Cloverfield...

More than any other movie of recent memory, Cloverfield has become an internet sensation. I've been following and anticipating this one for a while, and last night my Brother and I went to check it out.

It was cool. The movie starts slowly by introducing a bunch of people who I had no sympathy for. I was happy when the monster finally attacked and the action got underway. The tension of the First person perspective in the midst of a giant monster attack was well played out. I really liked how they didn't show too much of the monster(s), which also gave the movie a scary edge reminiscent of the first Alien movie. In that way, I think that this film was able to be a bit more interesting than any of the “Big Monster” film we have had in the past while

By the end, I found the characters a bit more appealing. In retrospect, though I think that the lack of likable characters ended up being one of the things that helped the movie rise above the standard “Man in a Suit” B-Movie expectations. I'll try to explain....

Any movie that is about an attack on NYC by almost anything in this day and age is bound to reference 9-11 to us. The imagery is burned in for all of us. In that respect, Cloverfield is blatantly obvious. Panicked citizens watch helplessly from the top of a building as explosions are seen in the distance, then react with horror as one of the City's monuments is defaced. Burning paper rains form the sky, and buildings collapse sending clouds of smoke down the streets, blocking out the light and covering everyone in ash and dirt.

Not so obvious is the effect on the characters. In the beginning of the film we are introduced to a group of self absorbed young professionals and wannabe actors who do little to gain our sympathy. Rob is going to Japan for some big job, and he treats Beth like shit. So what right. It Happens. Marlena can't be bothered to look up from texting on her cell phone to acknowledge the cameraman known as Hud and offer even the slightest good wishes to the departing Rob. All in all they come across as self absorbed, self centred, spoiled brats.

But, once the Monster attacks they begin to move together with an unspoken pact. Selflessly throwing themselves into harms way to help the people they barely acknowledged at the beginning of the film. In bad times, even they were able to step up. Much like what happened in New York in 2001. It's this change in people that in the end had Cloverfield sticking around in my head a bit longer then it might have otherwise. I went in expecting a Monster to attack and break shit. Gladly, I got a bit more. Gladly, the monster also busted enough shit to make it fun, and the perspective of watching it from the ground, while it was happening was a fun twist.

I'm not sure that I will ever want to watch this movie again, as the gimmick and the freshness of the perspective is what makes it so intense. I'm actually quite surprised that I am still thinking about the film, and, that this is the first film I have blogged.

Man this Blog is getting weird on me...

Because I suck at keeping one blog....

.. I figured, hey, a second one is a GREAT idea!

So here is my site devoted to the upcoming appearance of our Child, hereafter referred to as “The Mango”.

Waiting for the Mango

I hope to keep this space updated with the other goings on in here in the control room of what will soon me Mango Central, but, I have learned already that even when you are just EXPECTING a child, the little thing has a tendency to take over. All good by me.

Is my Mango a boy?

CG has her second ultrasound scheduled for one week from now. This brings us to yet another of the interesting decisions we need to make. Do we want to know the sex of the child? There are some family members (not pointing any fingers DAD!!) who want to leave it as a “surprise”. There are some who want us to find out so that they can purchase the appropriately coloured clothes.

Now, CG and I both tend to like to think of ourselves as rational people, who like to think things through. I work as a Planner, so for me, looking ahead and coming up with solutions is just my day to day. Knowing the sex of the child in advance would help us to figure out names, and that kind of stuff. I’m not to concerned about the colours, however, if we have a boy, there is NO WAY I want my son is wearing pink! Call it old fashioned, sexist, narrow minded or whatever you will. I don’t care.

For her part, CG just doesn’t do “waiting” very well, especially around Christmas when the sight of wrapped presents sends her into fits of anticipation. What’s funny is that her excitement comes from keeping the secret of the gifts she is giving. She doesn’t keep secrets very well at all. So, if CG learns the sex than everyone will. CG is leaning towards finding the sex, and I guess I am as well.

In the end, we will find out anyway, but I think we are both just a bit too curious to leave it until after the labour, when the person taking the pictures knows.

In other news, I am listening to Serena Ryder. Came highly recommended from a former co-worker. I like.

90 Years Young...

Today, my wife and I attended a Birthday brunch for my wife’s grandmother. She will be 90 years old on Tuesday. 90!!!!!! Man, if I can make it to half that age and still be as healthy as her I’ll be happy. She’s a remarkable woman for her age. Still walking on her own (albeit with a cane) and with most of her mental faculties intact. Sure, she forgets names and confuses stories sometimes, but for 90 she is still OK. We went out for a Chinese buffet, as that was what she wanted to do. She ate one heck of a meal and topped it off with coffee and cake.

The first thing she said to the wife and I when we walked in was “Hey, hurry up and make me a Great Grandmother would ya!” Gotta love the lady. Back in the day I am sure they would have called her e firecracker, and that would still describe her today. It struck me that sitting at that table there were 9 decades between the oldest member and the yet unborn little Mango. That’s a lot of time and I found myself looking forward to having the Great Grandma and baby together in a mere 5 months or so.

