Archive for 2008
philadelphia going to the birds
Last week, a high school in my former adopted city of Philadelphia was closed for a day while personnel cleaned up after 85 Rhode Island Reds.
For the fowly-challenged, those are hens.
On Sunday, February 10 around 9:30 p.m., four unidentified males entered Northeast Philadelphia High School and let the birds loose, supplying them with plenty of chicken feed throughout the hall. For some reason, no alarm sounded upon their entrance and the hens weren’t discovered until hours later when the “school building engineer” showed up for work.
Can you imagine that guy’s face?
School was, not surprisingly, canceled that day, and the incident is under investigation by the Philadelphia School District, the Philadelphia police, and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
Students returned to the bird-free zone the following day. Here’s one them, senior Laura Weiszer, with a t-shirt commemorating the hen invasion:
“I’m into chickens ya’ll” is what’s written on there.
As for the hens, they were taken to nearby Fox Chase Farm. Sorry, but I can’t help wondering about the wisdom of letting the hens in the foxhouse. Hah!
The Philadelphia School District has two farms and will keep some of whatever hens aren’t claimed by their rightful owners.
I have to admit that I thought this was all pretty funny when I read it–especially after I was assured that the pranksters left food for the hens.
Even school officials saw the humor; in reference to the fines that those responsible will have to pay, district spokesman Fernando Gallard said, “It’s not going to be chicken scratch.”
See, if this happened in Italy, all the hen droppers would need to do is come up with a motive behind the “protest” and they wouldn’t have to pay anything.
And really, wasn’t this *so* much more inventive than simply throwing some balls down the Spanish Steps?
A whole lot messier though.
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[tags]philadelphia, hens, rhode island reds, northeast philadelphia high school, fox chase farm[/tags]
surviving long distance relationships: guest blogger cherrye’s call for stories
In addition to the 1st of the Month Featured Bloggers, another one of my fancy ideas for the new and improved Bleeding Espresso is to invite someone to come in and guest post on the 15th of every month.
There won’t be many guidelines for my guests–see I’m not a control freak no matter what anyone says–so if you’re interested in posting here, do leave a comment or drop me a line.
You don’t even have to have a blog to guest post, by the way, so send in your idea! Don’t be shy!
The first guest blogger is my fellow American in Calabria who you’ve heard about before, Cherrye of My Bella Vita.
If you haven’t visited Cherrye at her place yet, you should as she’s always good for an enlightening, entertaining story about her Calabrian husband, her oh-so-Calabrian father-in-law, their bed and breakfast, the building of their house, or sometimes, when we’re really lucky, her adorable nephew Cole or small friend of the family Mario (son of Antonino).
I can assure you that Cherrye’s just as funny and lovely and genuine in person, so if you’re ever in southern Italy, you should also think about booking a room at the newly renovated Il Cedro Bed & Breakfast in Catanzaro.
And now here’s Cherrye, keeping with our love theme this week:
A lot has been written about passion, romance, and the quest for true love. So much, in fact, that I hesitate to write this at all. I’ve shared our story, and truth be told, to see it through someone else’s eyes, I do, indeed, see the fairytale.
A tall, dark, handsome knight rushes in to rescue the fair maiden from a life of total hum-drum boredom and her 9-5, bound-for-corporate-hell, day job.
Ah, if it were only that simple. By all outward appearances everything seemed perfect. Two young lovers meet in the City of
The end.
But, life isn’t that simple. Relationships aren’t that simple. Everyone who has even been in love knows this. Relationships are difficult when Boy meets Girl, Boy lives in same city as Girl, Boy speaks same language as Girl, Boy doesn’t have strange, and sometimes impossible to comprehend non-verbal cues that confuse Girl…need I go on?
Now, multiply those difficulties by
Lost in Translation was not just a movie to me. It was my life. And, like all good girls trying to survive a long distance relationship, I called in reinforcements. Many of my “why-is-he-doing-this-let-us-over-analyze-together-or-die” sessions with my girlfriends went the same way.
“Is it because he is a boy?”
