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
True Spooks ? Share Your Ghost Story - The Blog Carnival
2007-10-31 10:44:00 Happy Halloween! Welcome to the ‘True Spooks … Share Your Ghost Story ’ Blog Carnival . Do you believe in ghosts? Or do you think all strange occurrences can be explained by other means? The following are true stories from fellow bloggers about encounters they had with what they feel to be ghostly presences. Our first blog carnival entry comes ...
True Spooks Blog Carnival entry: The Goat Lady
2007-10-31 09:47:00 Happy Halloween, everybody! Here is my entry for the ‘True Spooks … Share Your Ghost Story’ Blog Carnival . Enjoy! These events took place a few years ago while I was living in Port Townsend, Washington in a rental house that we came to discover was inhabited by a friendly entity: The first time we visited the house, ... More About: Lady , Blog Carnival
Victorian Ghost Photo in Port Townsend, WA (as seen on Coast to Coast AM wi
2007-10-29 09:52:00 I’m excited to report that the above photo is currently on the front page of Coast to Coast AM with George Noory. Coast to Coast is a fun late-night (well, morning here in Italy!)call-in radio show when you’re in the mood for the mysterious (and I always am.) Topics run the gamut from UFO’s, ghosts, EVP’s, ... More About: Photo , Ghost , Port , Townsend
Blog Carnival: True Spooks ? Share Your Ghost Story
2007-10-23 16:41:00 On Halloween this year I will be hosting my first Blog Carnival , called ‘True Spooks … Share Your Ghost Story .’ Have you ever seen, heard, or otherwise experienced what you think was a ghost? Well, here’s a place to share the details of your true encounter with others. If you have a blog, and would like to ...
Pope Benedict is in Naples Today
2007-10-21 13:04:00 As-I-considered whether or not to venture out today, I remembered my Uncle Edward. Now, Uncle Edward is not truly my uncle. As is often the case on my mom’s side of the family, relatives are just referred to as ‘aunt’ or ‘uncle’ regardless of their true relationship to you. My ‘Crazy Auntie Joyce’ and ?Aunt ... More About: Today , Pope , Naples , Benedict , Pope Benedict
Rebif: Weeks 3 - 6
2007-10-20 22:25:00 A-couple weeks ago, Angelo had a follow-up appointment with his neurologist to see how things were going with the Rebif treatment. A doctor strolled past as we waited in the hallway, and when his cell phone rang, the two of us started giggling, because his ringtone was (I kid you not) ?Live and Let Die.? ?Lovely,? ... More About: Weeks
Learning Italian from Comic Books
2007-10-15 16:14:00 The first time I used Angelo?s bathroom, I noticed that like many folks, he keeps a supply of reading material there. In addition to the New Yorker and Time, however, he had a stack of Italian comic books, with titles like Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and someone called Martin Mystere. I figured they were just leftovers ... More About: Comic , Books , Comic Books , Comic-books
Why Dogs Don?t Need the Heimlich Maneuver
2007-09-28 03:01:00 Angelo?s nephew is eighteen-months-old. At this point, the little guy understands a lot of Italian , but he can?t yet say much (kinda like me.) His vocabulary consists primarily of: ba, bama, and mamma. (I swear he said, ?Obama? once, although it?s a little early to know his political leanings.) Like any baby, Andrea does not ... More About: Dogs
Italian Cops: Who loves a man in a uniform?
2007-09-26 17:19:00 If you love a man (or woman) in a uniform, Italy is the place for you. Italy doesn?t just have cops, it has a variety of cops, all of whom are armed to the teeth and sport snappy outfits, cool sunglasses, deep tans and trim physiques. (Really, with so many different outfits to choose from, ... More About: Italian , Uniform , Cops , Naples , A Man
Rebif: Weeks One & Two
2007-09-23 21:36:00 Angelo has been taking Rebif for two weeks now. It’s too early to know if it’s helping; this stage is all about his body adjusting to the drug. While the jury is still out, the results can be classified as a very cautious: so far, so good. The week prior to starting Rebif, Angelo’s emotions were ... More About: Weeks
Food for Thought in Naples, Italy
2007-09-17 15:48:00 I write a guide about Naples for easyJet inflight magazine now, and every month when I gather the necessary information, I fall a little more in love with this intriguing city. There are so many layers of history everywhere you turn in Naples; the Greeks, Turks, Persians, French, and Spaniards have all left their mark. While ... More About: Food , Italy , Thought
Italian customer service . . . Not!
