Long Time, No Blogging

All this house-buying has me in a record-keeping kind of mode. My dear father-in-law suggested that I or Simon should be chronicling the events of late, and since we're both dreadful at keeping a written journal, I thought I might revisit this old place.

We'll see how this goes...

1,000th Visitor Gets a Prize!

No, really--you will.

As I don't have time to monitor this page until Visitor #1,000 appears, shoot me an email or leave a comment to see if you're the lucky winner.

Those of you who know where I work may want to pay particular attention...

Down the Rabbit Hole

As a long-time lover of Lewis Carroll's Alice, et al., I was especially excited to see this little tidbit on USA Today's website: First Look: What a Weird "Wonderland" Burton's Made.

Admittedly, watching Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory three times in a row on a Boston-to-UK flight a while back took the psychedelic shine off a bit. However, with Burton at the helm, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter, and (yes!) Alan Rickman in attendance, this is sure to be one very merry un-birthday for Miss Alice (and all those who first heard about William the Conqueror from the Mouse and always wondered why "real" croquet was so woefully lacking in hedgehogs).

Approaching the Solstice

There is a ring around the sun this morning. I've seen plenty around the moon over the years, most often followed by long, snowy days. I suppose the ring around the sun heralds the same sort of weather, as we're supposed to get 1" to 2" of rain today.

Still, one wonders about such things so close to the Solstice. In Florence, we used to celebrate the Midsummer Solstice along with the Festa di San Giovanni Battista—complete with fireworks over the Arno. My family and I used to watch them from the American Consulate, which sits just on the banks of the river. I can't imagine that there will be any fireworks stateside (not until the McGowen's 4th of July party), but it's nice to think of it nonetheless.

Fireworks over Firenze

Calling All Lurkers!

So, there are a lot of lurkers* on this blog. You know who you are. 

The thing is, I'd like to know who you are, too, so leave a comment and say hello!

To get you wallflowers thinking, here's a question you can answer:

If women were physically larger and stronger than men, would the relationship between the sexes be the same?

Use the comment option to answer. No pressure, of course—you can still visit this blog even though you haven't said hello. I won't judge. Much.

(*Lurkers—Those visitors who increase my blog's site counter stats, who spend several minutes at a time reading, but who haven't yet introduced themselves)

 

Happy Birthday, Babbo!

Yesterday was my Babbo's ("Daddy" in Florence) birthday. When I called there was no one home, so I can hope that he and my mother were out celebrating. 

I feel that I still have so much to learn from him and my mother, and I can't wait for this summer when they will make the long drive from Maryland to Orr's Island again. Not a day goes by that I don't wish they lived closer, but sunny Maryland's winters are much more forgiving, and, as my mom is fond of saying, they "can't live where they vacation."

So, happy birthday Babbo! I love you very much, and we'll be sure to have Birthday: Part Deux (or trois or quatre) in July!

 

Friday Night in Portland

The First Friday Art Walk is always fun in Portland, especially as the weather gets nicer. Last night wasn't exactly balmy, but it wasn't snowing, so I'm counting my blessings.


The cool night didn't keep the people at home, however, and neither did it keep the street performers from sharing the passions with the world. The performances ranged from amusing to fascinating, from (what I called) "the very essence of amateur," to like watching a train wreck, to a solid, entertaining show.

There was one troupe that Simon described as if my cousin Basha (who's the earthy, creative type) had thrown together a slipshod circus in 45 minutes. They are not pictured here, sorry.

However, we did come upon this gentleman:


He is making music with an old violin bow, a tin box (Altoids, perhaps?) and an amplifier. I can't say what role the Maine license plate plays, but I am certain it is an important one. Oh, yes. He's also warbling into the microphone. I've officially put this in the category of Portland contemporary art that I am not meant to "get." I generally believe that if an artist obscures the point of his or her own work just to be trendy and hip, that art loses all impact and importance (For example, I don't buy, that the answer to "What's the point?" can be "There is no point, man!" I see too much pointlessness on the news to want to hang it on my walls, thank you very much.) But, regardless if I get this man's work or not, it was entertaining to watch (while somewhat alarming to listen to). Good for him. I hope he's out there again next month.

The other set of street performers who made it onto the camera were a troupe of Carnivale-style dancers who, while not professionals by any means, were entertaining enough to keep Simon and I (I being in a very snarky mood) stationary for some time. While I am less impressed with Professor Pyro-something-or-other's fire-handling skills, I quite liked the belly and fire dancers.






So, all in all, it was a lovely Friday. Most are here in Portland. Every day when I walk to work, I remember how much I love it here. And every evening, whether the streets are quiet or graced by the tender notes of a man playing an Altoids box with an old bow, I think of how I don't ever want to leave.