Lindsey's Guide to Adventure

Baking with Chef Fil

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:31:00 +0000

I have never been one for cooking; the activity requires a bit too much forethought, patience and cleanup for my noggin.

However, in the past two weeks my ambivalence for cooking has been replaced with a passion for delicious, easy, and fast recipes. My constant companion in this has been allrecipes.com. My guinea pigs? Filippo and Dany. And it is only right that it should be so. Why, it's Fil's fault that my new hobby is so culinarily invasive! In love with the Disney flick Ratatouille, he wanted to make the french dish from which the film gets its name, which led me into the arms of allrecipes.com.

First attempt? Not a huge success...ends up I'm salt-hesitant. But the salted-up leftovers were fantastic! Ratatouille is a 100% veggie dish, normally composed of peppers, zucchini, eggplant, onions and tomatoes. Fil was sufficiently disappointed. But the Remy costume was satisfying.

Unhampered by my distaste of cleaning up, I have continued in my quest of discovering low-maintenance deliciousness. I have been hugely successful! I've already experimented with a second veggie dish, two chicken meals, and a pork roast. They were easy, fast and tasty.

Yesterday, I used my new interest in cooking to introduce my Italian family to pancakes! They tasted like pancakes! And they were wonderful with real maple syrup, imported directly from Krogers, USA.

Today, Fil and I wandered together into the land of baking. Once again media-inspired, Fil has been clamoring for American pie. He's a fan of Word World, an educational cartoon where everything and everyone is composed of letters, and they have multiple episodes with P-I-E, PIE! Unfortunately, he didn't quite grasp the concept that we didn't have to just find the letters "P," "I" and "E" and push them together for blueberry deliciousness. Even more unfortunately, I didn't realize that it wasn't the ingredient-equivalent of the letter-pushing until I was cutting butter into the crust mixture.

We have yet to try the pie, but the smell is divine. Next on the list: Cake Balls.

A Puzzler of a Summer

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 09:59:00 +0000

Where is my summer?! It has been a disgustingly pleasant 78 degrees for the past two weeks and I miss my sultry Italian summer! Filippo and I still have 10 more visits to the pool on our prepaid pool card! Dany and I haven't gone scuba diving since our first immersion. I want my summer back! Enough with this freak gorgeous weather.What have I been doing during this abnormal weather? Well, funny you should ask. Dany and I have been working on Part 1 of his 18,000 piece puzzle . We're almost done with the first leg, which is more than 4,500 pieces. I don't remember how big the puzzle will be when put together, but it easy covers a wall. These puzzles run for hundreds of Euros, but Dany has dreams of putting it together, fixing the whole thing up all fancy (with lights and plexiglass) and selling it for a king's ransom.

A Very Merry Birthday to Me!

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 06:49:00 +0000

I'm 25 years old! Doesn't that sound so adult? I balanced out my new adult-like age with some child-like antics yesterday, sneaking down the kid's waterslide at the pool and playing on the rope course at the park. I fight the inevitable march of time with regression tactics.

So, this blog is a bit behind the times (with the Times having marched a couple of weeks beyond my birthday), but still think my birthday should be commemorated with a post. It's kind of lame celebrating it in Italy -- where's my strawberry cake, damnit? I did have a very nice celebration, though. I went to a Sardinia cuisine restaurant with Dany (who gifted me with thousands of distractions via a shiny new smartphone) and our friends Marco and Vanessa. Wearing a beautiful new shirt-dress that Pam had bought me, we feasted on SO MUCH CHEESE. Sardinia is known for its Pecorino (goat cheese) and boy do they love that stuff. (I'm also a fan). Vane and Marco then gave me a beautiful set of earrings which went smashingly well with my new outfit. Birthday magic! (OR, everything-that-is-anything-in-Italy-is-a-variation-on-the-color-purple).

The whole week was awfully fun because Pam was off work. On Monday we had gone to the beach (where I picked up the rarest of rarities, a tan!). Tuesday we went shopping and ate at a Japanese buffet (delicious! They have a bar where the dishes circle around endlessly and you just pick up what you want, when you want it). Wednesday, we made Hawaiian pizza and then went to a super cool pool park (thus the waterslides alluded to in the first paragraph). What a great week!

That weekend (July 9/10), Dany's group, sfigher, had a song competition at the sea. What a wonderful weekend it was! The girlfriends went to the beach on Saturday while the boyfriends sound-checked. The actual concert was a spectacle! The stage was huge and alive with lights, and the show was very entertaining: comics, dancers, a beauty contest (gag), as well as the actual music competition. Sfigher knocked the socks off of everyone (except the judges, who must have brought extras) and they thoroughly enjoyed their crowd of 1,500. The next day, the sfighers and sfigherettes hit the beaches.

This past week I found myself on vacation! I spent the week cleaning and relaxing. It was a good week. I love summer in Italy.

Summer in the secluded-Italian-town

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:16:00 +0000

And I'm back in Italy! I certainly meant to update more often while in the States, but found myself overwhelmingly busy and sleep-deprived (what? you call that a vacation!?). I was all twisted up in the bureaucracy of applying for University. (I still don't know whether I was successful in that endeavor).

Since it has been two weeks since I returned, I suppose this post would considered "overdue," (in Italian, in ritardo). It has been a crazy couple of weeks! The air is full of summer vacation excitement, and my summer activities are already in full-swing. Last week was full of art-ing and park-ing with Filippo. It is HOT here, so we art in the afternoon and park in the evening. And this weekend was just as busy. On Friday I found out that despite having missed the final, mandatory rehearsal for The Melting Pot concert (my music school's annual display), I could sing in the final performance here in Sala Baganza. That was great news, except that I had never gotten around to learning the song. Thank goodness the Sala Baganese (not the official term) do not speak English and do not know my song ("Feelin' Alright" by Grand Funk Railroad), because I decided to skip a couple lines and throw in some melody interpretation. But what I lacked in knowledge, I made up with in spunk. What can I can I say? I'm a rockstar. I chalk this one up as a success.