Right now I am listening to Hendrix’s Band of Gypsies. New Years eve 1969 live recording and for my money his best live stuff. Something about the guitar sound on that record, paired with a solid, steady and un-flashy rhythm section that really makes the guitar stand out. I always liked how when Jimi played, it was like you could “hear” the wood singing. Maybe it’s a guitarist thing…

2 for one special!

This is my second post today. That is 50% of last year’s output already and I am only 5 days into the year.

I’ve played around with the look of this page. The picture in the header is of me in Calabria, which is my parent’s region of Italy. Had they not moved to Canada I would be calling it Home. I remember sitting on that wall like it was yesterday and thinking that somehow, being there felt right.

I’m looking for a direction for this blog. A reason to keep typing. So I might play with the look some more.

I think I want to use this as a way to document what is going on with CG and I was we anticipate our first child. To me, this is the most significant thing going on right now. I just don’t want this to start sounding like an episode of Oprah where we all hear about the “Miracle” of being a parent. Not that it’s not, but, when you aren’t in the middle of it, then it is more just the way things are for someone else than a miracle.

Anyway, CG’s Baby belly I growing. According to the books she is reading, the Baby is the size of a Mango right now. So, for the past couple of days I have been referring to the baby as “Mango”. I always hate it when people refer to their unborn children as “IT” (Sounds like a Stephen King novel) so I have been giving the child different descriptors on a pretty much weekly basis. I’ve used Zygote, Peanut, THE Baby… just trying to avoid “IT”.

In other news… I am listening to Queen’s “under pressure” almost incessantly since seeing the stage show “We Will Rock You” a couple of weeks ago. If Mango is listening, I hope He/She comes out sounding more like Bowie than Mercury…

How’s that for a Rambling Project!

At Vacation's End

I have been on vacation since dec 20th. Returning to work on Monday will be difficult. My dad always used to say that the best part of any vacation was the anticipation, as they always end too soon. I still prefer being in the midst of one. I really hate how short vacations always seem in retrospect. I think that the next time I take any substantial vacation time will be when we have the baby in June, so for the time being I will try to enjoy these last few moments of time off.

I can’t say that I have done much sine the 20th. I’ve celebrated Christmas on three separate occasions. Makes it tiring to have celebrations on the 23rd, 25th and 26th of December, but, what better way to have fun than share food and drink with family. My New Years tend to be quiet affairs and CG and I spent it watching movies with my Brother. While it may sound boring, I think it’s a great way to flip a calendar page. Especially when it includes the Bourne Ultimatum!!

2007

The Year in review

I don’t use this corner of the WWW all that often. It is some thing I should change.

So, I think I will try to catch up with a Year in Review through the eyes of JP.

I spent most of the winter on a quest. After having visited Italy for my Honeymoon, I had determined that I needed to go back. Not wanted, NEEDED! I felt as though I had left something behind there and I needed to go reclaim it. I had been dabbling with selling stuff on eBay, and determined that this could help make my trip a fianancial reality. So, eBay became a part-time job. I listed and sold TONS of CD`s. Scoured liquidators for deals and spent most of my spare time hustling. It was tiring as I already work a full week and try to maintain a family life as well. All in all it was a boring winter.

By the time July rolled around, I had saved enough and sold enough on eBay to pay fo the trip. I had been keeping my plans secret form my wife, as I wanted this to be a surprise, as well as make sure that this trip did not interfere with our other plans. So, I remember finding the perfect priced deal, and telling her what I was thinking. Her only response was `Book it``.

Our trip to Italy was in August (there is a detailed breakdown below). I am glad that I made the trip again. Canada will always be home, but Italy fells closer now too. After my first trip, all I could think of was getting back. Now, its like I’ve taken care of that need.

The fall treated me well. Around thanksgiving, I got the best news that I could hope for. My wife (the one and only Canuck Girl) is pregnant! This alone will make this year special to me. Knowing that I will be a Father in a mere 6 Months has opened up the world to me. Part of me is scared. The focus of my life has already begun to shift. In my mind every decision I make now turns back around to the baby to be. The ultrasound photo in this post is the first view I have of my child. I have copies of this shot everywhere, and every time I look at it, I get a bit more excited.

All in all this year was amazing.

Italy... Yet again

I left Italy 2 days ago. I miss being there. The photo here is of Sorrento, which is down the coast near Naples. It is a beautiful place, and, if ever I have a few spare hundred thousand dollars kicking around I will take a longer vacation there than the 2 hours we spent there. We were only there for a quick visit, but damn that is a nice coast. This year was a return visit, and we visited more cities, but it felt like a slower pace . Whereas last year we were frantic to see all the great monuments, this year we were happy to soak in the city.

