Happy Holidays!

We're off tomorrow for our honeymoon...just a slight year and a half late!

Happy Holidays to everyone - I hope your Christmas is Merry, and your 2008 is filled with an alphabet of good things...

Affection
Belly laughs
Creativity
Dreams
Energy
Friendship
Gifts
Health
Ice-cream
Joy
Krumholz!
Love
Music
Noise
Optimism
Prosperity
Quiet
Rest
Sustenance
Time
Unpredictable surprises
Value
Walks
Xylophone concerts (hey, X is a hard one!)
Your favorite people
Zen

p.s. TANTISSIMI AUGURI ANCHE AI MIEI AMICI ITALIANI...!!

Choosing Your Choices

I'm sitting here at my last day of work, in a quiet pre-holiday office (luckily that just means less awkward goodbyes) and thinking about the last 2 and a half years I have spent here. I wouldn't say I'm nostalgic...not enough time has passed yet for that. I'm just pensive, thinking about how much of our lives is made up of making choices. What to have for breakfast, when's the right time to change your career path, who to invite over for dinner, where to take your next vacation, how to fit in everything you want to do today.

I seem to be the Clichè Queen these days, but I'll risk the flying tomatoes: Life is Choice. And the decisions we make are who we are, define us. And each time we arrive at that proverbial fork in the road, we are being given a chance (or, really, giving ourselves a chance) to re-adjust our persona - to modify how we will be seen, interpreted, translated and remembered.

How often we give ourselves a chance to do that is entirely up to us. Do you want to stay where you are, are you happy with the way you are being interpreted? Or do you feel like something needs adjusting, like you've *almost* pegged it, but there's some missing element? Because, if your answer is an *almost* like I think it probably is...it's most certainly time to make a choice.

No pressure or anything.

Un Certo Signor G

Andrea and I went to the latest show of our public theater subscription, and - are you sitting down? - I actually loved it!

The show was "Un Certo Signor G" (A certain Mr. G). The main - and only - actor was well-known Italian actor/comedian Neri Marcore' who I've loved in everything I've ever seen him in, and this performance was another to add to that list. He was accompanied on stage by two very talented women pianists...oh, and a mouse statue at one point, but it was nothing like those infamous dancing dolphins.



The show, written skillfully by Giorgio Gaber, was a light, comical piece with dark undertones, about your Average Joe - or, in this case, your Average Giuseppe, seeing as it was all about your typical Italian male. Paranoid, self-loathing, proud, in search of love, infantile, curious, apathetic, warm, artistic...in love and in loathing with his country. For all its humor and music, it was a colorful, honest, at times sentimental walk through the Italian brain. In a word, it was authentic. Ahhh, finally!

Life's little presents

Just when I start to question if I'll ever figure this whole game out, Life steps in and tosses a little sunshine my way.

Yesterday I had an interview with a publishing company that's been putting out the famous Barbanera calendar/almanac for the past 200+ years in Italy. They are interested in trying to sell it in the U.S. and need someone to act as a consultant, to do an analysis of everything from content to illustrations, traditions to recipes to gardening advice.

This is a great opportunity for me now for many reasons: it gives me a chance to utilize my different interests and talents (writing, graphic design, cultural analysis, editing), it's a great transitional job as it gives me the freedom to work on my own and then present my analyses to them at each deadline, and it's open-ended: it might last 2 months or 2 years, depending on how the project goes (I'm all for open-ended right now!).

Only current negative is that nobody made any mention of how much they'll be paying me, but let's not forget we are still in Italy!

So, let this be a lesson to you all as it has been for me: don't let months and years of misery pass before you decide to change things for yourself...once you decide to make that change, Life will surely step in and help you see clearly.

It's (officially) that time o' year!

Sending a little holiday love your way!


(Multi-cultural holiday love, of course...)

Moving On.

So, the deed has been done: I gave my notice at work this morning. I'm here until Christmas break, so about 3 more weeks.

This decision - as you all well know - has been long coming. I've been more or less miserable here for the past...well...seemingly forever, but in human numbers it's been more like a year. Somehow I just didn't have the courage to follow through with my instincts. Until today.

I feel strong and sure of my decision, but also scared for the future. I don't know what it holds for me, but as of today I am ready to find out.

Thanks to all of you out there who have supported me and lent your ears to my constant rants and complaining -- I couldn't have finally gotten to this point without your help.