being alive is a challenge sometimes

but thankfully, now is not one of those times.......................
I present my list of good things that are right now:
1. I am back online at home (for five minutes) thanks to someones connection named, appropriately, "home"
2. I have finally figured out the correct use of the apostrophe <----------that is not an English word, though it has been corrupted sufficiently to make it pronouncable in English 3. This Stygian day is drawing rapidly (and perhaps vapidly) to a close, though today actually wasn't so hellish as days in the recent past have been 4. The house is warm and cozy......I really love it when the house is warm and cozy 5. I resume classes on Monday and I am really looking forward to this semester: not only will I be attending a class on the history of the Italian language, and a class in discovery and invention (for which I am required to read the travels of one very shiny Marco Polo) but I will also be tutoring level I and II Italian students 6. I can go back to the gym come Jan 29th!! WOO HOO!! 7. I got a chance to read up on all the fugly messes at Go Fug Yourself this afternoon
8. I have resolved with myself that I am not going to have any cookies until my birthday (which is looming in the not to distant future and this birthday is the big bad 30 I want to run screaming out of my life now) that way they will taste better and be more deserved. (we'll just see how long this lasts)
9. My dental work is nearing completion........one more (okay, maybe two) appointment and it's finished
10. I am learning to relax (and hoping that come one day, I'll be so relaxed as to be approaching a waking coma)
there, that's it from here for now

since Frank, truer words have not been spoken...

"Anarchism is founded on the observation that since few men are wise enough to rule themselves, even fewer are wise enough to rule others."
- Edward Abbey

Thanks, Frank for speaking the truth

The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and randomly enforced.
- Frank Zappa

me-me oh my

Well, thank you Maritza for allowing me this opportunity to give you six new (and possibly interesting) tidbits about me.....strange? not so sure about strange.....you know what someone said: one man's strange is another man's perfectly normal psychotic behavior.
so here goes:
6 strange things about me...
1. I used to eat yellow onions as though they were apples when I was a little kid. This habit didn't last very long (thankfully!); when I was a little girl my parents used to keep onions and potatoes in a bin at the bottom of the food pantry. The pantry faced an outside wall and so was cool....I guess it was sort of like a root cellar if you will. Well, maybe it was because I tried the potatoes and was disillusioned with those (have you ever tried a piece of raw potato?? EW!! is all I can say), or maybe because they were pretty much the only food I could reach on my own (I don't think I was yet tall or heavy enough to open the fridge by myself), but apparently I picked up the habit of eating onions. I'd peel off the brown papery skin and eat the onion. Wacky, isn't it?
2. I loathe ugly feet. I think the condition of a persons feet says a lot about them. The really long index toe always remindes me of aye-ayes middle fingers.....and I always have these visions of people with that toe really long digging in rotting tree trunks for bugs....much like the aye-ayes do with their one long and bony middle finger. The aye-aye lives in Madagascar and is the only creature of its kind (in Madagascar, anyway) that digs into tree trunks (they don't have to be rotting) for bugs to eat. I think people with ugly feet should never wear open-toed shoes.
3. I have the soundtrack to my life playing in my head all the time and often am more than willing to share it with others. While this may not be so strange, as others may have this very same thing happening, I am the only one I know who spontaneously bursts into song (in the most inopportune places). Sometimes, I just can't help it. The situation, the person I'm with, or something they say will remind me of a song, and I will just start singing or humming the tunes that pop into my head......now that's like hypnotizing chickens...
4. I am a sort of exhibitionist....I don't really care who sees me naked. Naked is natural and I have no shame about my body (a body-image complex, maybe.... but shame? no way)
5. I find repetitive noises annoying to the point of having to make them stop. I HATE my alarm clock and would like nothing more than to throw it out the window. I cannot abide the repetition of it and the loud, jarring sound it makes. I find it impossible to concentrate with repetitve noises going on in the background. I know that the brain is supposed to habituate to background noise, but mine won't do it. If the noise is really low or off in the distance someplace I have to get away from it because I know I can't make it stop. I have more of an issue with high frequencies that with low frequencies, but still....repetitive noises make my skin crawl.
6. I am insane about keeping my fingernails short. I hate long fingernails and think they make my hands look like meathooks. Long nails look very nice on others, but somehow they make my hands look like giant paws. Not that having paws is a bad thing in and of itself, but I object to looking at my arms and seeing them terminate in paws...............VERY disturbing......
and here's something else, just for good measure...............
7. I miss my tail.

the realm of the humdinger

I'm a mucky pup, I'm a mucky pup, I'm a real humdinger of a Mucky Pup.....................WHAT??

can you hear the needle scratching on the record now? rewind.................