We landed in Rome late in the morning our first day after a Great flight with Air Canada. After some directionless wandering, and aquiring Heather her first shot of Gelato, we took in the National Roman Museum of Archaeology located in the Diocletian Baths, which last year had been closed. It’s a great museum, even when you have just gotten off a plane! Last year we had really wanted to visit, but, it was closed and throughout the year it was referred to as one of the “too bad we missed its” of 2006’s trip. We then headed to one of our favourite restaurants from last year, “Babbo’s” to enjoy a plate of Lasagne. I think for both of us that little bit of familiarity really hit it home that we had arrived back. From there we wandered a bit and then collapsed into bed to try and adjust to Roman time.

The next day we were off to Venice. I was excited; as we had missed Venice last year as our plane had a one-hour stopover there, but we had gone on to Rome. Unfortunately I was a bit disappointed. Venice is a beautiful city, but it seems more like a theme park than a living place. It was actually a bit boring being surrounded by mostly tourists. There are only 30,000 inhabitants of Venice proper. It’s an infuriatingly crowded city. With poor transportation where huge crowds and lines that seem go nowhere, it is a difficult city to navigate. Not to mention that all the food we had in Venice was VERY bland. It was a poorly done approximation of Italian food. A young girl we met on the train told us that Venice was infamous in all of Italy fot its poor food, as they know that everyone is a tourist, and there are no locals to make the more traditional fare. As they know that there are thousands of tourists needing to eat, anyone can open a restaurant and poor word of mouth won’t really hurt them, so they just serve whatever. We had a chicken meal that came with frozen French fries one night there! Its as though they were trying to cater to the American tourists, and not concerning themselves at all with the quality of the food. This is in stark contrast to the rest of the country. In Rome for instance, they sell a sandwich called “Tremenzzine” in most of the Bars for 2 euros ($3). When you order one, they wrap it with care and worry about how the paper sits on it, and it is obvious that it is made with fresh ingredients. This is a standard for Italy… they take pride in their food, and whether its and expensive steak, or just a light snack, it is made with pride. This was missing in Venice. Much more pleasant was the side trip to Murano. It’s a bit quieter, and has a bit more flavour, owing to the glass industry. Murano is much more what I expected that Venice would be like. I am glad to have seen Venice, but also glad that we spent only one full day there.

Naples was our next destination. I was worried about this leg of the trip. Venice had been somewhat of a disappointment. Naples, was on our list mainly due to proximity to Pompeii, and much of what I read had not been entirely positive. Frommers talked at length of the crime and confusion of the city, while making the Cab drivers sound like the scourge of civilization. Thankfully, Napoli turned out to be a most welcome surprise. Not only was the scenery great in the city, there were many other great places to see down the coast, and the food was incredible. Here was the real Italian cuisine. Pizza was born in Naples, and by far this was the best we have ever had. Heather is looking for recipes to recreate the typical Neapolitan Pizza dough. The people were also interesting in Naples. Wait staff at restaurants were helpful, pleasant and fun, like the old man we met at the “Amore & Fantasia Bisteccheria”. Finally seeing Pompeii was intended to be a highlight of the trip and it was. But, once again Italy surprised us with Herculaneum. Pompeii’s smaller brother of a buried city, Herculaneum is better preserved and offers more of a glimpse into daily life in the Roman Empire. Whereas Pompeii impresses with the scale of the ruins, Herculaneum impresses with its intimacy. I wish that we had seen Herculaneum after Pompeii, rather than before, as Pompeii’s relative bleakness and desolation seemed to be overshadowed by Herculaneum’s beautifully preserved frescoe’s and mosaic floors. Naples is perhaps the most “Italian” of all places I have been in Italy. It is a wonderful place, busy and chaotic, but, at the same time ultimately exciting and real. It has many faults such as crazy traffic, congestion, and some very seedy areas, most notably around the train station. In the end, it is these faults that make it real and exciting. The view of the Gulf of Naples, with Mt. Vesuvius looming is one that I will always remember.

From Naples we took the train into Calabria to see my family. It was a great time with much food, happiness, alcohol and some sad times. All in all it was good to see the Family again. I choose to stay short times in the south so that I don’t impose on the family. They have so many visitors coming through that I don’t want to be a burden to them. But, I do cherish the time that I spend with them. Getting to know my cousins a bit better in the past years has been terrific, and its amazing that it feels like I have known them all of my life, having really only spent 4 days with them in the past year. Its an amazing feeling to find family and get to know them. No matter what that closeness of genetic material makes itself felt. No where in Italy was the slower pace of this year's trip more welcome than here. Last year my Father had called my family and gave them a laundry list of things he wanted me to see in his homeland. It was fun, but he managed to get all my relatived worked up into a fever of touring, and we left exhausted. This year, Heather and I were even afforded the luxury of having the time to do some things that we wanted... like taking a walk when WE felt like it. Imagine that :)

