Tidbit No. 1

I just love traveling. I mean, the actual act of traveling. The back and forth part. The airports and train stations and their counterparts: planes and trains. Buying tickets and searching for your flight or train on the information screens, too. I guess it’s also about knowing what I’m doing. I like that I know how to do all of that stuff. I could help someone. I can do it without help from others.

I also love the arrival part. The part in which you find what you’re looking for. That feels really good. And when what you find welcomes you home each and every day; when what you find says ‘Thank You for being here;’ when what you find offers you a home, even if for only a short time, you say ‘Okay. Yeah. That would be nice,’ as you walk into the light.

So, if I were an actor invited to James Lipton’s Actors Studio and he asked me what I would like to hear God say if there is a heaven and I get to go there, that’s what I would want to hear when I arrive at the Pearly Gates: “Thank You for being here.”

My reply? “No, Thank You.”

The Humble Abode

My humble abode. It’s beautiful. There’s barely anything humble about it, in my own humble opinion, that is. Eline calls this my “penthouse.”

Here are some pics:






I live with Angelo, as noted in a previous post. Angelo seriously does it all. Here is the most updated (and ever growing) list of activities/work:

~Apartment Proprietor
~Jam/Confections Factory Owner/Manager
~Product testing Agency (Making sure that Olive oil and other products are legal for vending)
~Emergency Mountain Rescue Volunteer (he’s the guy they float down from a line attached to the helicopter that leads into some deep, dark, crevice)
~Map Maker
~Night Class Teacher (Courses in Map Making, Mountaineering, etc.)
~Mountain Skiing/Climbing Instructor & Fanatic
~President of the Perugia Mountain Activities Club (700+members)
~Farmer (grows most of the fruits & vegetables for making the jams and such)
~Helicopter Builder/Pilot
~Footpath/Hiking Trail Maker

And these are things that he does on a daily/ weekly basis. I am amazed and in awe that he still has time to eat, go for a run in the middle of the day, and on the weekends go ice climbing/hiking/camping with his own friends. He rarely stops. Some days, I sense a serious meltdown coming our way.

I, on the other hand, take care of the cats. They are a real riot. I also help with the apartment that he rents to 7 or 8 female students just below ours. The occupants move on a monthly/quarterly/yearly basis, so there’s often cleaning or purging to be done in one room or another.

Angelo is the perfect roommate. He’s funny, enjoys a good conversation, is home just often enough, doesn’t ask too many questions, and he cooks. What more could an American girl want?

Another thing: He’s always up for a good dinner party. I love this! I am always a little overwhelmed by this, but the outcome is a belly full of superb food, and a head floating in a warm sea of delicious wine. Sometimes we have just one guest, whereas, other nights we may have a full house of 10-15 guests plus ourselves. And this is never planned in advance. He may not invite anyone over before 6 pm for an 8pm dinner the very same night. And by 8pm, without fail, appetizers are making the rounds, wine is being poured, and the first of three courses is heading to the table. I put Bobby McFerrin on to set the mood. I seriously love this.

In other news, I make dinner sometimes. This is a delicious broccoli pesto & spinach pasta dish that I made the other night!