2007-09-13 18:53:00 � I have discovered a new oxymoron: Italian customer service. This applies, at least, to our internet provider. Our connectivity in Naples has never been great, but for the past month or so, it has been completely unreliable. Angelo has called the company dozens of times, but he rarely gets a human. When he does, they say ... More About: Customer Service , Service , Customer
Multiple Sclerosis: One Step at a Time
2007-09-12 22:13:00 Obviously, there are things I haven?t mentioned on this blog. The fact that my fiance has multiple sclerosis is one of them, and yet it?s a big part of our life together. I didn?t even know Angelo had MS until we?d known each other several months. We met online, you see, and our connection started there. ... More About: Time , Step , Multiple Sclerosis
Baffling Bafognia in Naples, Italy
2007-09-04 19:05:00 The other day, it was cloudy and gray when we got up. ?No need for the air conditioner!? I proclaimed. Being from the Pacific Northwest (or ?North-wet? as some say) I am used to cloudy, gray days and, to me, they imply cool weather. So imagine my shock, when upon flinging the balcony doors open, ... More About: Italy , Italian , Naples
Learning Neapolitan Dialect: Henry Higgins? Evil Twin
2007-08-27 15:36:00 I sometimes feel like I?m living an inverse ?My Fair Lady,? with Angelo as Henry Higgins ? evil twin, because instead of making me more refined, Angelo delights in teaching me insulting phrases in the Neapolitan dialect. He even has a reason for this. You see, soccer, err, football, I mean, calcio season is starting, and Angelo ... More About: Evil , Learning , Twin
Trash in Mondragone, Italy
2007-08-03 10:42:00 I-didn’t find anything particularly progressive or sexy about the all the trash lining the streets of Mondragone last weekend. Mondragone is a quaint seaside village with a thick layer of sleaze smeared over it’s natural surroundings. Mondragone is all about the phrase ‘it could be’ because it could be so cute. Instead of being cute, however, it’s more like Charlize Theron in her portrayal of the serial killer in “Monster.” You know, as you watch the film, that Ms. Theron is gorgeous, and yet there she is on the silver screen all pock-marked and sporting cellulite. Well, that’s Mondragone, for ya. You know, as you drive through it, that the beaches there are lovely, but all you see is trash, hookers and sleazy motels. So much potential gone to waste. It’s enough to make you stop off at Comas Sweets & Company to drown your sorrows in baked goods. More About: Italy , Dragon , Trash , Drago
A Passeggiata in San Marco di Castellabate
2007-07-26 15:35:00 Arched walkways and narrow, winding streets make San Marco di Castellabate ideal for a game of hide and seek. Because of this, I had to be careful not to lose sight of my companions every time I stopped to take a photograph. To-be-honest, I didn?t even realize we were going to town that evening. Our host ... More About: Abate , Stella
A Passagiata in San Marco di Castellabate
2007-07-26 15:35:00 Arched walkways and narrow, winding streets make San Marco di Castellabate ideal for a game of hide and seek. Because of this, I had to be careful not to lose sight of my companions every time I stopped to take a photograph. To-be-honest, I didn?t even realize we were going to town that evening. Our host ... More About: Abate , Stella
Religious Procession in Naples, Italy
2007-07-23 17:58:00 Marching bands are always loud, but the one we heard yesterday evening was deafening. When Angelo and I stepped out onto the balcony to see what all the commotion was, we discovered a religious procession winding its way through the narrow passages of the Spanish Quarter here in Naples . Angelo just shrugged when I asked ... More About: Italy , Procession , Process , Religious
Wildfires in Southern Italy: The Burning Question
2007-07-20 14:32:00 Sognatrice inadvertently helped me with a little mischief last weekend. Angelo and I were relaxing on the patio, enjoying the shade, when an orange and red plane flew over. ?What?s that?? Angelo asked our host. ?It?s a Canadese,? I replied in Italian, acting as if this was something I?d known my ... More About: Question , Italy , Burning , Southern , Wildfires
