...is up. Here's the first installment.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Oh well
Well, the hard drive with the (copy of) the Chamber Corps album didn't survive the trip. I'm blaming the fact that I had to check the bag it was in in Manchester for no real good reason. Considering I hadn't really packed either drive to undergo baggage handling, I guess I'm lucky I still have one good drive. I wonder if I should bill the government of England for this one? I could try to suck it down from my file server at home, but that could conceivably take as long as I'll be here. Oh well. I'll probably only have the time and resources for a little bit of futzing around anyway, so might as well just futz with some new stuff.
Slow day
Chris is looking and acting much more spry than yesterday and his fever has gone down considerably. I'm happy I won't be needing to take him to the hospital. Dr. Rossi has prescribed rest, fluids and simple foods, which seems to be having its effect.
I mostly just wandered around. A few things that come to mind: a bar called "Duff" which has a Simpsons theme. A roast chicken place called "Superpollo." That's an inside joke. A structure that looks for all the world like a mosque that's been converted into a Christian church. I'm not sure about the history of that one--Catania was destroyed by earthquake in 1693, many centuries after having fallen out of arab control. There was a flyer for a funeral occuring there for a young man of 27 who had "disappeared." A construction site featuring an enormous hole in the ground with the mouth of a tunnel coming out of it. I don't know where the tunnel goes or if it's for cars or trains. A group of people directing an ambulance to a man lying on the ground next to a motorcycle. I saw something eerily similar not two weeks ago at Wrightsville beach, although today, the man on the ground was moving. Got a decent glimpse of Etna from the coast. It's been mostly too hazy to really see well, and it was still pretty hazy today, but you could definitely make it out. There was smoke coming from the main crater.
I mostly just wandered around. A few things that come to mind: a bar called "Duff" which has a Simpsons theme. A roast chicken place called "Superpollo." That's an inside joke. A structure that looks for all the world like a mosque that's been converted into a Christian church. I'm not sure about the history of that one--Catania was destroyed by earthquake in 1693, many centuries after having fallen out of arab control. There was a flyer for a funeral occuring there for a young man of 27 who had "disappeared." A construction site featuring an enormous hole in the ground with the mouth of a tunnel coming out of it. I don't know where the tunnel goes or if it's for cars or trains. A group of people directing an ambulance to a man lying on the ground next to a motorcycle. I saw something eerily similar not two weeks ago at Wrightsville beach, although today, the man on the ground was moving. Got a decent glimpse of Etna from the coast. It's been mostly too hazy to really see well, and it was still pretty hazy today, but you could definitely make it out. There was smoke coming from the main crater.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Calciomania
Flipped on the TV while I was cooking dinner and found the Lazio vs Real Madrid game. I don't know a lot about Lazio but I know Real Madrid is kind of the Yankees of soccer--a rich team that wins because they have the money to buy up all of the good players. I had a moment of doubt about who I should root for--I don't know much of anything about Lazio and Real Madrid has Fabio Cannavaro--probably my favorite player from the Italian national team during the World Cup. But as soon as Lazio scored their first goal to come back from a 1-0 deficit, I fell pretty naturally into rooting for the Italian team. Game ended in a somewhat disappointing 2-2 tie, but I had to give Lazio credit for coming from behind to tie on two seperate occasions. I think this is where Dave B schools me on the Champion's League.
Morning shopping
Well it looks like Chris and I are taking turns. Yesterday I was too sick to go out and he did the shopping. Today he is too sick to go out and I did the shopping. I'm hoping he just needs some rest, since he came over here with a bit of a cold and has jet lag to boot.
I made it to the fiera today and was pleased to discover that despite the dollar having about half the value it did when I last lived here, groceries are still quite cheap. Got some ciabattine at a panificio and then some green beans, tomatos, peaches, salami (a local variety--paesanello), prosciutto crudo (di parma), and some detergent, which due to a linguistic error on my part, turned out to be laundry detergent instead of the dishwasher detergent I was trying to buy. (Oh well.) Also picked up some medicine for Chris, the most expensive part of the trip by far. Spent just under 20 euro total for everything. Saw a young woman in the market with a hairy back.
Took the long way home because I wanted to take a peek at Via Etnea and the Giardino Bellini. After the initial thrill of coming in the entrance and seeing today's date in foliage on the side of a hill, cutting through the Giardano Bellini was a little disappointing--they're doing some work on it so much of it is closed off due to construction. Saw a huge, fat woman hike up her skirt, pull down her panties, and take a piss right there in the middle of the park. Never seen that before and hope to never see it again. I'm assuming she was homeless.
Chris went back to bed around when I went out and is still asleep. I've made some green beans in tomatoes for lunch--I'm trying to concentrate on fruits and vegetables to try to nurse us both back to full health. I feel a lot better but still not 100%. I'll probably go for a nap myself after lunch. Which I should go ahead and go eat now, I suppose.