Hello Gentle Reader,

I am writing to you to let you know that I miss you so and that things are fine here. Your brother says "Hi" and he loves you.

What is she talking about??!?! --I have no idea, but it doesn't make any sense whatsoever

can you hear the needle scratching on the record again?? fast forward this time...........

P.S. I am wearing the Endpaper Mitts as we speak (because the cafe is freezing) and no, I didn't quit my job....there's a really quaint cafe near where I work that has wifi (unlike my house O curse you you unsharing network havers!!) so I get to play for a bit without the annoyance of people looking over my shoulder at work while I type and post things and check my e.mail and proofread Boccaccio (you remember Giovanni, right?)

With all my love and kisses,

Mucky Pup

and the best line I came up with this week was by far: "Curse you, o depth! Why could I have not just been a sex kitten??" H wanted to know if this was from a movie.....sadly, not Dietmar....I made that up all by myself! I could go and write screenplays for a living, no?

well clearly I have lost my mind...but one more thing before I go.....

Dana,

For crunchy's sake woman, what did you say???

Maritza,

Thanks I will certainly tell him (and his hair) just as soon as I can....

Susan,

Allora, siediti e aspettare perche' Alitalia non puo' aiutarti per anni. I tuoi valiggi sono persi! ;-)

Tanti Bacini a tutti voi!!

I could have

spent the afternoon at home today........REALLY I could have. But sadly, I do not have such luxurious opportunities. Rather, I am stuck in the hell that is my job.though upon reflection I suppose it could be worse. WAIT!! I'm wracking my brain for a way in which it could be worse, and well, I got nuthin. I'm coming up empty....with niente, nada, zero, zip, gatz.....somehow, except for the I-can't-pay-my-bills part, unemployment is not looking so unattractive at the moment. Ah, to be young again (this said by the girl who is actually younger than methusela's grandmother). And since I clearly have nothing interesting to say, I'll just shut up for the time being and be back later (perhaps in another language next time as I KNOW how everyone adores that HAHAHA)

Endpaper Mitts

Endpaper Mitts
Originally uploaded by tresjoli.

Look at how perfect these fingerless gloves are!!! and LOOK HOW EVEN AND NOT UNEVEN THEY ARE as well!!! (now that's a bit redundant is it not?) Seriously though, a BIG, LOVING, NAD MOST HEARTFELT THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! goes to Maritza for these she is a friend above and beyond the call of friendship. And clearly, she thinks quite highly of me as well since these were a Christmas gift from her. They are 100% Pure delicious Alpaca (who doesn't love Alpaca?? Okay, maybe those of you who are allergic to Alpaca coughcoughMaritzacoughcough) and happily, with the discovery of Maritza's recently developed alpaca aversion, I inherited a bunch of alpaca yarn!! Apparently, 'tis the season of the allergy as I have a peanut problem that I never had before.....but the last two times that I've eaten peanut butter, I swelled up like a balloon (Maritza says that the alpaca thing is sneezing runny nose itchy and watery eyes, the standard fiber allergy reaction) of course, leave it to me to eat peanuut butter and get cankles......
oh the injustice!! but It's totally ok..........
why? you might be asking o gentle reader............
here is why: THE FABULOUS FINGERLESS GLOVES!!!!!!!!!!

Once upon a midnight dreary

while I pondered weak and weary..........I thought to myself.....DAMN! the Weather is UG-LEE today!! (and by the way, Ug Lee bears no relation or resemblance to General-lee, Spike Lee, Happil-lee, or Snugg-lee....) PUN PUN PUN PUN PUN! oh the horrors!! wow..........I'm surprised anything that hideous could issue forth from my head.......slightly scary isn't it?
As a result of my negligence in posting, I present you with some links to what I have actually been doing with myself since school has been out
First, there's Project Gutenberg a subdivision of Distributed Proofreaders
Then, there's my recreational reading
and then there's my big career change ........(who knows how that will work out)
and I've actually been knitting!! I even made an appearance at the tuesday night group! no one recognized me!!!!!!!!!! (kidding)
I promise to post photos as soon as I can.........maybe I will even have internet at home again........wifi is down..........I think the persons who were graciously letting me pirate their connection have caught on to the fact that others were accessing the internet as a result of their hospitality and decided it was high time that the free ride be so much water under the bridge and we can now only make obscure references to it in a loving and lamenting manner
Not to mention the lovely photos of my NEW FINGERLESS GLOVES THANK YOU MARITZA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She really is the bestest friend ever..........