Saturday was a bit of a recovery day, as in I slept until 3pm and spent most of the day reading this engaging book The Know-it-all, which is one man's quest to read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica. It's very entertaining and informative and I highly suggest it. (I bought it for a dollar at the used book store!)

Yesterday (Sunday), Dany and I went scuba diving for the first time this year! I'm happy to report that we remembered almost everything from our courses, did not get the bends and did not get munched on by sharks! We had a great time and I'm still super happy from the experience. The coolest thing I saw underwater was a moray eel, staring me down until I moved away from his rock (see picture). The moray eel (or murena) that we saw was not yellow, but gray.

Starting next month (mmm, next week), we'll be starting the course for Advanced Scuba Diver, which will teach/certify us to dive to depths of 30m/100feet instead of our measly 18m/60feet.

In other news, my birthday is in 9 days! I'm going to be 25! One-quarter a century and what I've decided to be one-quarter of my life. Good first quarter-century, I'd say.

10 Things I Miss About America, the Food Edition

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 23:06:00 +0000

1. Condiments: That's right, you heard me -- condiments. Ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, honey mustard, etc. The Italians limit themselves to oil and vinegar on the salads (with popular variations including lemon juice) and ketchup/mayo/mustard on other food items. I regularly bring BBQ sauce and Ranch dressing back to Italy with me.

2. Delicious Chinese/Mexican/Indian restaurants. Are there cultural restaurants in Italy? Yes. Are they reliably delicious? No. And therefore, no one will go to them with me (expect Charlotte!) [As an aside, I do enjoy the deliciousness of the many, many kebab shops in Italy.]

3. 24-Hour Convenience. There will always be a convenience store, grocery store, or breakfast-food restaurant open somewhere. In Italy? Not so. In fact, finding something open after 8pm can prove tricky.

4. Kroger. My Kroger with its Starbucks, free samples, bread-cutting machine, chocolate fountain, large wine selection, and sushi bar.

5. Buffets. Italy is close to France...why aren't buffets more popular?

6. Sweets. As is to be expected, the flavor of the sweets (dolce) in Italy tastes different from those of America. The sweets are not quite as sweet, and they favor the hazelnut flavorings. Also, the icing is not the butter-sugar icing to which I am accustomed (and adore), and a large portion of their cakes have fruit and gel on top of them. Those are what pies are for!

7. Diet food options. Sugar-free fudge pops! Low-fat ... anything! Whole wheat bread, fajitas, bagels, chips. Double-churned ice cream. Every diet soda variation.

8. Free refills. In Italy, if you get a pop -- even from the tap -- you pay at least 2Euros for a can's worth. I don't know if they haven't yet discovered the wonder of the syrup-pop-setup, but they should get on that. Here you can get a pop for a buck and refill till your heart's content!

9. Cheeses. Don't get me wrong -- Italy has some amazing cheese. But they are missing cheddar, Monteray-Jack, and Colby, and therefore, so do I.

10. My mom's cooking. Obvious.

Falling... with style!

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Sun, 29 May 2011 13:41:00 +0000

Oh what fun it is to fly in business class! Unlimited beverages? Five course meals? Massaging seats that turn into beds?! I ate like a cow and slept like a baby. (Which would translate to eating grass and oats and waking every 10 minutes, crying...but you know what I mean). I arrived at home refreshed and ready to tackle the Chinese buffet! Though I have flown in business class before, thanks to my Delta-laboring cousin, this was the first time that I have ever, ever slept on a plane. And who loves the handy-bags they give you? *Raises hand emphatically* I tried to snatch an extra for my friend, but most of the seats were full and I was unable. (I tried, Charlotte, I tried!).

Upon arrival I was surprised by my Aunt Kathy/Grandma Goat's presence (one and the same)! We enjoyed a very delicious meal.

Today I have read an entire book (the young adult novel "Th1rteen R3asons Why," which I would suggest) and Jamie and I washed the cars. It's a hot, sunny day so I'm lounging about in my swimsuit, using my bummy ankle as an excuse for laziness. I love vacation.

Timing! Ack!

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Fri, 27 May 2011 07:58:00 +0000

Maybe the title for this blog should be "Invalid! Doh!" but I thought the true meat of the story was my timing ... 20 hours before I leave for the airport. This morning I woke up tired, and I stayed that way through the first 20 minutes of my morning workout with Pam. She was pretty tired, too, so we were going pretty slowly, impressed that we were moving at all. The problem started when I decided to kick it up a notch, to get my blood pumping. The next obstacle on the obstacle course was a plank of wood ala a balance beam that one must leap over repeatedly. Cue Leap Number 1 ... Cue Landing Number 1 ... Cue Ominous Crack as ankle buckles underneath performer. Sound Cue "Doh!"

Whoops. Now I am lying in bed, swollen ankle wrapped and iced, pondering tomorrow. Tomorrow morning I embark on the long journey to the USA. To add insult to injury...well, to add pain to pain ... my wheeled suitcase is broken. So tomorrow I'm toting around a large duffel which will be stuffed into the new wheeled suitcase I will buy in the States. It's the toting that's got me worried. However, I work for one of the best families in the world (and I've traveled a bit, so I would know) and Pam is going to give my invalid butt a ride to the airport. Otherwise I would have had to navigate a train and then a shuttle to arrive at the airport. I really don't think I could have managed it. If I had a wheeled suitcase, I would at least have a rudimentary crutch. Oh! I wonder if I can get someone to wheelchair me around in the airport!