Ciao!
I made it to the fiera today and was pleased to discover that despite the dollar having about half the value it did when I last lived here, groceries are still quite cheap. Got some ciabattine at a panificio and then some green beans, tomatos, peaches, salami (a local variety--paesanello), prosciutto crudo (di parma), and some detergent, which due to a linguistic error on my part, turned out to be laundry detergent instead of the dishwasher detergent I was trying to buy. (Oh well.) Also picked up some medicine for Chris, the most expensive part of the trip by far. Spent just under 20 euro total for everything. Saw a young woman in the market with a hairy back.
Took the long way home because I wanted to take a peek at Via Etnea and the Giardino Bellini. After the initial thrill of coming in the entrance and seeing today's date in foliage on the side of a hill, cutting through the Giardano Bellini was a little disappointing--they're doing some work on it so much of it is closed off due to construction. Saw a huge, fat woman hike up her skirt, pull down her panties, and take a piss right there in the middle of the park. Never seen that before and hope to never see it again. I'm assuming she was homeless.
Chris went back to bed around when I went out and is still asleep. I've made some green beans in tomatoes for lunch--I'm trying to concentrate on fruits and vegetables to try to nurse us both back to full health. I feel a lot better but still not 100%. I'll probably go for a nap myself after lunch. Which I should go ahead and go eat now, I suppose.
Ciao!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Yuck
Something from dinner last night gave me some sort of food poisoning that affects my lower gastrointestinal system. Was up most of the night and got very dehydrated. Slept most of the day today. Chris had the same thing but much milder--he tried a little bit of my linguine al nero di seppia last night, so we're thinking it's probably that since the severity of our symptoms seems to be proportional to how much of that we ate.
Anyway, I really like this bedroom, and this house. I haven't minded too much not leaving it today. Maybe I'll feel up for an evening stroll somewhere. Still feel pretty wonky and gurgly down there.
I don't think I'll be returning to that particular trattoria.
Anyway, I really like this bedroom, and this house. I haven't minded too much not leaving it today. Maybe I'll feel up for an evening stroll somewhere. Still feel pretty wonky and gurgly down there.
I don't think I'll be returning to that particular trattoria.
To Catania
I guess waking up at 4am can make me a little grumpy. "Would you like to pick up your bags in Milan or Catania?" Uhhmm, what do you think? (Not said out loud.) My guitar case was deemed fragile and therefore I had to go wait in a seperate line to get the cleared. I didn't argue, but the fact is it is probably the best packed thing I have, considering it's the only thing I have actually in a flight case. "Why?--said out loud upon being told that I couldn't take two carry on bags through the security checkpoint in Manchester. The airline was fine with it--I was allowed to have two carry ons once I was on the other side of the security checkpoint, but during the actual crossing of the security checkpoint I was only allowed to have one. A "government" regulation. I thought our government was somewhat unique in the first world for coming up with daft anti-terror regulations that don't actually protect any one, but apparently our sister, Britain, can play that game as well. Had to check in twice, basically, to check a third bag. Once I overcame my baggage problems, though, no big deal. Just tired and a little queasy from having to get up so early. Was pretty well zonked out by the time the plane took off. Did watch the English countryside, for a bit, though, until we got above cloud cover. It is quite pretty country, even when it is overcast. Dozed off mostly until we got over the Alps. Holy shit, the Alps. Wow! What more can I say? The countryside on either side of the Alps was beautiful, too, of course. Our descent into Milan started just as we were leaving the last of them behind.
Just to keep the theme going, I guess, upon entering Milan for my connection I once again had to cross a security check point in which, once again, a bottle of water I had purchased in the secured area of another airport was confiscated. Four hour layover in Milan, the highlight of which was buying a special issue of "La Cucina Italiana" dedicated to cooking seafood. This has lots of information I'd wondered about concerning the cleaning and preparation of all sorts of fish--I'm very excited. We're going to cook some motherfucking fish.
More sightseeing from above. There is some big ass mountain range running right down the center of Italy that is almost as impressive as the Alps. I forget the name. It's either the Dolomiti or Appennini. Pretty whatever it was. Dozed off a bit more then swore I saw the coliseum in Rome, although I've half talked myself out of that idea at this point. There was a huge train station near by, so it could have been Rome, but there seemed to be a lot of green as well, which I wouldn't have expected for Rome. But what else looks like the coliseum? I can't decide if I saw it or not. Not long after that we passed out over the water--there was a very cool island near the coast of Italy that I've been wondering what it is ever since. Assuming I really did see the coliseum, then it's just south of Rome off the west coast and pretty small and quite pretty. I imagined rich people sailing their yachts there.