Antidiluvian, Antebellum, Ante victoriam ne canas triumphum

Before the flood, Before the war and well, as for the last "Ante" I've seen this translated in a few ways........the closest literal translation I could come up with is: Before victory, do not count on triumph....and the award for least literal translation goes to......(drumroll please.....): Give every man thine ear but few thy voice. Do not ask me how they came up with this one, for I haven't a clue...........
In other news.....I got straight A's this semester...and I must say, that I will really miss Giovanni .........even though I think he may still be lurking under my bed betwixt and between the many dustbunnies........(hey, he's not judging though) ah well, they'll provide padding and insulation so he won't get a chill (never mind the fact that he's been dead for oh, 650 years or so and probably isn't terribly concerned with catching a draft)
I am quite excited about next semster's classes.......discovery and invention, history of the italian language, italian poetry, and advanced composition. I forsee much writing in the near future......having nothing to do with my psychic abilies but rather the profs I know I'm going to have and the classes......I mean composition? what else is there besides writing? But I am sure I will have fun (who wouldn't have fun with discovery and invention?)

tutti in sciopero!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

le mie parole piu preferite nel mondo HAHAHAHAHHA
scherzo scherzo!!

Allora, sto leggendo un buon libro che si chiama La Leggenda della Redenda Tiria. mi sono dimenticata il nome del autore....ma dammi qualche secondo....sono sicura che mi viene in mente........se no mi viene in mente, significa che sono invecchiata ogni giorno in piu'!!

I actually need to get my hands on the book as it isn't in my possession at the moment...................

VII.2

Riassunto della seconda novella della settima giornata

Ci sono quattro personaggi importanti in questa novella: Madonna Filippa, suo marito Rinaldo dei Pugliese, il suo amante Lazzarino de Guazzagliotri, e il giudice il nome del quale non sappiamo. Madonna Filippa è stata scoperta nelle braccia del suo amante da suo marito. Il marito diventò arrabiato e lui vuole ucciderli, ma quando pensava alla punizione che gli potrá succedere a se stesso se lui uccidesse loro, lui si è fermato. Durante questo tempo, nel paese di Prato, c’è il statuto che dice che se una donna tradisce suo marito, o se lei è una prostituta, la punizione è bruciare. Poi, quando Rinaldo ha scoperto che sua moglie lo ha tradito, loro vengono davanti a un giudice. Perché Madonna Filippa è così bella, il giudice non vuole punirla, e le dice che deve scegliere le sue risposte attentamente. La donna ripose al giudice di chiedere a suo marito se lei non gli aveva dato il piacere ogni volta che ha chiesto. Il marito ripose che si, infatti, lei gli ha dato il piacere ogni volta e completamente. Allora, lei chiede al giudice che lei doveva fare con il piacere che rimane, buttarlo ai cani? E madonna Filippa dice che questa è la sua ragione per avere un’amante. Tutta la gente da Prato è stata al tribunale durante la causa e alla fine, tutti loro sono felici perché la donna ha vinto con la sua furbezza. Così, la legge è cambiata e ora, e solo la prostituzione può essere punita dal bruciare dal morte.

Summary of the second story of the seventh day

There are four important characters in the story: Madonna Filippa, her husband Rinaldo dei Pugliese, her lover Lazzarino de Guazzagliotri, and the judge whose name we don't know. Madonna Filippa is discovered in the arms of her lover by her husband. The husband becomes enraged, and wants to kill them both, but when he thinks of the punishment that may befall him, he stops himself. During this time, in the village of Prato, there was a statute that said if a woman betrays her husband or if a woman is a prostitute, the punishment is burning alive. So, when Rinaldo discovers that his wife has betrayed him, they go before a judge. Because Madonna Filippa is so beautiful, the judge doesn't want to punish her, and he tells her that she must choose her answers carefully. The woman responds the judge to ask her husband if she didn't give him full pleasure each and every time he asked for it. The husband responds that of course, she had, in fact, given him pleasure every time he asked her for it. So, Madonna Filippa asks the judge what she was to do with all the love she had left over, was she to throw it to the dogs? And Madonna Filippa claimed that this was her reason for having a lover. All the people of Prato were in the court during her trial, and in the end, they were all happy because the woman had won, thanks to her cunning. So, the law was changed and now, it is only prostitution that can be punished with burning to death.
(Note: As far as I know, this law is still in effect in the town of Prato.)

