Prom, Italian Style

Sarah went off to her first prom Friday night. Sigh.

Thoughts?

My, little miss I cannot be bothered to dress neatly to go to school showed up looking like a glamourous flapper straight from the roaring 20s complete with feathers in her hair. I bet she turned a few heads. Sarah - Sarah who? I think, from listening to the playback, our comfortable little world that did not include boys has been put up on the shelf for us to long wistfully over and the time has come for Sam to brush up on his shotgun skills.

That sums it up quite nicely. Atta girls Sarah. You were the Bee's knees and it is none of our beeswax if any boy cashed in.....


Cheers!

Update

Finally, after over of week of radio silence - yes, my lack of blogging was because we were off the information super highway thanks to Telecom Italia updating the "centro linea" and throwing us off the grid. For an unbelievable 5 days we had no dial tone! Then, when we finally got back on  "the centro linea" our internet provider's inability to sort out the mess was, well, enough for me to dream of the efficiency of AT&T and the love of ol' Mabell. But, mysteriously, amazingly, after Sam threatened to cancel our contract with our internet service provider - Tiscali - our adsl signal is back. Hmmm. Strange, no?

Lessons learned from our week of phone ping pong trying to sort this mess out:

• Always have a back up internet service if you have a home office and a blackberry is a mighty communication tool.

• We are all, Sarah, Anna,  and especially me - internet addicts. 10 days of no email, facebook, messenger, Drudge Report, and Perez Hilton! We were at each other's throats, withdrawal anyone?
• Threats work, really work.
  

Right, so what have we been up to for the last few weeks? Without internet, it is amazing, but life does go on!

The biggest "happening" was last Sunday. Anna celebrated her confirmation into the Catholic faith. The church was packed and Anna glowed. She wore heels for the first time and towered over us all. My baby, well, she is gone. 

After the ceremony Anna chose to have her party at the beach. On a perfect spring/summerlike day, 
we headed to Luna blu for lunch and a swim with friends. Perfect end to a perfect day!

Krista

Marcia di Chiavari

Ian, Jan and Sam after the Marci di Chiavari. 12 gruelling kilometers of jogging up and then down into Chiavari. Real sport for real men.

Feeling a bit peckish after that, Sam Sarah and I headed off into the hills of Santa Stefano d'Avento for a hearty lunch at one of those places that after you sit down, the food just appears... and never stops coming.Gotta love the senile old lady serving the food - sweet and complete with pink stockings! As she exited the kitchen, she just shouted the name of the dish and we pointed to where it belonged. Priceless. Then, after eating way too much pasta, polenta, scaloppina, fries - even dessert, for little money, we pushed ourselves from the table and hiked to a secluded "prato" with a stream and laid down a blanket. A little light reading then a little light napping...
and we were golden!

Hey There Birthday Girl!

Quick post for my baby.....

I love you!

Happy Birthday my princess.

Mom

Easter, Italian Style

How is that for catching up....

Christopher Columbus Was...

and evil man... according to Hugo Chavez it seems, and well, he is taking down Mr. Columbus's statues one by one.  

It also seems to be the view  of a very  popular American History textbook, "The People's History of the United States". But, let's not go there tonight.

Ah... how times have changed.... When I was in school we learned this rhyme....

IN 1492

In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

He had three ships and left from Spain;
He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.

He sailed by night; he sailed by day;
He used the stars to find his way.

A compass also helped him know
How to find the way to go.

Ninety sailors were on board;
Some men worked while others snored.

Then the workers went to sleep;
And others watched the ocean deep.

Day after day they looked for land;
They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand.

October 12 their dream came true,
You never saw a happier crew!

"Indians!  Indians!"  Columbus cried;
His heart was filled with joyful pride.

But "India" the land was not;
It was the Bahamas, and it was hot.

The Arakawa natives were very nice;
They gave the sailors food and spice.

Columbus sailed on to find some gold
To bring back home, as he'd been told.

He made the trip again and again,
Trading gold to bring to Spain.

The first American?  No, not quite.
But Columbus was brave, and he was bright.

Now it seems the Italians, especially the Genoese brood, are not so impressed with Mr. Chavez'.

'Invader' Columbus statue goes - Scotsman.com News

Published Date: 28 March 2009

VENEZUELAN President Hugo Chavez has praised a decision by a city mayor to take down a statue of explorer Christopher Columbus in Caracas.

Chavez said that when Columbus reached the Americas more than five centuries ago he led an invasion that produced a genocide for the indigenous people.

The Day the Music Died

Raising children is sure not easy.

Anna experienced the harsher side of life yesterday. Yes, she was robbed - of her beloved ipod touch.

So attached was Anna to her digital gizmo, she took it everywhere she went. Everywhere. Even when we told her to leave it at home, she just wouldn't, really what kid could? Yesterday she went to her theater group where, she left her coat, ipod inside a pocket, in the changing room. Upon returning home, she discovered, it was gone. The few euros she had were still inside her pockets and her phone too, but no ipod.

To say I was livid would be to put things mildly. More money down the drain spent on kids that don't value it. Story of my life.

As I am screaming at her, why did you even take it with you when you weren't even going to use it? Why do you show it to your friends? They don't have one, it only makes them jealous... don't you know kids steal!!!!! On and on...

Well, my hysterical drama fell on deaf teenage ears. Anna tore her room apart... bed apart... but, nothing. Her ipod was gone. Someone, obviously a kid from the theater group, which is made up from her classmates, wanted the ipod as badly as Anna did, and when she wasn't looking, helped themselves to it. 

This morning at breakfast, after a fitful night of sleep, for the both of us, I really don't like yelling at the kids, Anna was so sad. Truly disillusioned.  Lost with out her little gadget, but even worse, full of the knowledge that someone she believed was a friend, well, really wasn't. And she will never know who. That was the thought swimming in her head as she headed off to school this morning.

I know Anna didn't leave her ipod with the intention of having it stolen. She actually has taken good care of it. In her mind, I know, she felt she left her coat in a place she could trust. It was hung with the belongings of people she thinks are her friends. But, desire, greed and envy... no matter how good you are and how you know you would never steal from a friend. There is always someone lurking, coveting what you have and if given the opportunity, will take it. What a harsh lesson to learn at 13.

All that said.... 

If you look at the bright side... there has to be.... 

At least I don't need to worry about her damaging her hearing for the moment.