Babysitting 1 + 13

I had the chance to hang out with my little friend Charlotte the other evening :) We were crazy busy! I hadn't realize it when Charlotte's Mommy called me over, but no wonder Charlotte needed help for the evening - she was babysitting 13 kids of various shapes, sizes and ethnic backgrounds!!! 

Charlotte and her babies

We had a great time :D 

Watch out! The traffic light is turned off...

I wish I could have taken a picture...


Driving in to work this morning and I came to an intersection at which there seemed to be some confusion. I noted a parked police car but no policemen and then an exclamation point sign together with a yellow rectangular sign: "Attenzione! Semaforo Spento" = "Watch out! The Traffic Light is out"


Indeed it was! It was a largish intersection and we were left to fend for ourselves... Ok, you can't say they didn't warn us, but I would have at least expected a traffic cop. 


You've got to love Italian indications. Here are a few choice specimens

Here we have the "be careful" sign = "Attenzione!" or as I like to say, "Be Excited!"

This one reminds you not to get struck by lightening - very thoughtful warnings

This is placed in an area prone to flooding. The danger sign says it all...

This one is ESSENTIAL for most Italian ladies

Directional indications. They are so helpful! 

One of my favorites - beware of your car exploding!

Telling you how you can take a L turn :)

Remember, don't fall, it could hurt you

Yes, these are actually permanent signs in Italy. "There will be traffic! We're aware of it. It looks like this... So STOP HONKING YOUR HORN!"

And the best reminder to travelers - "Don't crash into each other! It could be hazardous to your health"

There's another sign we pass on the way to work, "Attenzione! NucleoRadiomobile"

For the longest time I thought it was warning of a particularly dangerous vehicle that had to transit that area having to do with some kind of RadioNuclear waste or something... Actually, come to think of it. I learned it has nothing to do with nuclear anything, but I can't remember right now what it is for... I'll have to ask Z :) 

Gettin' Old!

There was a time when I could abuse my body and not suffer a bit from it... no more.  Remember that 14km I ran when I was barely convalescent from the flu? Well, it seems I pulled an intercostal muscle - one of the low ones on the side that wraps around to the back. It was a bit tender, nothing more, until...


I decided to go running again this past Sunday. Instead of 14 I thought to tame it down and just do 7 - enough to warm up all my muscles and help that little pinched intercostal get back in its place. 


No such luck. 


By Sunday evening I was writhing on the floor - laughing with tears in my eyes because it hurt so bad it would make me collapse to the floor! But it happend so spontaneously and uncontrollably that I found it funny even though it HURT! Worst of it was that laughing made it hurt even worse! And that made me laugh more... 
Wonderful Zeno, he massaged my muscles and got me heat packs. Now I'm back to just a "tender" situation, no writhing and suddenly collapsing :) 


Note to self: from here on out it's best to train. Those shocks to the system aren't so easily recovered from.

So many goings on!

The flu is finally and truly behind us. Even though we're still coughing a little bit I must say we're over it because we both ran 14k on Sunday. That's right! I was pretty amazed too :) 


There was an organized fun run in Bergamo, about 45 mins away from us, and it began that we were going to lightly jog 7k with some friends - all of whom happen to be Marines. Well, when we got to the part of the run where you can decide if you want to run 7k or 14k Zeno looked at me so pleading, 
"What do you think? You can run it nice and calmly!"
The sun was shining, I was feeling happy to be running, my wonderful Z was expressing that he wanted nothing more in that moment but for me to follow him... how could I resist?! And then at km #8 I was thinking, 
"What did I let him talk me into?!" But in the end, I was so glad I did it! What a sense of satisfaction :) Until I woke up with every muscle in my body aching together with my head. Yet, even that is simply a motivation to keep running, only more often and not in such a shocking manner. 


That was Sunday, today is Tuesday, and I kicked down our back door! That's right - karate chop!!!! Though it took me quite a few more than just one clean kick. I had to bash it a good dozen times before the lock busted loose. 
You see, we've been wanting to change our back door for months now. It doesn't close properly, the lock has been finicky (not opening easily with the key), but we were saving up because it's a big project. Well, today the key just would not open the door. I stood there 40 minutes turning and turning, budging. coaxing, pleading... until blisters started showing up on my hands from turning the key so much. 
I called Z and gave him the low down,
"Can I just bash it in by kicking it?" I asked
"Go for it!" 
So, after trying one last time the "civilized way" I took my foot to the door and bashed it right in! 
Now we're using the front door with our "castle" key - that is, the long key that makes one feel like they live in a castle :) 


Also today, Z bought all the fixings for a Salmon dinner and presented me with a KINDLE!!! Yay! Happy Birthday to me!!!! Thank you so, SO, SO MUCH Amore mio :D What a grand surprise!!! Now I have a US bookstore that I can carry all around with me :) And I can read all the English books I'll ever need. I can't wait to get started.
Hmmmmm.... What shall my first book on the Kindle be? Any suggestions? 

Officially Legally Driving Italian Adult!

That's right :) 
I'm officially all grown up here in Italy. I passed my driving exam with flying colors and have been zooming around ever since! Yahoo! It's amazing what a tremendous sense of freedom being legal gives you. 
Now, if I could only get the talking bit down... 

House Keeping... or NOT!

So, today we, or I should say, Zeno found an earthworm in our toilet!!!!???? What in the world? The situation unfolded like this:

I was painting a hutch down in the kitchen and I ran upstairs to use the bathroom quick and I find Zeno on his hands and knees surrounded with every kind of cleaning product - the more toxic the better - and scrubbing away. 

"Thanks so much Amore!" I say to which he sweetly inquires,

"Hey, have you been putting any kind of plants in the toilet?"

me - "???huh??? No.... why?"

"Well, I found a big old earthworm swimming around in this one!" 

So GROOOOSSSSSEEEE! 

That's it, who knows where it came from. But seriously, THANK YOU AMORE! I wouldn't have been able to tackle that one... 

Yet another sign that my Z really loves me :)