A lot more water and not much to look at, until suddenly I look up and there's Sicily looming ahead. Quite big, a lot of yellow and green. I was on the wrong side of the plane to see Etna. I was seated on the right side and we passed to the west of Etna until Catania was east of us and then hung a hard left to land at Fontanarossa. Which has pretty much been completely rebuilt since the last time I was there. I recognized nothing, actually. Just all big and new looking. Opted for the cab instead of the bus. Paid thirty euro, but didn't have to lug my crap through the streets. Exciting to be on the ground and recognize everything. I'm reenergized and don't even mind that I've been travelling for more than 12 hours .
The Professore Lo Meo, our landlord, and his wife are amazingly nice and hospitable. The apartment is absolutely gorgeous. The layout is a bit bizarre, but it is interesting and beautiful. Professore Lo Meo lived in this apartment until his mom, who lived one floor down, passed away, and he moved into her apartment. We ended up spending close to two hours with them as we went over everything with the apartment, chit chatted, attempted (unsuccessfully) to pay (something with the credit card line being down), and they fed us ice cream. Finally Chris and I make a mad dash to the (wrong) grocery store, buy many kilos worth of staple food items, and then carry them back about a mile or so to the apartment. (We got lost on the way to the supermarket and missed the one that was actually really close to us.) Groceries put away, a bit of hanging out in the rooftop garden, and dinner at the trattoria literally around the corner.
I could say more about the dinner, but I'll content myself with saying that Chris had somehow managed to already befriend a waiter there, Omar, before I even arrived in Catania. The highlight for me was Omar coming up to Chris with some sort of stain stick and applying it to Chris's shirt--*while he's eating dinner*-- to prevent some sauce that Chris spilled from making a permanent stain. Now that's service. That and the shots of some sort of homemade cinnamon liqueur that Omar felt we should try.
A good, long day.
Just to keep the theme going, I guess, upon entering Milan for my connection I once again had to cross a security check point in which, once again, a bottle of water I had purchased in the secured area of another airport was confiscated. Four hour layover in Milan, the highlight of which was buying a special issue of "La Cucina Italiana" dedicated to cooking seafood. This has lots of information I'd wondered about concerning the cleaning and preparation of all sorts of fish--I'm very excited. We're going to cook some motherfucking fish.
More sightseeing from above. There is some big ass mountain range running right down the center of Italy that is almost as impressive as the Alps. I forget the name. It's either the Dolomiti or Appennini. Pretty whatever it was. Dozed off a bit more then swore I saw the coliseum in Rome, although I've half talked myself out of that idea at this point. There was a huge train station near by, so it could have been Rome, but there seemed to be a lot of green as well, which I wouldn't have expected for Rome. But what else looks like the coliseum? I can't decide if I saw it or not. Not long after that we passed out over the water--there was a very cool island near the coast of Italy that I've been wondering what it is ever since. Assuming I really did see the coliseum, then it's just south of Rome off the west coast and pretty small and quite pretty. I imagined rich people sailing their yachts there.
A lot more water and not much to look at, until suddenly I look up and there's Sicily looming ahead. Quite big, a lot of yellow and green. I was on the wrong side of the plane to see Etna. I was seated on the right side and we passed to the west of Etna until Catania was east of us and then hung a hard left to land at Fontanarossa. Which has pretty much been completely rebuilt since the last time I was there. I recognized nothing, actually. Just all big and new looking. Opted for the cab instead of the bus. Paid thirty euro, but didn't have to lug my crap through the streets. Exciting to be on the ground and recognize everything. I'm reenergized and don't even mind that I've been travelling for more than 12 hours .
The Professore Lo Meo, our landlord, and his wife are amazingly nice and hospitable. The apartment is absolutely gorgeous. The layout is a bit bizarre, but it is interesting and beautiful. Professore Lo Meo lived in this apartment until his mom, who lived one floor down, passed away, and he moved into her apartment. We ended up spending close to two hours with them as we went over everything with the apartment, chit chatted, attempted (unsuccessfully) to pay (something with the credit card line being down), and they fed us ice cream. Finally Chris and I make a mad dash to the (wrong) grocery store, buy many kilos worth of staple food items, and then carry them back about a mile or so to the apartment. (We got lost on the way to the supermarket and missed the one that was actually really close to us.) Groceries put away, a bit of hanging out in the rooftop garden, and dinner at the trattoria literally around the corner.
I could say more about the dinner, but I'll content myself with saying that Chris had somehow managed to already befriend a waiter there, Omar, before I even arrived in Catania. The highlight for me was Omar coming up to Chris with some sort of stain stick and applying it to Chris's shirt--*while he's eating dinner*-- to prevent some sauce that Chris spilled from making a permanent stain. Now that's service. That and the shots of some sort of homemade cinnamon liqueur that Omar felt we should try.
A good, long day.
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