sunday scribblings: chronicles
We’ll get there eventually, but let’s link arms and walk together for a moment.
When I first saw that “chronicles” was the prompt of Sunday Scribblings this week, I wondered what in the heck I’d write about.
I first thought of The Chronicle, a large part of my daily life many moons ago during college. I never worked on the paper, although looking back, I wish I would have, so I could’ve written about that internal struggle–not having the confidence to pursue writing earlier. Eh. Another time.
Then I thought fictionally, and imagined a middle-aged woman cleaning out her deceased father’s apartment with whom she never had a close relationship–figuring out what to keep so as to chronicle his life for the next generation when she, in fact, had no idea what kind of life he had. But then I realized that I scribbled about death last week, and also wrote about my deceased grandmother a few days ago, and well, I’m just about deathed out.
So then this morning I went up to the piazza for my morning cappuccino and was greeted with this scene:
And I thought about writing of this woman chronicling her life through the items she makes. In years past, it was very common here for a young signorina to make all of her own linens for her house, embroidering and whatnot. I imagine that as time goes on, many women crafted more things with their hands–scarves, blankets, linens for children–that if taken together would chronicle a given woman’s life. But this would end up being about death too, wouldn’t it? So let’s call these my photos for “chronicles.”
So I’m thinking there are just so many different ways to chronicle a life, which led me to this:
I’ve always loved writing. Yes, composing, but I’m talking about the physical act of putting ink to paper and forming letters, then words. I used to play with my handwriting all the time, often copying the style of a favorite teacher, making the M in my signature all different ways. One of my favorite M’s was stolen from a framed picture in my room that had my name written in cursive and proclaimed what little girls are made of.
I used to love writing so much that one day when I found my mom’s handwritten notes from nurses’ training, I decided to write them over. I was probably about 10 years old, so of course I had no idea what anything meant, but that didn’t matter. I loved writing, and so I got my looseleaf and favorite pens and went to work.
I remember struggling to read my mom’s handwriting, an odd mix of cursive and printing–so not allowed in a structured 10-year-old’s mind. “What’s this Mom?” must’ve driven her crazy. I don’t know how many pages I ended up copying (I’m guessing not many because I bore quickly), but I do remember imagining myself in a big room, surrounded by other people my age, furiously scribbling as a talking head in the front used a lot of words with many syllables.
Yeah, I was a geek, so I actually fantasized about being in school, but more than that, I see now that I was channeling a part of my mom’s life that I’d never be able to experience. I was able to sit there with her, writing words I wouldn’t understand for another 10 years. All because she didn’t chuck her notes.
Fast forward many years, and you know what? I, too, still have all my notes from college and law school. And perhaps I flatter myself to think that someday, someone might be so inclined to recopy them just to feel closer to me, but for what it’s worth, they’re there. I went three-hole punch happy and man, what a chronicle of that stage in my life I’ve made.
I have journals, letters, and scrapbooks from those years as well, but the academic experience was undeniably a big part of my development too. Who knows what was occupying my thoughts as I learned about evolution, the development of the prison system, Tennyson, Whitman, Yeats? Granted it was most likely Cute English Boy, but I could’ve had an interesting thought here and there. Maybe.
Someday, if I’m so inclined, I can find out. And so can future generations, if I manage to keep track of everything. And as an added bonus, we can even trace the development of my handwriting, which if you’re curious, has ended up looking a lot like my mom’s weird mix of cursive and printing.
I still do that M from the picture though.
————-
[tags]sunday scribblings, chronicles, handwriting, old notes[/tags]
fancying up the donkey
In response to yesterday’s post, one of my favorite bloggers, The Other Girl, has gone on the record as wanting donkey (or small goat as the case may be) rings on her dream home.
Now TOG (we’re t h i s c l o s e , so I can call her that) is a girl with some major coglioni, but I realize that some of you out there just may be too shy to admit your desire for The Rings–this post is for all of you as well.
Below you will find the proper installation of said gadgets lest you be the laughing stock of your neighborhood because of some half-assed hook ups.
Context people. You know what I mean.
See them there on either side of the door? These people thought ahead and smartly planned for more than one donkey; you’d be well-advised to do the same as I think you’ll find that one ass is hardly ever enough.
Plus I hear that symmetry is in this year.
————–
[tags]donkeys, donkey rings[/tags]
yes, another meme
You know, I always did like filling out surveys, so it’s no surprise that I can barely contain myself when I see a good meme.