From there it was on to Rome for 2 days. This year our intention in journeying to Rome was to enjoy the city, rather than see the sights. Rome cannot be done in one visit. My cousin Armando also met up with us in Rome and took us around in the evenings. New for us this year were Campo dei Fiori and its morning food market where we purchased fresh fruit in the morning, the night time tour of government offices, by my cousin, and the District of Trastevere. Trastevere is the kind of “artsy” district of Rome. I would like to spend more time there in the future. In the Piazza’s of Trastevere are all sorts of vendors and street performers and it is frequented more by locals than tourists. It is very cool, and kind of the larger, not quite as commercial, analog of Toronto’s Queen Street and Kesington districts. My cousin also introduced me to the joy that is “St. Eustachio”. This Café, located in the tiny Piazza St. Eustachio makes the finest coffee that I have ever tried. They hide their machines to keep their methods secret, so even though I purchased their coffee grounds, it is nowhere near as good to the brew they make. St. Eustachio became the ritual start to our mornings, with even the wife trying and enjoying it, though she does not normally drink coffee. Its location near Piazza Navona, allowed us to wake me up with their coffee, then go to Campo Dei Fiori to by fruit snacks for the rest of the day and then walk the streets from there. I enjoyed the 2-day ritual we developed there, and spending most of our time just walking the streets and shopping was awesome. I feel as though I have a bit of a better feeling of what the city is like, after piquing my curiosity last year.

All in all, this trip exceeded my expectations, just as last years had. I was concerned that trying to recapture the previous year’s vacation was going to be a mistake. In fact, I was very concerned when Venice did not live up to the hype as I had expected. As always, Italy held many surprises for me. Unexpected pleasures abounded, and I never felt that we were just re-treading the path from last years trip. Its great to travel with someone like Heather who takes an open minded approach to everywhere we visit, and is happy to let the trip go in unexpected ways. As always it is good to be home, but I will treasure the time we spent in Italy and look forward to another return voyage…

Those infernal Machines!

I am a bit of a techie. I like having new electronic gizmos that improve my life. Things that will let me hear “more music in better quality”. Allow me to watch TV in “higher definition”, compute faster, play my guitars louder and take more pictures.

I am geek, hear me roar.

Why oh why them do my beloved toys always turn on me? I only ask that they perform their assigned duties, continue to improve my enjoyment of media and I will be their slave. I will sing the praises of my iPod. Shout the name of my video card from the highest peaks, and kneel in praise to my HDTV. Yet… I spend so much time playing, tweaking and fixing the infernal machines that I rarely spend any time enjoying them! The $400 speaker which were my Christmas gift to me this year (damn I’m generous) required an afternoon of set up, then a quest for the perfect wall mounts. Hours of angling and balancing levels, running speaker wire.

My computer case seems to be open more than it is closed as I add in more hardware to allow me to organize all those electrons fractions of a millisecond faster.

I love the thrill of opening a new box full of silicon goodness. DVD plalers, Amps, TV’s. Damn but they are some sexy machines. And they all break!!!!!! Remember the first VCR you had? If you are my age, then it was probably the ONLY VCR you had for your childhood and adolescence. The machines used to be a part of the family. Those rugged pieces of hardware used to be able to withstand nuclear blasts! I’d wager that a higher percentage of all the Betamax machines produced are still in working order than DVD players made in the past 10 years! It drives me nuts! I hate it when the things just up and plotz on me. Why o Why do you torment me!?

Anyway, my HD PVR is on the fritz. Turned it on and it made a sound like a cat was stuck in it. (bad sign #1) Then the digital display on the front just started randomly displaying digits. A call the the cable company from whom we rent the infernal device confirmed that it was toast long with all the stuff I recorded and hadn’t watched. Double GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. This is the 3rd PVR we have gone through in the past 2 years. At least I am glad that I am paying a monthly rental on it, rather than having spent $500 to purchase the cheap thing.

Ah well
New Arcade Fire out today…. I’m closing in on the end of one of those great first listens. I think this record will spend some time with me. Like their first record. I love that record as it was just this amazing fully formed band that came out of nowhere

Snow Day

Well, it’s been so long that I figured it was time to update this not so blogging blog.

Things are good. Today is an official snow day. Schools are closed, we have TONS of snow and I’ve stayed home from work. I feel guilty as sin about that, but, there was enough snow to keep me away from the office. I know that I will be very busy and since it seems as though a fair number of my co-workers made it in I’m sure that tomorrow there will be some frowns upon me, but, what ya gonna do.

Aside from that things have been good. Work is busy and interesting. My company is going through some strange transitions and it seems like something big is on the horizon.

Real world life has been great. No complaints
Anyway, I just thought it would be fun to post my Snow Day Picture. 

Thoughts on Italian-ness

Some random thoughts now that I have had time to digest my Italian Honeymoon… And believe me, with how much I ate digestion is not easy!