“Is it because he is Italian?”
“Is it because (gasp!) something is wrong with us?”
Who knew?
We sure didn’t.
But, we did learn a few things along the way.
So, my question is this:
If relationships truly are hard, which we have established they are, and a couple must commit to working on that relationship day after day, then why did we win the golden ticket?
Many of the problems that arose throughout our five-year relationship were issues ordinary couples see. Sure, we had our jealousies and insecurities, but no more than Same-City Boy and Girl. We argued here and there. Again, no more, no less than the norm. But, we made it.
According to the Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationships (yes…this is a real place!) the average couple in a long distance relationship lives
Whoa!
I’d have thought I was living with the boy if I’d have seen him that often.
I want to talk about loooooooooooong distance relationships. Like I had. Like many of you had. Like some of you still have.
How do you make those work?
And, that, my friends, is where you come in. After some consideration, a small debate, and, yes, I must admit, a wee bit of “the nag,” Peppe and I have decided to write a book.
A book!
Or, rather a His and Hers Survival Guide to Looooong Distance Relationships. And, we need your help.
Send us your stories, your tips, and your techniques on how to have a successful long distance relationship.
Tell us how far you were. How far you came. How you made it.
Heck! Even if you weren’t in a long distance relationship, send in your ideas and tips for comparison value. Ask your other, notice I did not say better, halves.
While the book is still in the early stages, we know there is a void of this information in the marketplace. I know. I looked. I look forward to hearing from you!
Please send all inquiries, stories, ideas, and tips to:
mybellavita[dot]cicina[at]gmail[dot]com
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[tags]long distance relationships, center for the study of long distance relationships, call for stories, italy, calabria[/tags]
The Heart As Symbol for Love and Valentine’s Day
Ever wonder how the heart became a symbol for love and especially for Valentine’s Day? Well here you go.
Read on...
The Perfect Valentine’s Day Dessert: Chocolate & Peperoncino Mousse
If you’ve never had spicy chocolate, let me assure you that you don’t actually taste the hot pepper–it just gives the chocolate an extra zing, something that tickles your tongue after the rich chocolate taste has passed.
Read on...expat countdown meme
My fellow American in Calabria, Cherrye of My Bella Vita, did this meme a looooong time ago, but I’m just getting around to it.
She got it from Expat Travels: From Switzerland to Canada (where I saw it as well) who got it from The CanadianSwiss Blog…and as I’ve been promising Diane of Martinis for Two that I’d talk a bit more about my expat feelings, I figured now was as good a time as any to do this one.
* Name 5 things you love in your new country:
- Knowing that a neighbor always has something I need–parsley, lemons, tomatoes, gossip (yes, even things I don’t need!).
- The sea, the sea, the beautiful Ionian Sea and the mountains, the mountains, the gorgeous mountains–all from my balcony!
- Fresh, organic food that is readily available and relatively inexpensive.
- Clean, fresh air.
- Not having to worry about health insurance.
* Name 4 things that you miss from your native country:
- My family and friends, of course.
- Ethnic food of any kind other than Italian/Calabrian.
- Jeans that I like and that fit me well.
- American sports, especially watching my Duke Blue Devils this time of year (and especially *especially* when they beat Carolina).
* Name 3 things that annoy you a bit (or much) in your new country:
- Silvio Berlusconi.
- The pathetic salaries in sharp contrast to the high cost of living.
- Did I mention Berlusconi?
* Name 2 things that surprise you (or have surprised you in the beginning) in your new country:
- How difficult it has been to get to know Italian women as friends.
- The entire Italian education system, including how long it takes many to get through university.
* Name 1 thing that you would terribly miss in your new country, if you had to leave it.
- Well, P of course, but also the Italian language. I’m not sure I could do without it anymore. I came here knowing nothing, but now I’m addicted.
Fellow expats, do play along!
But hey, even if you’ve moved from one place to another within the same country, I’d be interested to read your answers to this meme–sometimes moving within a country can feel just as foreign as hopping the pond.
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[tags]expats, italy, expats in italy, memes[/tags]
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
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