In good news, because my smashing, intelligent, fabulous cousin Ria got me a buddy pass for the flight, there's a chance I'll fly business (knock on wood). So even with a bum ankle, I might have a comfortable journey. And we just found out this morning that Dany's band passed the Gauditions for the band competition. His is one of only 16 bands/performers that passed out of almost 80 hopefuls. Go Sfigher!

Is that Summer I hear a-knocking?

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Tue, 24 May 2011 07:26:00 +0000

Summer is upon us like a Komodo dragon -- it bit and now it's waiting around around for us to die. Dany's birthday was on Sunday, and he says that the world gifts him every year with summer. We celebrated by going to the pool! The water was perfect...perfectly freezing, that is. But after a minute of heart-stopping cold, we had a lot of fun! How I love pool weather! There was also ping-pong to be played, and I let Dany win since it was his birthday. Ahem.

I'm very excited for this summer! I'm starting it off with a trip to the US to visit my wonderful, wonderful family and do some tedious, tedious paper work. I'm trying to sign up for University, but a bigger pain-in-the-butt, there is not. Also in the works this summer:

-Scuba diving! Dany (or Danger, as Charlotte's autocorrect likes to call him) and I are taking the Advanced Diver Course and we plan on spending a lot of time under the water this year.

-Music! Sfigher is in a music competition that will last through the summer. I have a couple performances in late June, organized by the school of music from which I take voice lessons. I'm singing a couple of songs backed up by student musicians. All in all, it's a good time -- I've gone to the shows the last couple of years and it's always a lot of fun -- popular music, a lot of talent, and a lot of energy. Also, I've had some bands express interest in me singing with them, so we'll see where that goes.

-Playing with Fil! We're going to to the pool, to the movies, to the pool, on trips, to the pool, to the beach, to the pool! My first summer here was a bit glum, because Fil was only three years old and it was such a hot summer and mosquito-ridden summer. This left me dreading the summer last year, but I ended up having a blast. So now I'm very excited for this summer!

And now for something completely different:

Welcome to the USA

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 23:38:00 +0000

So I've returned to my blog to recount not my own adventure, but that of my boyfriend Dany. He has made his first trip to the United States to visit with my family for the holidays. After months (arguably years) of planning and anticipating this trip, we finally departed yesterday morning. One of my best friends (and one of the most fun people on the planet), Charlotte has been with me in Italy for the past few weeks, and was joined by her equally fun brother Drew. Please refer to Charlotte's fantastic blog for a play-by-play account of our past few adventures. I highly, highly suggest it.

So, after scraping myself off my pillow at 4:30 a.m. we collected all our belongings and packed ourselves up into big Fiat to head to the airport. We saw Drew off, had a few goodbye Pringles and hugs with Charlotte, and then Dany and I hopped on our plane to JFK. Due to a sudden onset of heavy snow that morning in Milan, our plane sat in line for a healthy de-icing for a couple hours with us onboard. We finally departed and passed a very pleasant 8 hours on the airship; we played games and watched movies on our individual tvs (I got over 65,000 points on BeJeweled and watched the cute, if predictable Going the Distance), took a 2-hour nap, and ate delicious pre-cooked air-fare. Due to our delay, we had to race to catch our Cincinnati flight so Dany didn't get to enjoy New York. That flight was nothing special -- Dany slept while I played on the net a bit (free internet on flights and in major airports for the holidays!).

Finally we landed in Cincinnati and I got the best group hug ever! My whole family was there to greet me and Dany! It's fantastic having the whole family together again! We went out to IHOP and Dany got his first American chain restaurant experience. He was amazed with the amount of choices on the menu, but then again, I'm always a bit stupored myself at IHOP.

Then we went home! I was so excited to present my house to Dany -- in Italy, even stand-alone houses are in the style of apartments. Many Italians have told me that the stereotypical American house is a dream for apartment-bound Italians. Dany's reaction was very satisfying (I can't wait to show him my aunt and uncle's house, that looks like a small palace).

After a quick tour, sleeping ensued.

An American (Party) in Italy

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:53:00 +0000

I'm newly re-addicted to Skittles. I bought a bag for my Italian friends and have since consumed the left0vers. But that's really not important.

Sunday, about 13 of my friends tramped up to my third-floor apartment for a festa americana! All in all it was very nice. The menu included:
-hamburgers and hotdogs, American style (as in, in-bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, and mustard)
-potato chips
-potato salad
-mac n'cheese
-celery sticks with peanut butter
-celery sticks with cream cheese
-melon
-sausage (Italian)
-Starbursts
-Skittles
-american box cake (funfetti!)
-gelato
-crostata (Italian cake)
-Twizzlers
-Cocacola (regular, Zero, Sprite Zero)
-Fruit punch

Everyone ate well and at least pretended like they enjoyed the food. Michael Jackson and Johnny Cash played in the background, while Filippo's dad and his friend played in the foreground dressed in my belly-dancing accouterment. All the Italians tried the pull-n-peel Twizzlers, which was rather funny to watch:
There was also guitar playing, dancing, and general what-do-we-do-at-this-party awkwardness (during which many silly photos were taken. A few of my favorite:

<--- A picture of the spread and a handful of the party-guests.

---> Tata Ali and Filippo playing with cameras

<--- There was too much American fun going on! ...............
---> And a little Arab fun, too.

