Archive for the ‘puppy love’ Category
Fun with Statistics 101
Well if that title didn’t hook you, you’re my kind of person. I’m not fond of statistics myself–as the saying goes, anywhere from 1 to 100% of them are made up anyway.
But not those on my Google Analytics account! They tell me who’s visiting my blog, where they’re from, how long they stayed–and there are graphs and lines and bars, oh my!
What I find most interesting, though, is how my visitors find me.
Most searches are looking for information on malocchio, Italian superstitions, Italian language (yes, you can use “ciao” for hello and goodbye; “ciao bella” is “hello, beautiful”), life as an expat in Italy, Calabrian food, dialect, traditions, holidays, etc., recipes (banana cake, spaghetti aglio olio peperoncino, zeppole, rabbit), dog menstruation (a few searches looked specifically for “Luna Balloona“–is she *that* famous?), grandmothers, the JFK assassination, and seeing an old crush.
I couldn’t have done a better job of summing up my life than that right there.
What’s that? You want a gratuitous Luna photo? Twist my arm! OK, OK.
Moving on.
Once before I tried to answer some questions that came up in my stats, and I think it’s time again. Oh, and for the people (that’s plural) who continue to wonder about smoking basil, please go here as it’s been, in legal terms, asked and answered.
(1) Do snails bleed?
I believe Shakespeare already covered this general premise in “The Merchant of Venice,” but if I have to spell it out: yes.
(2) Why do anchovy [sic] appear to be yawning?
Because they’re light sleepers and have disrupted REM sleep, which leads to inadequate rest. Accordingly, they appear to be yawning because they are. They swim around all day trying to accomplish anchovy goals (including but not limited to staying out of fishing nets), and they get run down just like the rest of us. Cut them some slack, would you?
(3) Why do Italians go to Nana’s every day?
Because they love her, dammit!
Aside from questions, sometimes a kindred spirit finds me: “I hate Telecom.” Sing it my brother/sister!
Other times I just get a prompt for a short story: “Nutella and her hot friend waiting for you.”
And, when I’m extra lucky, I even get unsolicited advice (this from two different locations): “Never try to teach a cat algebra, it frustrates you and annoys the cat.”
Duly noted.
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[tags]google analytics, dogs[/tags]
secrets to my success
The lovely Emma at How to Italy has tagged me to share five things I do nearly every day to be successful. I love this idea. For me, it’s inspiring to read about others’ good, productive habits especially since we so often hear the harmful, destructive ones (which we all have as well).
But first a word on success–a slippery word that can and should be defined by each of us individually. I consider myself successful if I can end the day with a smile and the feeling that I did what I could as well as I could’ve. Does it happen everyday? Hardly. But I like to think the following habits make it more likely:
1. After I wake up, I spend fifteen minutes sitting on the balcony with Luna and my beverage of choice, usually coffee but sometimes fresh-squeezed orange juice (season-permitting). When I say “sitting on the balcony,” I mean literally. I plop my bum down on Luna level, and we have our own pettie and snuggle time in the sunshine if the weather cooperates, and if the weather doesn’t cooperate, we share our moments inside in the kitchen. These quiet, relaxed moments before the day kicks up are important for me.
Here are some photos from a recent pettie and snuggle session:
2. While we’re on the subject of Luna, we take at least 3 walks per day (usually more). I probably wouldn’t do this on my own without a canine companion, so thank goodness she’s with us. Being in touch with nature gives me inspiration, thinking time, and an overall calm feeling that everything around me is exactly as it should be for one reason or another. It also gives me an excuse to take even more photos despite the fact that the locals think I’m a tad wacky getting so close to trees and whatnot.
3. I tell someone I love them. Always P, but if I’ve spoken to my mom or dad that day, I’ve told them too. For as long as I can remember, my mom has always told me she loves me at the end of every phone call–and this was when we lived just a town apart. It’s something I’ve continued with my family members over the phone and with P in person, daily. I don’t think you can ever say “I love you” too much.
4. I go on the Internet (when Telecom cooperates). This may sound odd, but since I’ve had the Internet installed in the house about a year ago, I’ve felt so much more in touch with the world and comfortable with my life here. Whether it’s the news, celebrity gossip, other blogs, or personal emails, I need and crave this contact with civilization outside of southern Italy. It makes me feel more alive and part of something larger, and that’s a good feeling.
5. I write. Could just be a blog entry (no offense readers!) or an email or thirty, but every day I write something, which they say is good for a writer. In fact, blogging has increased my “other” writing productivity as ideas spring up at every turn–finding the time and discipline to follow all of them through is the more difficult part. Back to number 4, though, and reading other writers’ blogs inspires me to continue.
So there are my five things. I won’t tag anyone, but I do hope you’ll make such a list even if it’s just for your own eyes. A lot of times we focus on what we’re doing wrong because finding flaws is so easy (many of us even have people to help us if we can’t find them!), but it’s also useful to see what we’re doing right.
If you do post a list, please leave the link in the comments for others to find you.
Buon weekend!
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[tags]secrets of success, dogs, sunrises, trees[/tags]
love thursday: too many flowers are never enough
It’s spring, and flowers are most definitely in bloom in the blogosphere.
Cherrye and Christina recently posted lovely photos of flowers they received; Alexandra shared a photo of gorgeous tulips that were waiting for her when she arrived in Holland. I’m sure there are many more floating around out there that I’m neglecting to link to–if you know of some, do share them in the comments. I love flower photos!
Turns out that not even my doggie is left out. You remember Helen, the flower-giving girl I’ve written about before?
Here’s Helen giving Luna a wonderful bouquet:
FYI, because Helen is so dedicated to her flower delivery, it took her 15 minutes to scour the piazza to find all different colors of flowers.
As always, click to enlarge the photos for a better view.
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
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[tags]love thursday, flowers, dogs[/tags]
Still Celebrating: Pasquetta
Last we left off, I promised that I would make time to eat and relax on Pasquetta, as Easter Monday is called here. P and I ended up spending the day with some of his friends and their wives, and now I have photographic evidence.
There was eating:
There was drinking:
There was singing:
There was bocce:
Oh was there ever bocce.
And there was even playtime with Luna and my friend Helen:
Then today, I continued the Pasquetta celebration by turning an annoying work obligation into a fun time by meeting up with Cherrye in Catanzaro for some cappuccini with the stars (and she didn’t even mind her drink getting a little cold while I took a photo or ten):
And then, for the first time in a year, some McDonald’s, including a chocolate milkshake (woohoo!), with an Aussie friend who has a house in my village. Sometimes you just get cravings, you know?
*sigh*
La vita è bella.
love thursday: lending a hand
A paw will work too.
Photo inspired by the story of Toby, a dog that saved his owner with the Heimlich.
Happy Love Thursday!
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[tags]love thursday, helping hands, dogs, paws[/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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