Archive for the ‘me me me’ Category
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.
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[tags]memes[/tags]
quantifying weirdness
Shelley of At Home in Rome modified the famous “Six Weird Things About You” meme into the “Six Weird Things About Your City” meme. I’m an overachiever, so I’ll tag myself with both. Anyone who would like to play along, feel free and then come back and leave a link in my comments so I can find you in all your weirdness.
Let’s start with me:
1. I have neither set foot in a Starbucks nor drunk their coffee. Ever. I don’t have anything against them, but we just never crossed paths before I left the U.S. Now I’m quite proud of this, so I will spend the rest of my life purposefully avoiding that caffeine-pushing Siren out of sheer stubbornness. Lucky for me, in southern Italy, this is quite easy to accomplish. I crack easily when it comes to coffee.
2. I arrange my silverware drawer in a very particular way and get upset if someone goes in there and moves things around. Of course all like items are together in slots, but the most important rule is that the bigger ones face up and the smaller ones face down (talking mostly forks and spoons here). And they are stacked, not willy nilly all over the place. Sharp knives all together *in their sheaths* as I don’t need to be slicing myself reaching into the drawer. The rest of the knives congregate in another slot and wallow in their dullness. Don’t worry, if you’re ever a house guest, I won’t ask you to put away silverware. In fact, I’ll probably ask you not to.
3. I can recite all of the Presidents of the United States in order. Wanna hear? Washington, John Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, John Quincy Adams….OK, I’ll stop. We had to learn this when I was in 11th grade to recite every week to our teacher as a quiz, and what can I say? Some things in my brain just won’t give up their prized positions. On that note, sorry if I forget your name. There’s only so much room up there.
4. I can tie a cherry stem into a knot using only my tongue. This has more value in the real world than most scholastic accomplishments, so, kids, get practicing!
5. I used to have an intense fear of fire, as in fear that my house/apartment would burn down. I can’t say it was irrational because my family’s house did burn down in 1971 (before I was born) and so THE FIRE was always part of our lore. On the other hand, seven years of college and apartment building 3 a.m. fire alarms only fanned the flames, so to speak. I’m getting past it now that I live in a stone house, but the fact that people burn off their land still freaks me out. A lot.
6. I have two different sets of 4 cups each.
The narrow, flowered ones are for coffee and the wider ones are for tea. In the morning, first I choose coffee or tea (usually coffee), then I pick the mug to match my mood and/or my outfit. Yes, my doggie is the only one who sees my morning routine, but this process grounds me. Get it? Coffee? Grounds? I’m here all week folks!
Moving on to the second half, which I’ll call “Six Weird Things About Southern Italy (although some may apply to the entire country).” Now, to be clear, I’m not necessarily complaining, just observing. And remember, this is all from my experience, so if yours differs, do share in the comments:
1. The whole wedding process. This includes but is not limited to: (1) hand-delivering all invitations; (2) inviting 500 of your closest friends; (3) the fact that only women actually enter the church except for the groom, best man, fathers (maybe), altar boys, and priest; (4) as a guest, being expected to give an envelope full of money–anywhere from 150 euro per person on up is the norm; and (5) having to get married in the comune even if you have a church wedding. This last one might or might not be Italy-wide although I’m not sure.
2. Another general Italian thing–milk in boxes, unrefrigerated and on normal shelves. I’m used to it now, but it’s just an odd concept to get used to when you’re used to a big ole plastic container in the refrigerated dairy section.
3. Southern Italians’ proficiency with knives. I don’t know if this is country-wide or not, but man, down here, even children are adept with knives. Maybe part of it is because they peel all their fruit, and I’m not just talking about oranges and lemons (which, incidentally, is also done with a knife). Apples, pears, really anything with a skin. Even potatoes get peeled with a knife as opposed to a potato-peeler.
And if you’re ever in southern Italy up in someone’s campagna, you’re bound to see each and every man pull out his own pocket knife to cut up bread, salami, and cheese. Seriously, this is the go-to utensil, and when it comes right down to it, it is rather hard to argue with the logic; you can poke things/hold them in place like you would with a fork, scoop things like you would with a spoon, and of course cut. Weird but kinda genius.
