Something’s Gotta Give….

I called my “real” closest girlfriend today. She lives an ocean away in Italy. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed her. I miss my life there too. My daughter and I talk about going back more and more these days. As we see America change and become less friendly even to Americans, we long for the simpler life we had in Italy. We didn’t have much, no one there really does. Even the richest Italians, don’t live like the richest Americans. They may live in palatial villas, but compare their homes to Bill Gates’ and you’ll find it’s not as technologically advanced (of course), or even well-heated with updated plumbing. Grocery stores aren’t as well-stocked. People wear clothes they’ve worn for years. The young people scour the open air markets for decent jeans (okay, so those are better here), fabulous shoes (those are everywhere) and one of a kind fashions. STUFF is cheaper here. I can go to the dollar store and buy all my household cleaning products for under $10! I’d need about $50 in Italy. Food is more expensive; cars are cheaper, but I can expect to pay a few hundred dollars to take the license test. Getting around is a much bigger challenge… fewer roads, rail and bus strikes, and childcare if you don’t have a relative there???…. forget it. It’s damn near impossible to get a babysitter and then they earn as much as I did as an English teacher.

If I went back now, at least I’d be an American-educated Registered Nurse. I know that the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has a hospital in Palermo, but I can’t see myself living in Sicily…. too many public works left undone that would drive me up the wall.

I miss the slower pace in Europe; the greater reverence for living and no one being able to keep up with the Joneses. I appreciate how easy it is to live in America compared to there; I really do! But there is just something about there as opposed to here. I also appreciate that we have a better education system, although that can depend a great deal on where you live in America. When I first moved there, it took me about four months to really adjust to their way of living. You learn to do without a lot of stuff. After awhile, however, you don’t miss it as much…. and after an even longer time, you can’t imagine why you ever wanted or needed anything except what you have. It’s a simpler life. A more reverent life. You learn to do without air conditioning or screens on your windows for that matter — you don’t need them. You drink homemade wine, eat the freshest tomatoes and learn the difference between a good olive oil and a bad one. And I swear the sun there doesn’t scorch your skin like it does here, even though the heat comes up from Africa! I NEVER burned there and never wore sunscreen, figure that one out.

I think what I miss more than anything is the history and walking by building after building that has stood for thousands of years. We don’t even have anything 500 years old here.

I remember sending pictures back to the States of my visit to the Roman Forum. My dear young nephew exclaimed, “Yuck, why would she want to live there? It’s so run down!” Well, I’d move back tomorrow if I didn’t have to pack and start all over again. My daughter would be at a disadvantage for forgetting her Italian, but she could be tutored or better yet, enrolled at the International school in Rome.

I have more “stuff”…. or should I say more “convenient stuff” here. I indulge in my favorite pastimes — garage sailing in the summer and sipping expensive coffees on the patio of Starbucks and traveling freely between the States. You would think the lure of the easy would quiet my wanderlust and quench any desire to live in a country where you have to buy extra milk on Fridays because you may not find an open store until Monday afternoon!

With all the conveniences available to me in a country where I am a natural born citizen, I have to ask myself, are the conveniences merely a temptation which prevent me from living the life that wants to live in me?

MJ burnout and Oh My God, high-caloric drinks!

Enough MJ already. The man was a gifted performer. So was Sinatra. There’s good news on the horizon, Project Runway starts up again soon, and we’ll get back to important conversations!

MSN had an article about the worst drinks on the planet. I’m guilty of loving peppermint mochas from Starbucks, but I’ve had to ask for soy milk because I’ve discovered dairy gives me migraines. Lovers of Cold Stone Creamery’s peanut butter and chocolate milkshake (PB&C) should be aware that the more appropriate name is “potbellies and cardiovascular disease.” It has more calories in it than you should eat in a day and 3-4 days worth of fat grams (depending on what you set you limit to per day). This drink scores the number 2 slot, if you want to know which drink equals 29 Fudgesicles and a stick and half of butter, go to MSN.

I’m thinking this summer is the nicest spring to summer transition since I can’t remember when. Temps in the 70s, some rain, but not torrential, flowers not wilting (and neither am I). Wish I could have this weather year round, but I think I’d have to move to Palm Springs. California is beautiful with the sun, sand and surf, but I like getting my tax refunds too much to let the state hold onto them for me!

Found lots of new tools to manage Twitter: Tweetgrid, Tweetscan, AskTwitR, TweetVolume, iTweet, Twitterfox, Twitterfeed, Twitterpatterns…. lots to discover and use! I already make use of Tweetdeck, check it out if you haven’t yet. You can even see your friends’ updates in Facebook and post to both Twitter and Facebook at the same time!

gloria

Sorry France, We’re a Little Busy Over Here…..

I know that our government rolled out a stimulus package and that several businesses have taken advantage of it; unfortunately we’re still running a little behind one of our European counterparts, France. We did have a new administration to put into place and Vice-President Biden admitted that they read the economy wrong. So now we have to catch up and turn things around. The New York Time’s cover story regarding France’s stimulus packages showed a picture of a man repairing a column on the Grand Commun near the Palace of Versailles. The article stated that French workers who are accustomed to taking the summer off will be working to keep French chateaus, cathedrals and museums in good repair – we must not disappoint the tourists! Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t people still flock to the Coliseum in Rome? It’s still a ruin, right? I heard there’s a tower in Pisa that isn’t even standing upright and people visit it year ‘round! Those crazy Italians are just so gimmicky!

One of French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s advisors, a Mr. Devedjian, stated that the US is six-month’s behind in doling out the monies from our stimulus package. Hmm, let me think what we were doing six months ago, oh yes, replacing a President, forming a new administration and still keeping an eye on the rest of the world in case they got into trouble and needed us to DO SOMETHING! Uh huh. Thanks for giving us a minute to catch our breath. We are using our stimulus packages for saving as many of the little guys as possible, the ones that have been in business for years, have paid their taxes religiously; the ones that have served the people in their community. And yes, we’ve been trying to save our automakers too. We have directed money away from those places that are less crucial in today’s world, libraries (unfortunately, but people don’t need them the way they used to), museums and less needed city services (many communities had no fireworks this year) to name a few.

The thing about European countries like France is that there aren’t so many small businesses. There are artisans, to be sure, but by and large Europe counts on tourists. Repairs on their major sightseeing stops is compulsory to keep their nations’ coffers filled. We, on the other hand, have always been the work horse population of the world. No other country’s inhabitants work as hard as Americans work. So forgive us if our priorities are slightly different. You, dear France, must roll your stimulus monies out now to get your country’s attractions in place for the tourists. Excuse us, if we take our time to try to fix some of the underlying problems that caused this mess in the first place and save people’s long-term livelihoods. We don’t need to repair the aesthetics of it. It is what it is.

gloria