small miracles

this one would be that I'm still awake........
I have determined that I have only slept something like 11 of the last 36 hours...........can anyone say exhaustion?? But I must forge ahead and write a brief (how come no matter how I spell that it never looks right?) summary of novella seconda dalla settima giornata (VII.2) del Decamerone .........This one was a particularly great one.......when I finish the summary I'll post it with a translation

so I am now officially an anarchist.......I have stolen something from somone who stole it as well........this comes from everyone's favorite Knit Witch
and now, for the theivery.........in the immortal words of Maurice Sendak: Let the wild rumpus begin!!

48 things

1. FIRST NAME? Jolie

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not really.....My aunt had a friend whose name was Jolie, but considering how her life turned out (the friend not the aunt......although.....), I'm thinking that my parents just liked the name

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Last evening I got choked up, but no real tears......the last time there were real tears was last friday

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Sometimes, it depends on my mood, speed, ink and writing implement

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? I don't eat meat

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Yes

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Unequivocally

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cold: Grape Nuts Hot: Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? If they're my combat boots yes otherwise, no

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Cioccolato e Nocciola

14. SHOE SIZE? 36/6.5

15. RED OR PINK? Crimson

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? The fact that I sometimes hurt those that I love without meaning to

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? I miss everyone who's gone in different ways

18. WHAT FOOD WILL GET YOU OUT OF BED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT? There isn't much that will get me out of bed in the middle of the night, so I would have to say the food that's on fire would be the food to get me out of bed in the middle of the night

19. WHAT COLOUR TROUSERS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
blue jeans red t-shirt no shoes

20. LAST THING YOU ATE? almonds and dried cranberries

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? the refrigerator

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Violet
SIDE NOTE: I ate a red crayon once when I was little because I wanted that red to be inside me.............the crayon tasted terrible

23. FAVORITE SMELL? Lavender

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My mother

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTCE ABOUT PEOPLE? it depends, what's most apparent usually, their third eye......

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON YOU STOLE THIS FROM? Absolutely....She's great!

27. FAVOURITE DRINK? Water

28. FAVOURITE SPORT? Auto racing or motocross

29. EYE COLOUR? Dark Brown

30. HAT SIZE? Small

31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No

32. FAVORITE FOOD? The one that's in my mouth

33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Scary movies with happy endings......I especially love it when the annoying white girl with the nasal voice gets hacked to bits!! Now that's a happy ending!!

35. SUMMER OR WINTER? SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER

36. HUGS OR KISSES? Both

37. FAVOURITE DESSERT? Chocolate mousse cake

38. WHAT SIDE OF THE BED DO YOU SLEEP ON AND WHY? The outside because I need to be able to fling myself overboard in the middle of the night

39. IF YOU DIDN'T MAKE THE DECISION TO GET MARRIED AND HAVE A FAMILY, WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING TODAY? What??? I got married?? DAMN!!!!!! No one told me!!!!!!!! I hate it when this happens!!!

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING?
Il Decamerone -- Giovanni Boccaccio
Se una notte d'inverno, un viaggiatore -- Italo Calvino
Fontamara -- Ignazio Silone
Windows -- Harald Franzen
Novelle Rusticane -- Giovanni Verga

41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I don't have a mousepad

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? NOTHING I don't watch TV

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Good music, rain, a beating heart, my lover's voice

44. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? The Rolling Stones

45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Italy (physically) lightyears (mentally)

46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? All my talents are special