4. The fascination with the wind. Shelley wrote about how people are always concerning with taking in the wind, you know, getting sick, and yes, this is true here as well, but I’m talking about the actual wind. The scirocco and tramontana are the biggies. At any given moment, someone is ready to tell me that the weather is all due to whatever type of wind blowing, and, for instance, whether or not I should take my laundry off the line because the scirocco is blowing up odd pink ash from Mount Etna that I’ll never get out of my clothes no matter what I try. Weird but kinda cool, actually. I love the wind.
5. Female friendships. I’ll probably get some flack for this one, but I’m going to say it: it’s difficult to form friendships with many Italian women. Some are closed off to the possibility, others have far different interests than your average Western woman, still others are just worried we foreigners are just man-stealers. In their defense on that last one–show of hands! How many expat bloggers are with Italian men? Uh huh.
Anyway, it seems to me that many Italian women just have a different mentality regarding female friendships–that they are formed very early on in life, and after that, it’s tough to break into the circle. Not impossible, especially where there are open-minded, curious Italian women, but difficult nonetheless. Weird and sad.
6. The strict adherence to the coffee routine. By this I mean the fact that coffee may be drunk in the morning, around 10, after lunch, and possibly after dinner. A cappuccino may only be drunk sometime before 10 a.m. as far as I can glean, and never, ever after meals. I know many of us expats have written about this one, but it’s so weird and so prevalent that it bears mentioning yet again.
Come on, share your weirdosity with the world!
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[tags]weird things meme, memes, calabria, italy, life in italy, life in calabria[/tags]
Esther Reed / Brooke Henson Identity Theft Case
Caught this article this morning: Woman steals another’s identity, gets into Ivy League.
Brooke Henson was 20-years-old when she went missing seven years ago. Another girl named Esther Reed has been missing for about the same time. During those seven years, Esther, a high school dropout, took on Brooke’s identity and got into Harvard and Columbia using Brooke’s identity.
To be fair to Esther, though, she took the GED (high school equivalency diploma) and SAT (college admission) tests herself only using Brooke’s identity, so she did earn her university spots for the most part, right?
Esther is now missing again, by the way, now that her two identities have been discovered; let’s hope she’s OK somewhere.
Up until now, I’m following. Mostly.
But then two odd facts stand out in the article for very different reasons:
On the serious tip:
(1) Authorities are investigating Esther’s contacts in two of the United States military academies (Navy in Annapolis, MD and Army at West Point, NY) as well as some international money transfers she’s received.
“Officials want to make sure she’s not a spy.”
Really? That was definitely a turn I wasn’t expecting.
It also says the Army is investigating. Admittedly, I don’t know much about the inner workings of high level government, but why is the Army investigating? Don’t we have, like, a Federal Bureau of Investigation or something for things like this?
And doesn’t this involve potential international terrorism? What exactly does Homeland Security do these days?
All I’m saying is that I’m worried that the Army is being overworked, what with the war and all. Maybe someone else could handle the Ivy League mystery.
And on the not so serious tip:
(2) Esther had a high IQ but poor grades in school, so an English teacher encouraged her to join the speech team. None of this is odd to me. The following sentence from the article, though, is: “Reed won competitions with the speech team, and 10 years later her name is still on plaques at the high school.”
What do you mean still? Are plaques normally plated over to make room for new speech team winners? Or, in the spirit of Everything’s About Me, should I be going back to my high school and making sure my name hasn’t been erased from plaques (assuming it’s on any)?
Spies. International Terrorism. High School Plaque Tampering.
CNN.com can be scary in the morning.
My Birthday Gifts Have Arrived!
Here’s the postmark:
Today is January 18.
My birthday is October 18.
At least the number of the day is right.
Thank you Poste Italiane (and Jenn)!
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[tags]italian postal service, poste italiane, post office, life in italy[/tags]
101 questions answered
As I’m a newcomer to the blogosphere, there are many, many memes (say that five times fast) I’ve missed. Saw this one on Jurgen Nation, a lovely site I happened upon today. Amazing photographer too, that gal. If you haven’t been, do check it out. After you read the incredibly interesting list of Q & A’s below of course.