First off. I am Italian. Sounds like a crazy statement to make but lets see if I can make sense. Prior to visiting Italy I would have said that I was anything but a stereotypical Italian male. I am not prone to clutching my crotch, while sitting on the hood of my Mustang 5.0 with Little Suzy Blaring outside of Coffee Time on Highway 7. Most people say I don’t “look” Italian. My musical, movie and lifestyle choices are nowhere near what people here in Canada say Makes up the “Italian Male Stereotype”. Yet, In Italy I fit right in. I could talk to the locals and my family there easily and have a connection almost immediately.

The people in Italy are nothing like the Italo-Canadian model I find myself making fun of far too often. Perhaps I am afraid that I will be lumped in with what is generally portrayed as a somewhat misogynistic, racist and ignorant group of people. Let’s face it, Italian Americans have never been looked upon in the most favourable light. Most people think of the Sopranos, or the Godfather when Italian Americans are in the media. Any successful Italian businessman/woman is automatically assumed to have mob connections. The men are seen as generally insensitive, old fashioned wife beaters who’s social ideas froze somewhere around 1952. Italian women are seen as loud, obnoxious, kinda slutty until they are 25, then just fat old grandma’s. Let’s face it. This is how Italians are expected to be like. When I tell people that I am from an Italian family, they automatically think that they have both me and my family figured out. Call me crazy or reactionary, but that ticks me off.

Now to be sure, there are many stereotypes that ring true. My father grows tomoatoes. Lot’s of them. We eat a lot of pasta, try to feed everyone, and make a spectacular effort to make sure that the Family remains close and come before everything. BTW, by Family I mean the Nuclear Family, and not that whole “Cosa Nostra” thing WHICH I HAVE NO INVOLVEMENT IN! Sorry yelling that out is habit now. Anyway, like any group, some of the assumptions people make are grounded in the culture. Others are based on the high profile of a few members of the group, and media images. Since “The Godfather”, you’d think that based on TV and film we were all gangsters.

But, I will agree that many Italian families in Canada have clung to many old ideas, much to the detriment of their families. I also understand that this is a defensive measure. An attempt to hold on to their roots in a new land. To make it feel like home and hold on to the ideas, traditions and customs that they remember from when they were back home.

Its interesting that in Italy, most people are far more progressive than their North American counterparts. Unlike Italian-Canadian culture, Italy has moved on. So much so that Italian Canadians (like my father) now find Italian culture to be unrecognizable. I understand that now. When My “old school” Italian relatives visit Italy they want to see things they way they remember them in the 1950’s when they left. In fact, they have kept things in Canada closer to that remembered society than Italy itself has.

In the course of this they have missed out on a truly beautiful culture while in Italy.

Hey!!! I Got Married!!

I had hoped that I would be able to write a Day-By-Day account of our trip in my blog. Unfortunately, my current life denies me the possibility of Blogging full-time to get all my ideas down. Damn life. There is really just TOO much to say about Italy. I hope that all that I Loved and Hated about the country will somehow stick with me over the years. I tried keeping a written diary while I was there, but, keeping it up to date while enjoying the trip proved too much. Even 9 hours on the plane was not sufficient to keep a complete day-to-day picture. I intend on completing it but with some shorter entries.

But First, I realized I never blogged my Wedding. D’OH!!

In my defense… We flew out the day after and I didn’t spend that much time proximate to an Internet connection. That and European keyboards are weird. I’ve just gotten over the trauma.

If there is anyone reading who was at my wedding (Hi honey) all I can say is Man That was a party. I Ate well, drank well, and Danced… Somewhat well. Hopefully no one caught my somewhat drunken impersonation of Angus Young on tape. Ah well, if ya can’t make a fool of yourself when you are paying for the party, then when can you right?

Heather. I always think that she is beautiful, but on our wedding day she shone. It wasn’t the dress or the make-up, but I could see that she was “Happy-in-love” with me. And that is the most amazing thing.

The Ceremony. Short, but sweet. Our officiant Dr. Aboud, made some funny quips and everyone said that it was a beautiful ceremony. It was, but, I do live in “Bias land” when it comes to the wedding. I was there kind of early and I spent about an hour before the ceremony mingling with the guests as they made their way to the sets that had been arranged. We had the Ceremony and reception in the same venue starting at 5PM here …http://www.sphericalarts.com/ We won lots of praise for not having a wait time in-between the parts. The ceremony will remain the happiest moment of my life I am sure.

The Pictures and reception – I smiled a lot, Got blinded a lot, then shook many hands.

The dinner – The food was better than our tasting at the venue had been. Seeing a room full of about 75 Italians salivating over dinner is always fun! I was worried about how the Buffet style would work, but, it seemed ok and that way people could eat as much as they wanted! Great short speeches from Kiki Dad-in-Law, My Padre and My Brother.

The Party – Best. Party. Ever. Welcome to Biasland… population JP.
Some highlights. Fly me to the moon and dancing with my Wife. Kicking it up to “spirit of the west” with by Brother in Law Benny and cousin Mark! AC/DC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shooting pool with my comrade Brad like it was 1994 again. Seeing my Stella Toting wife just shining all over the room and dancing in a Big White Dress! Damn she looked fine!