47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? New York NY

48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Nobody, I stole it from another blog :-) thanks Colette

roots and tubers

I once wanted to become an atheist, but I gave up - they have no holidays.
- Henny Youngman
I, too, once wanted to become an atheist, but didn't give up because they had no holidays: I gave up because it gave me no sense of connection (save but to other atheists who are a rather dark and brooding bunch) to something greater. That for me is an important feeling -- the sense of connectedness, of belonging, of knowing.......which is not to say that I know which way is the RIGHT way (all capitals and italics!) but i do know for sure which is the right way for me. I think that is all anyone can ask for: knowing which is the right way for them.
I am feeling less funky by far.........and finally made it to the Hopper show at the Whitney. We tried to go yesterday, but the line was out the door and so we went to the Museum of Natural History instead. We visited the Hall of Biodiversity, Ocean Life (I LOVE squid!! and all the other tasty cefalopods!! YAY cefalopods!! I am also a fan of bracheopods, just for the record) then went to visit Geology. They have some great information on volcanoes, plate tectonics, mountain formation and all the exciting geothermal activities that we know and love.
Then today (which did start out a little funky......damn those clouds and blue hats!!) we made it to the Whitney. Hopper was great!! Also managed to see the Picasso show which was sort of disappointing, Kiki Smith who is a little weird, but some of her stuff is okay (I particularly enjoyed what has come to be affectionately known as the "Circle of Life".......just a bunch of plexiglass sperm arranged in a circle on a platform on the floor) while some of her stuff is just disturbing, and finally to the Josef Albers and László Moholy-Nagy -- Bauhaus exhibit which was really interesting. We also made it to see paintings by Mark Grotjahn which were pretty interesting as well. We discovered that you can tell a lot about a person based on the paintings they like and dislike (and also by their favorite type of volcano)..................

a tree in a world of flowers

So since it's already November (clearly this is not the place to visit for late-breaking news stories) I have realized that I must transplant my rosemary and lavender plants if they are to survive the winter. I also must transplant myself if I am to survive the winter. But I digress............
The internet connection here has been sketchy at best recently and I'm thinking it's the icky weather (I know all these clouds for all these days in a row are sure making me sketchy) but happily, the bad connection forces me to do work and not spend time on the internet (of course, most of the time when I'm browsing, it involves some work project or other). Unfortunately, the bad connection is not conducive to updating here...............
I realized recently that I really miss writing. I mean sure, I always have lots of writing to do for school (especially with all those papers that are due) but it's not the same as writing for yourself. I also realized recently that I really detest bureaucracy. It's just one of those annoying things that makes life more difficult and is prone to constructing all sorts of obstacles and barriers to not only success, but also to general enjoyment of things that would ordinarily be quite fun and exciting.
Well, eventually I'll get out of my funk and be happy again...........
come talk to me after I've gotten some serious knitting done tonight (might I actually finish Hot Lava??) and/or after graduation, after I find a new job, after I stop eating too much chocolate, after I've managed to get a decent night's sleep, after the clouds clear up and the sun shines again.............

successful sleep and other novelties

So I really believe that someday I will be able to sleep again.
Sleep is something that I really miss.....but really........So my big prediction for the weekend is that I will sleep or at least nap once in 48 hours......................I'm not hopeful that my prediction will come to fruition......SIGH
I also predict that I might (might) be able to FINALLY get to the Edward Hopper show at the Whitney Museum which is open late on Friday night (not that that really means anything) and then there's Saturday afternoon.
What I really miss is not having a full time job and going to school and actually having a free afternoon during the week in which to explore my lovely New York City and take full advantage of all the cultural bounties that NYC has to offer.........aaaahhhhhh yes, the noise, the dirt, the nuisance.....home sweet home.....kidding, of course. But not kidding about the free afternoon thing.....
So clearly I haven't had very much time to write or to go and do anything interesting (besides schoolwork and that's not always interesting) though the other night I did manage to make it to a poetry reading of my friend Christine's which was fun.
Boccaccio is fun (fun? did I just say that Boccaccio is fun? clearly I've lost my mind) and always coming up with new and interesting ways to write in Italian. (yes, new and interesting as told by the monster in the Bugs Bunny cartoons........I think the name was Gossamer......you know the big orangey guy with the fur parted at the top of his giant head wearing chuck taylors or some reasonable fascimile thereof). I think he (Boccaccio not Gossamer) really went to town on the whole "watch me construct a sentence where the subject is at the end and doesn't belong there because this IS NOT LATIN" concept......YAY Giovanni!! It makes the sentences really difficult to parse and if the sentences are difficult to parse, imagine how difficult they are to understand. But I admit, I kind of like it: it presents a challenge, and is entertaining (not a combination often found anywhere these days.....though he did write in the 1300's so I guess that doesn't really qualify as "these days" does it?)