1. How many keys are on your keychain? Three. My house, P’s house, and P’s parents’ house—Mamma made sure I have this.
2. What curse word do you use the most? Um, honestly, now it’s vaffanculo. I hardly curse at all in English anymore. Not nearly as much fun.
3. Do you own an iPod? Nope. Do you pity me? I’ll take donations. But as long as you’re at it, how about that fancy new iPhone?
4. What time is your alarm clock set for? 6:15. Post-holidays periods are rough adjusting, I tell you.
5. How many suitcases do you own? Too many and they’re all stored under my bed. They do come in handy, though, to store out of season clothes seeing as Italians don’t believe in closets.
6. Do you wear flip–flops even when it’s cold outside? Outside definitely not, but I do use them around the shower/tub area. Kinda like college with all these tile floors (although I have much nicer tiles).
7. Where do you buy your groceries from? From our local grocer Vincenzo and also at the market.
8. Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture? Take. I’m a taker.
9. What was the last movie you watched? The Manchurian Candidate. Two thumbs up and looking forward to getting the book finally, but only because I’ve wanted to read it for a long time. Normally I can’t read a book after I’ve seen a movie based on it, but for this I’d make an exception.
10. Do any of your friends have children? Many of them, yes, and many have more than one.
11. If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy? Plane tickets for either P and me to go to the US or for my family to come here.
12. Has anyone ever called you lazy? Not to my face.
13. Do you ever take medication to help you fall asleep faster? No, falling asleep has never been a problem. It’s the getting up part that frustrates.
14. What CD is currently in your CD player? Maroon 5.
15. Do you prefer regular or chocolate milk? For the most part, regular, unless I’m eating a specialty cheeseburger from, say, The Coney, or a Screamer from Tony’s. That sounds way racier than it is, but it *is* quite spicy.
16. Has anyone told you a secret this week? I’ll never tell.
17. When was the last time someone hit on you? Hmm…probably an unsolicited email a couple months ago, which resulted in my matchmaking the culprit, er, would-be suitor, with my best friend (planning second in-person meeting shortly).
18. What did you have for dinner? Linguine with (white) clam sauce.
19. Do you wear hoodies often? Oh goodness, I just put one on before I started this meme! But it’s the only one I have, I swear. I do wear it quite a bit around the house though. It’s warm and cozy.
20. Can you whistle? Sure can, and so much more than just Dixie.
21. Have you ever participated in a protest? Not that I recall.
22. Who was the last person to call you? Mom.
23. What is your favorite ride at an amusement park? None. I used to work rides at an amusement park and that really ruined it for me. Especially the cleaning up the vomit part.
24. Do you think people talk about you behind your back? In a small southern Italian village? Goodness no!
25. What area code are you in right now? We don’t really do that here. But I guess you could say 0967.
26. Did you watch cartoons as a child? Yes, and I distinctly remembering looking *very* much forward to the Muppet Babies and going down in Fraggle Rock.
27. How big is your local mall? It’s sizeable, but nothing extraordinary.
28. How many siblings do you have? Just one brother.
29. Are you shy around the opposite sex? Not that I’ve noticed.
30. What is your biggest regret? Can’t think of anything off the top of my head, so it must not be very big, whatever it is.
31. When was the last time you laughed so hard your sides hurt? The other day when P called me “baby” in English when he was trying to get my attention. For anyone who doesn’t know, P speaks no English. This is what made it funny. To me anyway.
32. What movie do you know every line to? Top Gun, A Few Good Men, Say Anything, Meet the Parents, Billy Madison, Caddyshack. I’m sure there are others. I’m such a sponge sometimes.
33. Do you own any band t–shirts? OK, I was given one of Piero Pelù, an Italian rock star who has a house and many friends in my village, but I don’t own any of my own volition. I don’t think I ever have.
34. When was your last plane ride? June 2004, the last time I arrived here.
35. How many chairs are at your dining room table? 4, and because of a recent cleaning spree, all four are again useable.
