but a small fender-bender-accident on the autostrada would crunch this car like a soda can.

I dont' think people should drive this car without a helmut. But that's just me.

I suppose having a Smart Car in the city would be beneficial for finding parking and cutting down on pollution. Other than that, I can't see what else it would be good for other than a laugh.

I was tempted to take a picture my last day in Castel Gandolfo of me, posed alongside a Smart Car with my suitcase...the car was only slightly larger than my suitcase...but then I decided not to embarass myself too much.

I couldn't help but laugh for the first few days in Italy at all the miniscule cars on the tiny roads weeving in and out of traffic (and pedestrians for that matter)...

I'm not knocking Smart Cars. I do think our cars are much too big. Coming back from Italy, it took me a while to not compare most of the cars around here to big boats. What is it with people around here thinking the bigger the better of everything and anything? Errr...don't answer that.

I couldn't resist taking this foto. I wanted to just pick up the car and put it in my pocket for a souvenir or something.

They are kind of cute in a toy matchbox car sort of way. I took this picture while sitting on a hilltop with my friends from Sydney. We were supposed to be somewhere following some sort of program for the day but we were watching a game of calcio instead. I like to challenge the rules and see how much I can get away with. ;-)

Home is where the heart is...

I'm having one of those days. The one where I wake up and stare at my ceiling wondering what in the hell I'm doing back here, in this place I call "home" ... I'm missing my apartment in the upper right corner of that small house embedded in the tuscan hills. I miss waking up at the crack of dawn because of those bloody galline across the road wouldn't shutup. I miss stepping out of bed onto the cold, tile floor, walking over to my window to open the shutters and look out on a glorious view of vineyards, olive groves, mountains and a distant church.

I look at this picture and I'm tempted to reach my hand out - as if some sort of portal would open up. One that would let me step through it to just be transported to another time and place.

It's odd to feel so out of place when surrounded by people I've known my entire life. This is my home (for now)- I keep on telling myself, "There's no place like home." .... I wonder if Dorothy ever missed Oz after her whole adventure. How does one return to Kansas anymore after knowing such a beautiful place exists? I'm not necessarily comparing Oz to Italy. Italy had it's moments.

But is it possible to have homesickness of a place that isn't really home? Truth is, I felt more at home over there with a group of foreign room-mates, than I do here.

Just don't tell my papá. He can be a bit dramatic... I'm thinking it's more of a southern Italian thing. When my oldest brother finally decided to pick up and move into his own apartment at 30, my father was overcome with such confusion.

for example:

Brother: "Pa, I found an apartment and I'm movin' out this Saturday."

Papá: "Wha? Whadda you meana you move outta dis saturday? Why? You no like here?"

Me: "How about because he's THIRTY and it's ABOUT TIME he moves out of the basement papá!?" Honestly now.

I think all Italians have this contract that their baby boy "signs" once born...That's why they take baby's fingerprints. They just put the kid's finger print by the line marked with an 'X' saying that this child will agree to being babied until they're at least 30, will eat and love mom's pasta, visit nonna every sunday and worship the ground their father walks on, wear a gold chain with a crucifix, etc. etc... I could go on but I don't want to judge...

The funny things some people do.

I like people. I'm no social butterfly or anything but I'm a people person. I tend to watch people when I go out. Not in a stalker, freaky way though. I sit on the train and most times I have a book I can read. But I prefer to read people instead. I usually just look around and make up whole life stories of men and women. I wonder where they're going, if they have a family...If I'm really curious, I may just get the nerve to ask them straight up, "Where are you going?" If they get nervous that I'll follow them, I reverse it and say, "Ok, fine, where are you coming from?" I've had great conversations that way. I've spoken about recipes, weather, far away places, cars, animals, ways to remove stains and many other random things.

It's surprising how we walk around and come face to face with hundreds of people in a day and not be the least bit curious as to who they are. I suppose one could walk down a hallway or along a sidewalk and not make eye contact with those we pass by. But would it kill you to smile? Why do people look to the pavement when another person approaches and walks passed? What's the worst that could happen?

I went out to dinner one night with a friend some time ago and noticed a few odd things that people do...

Why do people feel the need to keep their cell phone on the table? I find it rude and unnecessary. Do they really think they're that popular? I'll give them the benefit of the doubt - maybe they're waiting for an important call. Perhaps, new parents expecting a call from the babysitter.