Sorely in need of a linguistic emollient

no pun intended (seriously though)
I just read this article by John Humphries (a Brit of course) about the deterioration of English as a language (at least it seemed to me to be about English, though I don't think he specifically mentioned English.......really, what else could he be talking about?)
The most priceless quote in the whole article is this:
'There can be no more grotesque illustration of the demise of formality on television than the rise of the monstrous confidence trick that goes by the name of "reality television"'.
Ok, maybe the most priceless quote is really this:
'The simple fact is we cannot afford to be careless with our language, because if we are careless with our language then we are careless with our world and sooner or later we will be lost for words to describe what we have allowed to happen to it.'
Yes, yes, it's the latter that is the better, without doubt.

So as we all know, I could probably carry on ad infinitum about how common parliance in the American English language has devolved into a thick bramble of meaningless clauses, sentence fragments, unidentified pronouns (no, they don't fly), and a myriad of other minutae that actually make the difference between the ability to communicate one's thoughts, feelings, & ideas and being totally inarticulate and unable to string the right words together in the right order to make the simplest action or intention understood by all involved.
Last semester, when I was student teaching, one of my kids had the audacity to send me an e.mail wherein she refered to me as "u". I kid you not. She didn't even have the good sense to capitalize the u, which perhaps might have been construed by me as a feeble attempt at a demonstration of respect, an aknowledgement, since she was only e.mailing me because she was turning her final project assignment in LATE, (much like all of her other work, shoddy and thrown together) that she was indeed sorry and recognized the error of her ways. No, she didn't even capitalize the u.
Anyway, I digress: I am in no way implying that I am not guilty of some of the same offences as others (though I can freely and proudly state that I have NEVER e.mailed any of my professors and refered to them as u, capital or otherwise) ; I have been known not to identify pronouns (to which my father will attest with great vehemence, I'm sure) to dangle participles, to end sentences with prepositions, to generally break the rules of English, not to mention that I don't use the subjunctive mood nearly often enough when I'm speaking English, and, and, and, etc. etc. etc.

This is my rant for today. Thank you for your support.

khaki dreams of greatness

Now I must preface by saying that I am not usually one to care a whit about fashion, new trends, being fashion-conscious (I'm barely conscious enough for the things that matter), or what's in and what's out. I'm your pretty basic type of girl: I wear what is comfortable on my body. I have my very own colour pallette (thanks for pointing that out to me, Maritza) which I suppose works with my skin tones and hair & eye colour (stop me if I'm saying anything that isn't true, PLEASE!!) and I also like to bear the season in mind. For instance, I don't usually wear shorts in the winter, nor wool sweaters in the summer. Nor am I judgemental of others' fashion choices (ok maybe a little, but please, you cannot leave your house wearing koolats, patterned stockings that end mid-calf, uggs, and an ill-fitting sweater all in completely uncoordinated colours and expect people not to laugh at you..........and I won't even mention the whole skirt over jeans phenomenon that has New York City in it's evil grip). I am also going to take this opportunity to voice my staunch opposition to leggings and big sweaters, (also leg warmers, big shirts, slouch socks, acid-wash jeans, banana clips worn "jauntily to the side", too-big belts) and pretty much anything that screams "I'm stuck in 1985 and I can't get out!!". Flashdance has its place in the annuls of cinematic history, but c'mon people, it's been twenty years now.....it's really high time we got over it, no? Read: While I am no fashion maven, I have my own unique, ecclectic, eccentric style which by the way includes refusing to pay a ridiculous sum of money for any article of clothing, no matter whose name is on it. It also includes not wearing things together that have no business being on the same body at the same time.
I also could care less about celebrities. These people make absolutely NO DIFFERENCE in my life whatever. I don't care who is pregnant, married, divorcing, a couple, how they are spending their money, what they had for breakfast, blah blah blah. I have enough of my own things to be concerned about, I can't worry about celebrities, now can I?
Now, all this being said, I am sad because I keep forgetting about Go Fug Yourself, an artful guide to the do's and don'ts of celebrity fashions. Which is ABSOLUTELY HYSTERICAL!!!!!!!!!!! Heather and Jessica are brilliant in their commentary and writing style. Their sarcasm and wit are priceless. I can only aspire to such greatness in my assessments of others' fashion faux-pas. If you visit, please be sure to check out Ask Aunt Fugly. Thank you Heather and Jessica for making the fashion world a safer place for all of us.

garden grove

garden grove
Originally uploaded by tresjoli.