36. Do you read for fun? Yes, and sometimes for torture, depending on the material.
37. Can you speak any languages other than English? I can! Finally! Well, mostly anyway. Hey, I get my point across. Oh, it’s Italian in case you haven’t figured it out. Now I’d like to learn French.
38. Do you do your own dishes? Unfortunately yes.
39. What color is your bedroom painted? Off white for now, but I’d like a subtle yellow.
40. Have you ever cried in public? Hmm. If I have, I’m sure I was wearing sunglasses.
41. Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop? Left the desktop in America with Mom; now I just use a laptop.
42. Which do you make, wishes or plans? Many of both despite the words of a wise man known only as Joe O: Wish in one hand and sh*t in the other; see which gets full first.
43. Are you always trying to learn new things? You could say that. I’m a curious one.
44. Do you shower on a daily basis? One of the best things about living in Europe is that this is *so* not expected. In fact, it’s quite wasteful. Sponging works just fine. And it really helps once you figure out what a bidet is for.
45. Are you currently wanting any piercings or tattoos? Not a one, no.
46. Do you believe that the guy should pay on the first date? I’ll say it: yes, yes I do. And he should open doors, hold them, and let the girl enter a room first as well. Must be that European influence again.
47. Can you skip rocks? It’s happened, but I can’t say a solid “yes” as I’m no pro.
48. Have you ever been to Jamaica? No. No plans either.
49. What to snack on at the movie theaters? From what I remember of movie theaters in the States, my favorites are popcorn, Raisinets, Twizzlers, and a Diet Coke—yes, the “diet” makes it all OK.
50. Who was your favorite teacher? Many for many different reasons, but starting from the earliest influence with names left out to protect the innocent—kindergarten, fourth grade, 8th grade place geography, writing teacher throughout high school, Trigonometry/Algebra II, 11th grade history, Biology III, 12th grade Double English. Then in college, my Virginia Woolf seminar prof, and in law school, my Crim Law II prof.
51. Have you ever dated someone out of your race? No, but I hardly dated period, so there you go. Ooh, but did/do I have boy (space) friends (of various races).
52. What is the weather like? Sunny and cool.
53. Would you ever date someone covered in tattoos? If P and I split up, why not? I’m very impressed by high levels of pain tolerance. That’s right after sense of humor. See Question 57.
54. Do you have an online journal? Only if this blog counts. Otherwise, I handwrite a journal.
55. What was your favorite class in high school? Probably Double English. Or Bio III–mostly for the fruitflies.
56. Do you enjoy traveling via airplanes? Enjoy? No I wouldn’t use that word, but I don’t hate it either.
57. What personality trait is a must–have in your preferred gender? My preferred gender? Oh, like in a mate? Sense of humor.
58. Have you ever been attracted to someone physically unattractive? Hard to say who is objectively physically unattractive. What about Conan O’Brien? Let’s just say I don’t always go for the most traditionally handsome guy if that’s what you’re getting at.
59. When was the last time you slept on the floor? Wow, I’m guessing it’s been years, but I used to do it all the time in my living room. Here, without carpet, it’s not very comfy. Or warm.
60. What is your favorite alcoholic drink? Jack and coke.
61. Does your closest Starbucks have a drive–thru? Hah! We ain’t got those.
62. Do you like your living arrangement? Very much so, but a cleaning lady would be nice.
63. What is your mother’s hometown? Reading, PA. Go Scarlet Knights!
64. How many hours of sleep do you need to function? I’m pretty sure it’s between 7 and 8. I used to function on 6, but, yeah, I’m old now.
65. Do you eat breakfast daily? More often than not.
66. What was the last thing to scare you? My blurry vision this past week.
67. Are your days full and fast–paced? Too funny. I live in southern Italy people.
68. Did you ever get in trouble for talking in class? Uh yeah, and the most recent time was in freaking law school. And I wasn’t even talking. And may that Civil Procedure professor burn in hell (which he’ll probably do even without my recommendation considering that he’s the devil incarnate). No, I don’t hold grudges. Why do you ask?
69. What is your favorite fruit? Oh so many. I don’t think there’s a fruit I don’t like. But, when pressed, I’ll take a banana over all others.