Yes, folks, here’s another–this time courtesy of Karla at Tales of a Texpatriate. As always, if you want to play, please leave a link to your meme in my comments so I can find you.
1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was your first thought?
I don’t remember looking at myself in the mirror today. Obviously if I did, it wasn’t notable.
2. Do you read while you’re in the bathroom?
Not really in there long enough to even bother to bring anything, so no.
3. What’s a word that rhymes with “fit”?
Skit.
4. Favorite planet?
I’m really fond of the Earth for obvious reasons, but I’ve always been partial to Venus as well.
5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list?
P, and that’s because he gives me un squillo when he’s out and about so I can call him from the home phone (much cheaper). Fellow Italian residents, I know you hear me on this one.
6. What is your favorite ring on your phone?
I don’t have anything special, but I do like the tango one.
7. What shirt are you wearing?
Two actually. A long sleeve v-neck in navy blue (3 euro at the local market) and my weekend hoodie (5 euro at the market). Bonus info: the matching pants were also 5 euro. I’m a big spender.
8. What were you doing 20 minutes ago?
Washing dishes.
9. Name the brand of shoes you’re currently wearing?
Some sort of Ugg-like slippers from Australia that P’s aunt sent our way. Comfy as all get out.
10. Bright or Dark Rooms?
Bright if I’m doing something that requires light; dark if I’m doing something that requires dark. I’ll leave it at that.
11. What do you think about the person who posted this survey?
I’m enjoying getting to know her through reading her blog.
12. If you’re in a room with two beds, which one do you sleep in?
The one farthest from the door.
13. What were you doing at exactly midnight last night?
Watching the end of an episode of Lost (Season 2–the one where Locke refuses to press the button so Desmond breaks out the Safety Key).
14. What was your last text message you received on your cell?
Last night from a woman for whom I translated a power point project; I sent her an email but forgot to attach the translation. Duh.
15. How do you like your eggs?
Any which way really, including in purgatory (speaking of Lost…).
16. What’s a word/phrase that you say a lot?
Stereotypical but “Mamma mia!” And also to Luna, “Vuoi uscire?” (Do you want to go out?)
17. Who told you he/she loved you last?
P, this morning.
18. Last furry thing you touched?
Luna balloona.
19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days?
If vitamins count, 3. Otherwise, none.
20. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?
Even though it’s all digital now, I do have about 5 really old rolls of film that I should get developed before all color is lost.
21. Favorite age you have been so far?
I always thought 24 would be cool, and then it was just OK. I guess I kinda like wherever I am at any given moment.
22. Your worst enemy?
Personally? Can’t think of any. I’m a non-confrontational Libra after all.
23. What wallpaper do you have on your desktop?
The close-up of Luna from this post in block formation (there are 4 of her).
24. What was the last thing you said to someone….
Va bene.
25. If you had to choose between a million dollars or to be able to fly?
You know I’ve never had a flying dream that I can remember? I had one where I sort of hopped from roof to roof, but that’s as close as I’ve gotten. Ahem, gimme the cash.
26. Do you like someone?
I like most people most of the time. Mostly.
27. If you could punch one person in the face, who would it be?
I don’t want to be investigated by the FBI or anything, so I’ll plead the Fifth.
28. What is the closest object to your left foot?
My bag of teaching materials.
29. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be.
I’d like to be able to eat whatever I want and not gain weight or, more importantly, health problems.
30. If one thing about you could always remain the same, what would it be.
My ability to roll with the punches; humor is often involved.
————–
[tags]memes[/tags]
village games
I moved here three and a half years ago, but I still haven’t discovered even half of the gorgeous, unique, and interesting nooks and crannies of the village.
How can I be so sure?
Well, every time I find something simply amazing, P nods politely and tells me exactly where it is I’m talking about.
He rather enjoys bragging about how well he knows his medieval village. And know it he does–understandable as he has lived here all of his 28 years. Plus he’s a guy, so you know that most of those years were spent exploring the most obscure and likely dangerous spots.
So I’m taking him to task, calling his bluff, and pulling out every other cliché in the book (hah!) as we institute a little game I like to call “Dove cazzo è?” The clean version would be “Where the heck is it?” and it works like this:
(1) I roam the village taking random shots of things.
(2) He has to tell me where I’ve found them–all of them.
(3) Loser cooks dinner and cleans up afterwards.