....................
<--- Tata Ali helped out a ton with the American party! ...............---> So did Dany, I wouldn't have had such wonderfully sliced oranges and tomatoes if not for him.

I'm Regressing

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:50:00 +0000

All this time I spend around a almost-4-year-old is rubbing off on me. Yesterday, we watched Mighty Morphing Power Rangers and I am re-hooked the show of my youth. It's not that my current self has any interest in this badly acted, simplistically scripted, 90's kids tv show... it's that my love for this show was so deep and true as a child, that even though the show has no merit other than bright costumes and 90's-acceptable racism, the love is still there. Oh, it's still there. I watched a clip-montage of Kimberly (the Pink Power Ranger) and Tommy (the Green-then White-then Red Power Ranger) and sighed wistfully. What high-school love could be more true and awkwardly unfulfilled?

Also, I have a new fixation: not sucking at Checkers. There should be a warning on the box: "This game is wretched, do not play it at risk of it eating your soul. Pregnant or nursing women should consult a doctor before play," etc. I sat down to an outwardly innocent game of checkers with Dany the other day, only to have my pride shoved forcefully down my throat. Since then, I've dedicated myself to improving my game with few results and a lot of swearing. I've even consulted online tips, but all they suggest is "don't suck." Like I said, I'm working on it. When did this game get so hard? What happened to the days of blissful Cracker Barrell checkers, when the huge, plastic peices were harmlessly exchanged by the fire?

...It's a stupid game.

My American party is tomorrow. I spent 75 Euros at the supermarket today, which means that I spent 5 Euros per person. Laurel claims that she doesn't want to hear about my struggle with checkers or my unadultered love for kids shows, but rather romantic European adventure. Well, I think throwing an American party in Italy is rather romantic and adventurous. I mean, it's not easy finding raisins in an Italian supermarket. And, I have to brave the pandhandlers outside. And I have to put up with Italian clerks wanting to practice their English on me. Furthermore, I don't think I've ever actually made a hamburger. And the idea of whipping up a batch of three or four boxes of Mac'n'cheese in one go? This girl has got a backbone!

How I yearned to be Kimberly when I was a kid.

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:33:00 +0000

I am planning an American-themed party. I should be very excited, but I am doing it more as a chore than anything else -- my friends have been so wonderful to me that I feel the need to ... well, throw them a party! I wish I had my stuff together, I would have thrown it in honor of my birth. Alas, the window of birthday party opportunity has passed. I'll just make a bunch of American box birthday cakes in my honor. Mmmm cake....

Pictures forthcoming.

I've been keeping busy. Filippo is out of nursery for the summer, so we spend all day together. It's pretty fun. We've been starting our days by going to Floyd and playing with whichever kids cross our paths. Then, we either color and "help" Nonno out in the garden, or we lounge by the pool all day. Love it. The weather is sufficiently scalding, and the pool is so wonderfully cool and clear and entertaining. Also, the summer naps are so very satisfying.

<-- Love this picture of the cool little dude. (Speaking of "cool," he's adopted this particular slang from Tata Lindsey, and continually asks me if things he's doing or seeing are cool. "Is this cool, Tata Lindsey? Is this so cool?") .

Other than watching Filippo, I keep myself busy planning parties and hanging out with my boyfriend. That's right, you heard me say it (well, no you didn't, but you saw the end result of me thinking it in my head and then instructing my fingers to type it out on the keyboard into the blog window): boyfriend. I have an Italian boyfriend. I'm pretty sure that makes me the coolest girl ever. Did I mention he's in a band? Well, that would be a lie really -- he IS the band. All mention of "Dany" (Danilo) henceforth refer to my very cool, very Italian "boyfriend."
.
<-- I don't think we look particularly stellar in this photo, but it's the only one I really have of him, so just use your imagination to picture us more attractive.

I'd like to take this time to mention that he doesn't speak very much English (though boy is he learning fast), and either that speaks very highly of my Italian language abilities or very low of Dany's and my inter-relationship communication. .

Trips planned in the near future:
Italian day trips, such as Venice, Florence, Milan, etc. with two of my Uno's girls who are coming to visit.
A veritable European tour with Laurel.
Something something with Seanic.
A long weekend in Ireland with Tata Alley.

Hopping Back on the Train

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:17:00 +0000

Well, the only way to get this blog back in action is to start writing in it again. I have about three half-written blogs about my Moroccan/Roman, Tuscan, and Greek adventures, but I'll get to them when I get to them.

I just got back from a wonderful trip to the U.S., complete with family, friends, food, baseball, birthdays, and boyfriends. Laurel was down the first weekend, so we spent Fourth of July together (oh, KFC chicken!). The next few days I spent with my Jess from Uno's, and every evening I was watching the Reds game with the family. Also, during this time, I did a huge amount of shopping: since Europe is so expensive, and the Dollar-Euro conversion rate is total crap, I bought everything I could possibly need in the next year, including but not limited to: shampoo, deoderant, makeup, facewash, mac'n'cheese, clothes, medicine, cake mix and peanut butter. [However, the peanut butter and cake mix need replenishing, so don't come to Italy to visit me without a little of both!] I also got a lot of necessary errands run, such as doctor's appointments.

On Wednesday, Sean came to visit and we enjoyed a couple hours together (if it's possible to enjoy a couple hours with Seanic. God, what a douchebag). Friday, my old roomies and I rocked out at Shannon's dad's fantastic house, swimming, hot-tubbing, playing cards, and chatting up a storm. Saturday, the Uno's crowd had a party to celebrate all of the out-of-towners being in town. (I was in from Italy, the past-general manager was in from India, and a server was visiting from Pittsburgh)...(who's to say which place is the coolest?). Sunday, Jamie and her man-friend drove in from Illinois and it was great getting to hang out with my sister and meet her quasi-boyfriend. We had a lot of fun having another birthday celebration (for moi), including another birthday cake (for moi), lots of ice cream and s'mores, and time with my Sama-pie (who is a friend of mine, not some sort of sugary confection...although she's delicious roasted over a fire and garnished with chocolate).

