mental mosaicmental mosaicAn American woman living in Naples, Italy shares photos and writes about her impressions of the culture and her experiences learning the language while discovering the rich history of Italy, with a keen eye for detail and sense of humor. Articles
No Mo NoNoWriMo or NaBloPoMo? Whoa!
2007-11-30 23:18:00 NaBloPoMo and NaNoWriMo are over until next year! Did you participate in either? If so, how did it go for you? Aside from learning to just go ahead and post something when it?s ?close enough for jazz,? I made some new friends (Elizabeth, Prof. J, Mad Goat Lady) got a reader who has been lurking ... More About: Whoa
One Rotten Apple
2007-11-29 22:01:00 As I was doing the dishes tonight, I mentally replayed a conversation from earlier, in which Angelo told me how lovely Perugia is, and that we really ought to visit. And then it occurred to me that thanks to the recent murder in Perugia, the name ‘Perugia’ right now is probably synonymous in the minds of ... More About: Apple , Port Townsend , Rotten
How to Stretch Time
2007-11-28 21:24:00 The stranger and I had been silently waiting together for a good ten minutes at the bus stop, when he suddenly turned to me and said, ‘Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana.’ Before I could reply, he gave me a wink, and sauntered down the street. I don’t know if ... More About: Itri , Etch , Stretch
Temples of Damanhur: Eighth Wonder of the World?
2007-11-27 22:52:00 I was looking up a street name today for work when I stumbled onto this amazing place. While the street I was looking for is in Arizona, the place I accidentally discovered is in northern Italy, near Turin, where an insurance broker has spent years secretly creating an elaborate temple complex beneath his ... More About: World , The World , Temples , Temp
Italian TV Ads
2007-11-26 18:43:00 I’ve gained a new appreciation for advertising since spending time in Italy. For one thing, commercials are a great way to learn new Italian words and phrases, because they are repetitive, focused on one subject, and often have their slogans printed out so you can read along with the announcer. So today I’d like to ... More About: Naples
Thanksgiving Leftovers
2007-11-25 20:53:00 The title of this post is a double entendre, because although I have some creative ideas for using up Thanksgiving leftovers, I also have some leftover feelings about the holiday menu itself. Judging from the responses to this post, I?m not the only one who has strong feelings about the Thanksgiving menu. First off, here are ... More About: Leftovers , Hank
Ho, Ho, Homonym
2007-11-24 23:01:00 It sounds like a bad joke, but it’s true: this holiday season, Australian Santas are being urged to say, ?ha, ha, ha? instead of ?ho, ho, ho.? Why? Because ?ho, ho, ho? might offend women and scare kids. I think Don Ho should do a benefit on their behalf, don’t you? Maybe he could team ...
Close Enough for Jazz
2007-11-23 16:33:00 I love taking photos, and although I can appreciate folks like Ansel Adams who literally see the big picture (then take it, ‘cuz it lasts longer!) I?m the type of person who, as much as I love a big sweeping landscape, can look down and enjoy the beauty at my feet. I am fascinated ... More About: Jazz , Close
A Virtual Thanksgiving
2007-11-22 12:09:00 Here’s wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans. Hehe, I can’t write ‘my fellow Americans’ without picturing Richard Nixon’s face, can you? Anyway, before I head off onto one of my infamous tangents, let me just say that although I am yearning for turkey, stuffing, cranberries, yams and all that good stuff, I will be ... More About: Virtual , Naples , Hank
Aqueduct, my friend
2007-11-21 23:32:00 I know it?s silly, but every time I see an aqueduct, I end up humming that old Jethro Tull classic ?Aqualung.? It?s not a conscious thing. Some part of my brain simply enjoys providing apropos soundtracks to my daily activities. Today, for instance, I ate a persimmon. A little while later, I realized that I was ... More About: Friend , Naples
Capturing Fog
2007-11-20 22:00:00 As a kid, I tried capturing fog in sandwich bags and setting it free in the house. This didn’t work too well and drove my mom crazy since it involved a lot of running in and out of the front door on a cold November day. I tried filling an old mayonnaise jar with fog ... More About: Port Townsend
Everything I needed to know about computers I learned from my Grandmother
2007-11-19 22:41:00 “Home is where the hard-drive is,” she used to say, and by golly, she was right. At Gramma’s house, it always smelled of cinnamon cookies, lilac air freshener and warm circuitry. Gramma had experienced some major crashes in her time, and I’m not just talking about the stockmarket in 1930. “Back up, back up, back up!” ... More About: Computers , Grandmother , Learned
Me and the Sphinx, Go Figure
2007-11-18 22:21:00 “Rainy days in Naples are like snowy days in Seattle,” Angelo remarked the other day as we lurched our way through traffic. “No one knows how to drive.” “But everyone is on the road,” his Aunt added. I didn’t mind the traffic, though, because it gave me a chance to take some photos from the car, like ... More About: Figure
Stunt Trout Jumps Through Hoop
2007-11-17 18:21:00 My pal, Barney, is a journalist and photographer. He recently sent me a link to some photos he has taken as well as some historical photos from Port Townsend , Washington. My favorite photo so far is the one at the top of this post. How the heck did that bartender train a trout to jump through ... More About: Stunt
Taken by a Nap
2007-11-16 23:29:00 Do you ever feel that instead of taking a nap, a nap took you? That’s what happened to me today. I finished work early and figured I’d snuggle with Angelo for a couple minutes before chatting with my step-daughter online. The next thing I knew, I was waking up beside Angelo after a lovely nap together. ...
Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
2007-11-15 19:38:00 OK, I confess. They were roasted in an oven, not over an open fire. But did you know that “The Christmas Song” (aka “Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire ”) was written by Mel Torme and his pal, Bob Wells, while they were hanging out around a swimming pool in the middle of summer? So Jack Frost ...
Inspiration: Bed, Bath and Bus
2007-11-14 20:31:00 The above photo was taken while driving through a rainy tunnel in Naples , Italy. We’ve had a couple of action-packed days despite my mystery malaise. Details forthcoming… I am too sleepy to say much else, except that I hope everyone who’s doing NaBloPoMo and NaNoWriMo is hanging in there! Does anyone else ... More About: Bath , Inspiration
Heart of the Woods
2007-11-13 16:51:00 Before the internet took off, I had the opportunity to live for five years on an island in the San Juan Archipelago. The island had a year-round population of seven people and no ferry service. While I was occasionally lonely, I was rarely, if ever, bored. (I’m sure that if I could have had a blog ... More About: Heart , Woods
Steven Who?
2007-11-12 17:56:00 Today’s post is a response to the comment I got today from Laree: There I was taking espresso orders as I’d done a thousand times before. It was a hot summer Saturday and the line of patrons went out the door and curled partway down the street. As usual, Port Townsend was having some kind of festival. ... More About: Steven
That Fall Feeling
2007-11-11 17:39:00 Yes, it’s belated, but today I finally felt that fall feeling! Autumn doesn’t obey the calendar in southern Italy, after all. Sure, I donned a raincoat the day the Pope was in town, but this was the first day I truly needed to wear a coat for warmth, the first day that I felt ... More About: Naples , Feeling , Fall
7 Random Facts About Me
2007-11-10 18:50:00 Professor J tagged me yesterday to post 7 Random Facts about myself. So, without further ado, here you go: I have an extra bone in my left foot. Am I evolving, or merely another mutant? You decide. A sleazy janitor tried to kidnap my friend and I when we were 9 years old. We escaped by running ... More About: Port Townsend
Who?s on first (a.k.a. Tagged by Professor J.)
2007-11-09 21:05:00 ‘Farfallina?s the one in Rome, right?? ?No,’ I told Angelo. ‘Farfallina was attending medical school in Italy, but returned to take care of her niece because the little girl?s parents were in Iraq.? ?So who?s in Rome?? ?Shelly and Jessica.? ?I thought Shelly was in Calabria.? ?No,’ I laughed. ‘You?re thinking of Michelle.? ?Is she the one from Washington State?? ?That would ... More About: Tagged , Fess
Easy Gift Idea: Make Your Own Refrigerator Magnets
2007-11-08 17:37:00 Looking for an easy gift to make for friends and family this holiday season? Personalized refrigerator magnets are simple and fun to create. Here?s how: Decide who the magnets are for ? a nephew, aunt, friend, etc. Open up a word processor and set the font size to 16. Start writing playful sentences about that person and their ... More About: Magnets , Gift , Idea , Make , Easy
James Watson?s Jungle Fever
2007-11-07 11:29:00 By now you?ve probably heard about the racist comments James Watson recently made. His cringe-worthy remarks more closely resemble the kind of enebriated smacktalk you?d hear in a pick-up bar than the erudite speculations of a Nobel Prize winning geneticist. In addition to stating that blacks are mentally inferior to other races, Watson also claims that ... More About: Jungle , Fever , Jungle Fever
English is my Bitch
2007-11-06 19:22:00 Several years ago, I had the opportunity to live and work in Antwerp, Belgium. Ever the language lover, I did my best to learn Flemish, even though I worked in an English speaking office and most Belgians speak English fluently. My co-worker, Serge, took me under his wing and taught me a lot of Flemish. Most ... More About: Bitch
Stealing Hearts, Buying Hearts
2007-11-05 17:55:00 Ever wondered what it would sound like if Tarzan were disemboweled? Yeah, well, me neither, but I think I have a pretty good idea now. The other night as Angelo and I were drifting off to sleep, we heard a yodeling moan that went on for a good thirty seconds. It was creepy! ?What should we do?? ... More About: Buying , Hearts , Stealing
Right or Left Brain Dominance Detector, or What?
2007-11-04 09:58:00 Supposedly, if you see the dancer in this picture turning clockwise, it means you are right-brain dominant, and if you see the dancer turning counter-clockwise, then your left-brain is in charge. I came across this animated gif last night via Dr. Mercola’s newsletter. I was disappointed, however, when I followed the link he provided as ... More About: Left , Brain , Mina , Domin
American Machismo vs Italian Machismo
2007-11-03 13:55:00 Last year, Angelo and I were watching the Superbowl with my family, when an ad came on featuring country singer, Toby Keith, singing about how he was a, ?Ford truck man.? The ad showed big muddy trucks tearing up roads, while Keith sang about how he was they type of guy who got to work ... More About: Italian , American , Naples , Mach
The Hero?s Journey: Harry Potter vs Star Wars
2007-11-02 19:17:00 I-found the above image at this site while going through my bookmarks today. I’ve read my share of Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung, but this image really cuts to the chase, doesn’t it? There’s actually a lot of interesting information at that website. They even seem to be selling something, but you know what? I realized ... More About: Harry Potter , Star Wars , Journey , Wars , Star
Is there a Patron Saint for NaNoWriMo and NaBloPoMo?
More articles from this author:2007-11-01 10:36:00 It?s All Saint s Day, and while they don?t give a hoot about Halloween, nearly every Italian has today off. So I asked Angelo if there are any special celebrations. ?It depends how Catholic you are,? he told me. ?You either go to church, or you simply enjoy your day off.? Angelo and his family fall into ... More About: Patron 1, 2, 3, 4 |
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