70. Do you pay attention to calories on the back of packages? Not anymore. They’re not so obvious here.
71. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 31. Thanks for bringing that up.
72. Are you picky about spelling and grammar? Guilty, but I’m freer with grammar these days. See my response to Question 61 and my many sentences that end with prepositions. I think that one’s such a pompous rule.
73. Do you believe in life on other planets? I barely belief in life on this one. But, assuming we have life here, yes, I say there’s life elsewhere too.
74. Have you ever been to Six Flags? Never. See Question 23.
75. Who was the last person to piss you off? Oh probably the hiring commission that told me they couldn’t consider my application packet because it arrived a day late after I dragged myself out of bed at 6 a.m. even though I had the flu, made a 45-minute trip, and then waited another hour and a half just to see them.
76. Do you believe that God has a gender? Gender is a social construction, so no. Or else She’s just messing with us all.
77. What was the last thing you ate? A homemade chocolate muffin.
78. Do you get along better with the same or opposite sex? Depends on the people.
79. What did you dress up as for your first Halloween? The first one I remember is Casper the Friendly Ghost—probably because I tripped and got a bloody nose in my plastic, snap-string mask. But I’ve seen a picture of myself as Strawberry Shortcake, and I think I was younger in that one, so I’m going with her.
80. How did your parents pick your name? My mom chose it; Dad got to pick my brother’s (he’s named after Dad), so that was the deal. She was actually going to call me Melissa, but we had a dog named Missy at the time. My mother was always so smart and forward-thinking.
81. Do you like mustard? Goodness yes. French’s is best for ham and cheese sandwiches; spicy mustard (the spicier the better) with cheeses and Philly pretzels. I don’t, however, like ketchup and mustard mixed except on a McDonald’s cheeseburger, and only then just because I’m too lazy and too distrusting to request no mustard. I’m always afraid they’ll just give me the thing plain then. Oh, and this crap “senape” they have in Italy is just that–crap. You could say I have strong opinions on mustard.
82. What do you tell yourself when times get hard? Suck it up.
83. Would you ever sky dive? If pushed.
84. Do you sleep on your side, tummy, or back? Yes.
85. What character from a movie most reminds you of yourself? Meg Ryan’s character in “You’ve Got Mail” but that may be just because I want her apartment and children’s bookstore. And her hair, although I’d probably never cut mine that short.
86. Have you ever bid for something on ebay? Yes, and from two continents.
87. Do you enjoy giving hugs? Hugs rock. Especially when my niece and nephew hug me down.
88. Would you consider yourself to be fashionable? Uh, no. But I don’t think I’m horribly unfashionable either. I stick with classics.
89. Do you own a digital camera? Yes! Woohoo!
90. If someone you had no interest in dating expressed interest in dating you, how would you feel? When I was single, it’d be horribly uncomfortable. Now I’d just be flattered.
91. What celebrities have you been compared to? Janeane Garofalo by someone who I think was trying to be rude, but I found it to be a wonderful compliment. I heart her.
92. Who is your favorite Star Wars character? I never got into Star Wars (or Star Trek, before you go jumping to conclusions), but if I had to pick, R2-D2.
93. Does it annoy you when someone says they’ll call but never do? Actually no. I’m understanding that way. Will you be my friend?
94. What books, if any, have made you cry? I know books have made me cry. I’m thinking Lovely Bones, maybe? The Secret Life of Bees? I think those, and I don’t know what else.
95. Do you think you’re attractive? I clean up OK.
96. What are you allergic to? I’m not really sure, but seasonal type stuff. No foods that I know of (yet).
97. Are you a jealous person? You’d think I’d wear green more often. Yes.
98. What’s your opinion on sex without emotional commitment? Not for me, especially since I’m all emotionally committed and stuff, but to each her own.
99. Do you ever feel guilty after eating meat? No, but I feel guilty that I don’t feel guilty.
100. If you were born the opposite sex, what would your name have been? My mom was thinking positively so she only picked out the girl’s name.
101. Is it lunchtime yet? It’s been here and gone my friend. Better luck tomorrow.
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[tags]memes, 101 questions[/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