Unfortunately, not everything was confetti cake and cookies-and-cream ice cream. Life tends to catch you wherever you are living, but I guess that's how it goes.

Coming back the U.S. was a bit odd after 4 months abroad. First, I continually forgot that the people around me understood English perfectly. So, yeah, that could have gotten me in some trouble. Also, whenever someone spoke of their relationpship with another person, I was constantly hit with the thought, "wow, relationships must be so much easier when you speak each others' language." [However, we all know that couples don't tend to speak the same language anyway, so what's another language barrier or two?] Furthermore, I'm coming to see how Americans are different from Europeans: unsurpringly, Americans tend to dress more casually, but they also consistently have more open expressions on their faces. I can confidently peg an American in a crowd of Europeans and am sure that I, in turn, am quite peggable.

Going back to Italy was also strange: whereas my first trip from the U.S. to Italy was shrouded in mystery and a flurry of excitement, this time I knew exactly what awaited me and why I was going back. (Those reasons? you ask. Well, I have a fabulous job working for a fabulous family, I really enjoy learning the language and being able to hop away to another country for a few days, and I'm seeing a great guy with whom I have a lot of fun. Yup, Italy = totally returnable).

Now, the returning kind of sucked. It took me two layovers/three flights in economy class, an uncomfortable train ride, and over 24 hours of traveling without sleep to get me alla mia casa. I guess that still beat the outbound travels, when I was stuck at Charles DeGaul airport for a couple days on a standby ticket, wondering if there would ever be an extra seat on a flight to the U.S. (CDG is not a great overnight option, as their hard bucket seats all have armrests). With the help of a retired-Delta employee from Texas (ie, angel), I got home in one peice.

And now I'm back in Italy! Still a little jetlagged, though it probably has to do more with my inability to sleep in this heat rather than the time change. Oh Italy and your incredibly hot and humid summers, I love thee.

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:30:00 +0000

It's What?!? May?!

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Sun, 17 May 2009 10:37:00 +0000

So, in case my subtle blog title did not clue you in, I'm a little more than shocked at how the time as flown. (I won't even tell you how I reacted when I discovered it was almost June...I will say it involved a mop). I have so much to write about, but every day I'm out doing more blog-worthy stuff and then collapsing in my oh-so-comfortable bed afterwards. So I'm going to chug through, but go a little bit out of order.

Currently, life is pretty A-ok peachy-keen. It's been rather consumed with social adventures, like BBQs, hanging out at Floyd (my bar/cafe) or the Gastronemia (my Italian "fast food" joint) with friends, and music. I've wiggled my way into a band and officially living the Italian dream (if the Italian dream involves a band...which it just happens to for me). Also, occasionally I "work." Filippo is fantastic and speaking English like a pro! One day, he just lost all fear and decided to whip out English, and he's a champ.

Next month, Filippo gets out of nursery school for the summer, and the next day the family is shipping off to Greece for 2 weeks. This girl right here will be shipping off to Greece with Tata Allison for 10 days and is so excited! We might also pop up to Turkey for a quick nip into Instanbul (not Constantinople now).

Which of course leads me to my adventures in other exotic locales, like Morocco Marocco Marocco Marocco and Rome Rome Rome.

*Fadeout to Black

Nothing Post

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Fri, 08 May 2009 11:17:00 +0000

It's been a while since I've gotten to update this bloggy blog of mine, but know that my absence has good reason: I'm freaking busy. In all the best ways, I'm happy to report. But you're going to have to wait to hear all about my life the last few weeks.

I spent some time with Tata Emma (Filippo's last nanny), went to Morocco with Charlotte, went to Rome with Charlotte and her brother, hung out in Sala Baganza with Charlotte and Drew, and now need about 4 days to recover. And let me tell you, you can't wait to hear about my adventures. For now, revel in the monkeys:

Crazy Weekend, the Saturday and Sunday Post

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:00:00 +0000

So you're probably wondering, hmm I wonder if Lindsey ever got back into her apartment. [You're probably also wondering How did Lindsey know my thoughts? Get out of my head, woman! However, you may be relieved to know that I know this to be true from the comments on my previous blog].
The answer is yes, but not until Monday night!

Saturday morning, Allison came down from Parma to help me with the lock. However, we ladies -- intelligent and creative as we may be -- lacked the ability to get the door to open. And my key could not have chosen a worse time to break: not only was the entire family out of the house, but every shop in Italy was closed until Tuesday ... including the locksmith. (Excepting the bar, because the Italians have their priorities).

So Allison and I -- as intelligent and creative ladies -- decided that there was nothing to do but continue with our awesome plans. No point in crying over spilled wine (especially not when you can just suck it up from the floor). So we went to the ancient and beautiful city of Mantova ... and shopped. And shopped. And shopped. I bought a belt, scarf, and mascara. Allison bought some fashionable baseball caps. We both bought gelato. We didn't see much of the city.... Another weekend.

The next day was Easter and we celebrated it by avoiding Italian cuisine. That's right: for the two foreignors, there were roasted potatoes, buttered carrots, spinach and a huge roast beef. We ate this for lunch and dinner and it was fantastic. Allison, being Irish, also had a solid supply of Bailey's Irish Creme in her fridge, so we had Irish coffee throughout the day.