Unless of course, there could be the couple where one of them is expecting the date to go terribly wrong and is too chicken to go through with the "I'm sorry but I don't think this is going to work out, but thanks anyway" speech. So they set up a typical scenario where a friend calls them 20 minutes into dinner and comes up with some lame excuse of an emergency... like, the family cat is missing or something...

Why do women go to bathrooms in groups? Aah, yes, it's the question with no explanation. I suppose there is no REAL answer. But am I less of a woman if I DO NOT travel to the toilet with 4 other friends in tow? There are plenty of other places to talk rather than the toilet as far as I'm concerned. I can't hold converations through the stalls. The very image of someone carrying on a conversation while sitting on a toilet just freaks me out. Finish your business - then come and talk to me, k? Whatever you'd like to talk about, I'm sure it can wait another 40 seconds. Where did this whole notion of having "meetings" in the restroom come into practice? Does anything good ever come out of it?

In junior high and high school, girls did 3 things in the bathroom:

-

1. Put on make up

2. Talk about boys

3. Smoke cigarettes (because it was forbidden to smoke on school property and so the only place to hide a smoke was in the bathroom)

-

Later on, in college,

both 1 + 2 ( I mean both from the list above and literally number one and two...), cigarettes would be smoked outside, and occassionally you'd have a couple getting frisky in the last stall.

**WHY on EARTH these people would do it in the bathroom of all places is BEYOND comprehension... as if it were romantic? ... makes for a great story to tell the kids doesn't it? ... Can't they just mosey on over to the periodical section of the library and do it there?

Speaking of the library, the one on campus just got remodelled after about 50 years. Now everything is all high tech with computer desks set up and they rearranged everything. I walked in, looked around and thought to myself, "Umm... where the hell are all the books?" And yet they still call it a library....

An interesting conecpt...

I haven't been able to post lately since I've been a bit busy this week. Ancora sto cercando per una job (anything at this point) and continually offering my time to working on writing lyrics to a song that needs to be performed this coming Sunday up in Harlem. There will be a big gathering of people, Christians alongside Muslims, men and women... Encounters of Universal Brotherhood it's called. I'm all for breaking down walls, not help create them.

And so a few of my friends and I have been having meetings to come up with something really special where the muslim youth and christian youth can have a choir. Penso che sará un regalo speciale per tutti presente...e i giovani possono essere a symbol of how the next generation is willing to continue building bridges between faiths. So far it's coming along great!

.

Finalmente, potevo avere una copy of the full CD I was a part of my last day in Rome. Fico muito feliz to hear my friends' happy voices singing in harmony and was amazed by the finished product, knowing all the hard work people put into it and all... it's my new favorite cd!

Dopo il incontro in Harlem, I met up with a few other friends for dinner downtown and we spoke of the choir and music in general. Uno degli miei amici che giá ha sentito il cd, had NO IDEA che c'era una canzione con la mia voce. Era TROPPO funny per me quando lui ha realizzato...

.

On the other hand, it was NOT so funny quando i miei hanno sentito il cd. They were not so pleased with the CD, as far as I could tell. Non interessano da queste cose and sometimes I wonder why I try at all. But as my friend in Sydney was nice enough to remind me - I try because I love them. "Oh yeah," lo dico a me stessa - I do. That's why I try so hard...i guess.

.

Non vedo l'ora per domenica! People scratch their heads wondering what in the world whites, blacks, christians, and muslims have in common. Umm... we're people? Or how about an interesting concept: Siamo ONE FAMILY with the same creator?? It's just a thought but for some reason, it's not so natural to think about for others. But me and my friends like to challenge people to think about it.

...I'll let you know how it goes...

il problema con il regalo...ergh!

The whole house was still sleeping off all the home-made wine we practically drowned ourselves in from Saturday night at dinner.

In spite of the killer headache I had when I woke up, I still managed to pull myself out of bed extra early on Sunday to set up the table and prepare everything thinking we could have a nice family breakfast on Mother's Day... did we even have pancake mix? - I thought as I'm sleep walking to the kitchen! YES! Thankfully we did. But we didn't have any milk. So I wake the youngest of my brothers up and ask if he'll go to the store (a quarter of a mile away) for the milk. Clearly, that was a waste of my time. I then go to ask my sister...an even BIGGER waste of my time... Great. Just great. I'm off to a good start.

I ran to the store all annoyed, got the milk for the pancake batter and came home. I read the directions on the back of the pancake box and it said, "JUST ADD WATER" ... figures.

After breakfast, everyone suddenly remembers they've got stuff to do and like a good little girl I get to clean up... that is, in fact, what I'm programmed to do is it not? Afterall, i'm the youngest girl in a Sicilian house hold...riiiiight.