All in all it was the best night of my life. Being surrounded by almost everyone in the world that is important to you is a great thing. Celebrating Together makes it special, and I can’t think of a way to adequately thank everyone who was there. It was the guests that made the night so special to me. Thanks to everyones’ willingness to go with the flow and just enjoy it, this will be a night I will always remember.

BEST. DAY. EVER!!

Florence the great.

So now we are in Florence.

Heahter and I have been calling Italy the 'uphill' country as everything appears to be uphill. Its kinda tiring, but, sometimes more than worthwhile Like today for instance when we arrived at the top of the Bodolini Gardens and were treated to a beautiful view of the entire city.

We have seen more artwork than I will ever be able to remember and it has just been incredible. I am a bit tired from trying to cram so much into everyday, but, I feel as though each hour is precious to me.

I have also developed a theory about traffic flow in Italy. It seems as though many Italians have evolved beyond the old 'dodging mechanisms'. On the savanah, when we saw an animal charging at us, we dodged. Simple enough. In Italy, it seems as though people have forgotten dodge and as a result, oncoming traffic means nothing. So, when a car is rushing at you, with most people, we revert back to our evolutionary past, and our mind picks up a charging Hippopotamus. here in Italy, i feel like the only one who sees the Hippo.

Anyway, Italy Still Rocks, but, its hard to find a pay-phone.

Here I am

I am in ITALY!!!

Good food, coffee, people, food.... and the scenery... AHHHHHHH che belleza!

It is day 5 of our trip... i think and things have been amazing. we arrived in ROME on monday and settled in. We then started walking.... and walking... and walking. Everyone in rome walks and I have no idea how the locals do it in such unconfortable, but, oh so fashionable footwear. Men and women alike tend to deck out their feet better than any part of their body it seems. I've been cruising around in a pair of Ben Shermans (proferred on clearance for only $20) which back home have garnered me many compliments. Here in rome... i feel as though the locals have been regarding them with a mixture of disdain, disgust and more than a little sympathy for the 'povere Americano' . Ah well. I have a pair of Italian wheels that my dad has picfked up for me and while great shoes, I couldn't spend more than an hour in them.

Anyway... we walk for days on end, bump into cool stuff like the Pantheon, understand the experience that is St. peters and all the while eat great food. Its a great way to spend a honeymoon i tells ya. I think i will need to keep a journal of my trip. I feeel like there is too much to remember and my ipod (also my picture storage device) seems to be acting funny.

I hope to blog this in more detail, but, as we near the mid point of the trip all I can say is WOW! Part of me seems to be saying 'see.. this is your home'. Which i guess makes sense as this is the place that the culture I was raised in comes from.

My Grandparents payed a large part in raising me when I was young and Italian was actually my first spoken language. I grew up as an Italian living in Canada and, even though I have grown up to be a Canadian with Italian background, those early impressions left an impression.

I Miss my home and my family, but, I also want to wring as much culture and 'Italian-ness' out of my time here that I can.

Florence awaits.... Ciao

This is what happens when you blog while tired and drinking beer.

I booked all the hotels for our upcoming Italian Jaunt today. Unfortunately, I had to modify my intricately laid Hotel plan I developed last week-end.
I blame it not on myself, but upon the contraction of the rare disease which tends to afflict many males throughout the summer months. Yes, I have contracted a severe case of “too-lazy-to-get-off-my-sorry-assitus”. Symptoms include

· Falling asleep on the patio for hours at end

· Allowing both the desk at home AND the office to become covered in a layer of paper more than 3cm

· Having your wife-to-be (who tends to be more clutter prone then you) comment “man….. this place is a mess, and responding with a grunt. Just for the record I will have you know that it was an intelligent, well rounded and thought out grunt, thank you very much!

· Using the floor as a CD storage unit.



Luckily the cure for this is a trip to Italy, so this vacation now counts as therapeutic, so, I can claim it on my medical benefits. What’s that you say? Bah! Jail-Schmail!!!!!



I look forward to my wedding and the trip, but I also seem to be yearning for a return to normalcy in my house. Although in all honesty I don’t know what that is.



So anyway, due to the above noted affliction, the hotels that I had chosen no longer had rooms available. I set out with my trusty Frommer’s guide to find new places in in the total of about an hour had booked everything. What’s the Moral of this story? I spent hours looking at Hotels and researching, because the internet travel experience allows it. There is so much information out there nowadays that we can research the hell out of anything, then in the end, we still have to rush to make decisions.
I LOVE being wired. But, sometimes I hate the internet.


Tomorrow brings more shopping. Perhaps an iPod for this geeky rambler and a night out with the boys. Kind of a Stag Night. We are going to a place Called “Dave & Busters”. Which I can best describe as a Chuck-e-cheese for big boys.