That night, we went out in search of an open dance club. We were unsuccessful. However we did wander into one of the city's two McDonalds. I love how people turn to stare when they hear Allison and me speaking English. Allison complains about how the Italians stare, I just enjoy it. Though it hurts me inside to go to a McDonalds during my time in Italy, I enjoyed the night. I had a strawberry milkshake (this seems to be a reoccuring theme in my European travels).

Subsonica

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:05:00 +0000

The cd I bought is really just fantastic. Maybe their music just appeals particularly to me, but I think if they sang in English, they would have quite an international following. (Not that I want them to sing in English, I'm just saying).

Here are a couple clips of my favorite songs of theirs:

Tutti I Miei Sbagli (All my mistakes)
Ignore the music video -- it's not the original

Incantevole ( Enchanting)

Enjoy! I love them.

Crazy Weekend, the Friday Post

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 23:28:00 +0000

I woke up bright and early at 11:00 am (love it!). Stefano and I had planned a lunch and lesson for this afternoon and we headed into Parma. What I hadn't anticipated was Stefano's determination to get me to try raw horse meat.

Oh, I'm sorry, did I forget to mention that the Italian's eat horse?

So my teacher took me to this amazing little Italia hole-in-the-wall-deli that was bursting with people. He ordered us two raw horse-meat sandwiches. And I ate it. I will provide details on demand, but don't want to upset any horse-lovers who might be reading the bloggy blog.

Afterward, we hit up this "slow food" gelateria. Oh man, was it creamy goodness. Worth note is that the Italians use a thicker, less sweet whip cream which might have come straight out of the cow.

I found out while in Parma that the Nonni were going to Siena for the weekend. That meant that I had the house all to myself this weekend! How exciting -- I could blast my music and just enjoy some solitude. What a fantastic surprise.

Stefano and I drove back to the 'Ganza (Allison calls Sala Baganza this, and I love it). But five minutes later I was hopping into a car with Laura to head back to Parma. She needed to get a present for her friend's birthday and I was going to meet up with my exercize buddy, Augstino, in Parma anyway. Well, we went to Comet, a huge electronics/entertainment store, where Laura found some presents and I bought my first Italian cd. Subsonica. I love them. We met up with Augustino, he bought us some coffee and we ended up walking around a park in Parma all together. It was great fun. I love that I can now hang out with people who don't speak any English and make a connection.

At around six o'clock, after about 3 miles of walking, we went home. I rode home with Augustino and ended up just hanging out with him and Luana at the gastronemia until nine o'clock. We joked and had impromptu English and Italian lessons. When the gastronemia closed, we went upstairs to Luana's aunt's house and ate some leftover pizza from the gastronmia, drank some "old beer," and watched the tv. It was laidback fun. So much fun, in fact, that I ran late to meet Laura at Floyd for another night of fun.

This night was an improvement on Thursday because Luana came and also a guitar showed up. When Danilo brought the guitar, it was immediately passed around. Even I played a ditty on it. A whole bunch of us sat around even after the bar was closed and sang along. Many of the songs were in English, so I knew the words. What fun!

After a fantastic night at Floyd, I returned to my empty home very early in the morning. As I inserted the key into the lock to my apartment, I was all ready to collapse happily into my bed. A unpleasant popping sound interrupted that particular dream -- my key had broken into two; half of it was in the lock, half in my hand.

...To be continued....

Crazy Weekend, the Thursday Post

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:54:00 +0000

WHAT A WEEKEND.

Shall I start at the beginning?

Thursday, Filippo did not have asilo (nursery school) because the nursery school is run by nuns and they need lots of praying time for Pasqua (Easter). I must admit that I was dreading giving up my free morning hours. I'll lose them as it is when summer comes and I do so love being productive. Well, I had an Italian lesson with Stefano and made sure it was ok that Filippo accompanied us. Of course, it was no problem at all. In fact, it was fantastic and fun. The Italians are wonderful with children -- men, women, everyone. Children are fair game for touching, cuddling, ooh-ing and aah-ing over. This could have something to do with the small number of little Italians running about; Italy has the smallest population growth rate in the world (exepting the Shakers). So, not only was Stefano great with Filippo (wonderfully inclusive and patient), but the people at the bar looked after him while I was speaking with Stefano. And he was such a wonderful little kid -- it was a beautiful, fun spring morning.

Well, I find out later that Filippo, Pamela, and Michele were all heading up to the mountains that evening and not returning until Tuesday! I had no idea. I had stumbled into a 4-day weekend! (I love Pasqua!).

So after lunch, Filippo and I played outside in the beautiful day. Then, because the morning had been such a success, we went back to Floyd. There, I met another 22-year-old woman living in Sala, Laura. She's a friend of Marco, so they decided (I just let people make plans for me, since I don't understand what they're saying) that we'd go out for pizza that night. (Eccellente).

And that is what we did! After the family took off for the mountains, I went to pizza with Laura and Marco. It was delicious. I wish I could say it wasn't repeatedly horribly awkward, but that's what you get when a man is telling you how much they like you while his friend is pumping you for information on your relationships with men. Then, a group of 48 french children crowded into the pizzeria. My favorite part was when one of the french teachers shushed me, when it was obvious that we couldn't have a discussion over the dim of excited children. Even though we were probably three languages removed (A French-speaker in an Italian speaking country with an English-speaker), we still managed to share a laugh -- love it.