After visiting nonna, my parents and I went for a stroll on the Bklyn Promenade in the afternoon. My sister (la principessa) was nice enough to come in from the city for the weekend and grace us with her presence. She bought my mother a beautiful plant for mother's day. (Did I mention my mom is a plant killer?) My oldest brother stopped by and brought her flowers. My youngest brother couldn't even be bothered to buy a gallon of milk on mother's day (Pero lui sará sempre il little angelo none the less...) And my other brother in Florida - not to be out done by the rest of his siblings - had BEST BUY deliver a big screen TV.... isn't that what every mother wants for mother's day? My papá was all like, "Oooh, bello questo regalo! Ma veramente very bello!" No doubt he's thinking of all the Juventus games he'll be watching...

Now my younger brother is convinced it would be a shame to watch regular TV on a 50" screen and we just have to get cable now... as if it's such a tragedy to have five channels now a days!! ??

It's all down hill from here folks. We now have more television sets than we do people living in this house...Che vergogna!!

Call me traditional but I don't think TV really promotes a sense of a "family atmosphere" if each family member is in their own room watching their own program. Am I the only person who sees the potential PROBLEM here?? What kind of 20-something year old am I if I can't appreciate 500 channels you ask? One who sees the desperate need for us to get off our asses and have decent conversations with eachother (instead of gossiping about who disrespected who in the family) or actually DOING something together instead of being hypnotized by television. I could go on but I'll step on my soap box in a later post.

PS - on a good note - I found out my cousin is pregnant AND I'll be in another cousin's bridal party under the condition that I don't go and get pregnant before her wedding....but afterwards, I'm okay right? ;P

Mama's Day

Mother's Day is coming fast! Why am I beginning to think about this thing only now? It's one of those Hallmark Holidays that just creeps up on you. When did this whole thing begin and do I really need to fall into the whole marketing hype of that day? (Don't answer that) Flowers, special dinner, card, gifts...desserts!

Not to sound insensitive and I know this is going to but - shouldn't we be celebrating this everyday? Most people think that's a sad excuse for people not to do anything. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole thing. Can't we surprise her by making an ordinary Tuesday into something fab? Not that I do though, so I guess Sunday would be as good a day to do something nice. I'm freakin nice to begin with though.

I'm thinking of what I would expect if I were a mom - which most likely won't be happening for a good 10 years so it doesn't really matter (because y'all know how gung-ho I am about living the present moment)... All I know is that I'm going to be the coolest mom..... Of course... that's what they all say don't they? :-)

But back to mom - she already HAS EVERYTHING. What more can she receive? I got her a waffle iron last year because that's what she "wanted" ... We've used it maybe TWICE? ... how badly did she want it then? Or maybe she wanted it not so that SHE could use it but so that WE could use it FOR HER... which she shoulda mentioned that to begin with.

...I'm thinking more along the lines of bringing her breakfast in bed this year... waffles anyone?

Globe trotter...

Wooohoo! Ho finito il semestre! FINALMENTE! Adesso devo pensare come posso avere abbastanza soldi per andare in Argentina e Costa Rica quest'estate.... hmm... any ideas? I realize I just got back from Italy but that was months ago people! My feet are never firmly planted on the same soil for too long...and NO, I'm NOT running from the FBI!

I know I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here but seeing as how today is the last day of the semester, I can't help but think of my plans for the summer. No matter how hypothetical they may be.

Miei genitori ancora non sanno che I have an amazing opportunity to go to Buenos Aires for una settimana in luglio to be a representative of all the North East zone of USA for a PanAmerican congress of young adults dedicated to making a difference in this world... There, I would get to participate in discussions, learn about the actions I can take in my own community and meet youth from all over parts of Central, and South America.... looks like I'll need to brush up on my Spanish! Hola guapo!

...but the whole Buenos Aires thing is still very much up in the air... Ieri stavo cercando per biglietti...I was just curious! There's one with a 9 and a half hour lay over in Sao Paolo, Brasil and it's about $150 cheaper too. I'LL TAKE IT! Avevo conosciuto un sacco di brasiliani in italia (go figures) and I'm hoping to see them again - even if for only a fraction of a day! Then I'll be able to find me a gauchinho of my very own!! ;) Sim, agora falo em portuges...agradeca a cada uma mis meninas! Eu estou com muita vontade de ir e to morrendo com saudades do mis amigos!!! Nao sei o que vou fazer!