San Marco di Castellabate: Countryside
2007-07-18 20:44:00 Last weekend, Paolo and Rosaria (old family friends of Angelo’s) graciously invited us to spend the weekend with them at their country home in San Marco di Castellabate. The chapped terrain of the San Marco di Castellabate countryside is punctuated with cactus, tall grasses, Queen Anne?s lace and brilliant red hibiscus flowers. The hibiscus blossoms follow ... More About: Ella , Abate , Stella
San Marco di Castellabate
2007-07-13 13:00:00 We’re heading to San Marc o di Caste llabate today, which is a couple hours south of us here in Naples. We’re taking the fancy camera, so you can expect some image-laden posts when we return. Angelo’s mom clarified a couple of things regarding the corno in the previous post. First off, the red thing at the ... More About: Ella , Marco , Abate
Italian Superstitions & Rapping Nuns
2007-07-13 09:15:00 In honor of Friday the 13th, today I’m blogging about Italian superstitions. Angelo has said many times that while Italians are generally superstitious, Neapolitans are the worst. It even came up on a game show we saw, in which the host teased a contestant for being superstitious and the contestant responded, “What do you ... More About: Ping , Superstitions
Learning Italian: Big Words vs Little Words
2007-07-11 11:24:00 The Italian language is not mine, it is something I borrow to communicate with. It is like a hat that I feel stupid in, despite assurances from others that it looks good on me. Each day, I understand more of what I hear, but when I speak, I pronounce each word with exceeding care, lest it ... More About: Words , Learning , Litt , Earning
Life in Italy: 3 Excellent Blogs
2007-07-09 11:03:00 I spent the weekend surfing. No, not the beautiful waters of Sperlonga, but the Internet. I didn’t get much sun or exercise, but I did find some inspiring blogs about life in Italy : The first site I found is written by Jessica, a woman who moved to Italy from Washington State because she fell in ... More About: Life , Blogs , Logs , Lent
Fireflies, & Lizards & Boars - Oh my!
2007-07-06 11:19:00 A herd of wild boar roams the woods by the country house. I had just learned the word for wild boar, in fact, when I saw what looked like a hairy pig near the front window. ?Cinghiale!? I shouted and ran for the camera. By-the time we got outside the piglets were fleeing as ... More About: Rome , Italy , Napoli , Roma , Lies
Independence Day vs. 4th of July
2007-07-04 11:42:00 The 4th of July us just another day here in Napoli, but a part of me still expects to hear firecrackers. To me, Independence Day means friends, food and fun. I expect watermelon, bbq, and sparklers. Then, as night falls, it?s time to huddle under blankets, swat a few mosquitos, and watch ... More About: Independence Day , Epen
The Fine Art of Jaywalking & Talking in the Street
2007-07-02 17:01:00 The Italian word for ?pigeon? is ?colombo,? which makes me think that if they could speak they would sound just like Peter Falk. Like any city, Napoli has it?s share of these oft-vilified birds. ?Rats with wings, ? people scoff, ?spreading disease!? To which I counter that, while I?ve never caught a cold from a ... More About: Fine Art , Street , Talking , Walk , Fine
Taste Me Up!
2007-06-30 18:24:00 There?s a little shop across the street (and by ‘across the street’ I mean it?s maybe 6 feet away from the apartment) This shop sells “Freelers” brand chips and “Taste Me Up!” is their slogan, although it sounds more like a snazzy pop tune by some boy-band to me. I?ve noticed a lot of people wearing ...
The Italian word for ?mozzarella?
More articles from this author:2007-06-24 18:36:00 Several people have emailed and asked, ?Are you fluent in Italian yet?? To which I think, ?Mamma mia! Aspetta un?attimo!? Actually, I think, ?Thanks for your confidence in me, but I wish!? (As an aside, they really do say ?mamma mia? over here - a lot!) Angelo says my Italian is improving every day, but ... More About: Word , Ella 1, 2, 3, 4 |
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