After eating the entire pizza (a feat, to be sure, but not as difficult as in American pizza joints), we stopped into a bar for a quick Guinness ... delicious. Though Laura was very comfortable prying into my affairs, I feel like we get along great and we could have some good times. We droped Marco, the working man, off at home and then went back to Floyd. Wow was it fun! The people were great -- too much fun. I even got my first kiss in Italy (excepting Italians under the age of 4). This quirky guitarist took a fancy to me and was outrageously flirtatious. When he went to leave, he gave me the customary kisses on the cheeks and then planted one on my mouth. As far as first kisses in exotic locales, it wasn't what I expected -- largely because I wasn't expecting it. Nor was anyone at the table. They laughed while I sat there shocked. [And don't worry -- I didn't feel at all invaded. In fact, I was rather impressed with his quirky moxy, though I don't plan on persuing anything in that arena.] He promised to return the next night with his guitar and play me something. Well, I certainly didn't plan on missing out on that.

After he left, the bar closed. Then, the remaining guests/friends partied down with barista Luca (see older post), including an impromptu dance party. With many plans for the morrow, I got to bed way past my bedtime.

All of this leads me to the Fateful Friday Night....

Future Adventures

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:12:00 +0000

Next month, I am going to Morocco! Charlotte will be done teaching in France and is going to do a bit of traveling, so she and I are taking off for a truly foreign experience. After three days in Morocco, we’re flying back into Italy so I can make proper introduction (Charlotte, Italy. Italy, Charlotte). I don’t think it needs to be said how excited I am to travel with the Charlotte, but I’m also very excited to have her see my world here in Italy. I’ll write all about it.

In the more immediate future, I’m making some awesome Easter (Pasqua) plans with Tata Ali. We’re heading to Mantua (Mantova) on Saturday for sight-seeing and shopping (in only of the window variety) and then doing something awesome involving non-Italian food on Sunday. Allison bought me a travel guide on Mantua, which was so sweet of her.

Also as far as future adventures are concerned, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what I’m going to do after this Italian adventure has concluded. I’ve been keeping some ideas on the backburner for some time, such as working on an international cruise ship (with Charlotte), moving to New Zealand for a few months on a Holiday Work Visa (where Charlotte might be working), or going back to school. Now I’m expanding my options. I’m seeing that the people I admire most are those who really help others and understanding that I’m not going to be satisfied with an unrewarding job. So maybe I’ll look into actually working (*gasp* that sounds vaguely adult). Also, I was thinking – college is about 90% less expensive in Europe. Maybe I can extend my adventures in Europe and get a master’s degree while I’m at it.

I ran across this op-ed article called The End of Philosophy on The New York Times Web site today, and loved it. It's short, give it a gander.

Earthquake

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:05:00 +0000

I didn't even know that Italy had earthquakes until last Friday when I saw the destruction a small one wreaked two months ago on the Sala Baganza castle (La Rocca). But late last night, a huge earthquake (terremoto) hit L'Aquila, a historic city four hours south of me. The event is dominating news outlets, especially, as one may imagine, in Italy. At this point, the death toll is at 100, as many as 50,000 are homeless, and I don't need to mention that it's horribly tragic.

Broadcast news in Italy is different from American news: the rules are more flexible when it comes to showing personal grief or injured individuals. I kind of wish I didn't understand what the agonized Italians were saying.

For those who might have been worried about me, know that I didn't even feel a tremor from the quake. Earthquakes are common in Italy, but not large ones. (Of course, I am not used to them, so I'm sure I'll write about every one I experience).

To those who I love and miss: I love and miss you!

And Happy Birthday little sis!!!! Did I mention that I can't believe that you're 19 years old?

Self Indulgent Post of Wonders

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 10:30:00 +0000

Who knew that one week could make so much of a difference. Below I have two posts: one from two Saturdays ago (May 28th) and one from this past Saturday (April 4th). I didn't post the first because I thought it was rather whiney and a bit too self-indulgent. But paired with the second, I think it's post-worthy, if only to note the change that can occur in one week.

Dance Night and Introspection

I had a lot of fun. I’ll say that off the bat. I love to dance, I know I can dance, it’s a great time. And I love that I don’t have to try to talk. I have never second-guessed myself or unconsciously apologized for myself more than in this past month. I’ve said it before: it’s exhausting stumbling through this language. Not just mentally, but it also exhausts my ego – my poor ego has been tormented, twisted and mangled. It has been a long time since I’ve had to feel so consistently out-of-the-loop and downright stupid. Now, when I’ve (attempted) to express this emotion, I get the inevitable chorus of “no, you’re very intelligent and picking up the language quickly.” I believe both of these statements, yet I still feel frustrated.

I told my friend Luana tonight that I had a degree in Journalism, and that I studied Acting. She had no idea that I even attended college – I saw her image of me change before my eyes. I saw the thought flit behind her pupils, “Oh, in her own culture and language, this girl is actually a competent human being.”

I’m so frustrated by my inability to express. I’ve come to realize that expressing is all I do – I don’t have a technical craft or training, I have the ability to manipulate the English language as well as my delivery of thoughts and ideas. Stick me in Italy and suddenly I’m inventing a new form of sign language.

I find my outlets in strange places. First of all, I crave dancing. Dancing is a universal language. On the dance floor it doesn’t matter that I don’t speak Italian (in fact, it has actually come in handy). I’ve gone dancing the last two weekends and I have plans for next Saturday. Also, I can’t keep my hands off Pamela’s old classical guitar. And here I find myself frustrated again – the instrument is not the proper conductor for what I want to play; namely, rock songs. (Just like the language!) I don’t have any of the right notes, knowledge of guitar chords or finger flexibility, but I have oh so many songs I want to play. I digress: in the next couple of weeks I’m going to buy an inexpensive acoustic and find all kinds of solace in the six metal strings.