I'm praying this will work out! Ma chi sá la volonta di Dio...Even if the plans don't go through, I'm willing to accept that God wants it that way - so who am I to argue huh?

Costa Rica is an entirely different story. I'm the maid of honor for my best friend's wedding which is taking place on a glorious Costa Rican playa... so, naturalmente, andró. --sigh--

mamma mia, la mia vita e' troppo dura...

Shout and Sing!

Once upon a time, long, long ago, in a far away land, a girl who only ever sings in her shower and car got an opportunity to sing in front of an international crowd of thousands with a live feed transmitting all over the world. The very next day, this girl got a chance to sing and record a few Christian songs with some friends and well, if you haven't figured it out by now, that girl is ME.
I just got a phone call (while sitting in the library) from a friend from Chicago whose voice can also be heard on the CD since she was livin it up in Italy with me for all those months, who had just received a message from this guy Vincenzo in Italy, who also worked on the CD...
...before this gets any more complicated, what I'm trying to say here is that the CD is out and here's the link to listen to two songs and sample to "Love Builds Peace", you'll be hearing a familiar voice... http://www.myspace.com/shoutandsing
and for those of you who are aware of the process it took to make this CD and the people involved, you'll hear a few friends' voices on that song as well as the others too! It's so exciting!

It's taking every ounce of my being NOT to play this thing to hear it right now since I'm in the library's computer lab and I refuse to do what I've been complaining that other people have been doing for about the past 2 weeks...
*for the record, I get no cut from this CD what so ever...I was just having a blast mixin it up! The proceeds go to-
a) pay for the cost in making the cd -- and --
b) the rest go into charity ... (Project Africa?) I'll get back to y'all on that one since we're affiliated with so many different projects out there.

------
Actually, I DID end up hearing these songs since I got a call on my cell phone just now from a friend in Sydney, Australia and she was kind enough to hold the phone to her speakers...we ain't half bad either!

...God bless technology eh?

Long lost cousin

One of my favorite scenes from Mio Grasso, Grosso, Greco Matrimonio is when "Ian" admits to having only two cousins. Surely there are other funny moments in this film...but the thought of having just two cousins amazes me.

Just the other weekend I went to pick up my mom at my cousin's bridal shower in Staten Island. Ah yes, Staten Island... home to a different breed of Italians. Just think "Sopranos" with filthy polluted air. Italians are pretty similar no matter where you go. But those on S.I are a whole different story. I'm thinkin it's because of all the fumes from the dumps or something in the water that makes them the way they are....sorry, that was pretty mean.

So I walk into the over-the-top, disgustingly elaborate guido palace where this thing is taking place and find my mom in the midst of a whole slew of middle aged Italian women wearing what looks like something they most likely pulled out of their daughters' closets. My mom grabs my arm and pulls me through to meet the bride... my "cousin" - i use the term lightly. I don't even know this chick. She's the daughter of my mother's cousin and I've met her only once in my life. I congratulate her on her engagement and after thanking me she then patronizes me on how big I've gotten and how grown up I am. And I'm standing there thinking, "No shit, it's been 20 years since I've see you and excuse me, aren't you like, 3 years older than I am??" My mom was just smitten seeing the two of us together. As if we were going to be best friends now? Then I turn around and see this other girl and lo and behold, she's also my cousin. The bride's sister. She has no clue who I am and I can honestly say that I never even knew this girl existed. She looks me up and down and tells me, "I never would've been able to pick you out of a crowd." And then my mom proceeds to point out the family resemblance... I think she may have had one too many drinks at the party...

Then when we're leaving I tell my mom how awkward that whole situation was for me and she yells, "WHY? But you're FAMILY! She's your COUSIN!" ... mmmk ma, you just don't get it.

Honestly, I have too many cousins to count but am I obligated to love them ALL???!

I'm just as LOST as you are...

LOST was my favorite show until I went over seas and lived in a small rustic apartment with no TV, cable, internet, or phone for like 5 months. ...and yes, I had electricity.

So basically, once I got back to the states after last season, I found it nearly impossible to catch up. I'm done with the whole thing really. How on earth do they find some cellar underground full of Pottery Barn furniture and Pier 1 candles, fully stocked with Frosted Flakes and peanut butter? For crying out loud people, I realize it's TV Land and anything goes but they even have golf clubs... and don't tell me that the reason why these girls seem to have a different outfit each time is because all the rest of the luggage washed ashore from the plane crash... i'm not buying into it. I wonder where they'll find all the maternity clothes?? There's got to be a Main St. on the other side of the island with a boutique or something right?! They even have a hospital-like operation room as well as baby machine equipment? Are you freegin kidding me here?