Here are this round’s pictures:
This is not one of the famed door knockers as you might think. It’s actually a fancy place to hook up your donkey outside the house. This was the easiest of the photos, as it’s not too far from P’s house.
But then I turned up the heat:
A random orange in a random tree. Somewhere. Right? How could one pinpoint it?
Close-up of a door. In a tiny alley. A good distance from where we live.
So? How’d we do?
Tonight I’m making that artichoke dish from last week’s What’s Cooking Wednesday if anyone would like to join us. I’ll even let you dry the dishes. (But not put away the silverware.)
And then we’ll go out and find much more challenging pictures.
Just wanted to give him a false sense of security for the first go-around.
————
[tags] calabria, donkey rings, oranges, life in calabria, wooden doors, wood[/tags]
where were you?
Saw this meme over at ViVi’s Dispatches from France this morning and figured now is as good a time as any to record these memories.
If any of you would like to play, let me know you’re doing so in my comments, please.
And if you’re American, in particular, also let me know where you were when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. I was watching live in my 4th grade class room, but about 30 seconds after it happened, the TV was shut off, and I don’t remember discussing any more about it until the next day. I later did a spectacular book report on the “Heroes of the Challenger” (forget author), but, to be honest, the whole thing really did sort of crush my astronaut dreams (the price of Space Camp was also involved).
Now the meme:
1) Where were you when Armstrong first walked on the Moon?
My brother, who is six years older than me, wasn’t conceived yet, so I was less than a glimmer in anyone’s eye. But I’ve seen the footage many times. And it’s real, dammit!
2) Where were you when you heard Princess Di had died?
I was moving into my dorm for my last year of college. One of the first things we had done was hook up the TV to see if the cable worked. At that point, they were only reporting that she had been in a car accident; I think they reported that she had died a few hours (if that) later, but I can’t say as though I remember that moment specifically. I never got the Princess Di thing, sorry.
3) Where were you on New Year’s Eve of 1999/2000?
I have no idea, and I’m pretty sure it’s not because I was just that drunk. If I had my old journals with me, I could probably track me down, but apparently the whole Y2K thing really didn’t make much of a difference in my life. If anyone out there spent that New Year’s Eve with me, please let me know. Goodness that sounds pathetic, but really, New Year’s Eve has never been a big deal for me–being single your whole life can do that, I suppose–so they all kinda blend.
4) Where were you on Sept. 11, 2001?
Oh, for this one, I got details.
I was at work on the 28th floor of a Philadelphia building with a great view of the airport and located a few blocks from City Hall, a little further from Independence Hall, the federal courthouse, and the Liberty Bell, but still within striking distance, so to speak.
I was doing my usual run through the Internet before settling into work when around 9 a.m., I saw on Msnbc.com that a plane had hit the WTC. I kept reloading the page for more info, thinking it was just a crazy accident, until news of the second plane came in through one of our secretaries who had been listening to the radio.
By that point, we knew it was a terrorist attack, and we all crowded around the radio for up to date news—the Internet pages were too overloaded with traffic to get more from there. I kept going back into my office to check anyway, and boy was it weird to see no planes, air traffic having been grounded.
Finally around 11.30 a.m., after we heard about the Pentagon and the crash in PA, our boss told us we could go home. I had to walk from Center City to my house (about a half hour on a normal day) because the traffic was wall to wall on the way home. I remember thinking “Just get me out of Center City” because at that point, no one knew if there were more planes heading for East Coast landmarks.
It took me about an hour to get home dodging in and out of cars. I still remember the suit I was wearing that day; even though it had been one of my favorites, I never wore it again.
My roommate got home just after I did, and we sat in front of the television the entire rest of that day—stopping only to be freaked out by very low-flying jets that speeded over our house, shaking it from top to bottom.
5) Where were you when you first heard about the big 2004 Tsunami?
Here in my house in Italy. I had just gotten into the habit of watching BBC World, so like any other day, I got up in the morning and turned on the news. What I saw was and still is indescribable.
6) Where were you when you first heard that Madonna would go on tour last year?
I guess I was here in Italy since I was here all last year, but I can’t say that I even knew she was going on tour—until she did that whole Crucifix thing in Rome, of course.
————–
[tags]where were you meme, memes, where were you, space shuttle challenger, 9/11, tsunami, princess diana, madonna[/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.
Calabria Guidebook
Recipes