Dance Night the Third

I went out again with Luana and her family. It was her birthday today and she was awesome enough to invite me over to her family party as well as out to dinner and dancing. I was the only person not related to her (or dating her), and I felt honored. There are a few people in Sala Baganza who have completely welcomed me into their lives, and it’s wonderful.

We went to a nearby pizzeria and had an assortment of seafood pasta dishes – delicious! I chatted with Luana, her aunts, and her boyfriend all through dinner. And the best part: we had real conversation. I feel like I woke up today and was able to understand what people are saying. In retrospect, I realize that isn’t true; it was when I wasn’t paying attention this past week that I improved by leaps.

A couple things clicked in the past few days. First, all the studying paid off on a few key grammatical rules, and I’ve internalized meanings, so I don’t get caught on words only to miss the rest of the sentence. Also, I’m starting to take chances with the language – there are so many cognates that I’m making educated guesses on what certain words might translate into, and more often than not, I’m right. One of the most helpful things I’ve done was to create a list of common filler words (although, often, each, then, etc) and studied them EVERY DAY so that I don’t get caught up in the little words.

I will also say, I’m getting out of the habit of tuning out what people are saying on the assumption that I won’t understand. In fact, I’m meeting someone for coffee in Parma tomorrow who speaks nary a word of English. (Most of my friends – Marco, Stefano, Pamela, etc – speak English at least competently, and I think this often allows me to be lazy).

Well, anyway, I’m far from being competent in Italian. And keep in mind I hang out with people who know my language limitations. Still, it was so fantastic to realize mid-conversation that I was holding my own, as opposed to sitting with my apologetic confused face or tuning out the conversation.

Such improvement also makes me a lot more excited to have my friends come visit. I didn’t like the thought that I wouldn’t be able to competently and comfortably introduce my friends to Italy.

Also, all the Italians here use the same hand gestures. But, instead of picking them up like you might imagine I would, I find myself making up and using my own hand gestures. I’m going to return to the US with these new gesture habits that aren’t at all Italian but are a direct consequence of my living in Italy.

Under the Tuscan Sun (no copyright infringement intended)

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:24:00 +0000

Last Saturday, the family took a day trip to Toscano (Tuscany) and brought along me and Luciano (family friend). Our aim was to check out this apartment on the beach that Pamela and Michele might rent for the summer. It took about an hour to get to Massa, the beachside town. The trip there was amazing – only a few minutes into the trip and we were in the foothills of the Alps, with snow-powdered mountains around the bend. (Randomly enough, the mountains made me miss America).

Massa was very nice – it draws a fair number of tourists, though it’s no hotspot. There was a pizzeria on every corner; like Starbucks …except with pizza. We checked out the apartment, which was nice; I wouldn’t mind spending some of the summer a three-minute walk from the beach – which is exactly where we went next. For a couple hours, the adults reclined in the sand and the sun while Filippo ran through the water. It was far too cold to be splashing around, but Filippo is a water-baby and couldn’t stay out of the ocean. He was a muddy mess by the time we left.

After a customary visit to a bar (it’s what you do in Italy) and a cup of hot chocolate (this hot chocolate was very thick and soupy), we strolled through a neighboring town. This town is vacation-home to the (Italian) rich and famous. Though it looked like every other beachside town, the shops betrayed it for upscale: Prada, Gucci, Versace, etc….

In the distance you can see the Marble Mines. “Marble mines?” you ask. Yes, mines where they get marble. And not just any marble, but incredibly famous marble. The same marble from these mountains is the marble used by Italian sculptors through the ages, including Michelangelo. And everything in the town was made of marble, including the sidewalks, the monuments, benches … it was marble heaven! (If you like marble).

All in all, it was a wonderful first trip into Tuscany.

Interesting Things in Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (L Fritz) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 03:03:00 +0000

1. I miss when I was a kid and falling down on the ground was fun. I think that’s one of the great things about acting – it allows you to still think falling on the ground is fun.

2. I wore all black the other day…with brown shoes. I’m assimilating.

3. I’m buying a guitar on Monday! Luca is taking me to Parma to find an inexpensive acoustic to last me while I’m in Italy. I’m very excited – Pamela has a classical guitar, which means I’m always playing, but I’m so frustrated with the constraints of a classical guitar. (When Laurel and I are next in the same country, we’re starting a band….I don’t know if she knows this yet.)

4. Life Rule #16: No matter good an artist you are, no matter how close you think you are to a person, always ask before drawing them naked, clutching only their national flag, and then showing it to the entire town.

5. I think I’m going to cut my hair. Long hair was fun, but I’m bored with it. And I need to re-dye it, but I’m not certain what color – everyone here has natural, gorgeous dark hair, so I’m not certain I want to go dark as per usual.

6. The Italians generally have two buttons to choose from when you go to flush the toilet. One is smaller and uses less water – for those easy flushes. I think this is a great way to conserve water!

7. What’s the point of disciplining a child for hitting someone by hitting said child? This is what one of Filippo’s friend’s parents do, and it makes me angry – especially when that child is hitting Filippo.

8. I’m about four days behind on my blog; there are posts a-coming. These include posts on Italian tv, Italian music and Italian holidays, as well as my trip to Tuscany. Interesting, right? Stay tuned!

9. My life in Italy is nothing like what I imagined. In all honesty, I can’t stop laughing. Which leads me to point #10….

10. I really like it here. Pamela told me again today how thankful she is that I’m here and how they got lucky with me. But for me, I feel like I totally lucked out with this family – they are welcoming and warm, speak English, are intelligent and just plain wonderful. I am entirely confident that I can happily spend a year here.