Truth is, I feel so much more free now that I'm not obsessed with it. LOST is the type of show where you seriously CAN NOT miss one episode or else, well... you're lost. Who wants to be a slave to some TV SHOW?!! I gave up!

Even my dad is hooked on it!! But you can't ever watch the show with him... he talks too much... he even asks ME why shit happens or what something might mean. First of all - i'm NOT the one to ask since I'm too lost with it... and secondly, I really don't give a damn.

But I will say this- If I were stuck on that island with Sawyer... well...hmm... now we're talkin...

The hair cut

The last time I got a hair cut was in Italy by my Colombian friend with a pair of rusty scissors and no professional experience in a multi-purpose laundry room. ...just your ordinary saturday right? We were having a whole lot of laughs...good times...God I miss that girl. Today is her birthday and I'm especially thinking of her. It's ironic how I'm cutting my hair on this day...
I have had the same person cut my hair for the last 15 years and the fact that I trusted someone who I had only known for 4 months was a MAJOR thing for me. But hey, I think it came out great! But since I've been back, I've decided to go for someone new... break away from the other person I went to... time for new beginnings! So....
I'm getting a hair cut today and at the risk of sounding like a cheeseball, I think I might cry. There won't be any ghetto make-shift salon where I could sit on top of a washing machine and then sweep up the hair with a ghetto broom that doesn't really pick up anything...there won't be a window to look out over a glorious tuscan country side with mountains that look as though God himself, painted them on a beautiful sky blue canvas...

--sigh--
Invece, I'll be in a cutting edge salon in NY with a new stylist.... I'll sit and wait in front of bizzare collections of magazines plastered with provocative images of so-called beauty. I'll then sit in a professional chair and attempt to strike up a conversation on something that matters.
It's nice to think of old memories every now and then... so long as they don't hold you back. It's nice to remember... I'll always remember - but I'll try to live the present moment better. I haven't even stepped foot out of my house and I'm already envisioning some terribly mundane scene at the salon. How am I supposed to go ahead when I've already given up on the present moment? Ricomincio...

... e la vita continua...

My Zia- La Gazzetta...

I got an email from a good friend of mine out in L.A and she's telling me she's doing the 5K Run on May 12 for the Revlon Run/Walk for Cancer. I'm so proud of her! At this point in time I'm unable to participate but it's something that gets me thinking of how I can be more of an altruistic person and get myself out there. I currently am doing things for Youth for United World which is affiliated with the Focolare Movement but I want to do more!
The other morning I woke up pretty early. I accidentally left the alarm on and initially I was upset with myself since I wanted to sleep more but I heard something really cool about an interesting organization. Onebrick.org - it gives people more opportunities to get together and give a hand to other great organizations! Love it! The way I see it, God must have wanted me to hear this or else I would have remembered to switch off the alarm.

...my parents get so annoyed when I talk about volunteering my time to a worthy cause... then it gets me thinking: what's wrong with this picture here? For crying out loud, it's not as though they have a promiscuous daughter with a drug addiction and failing out of college! What do I have to do to get their approval?!

But in trying to understand their twisted logic, I guess what they're saying is for me to get a "real job." ...they don't see how I can do work and not have the urge to walk up to the person in charge and demand money for my efforts. It's just "unnatural" they tell me. So I'll have to find a good paying job soon or they'll go crazy.

Yes, I see it now. Then my mom can have something to talk about with my aunts and the other italian ladies of the neighborhood. Of course all she would have to do is call Zia and then the whole world would know... I call her "La Gazzetta" because her brain is like one of those electronic message boards in Times Square where the information just keeps going and going... I love my Zia but God does she not know how to keep information private!

Any scandalous information on who's dating who or who's not talking to that person because of some stupid so-called "disrespectful" action is front page news...and don't think for a minute that she stays quiet for very long. Within an hour, anyone connected to this elaborate network of italians knows every intricate detail... except the chances of my aunt knowing all the details are slim. And so the saga continues to travel across the ocean into a little fisherman's town on the sea. Then the real kicker: when you eventually DO go to this town for the summer (and it could be years later) ... the inhabitants of this town remember it - and boy do they get the whole story dead wrong.

God Bless Brooklyn

I want to know the politician who thought this was an acceptable way to spend our tax dollars....and then buy him a drink and ask if we can make another one saying, "Freegin-A! Come back!" and put it somewhere...