Hear that? That was the sound of any doubt that my inner five year old runs this show escaping.


1 week and half an hour to my wedding day!



 

Wow!!!! A blog!!!

My life in a Nutshell.

In an effort to get back into this Blogging Thang I will condense what has been going on in my life as of late.

· Getting married in a week and a half. Not nervous about marriage. Nervous about the wedding going well and everyone having a good time
· As a result of the wedding 2 of my friends who have not spoken in 7 years are getting together for my Bachelor’s send-off. Its not a stag party.
· Planning a wedding makes you tired. I know this now.
· Planning a wedding can make you broke.
· I am going to Italy for honey moon! Can I get a Woot Woot!!!!!! I have never been to Italy and this trip is well over 11 years in the making since I backed out the first time. I’ve had 11 years of good reasons not to go visit my roots. I probably have more good reasons not to go this year but damnit.. I’m going! Oh, and so is Canuck Girl.
· Canuck Girl is allergic to Olives… As a result Olive oil… should make Italy interesting. Its not a bad allergy, but, can maker her intestines uncomfortable…I hope she still has fun!
· I got to be the +1 at a dave Matthews band concert. Outside, Music, Beer.. it was all good
· My tolerance for alcohol packed up and left me. I always knew the sauce was a duplicitous Mistress. On Sunday I had 2 pints of beer. Apparently, rather than being the warm-up that used to be… It now means I get a hang over. A few years ago I laughed at people like me. (JP looks in mirror) HA-HA ya lightweight.
· CG is an awesome wedding planner and I never tell her enough how much I love her.
· I’m going to Italy! And I might be buying an iPod that I can afford less than the plane ticket I already bought. Apparently when you plan a wedding and honeymoon all sense of the value of money leaves you.

That’s enough for now. Sense a pattern? Its all been about the wedding!

Can’t wait for it!

 

I got to be a "Plus 1"!!!!

The Wife took me out to see Depeche mode the other night. It was a pretty good concert. I have never been a massive fan, but I like them. That in and of itself is kind of odd as DM seems to be one of those bands that either inspire lifelong allegiance or complete disinterest. I enjoyed the show.

We went the Wifey’s Best Friend, who is always a great time, no matter the setting. She could turn a tax audit into a party. A few times during the show she turned to me and said that I looked bored. I’m not cheering stand up and Dance concert-goer (Unless its Maceo Parker, Ben Harper, or Rage Against the Machine… but they don’t count!!!!). My time in the music business included enough concerts and club shows to turn me into one of those music snobs you all love to hate. You know the guy who stands in the back, arms folded, slightly bobbing the head while clutching a perpetually half empty beer? That’s me… and I know you hate me. Just remember, we weren’t born that jaded. In my case it was part of just seeing too many shows and too many shows that I was only half interested in. I was also dragged to many shows that I had NO interest in whatsoever, to do someone at a record company a favour as they were trying to fill a room. Now, imagine what going to a bunch of shows that you don’t want to see, standing around with a bunch of other people that are only there to do a business associate a favour, and dang-it, you too will become a head nodding, arm-crossing half-beer holding snob yourself I wager! Don’t hate me… you are only steps away.

Anyway, I liked the show. It got my head nodding (and rather vigorously at times too) and also managed to get my left leg bopping along too! No small feat. The pre-set music was great too (and to all those who roll their eyes at us music snobs, remember, we are the ones who WILL pay attention to the pre-set DJ so PPPPffffffttttt). Some nice trancy house, which made me root through my CD collection for some Deep Dish. I do like my psychedelic dance music… even if it is so horribly 1999 of me.

Seaglopur

Listening to Sigur Ros again today. Ahhhhhh, I needed that. Seaglopur is the song. Cinematic. Its Icelandic. I don't understand a word. Some people would say that uts the musical equivilent of foreign films. Its just good. Ok somewhat pretentious, but, when its that good you can afford to be.

It has been a rough week.

Yesterday I attended the funeral for my co-workers baby. The little one didn’t make it. It’s incredibly sad. Even today I’m still in a serious funk from it. I think that was one of saddest things I have ever had to do. I don’t remember much about yesterday after the ceremony. I drove to the office with a co-worker. Did something while I was there between noon and 5. Went home and crashed on the couch soaking up some TV. I hope I never have to go to something like that again. Funerals are never easy. They aren’t supposed to be. If I found them easy, I wouldn’t be the person I am. But, the funeral for someone who survived 11 days only just isn’t right. It’s hard to take. Everyone in attendance wept openly. There was nothing else to do. We all knew that no words could console the parents.

I guess we are hardwired to feel protective towards infants. Nature makes sure we take care of our young. I hope that my co-worker can someday make peace with what has happened. I don’t have a point of reference for what losing a child feels like, so I don’t know where she is right now. I had to meet her husband for the first time yesterday. I could tell that like my co-worker, he was really just the shell of himself. Something was missing. I hope they can come to terms.