So I went to Central Park on Saturday afternoon, something I haven't done nearly often enough. I've decided that I need to take advantage of everthing that New York City has to offer, seeing as how I'm not going to be here forever. Of course, I can ALWAYS come back.........
I've been feeling a bit depressed lately and I'm not absolutely sure what's happening to me. My life is undergoing a sort of renovation if you will; cleaning, painting, tearing down and building anew. It's causing me a bit of stress, but hey, these are the things we must do, right? Not everything is great all the time. I consider myself lucky that I don't have to worry all the time about things like clean drinking water (mine may be chlorinated, but at least it's potable: I hear that the consensus is that NYC water is the best, though to be quite honest, I'm not too sure), or finding my next meal, or where I will sleep tonight. I am thankful for a great many things in my life; not the least of which being my health, my friends and family, the sun, the moon, being understood, and the trees.........................

tasty tidbits

Snacks are a good thing; so are naps. Snacking and napping used to figure prominently in my life and they don't really anymore. I think that we (the world at large that is) should revert the world that contains a snack and a nap in the middle of the day immediately (that would mean now, ahem.....I SAID NOW). These are two things that I miss most about my childhood. The easy transition between consciousness and the semi-conscious dreamy state that immediately precedes a deep sleep, and sometimes can override it. Not to mention graham crackers and apple juice (that is a good snack) or apples and peanut butter (another good snack). Maybe I should write a recipe book for life. I'll call it "Why a Return to Snacks and Naps is Imminent" hhhhhmmmmmm that's not really a catchy title though, is it? I'll have to think on this for a bit...............
And in other news: Boccaccio is getting more and more daring in subject matter and writing style. He makes all these crazy sexual innuendos (that word can pluralize with or without an e) and the main characters are monks, nuns, abbots, and other ecclesiastical sorts; for the middle ages, this guy is really quite risque. He insinuates all kinds of crazy (and often inappropriate) activities in which these ecclesiastical types are engaging. Really quite surprising. I was under the impression, prior to having read any of the Decameron, that it was rather like Dante's Divine Comedy in the sense that the writing would be heavy to convey the severity of the subject matter; the opposite has however turned out to be the case! Boccaccio treats these matters of sin in a rather flippant, and at times comical way. The book is really enjoyable because of his word play (imagine though that I have to figure out this word play in a foreign language from the Middle Ages.....scary, isn't it?) Nevertheless, the puns come shining through (puns are like that though....all shiny and stuff)

hello from the planet Neptune

not so sure why I feel like I'm on Neptune today, but hey, I'm going with it. If I've learned anything so far in this lifetime, it's that when the moment presents itself, grab it because it may never reappear again (the moment, not the lifetime) and besides, I have always wanted to visit exotic places (what's more exotic than Neptune?)
I'm all tired and rueful of my own fatigue as I have to read Machiavelli excerpts from Il Principe tonight and make a comparison with Boccaccio's Decamerone with regard to the treatment of Fortuna (this should be interesting). Happily, I got an A on the first paper I submitted for this class, comparing the first three novels from the first day with each other and then with Novella #73 from Il Novellino (written by everyone's favorite author, anonimo!! but only because it rhymes with geronimo!! ok well, maybe not). I was assigned to compare only the third novella from the first day with novella LXXIII from Il Novellino. Not bad for a first attempt! The prof (in his infinite generosity?) marked up the paper and suggested that we re-write the papers and hand them in again (was this really only a suggestion?).
I made a big decision in the last few days: I am going to do a double major (Italian and Psychology....luckily the psych is already finished). This came out of my own angst about not being able to find a job once I get to Italy without some kind of documented formal education. Passing their tests will probably be fine (if not at least sufficient) but I somehow feel (wouldn't have anything to do with a working knowledge of Italian bureaucracy, now would it?), but passing tests doesn't replace formal education in anyone's mind (even I can't justify it). One of my profs (the very same that I mentioned earlier) suggested that I keep my options open, especially if I wasn't sure that I wanted to teach ESL for the rest of my life (I can't make any lifetime commitments right now)..........so that's what I'm doing..........I'm keeping my options open.......................