In other news, my boss quit today. In my previous job this would have been cause for much rejoicing (with the exception of one of the bosses), but not today. He’s awesome to work for. Unfortunately as it goes in a large corporation, when he quit, they just asked him to leave. No 2 weeks, no round of farewells. Part of that is keeping company secrets, but they also don’t want him to steal staff. He’s the kind of boss that could take legions with him. I hope he does well.

Thankfully tomorrow is Friday and this week is almost done! I need a weekend.

Hang in there little one!

I'm Listening to Art Blakey's "Moanin'". Lee Morgan is at this moment laying down this percussive trumpet solo. Art is in the back laying it down solid. AS close to the perfect example of what Bop is all about! Put this on. Then try not to move your head. Aint gonna happen.

So Things have been very busy as of late. Work has been insane and I have had to take on yet more. One of the members of our small 5-person team had to go on an early Maternity Leave. She was 6 months into her pregnancy when she was rushed to hospital and an emergency C-section performed. She now has a tiny 1lb, 13oz baby girl who they are attempting to give a shot at a full happy life. Here’s to ya little one. Hang in there!

Her husband sent pictures of the baby today. She (why do I keep typing ‘it’ and erasing… I hate referring to babies as ‘it’… they are PEOPLE!) is so fragile. Still looks like the ultra sounds of fetuses I’ve seen with the big eyes, nose and mouth. The baby looks like a tiny old person, with folds of skin on her arms. The pictures were sad to see, but, at the same time, the kid looked healthy, so it lifted my spirits towards the situation.

I feel guilty at work the past couple of weeks when I get stressed out at the increased load that I have had to take on as a result. Whatever inconvenience I am under, I know that her pain and worries are MUCH worse. I’ve heard that she is taking it quite badly and blaming herself. In truth, she is lucky as apparently she was on the verge of having a stroke when she was rushed in and had the surgery. It must be hard to suddenly have a child who you were expecting in three months. You leave all tat preparation until the last few months. I find it annoying when company shows up an hour early and finds you still in your pyjamas…anyway. Then I think of the child. Sounds like she is doing OK, but, when a baby is so premature, there is always the danger that things won’t go well. I hope they do. I can’t imagine trying to make it through a day not knowing if your baby will survive the night, let alone a week as my co-worker has.

Puts my stress levels into perspective.

You call this a Wedding?

So this week Heather and I put a down payment on our wedding venue. This is it. No going back now.

I feel no sense of loss towards my “bachelorhood”. I’m at a point in my life where I can accept that and in fact welcome it. I know that this is something that I have wanted for years now and it is really past the time to take this step for me.

I feel no anxiety towards “walking down the aisle”. No fear at the change that this will bring in my life. In fact, I feel really good about the whole marriage part. Its time. Past time in fact.

I’m scared shit-less though at one thing. Planning the monster. I feel a huge sense of responsibility to please so many people. And Yet, I don’t want to have the traditional type of boring wedding banquet hall reception. So, we have chosen a somewhat different and “funky” location. More of a restaurant. Imagine a big loft with Persian rugs. Kinda has a beatnik feel to it. What can I say, old habits die hard and that good ‘ole Jack Kerouacian sense of the Dharma gets under your skin for life, whether or not you drive a sensible car, have a mortgage, decide to get married, wear a tie to work and settle out in suburbia. None of us want to feel as though we are truly a part of the machine, so, let me have my delusions ok!

Anyway, I’m worried that our guests may not look at the room through the same coloured glasses we do. And, a Buffet at an Italian wedding has not been tried, since the debacle of 1974 of which anyone of Mediterranean descent is sworn to secrecy about! Add to that that there is no way that I could do a Catholic ceremony… and well, I guess I gotta be happy if anyone from my side shows up at all!

On the other hand I guess that my family should know enough about me to realize that I would never have done the “regular wedding thing”. I’ve always had that side to me that bucks the system. When I was a teenager, it was the 80’s and EVERYONE wore short hair, I grew it out to my shoulders. In the 90’s when even Metallica cut their hair short because long hair on men suddenly became some sort of New Age Yuppie thang, I shaved it all off. This was when only neo-nazi skinheads and Michael Stipe had shaved heads. Confused the fuck outta them as they had to try to figure out if I was some sort of weird Hippy, or, worse yet, (gasp) Bisexual. That I had told them I was none of those meant nothing. Of course nowadays a shaved head is really nothing more than a sign that you are a pre middle-aged square who’s gone bald (guilty as charged).

So, in all of this, I guess I’m coming to the realization that once again, I am doing something differently than my family would expect. I’m eschewing the “Italian Wedding”. Or at least amalgamating it with WASP one, and giving it a bit of a JP twist. Weddings are truly a Holy Experience for Italians. It’ll be interesting to see how this one plays out. Should be close to the Good Friday Dinner when I told my Family I could not eat fish as I had decided to become a Vegetarian. That was another time when they became convinced I was Gay… ah well.