Especially the bit about partying hard. 
OK so he may not like the bit about being physically weak or being feckless or ineffective but I’m sure he can turn it round in his favour.
And I’m not sure it will get that much press here. A bit like the scandal concerning D&G which barely gets a mention here.
It’s a strange country, Italy, for sure.
A few years ago, now, playing Scrabble with Best Mate and other friends, I put down the word ‘clowny’. OK, I knew it was a bit dodgy but I stood my ground even if P was very miffed that I could get away with it and, although she was almost certain it was a fake, would not risk losing a go in case it was a real word.
It is my desire to make this word ‘real’ one day. The more I mention it the more chance it has of becoming real. Of course, if you Google it (see that’s a made-up verb) you will find hundreds of pages featuring the word. That doesn’t exactly make it real, of course, but it’s certainly heading there.
And today, Pietro gave me another word that I really do like. What’s the opposite of anticipate? Why, posticipate, of course.
Having used it a few times now, I do understand why it was never a real word – it’s a bit of a tongue twister. However, nice word and I really like it.
Thanks, Pietro 
Well, I can’t put Tags onto posts.
And if I empty the spam I have to log in again.
It’s just annoying. But at least it seems I can post things. Don’t know about accepting comments or replying to them yet as none of you have made any. But I guess I’ll find out.
I have looked into alternative hosters and, unless it’s fixed by tomorrow, I shall be going down that route, I expect.
Which is a shame – but it only really works if you can publish your website and then actually retrieve the website and write new posts!
I seem to be getting busier with the old English teaching lark. And, to be honest, I WANT MY LIFE BACK! I had forgotten how much work it actually takes. A says that I do too much for it. V used to say the same. I can’t do it differently though. I’ve also looked at doing the three kids and decided that I could do it – but I have put forward a price that is a little high. If they don’t want me to do it then that’s fine – after all, teaching kids will be much more work.
Anyway, enough of all this. No time, no time.
To get you a bit more up to date:-
I’ve got the Christmas Stamps! Yay! Now all I have to do is write the cards
Rufus seems a lot better – since Monday, which is good.
F is working from tomorrow through to next Monday and, therefore will be away.
This means that I will have to go to my first-ever Thanksgiving Dinner alone (Friday night) 
It means that we might not go to the concert that he booked for Saturday night.
It means that I have invited A (and F) for Sunday Lunch (Roast Beef, Yorkshire Puddings, Stilton Cheese and a very nice bottle of port direct from Portugal) – there being far too much stuff that F doesn’t like in all that.
It means I will miss him
It means I will get some sleep
It means I can write the Christmas Cards 
In other news, South Korea and North Korea might be on the brink of war. Some miners died in a mine in New Zealand. The students are revolting (they should wash more hehehehe). Britain is to recognise my birthday by making the day a Bank Holiday.
Apparently there are also some other things happening on that day too, which I’m sure is pure coincidence. Checking, actually nothing much (apart from my birthday and the death of St Catherine of Siena) is going on. Oh, except there may be a wedding. Well, in fact, there may be quite a few. In the UK, I mean. Some woman called Kate and a bloke called Bill. Don’t know if I’m invited yet ‘cos they’ve only just announced it. Can’t go anyway, it will be me and F going to Giacomo, I very much hope. So, just in case you should read this, Bill (You don’t mind if I call you Bill, do you? Only William seems so, well, formal.), I’m really sorry we can’t be there. Anyway, the weather in the UK then is always a bit touch and go, especially on that day. You know, it could be raining, likely as not. Here it should be considerably warmer and sunny (I hope).
More stuff to follow (but maybe tomorrow if it’s all working properly)
Well, I’m back …… sort of. I’ll explain more in a moment.
This morning, for the second time since I’ve been here, I understood a joke on the radio. And by understand, I mean completely understood
It’s not really much of a joke but that’s not the point really. It goes like this:
A dog is ‘home alone’ in the house and the telephone rings. The dog answers the telephone.
“Bau”, he says (bau being the Italian equivalent of woof).
“What?”, the caller replies.
“Bau”
“What? Pronto?”
“Bau”
“What?”
“B as in Bari, A as in Ancona, U as in Udine”, the dog says (To determine letters as you spell them, Italians use cities).
Anyway, I thought it was quite amusing but I was more interested that I could understand a phone-in listener telling a joke. I’m not sure if I translated it or not!
Anyway, the reason for no posts is that the hosters I use had a hacker attack. As a result, they have blocked the IP address (from work). This means I can’t really do much. I’m now using a proxy but it’s not very good. They have said that they will add the IP as an exception – but, unfortunately, I can’t tell them what it is until tonight – I don’t have any access to them or their servers.
I’ve found a way round it ……. but it’s not ideal as it keeps logging me out!
Be back properly very soon (I hope). I have a lot to write about including the fact that, finally, it seems, the UK is recognising my birthday and they are going to make it a Bank Holiday
Speak later!
Buzz Lightyear. He believed that he was invincible and was there to save the world.
So, too, with Berlusconi. (Aren’t they so similar?)
This latest news seems to affirm that Mr B and the Italian Mafia (in this case the actual Mafia from Sicily, rather than the Camorra or the Ndrangheta) were closely linked. I would be surprised if anyone thought this was surprising.
There’s a problem here. The Mafia (in all their forms) are powerful and have their fingers in many pies – illegal and legal. The latest thing, recently, is Roberto Saviano’s assertion (apparently because I was told by a colleague) that the Mafia own a lot of restaurants in the north of Italy. Again, not really a surprise. I would think it would be almost impossible to be completely shielded from them. Sure, they may arrest, from time to time, some top leader (as they have a couple of days ago – the guy living, it seemed, an almost normal life in his home town – for 14 years or something like that, without being caught!) but one man is not the whole organisation. Mr B is one, I suspect, of many, many people who have no choice but to pay off the Mafia to get things done; to build things they want; to ensure that their business interests are safe. The Mafia are in every walk of life here. Like you cannot separate the Church and State here, you can’t separate the Mafia from Italy nor the life nor the people here.
And there’s the rub. Is there anyone in power who isn’t or hasn’t given money, even if inadvertently, to the Mafia? Probably not. And, then there’s the ‘in nero’ thing that, I would think, all Italians do at some time or another. It’s almost a way of life, much more so than in the UK.
How can you ever get rid of an organisation that has its grip on Italian life and whose tendrils stretch everywhere?
The only Italian that I know here who regularly insists on having a proper receipt for e.g. a restaurant bill, is A. But he’s one in a million, I think. And, if you pay cash, without a receipt so that you get quite a good discount, how do you know that the money you are paying them isn’t, in some way, helping to launder Mafia cash through the system? Of course, you don’t. And how do you stop it anyway if it is so much part of the Italian way to be? In the UK, I never knew of a restaurant that would routinely offer a discount to it’s regular and trusted clientèle. Here it seems to be the norm – no questions asked – as long as you don’t need a receipt, of course. Happiness all round, it would seem.
Perhaps it happens in the UK too? I don’t really know. And, since, anyway, getting something cheaper and avoiding paying the government anything by way of the transaction tax is something that, even in the UK, is ideal, no one can say their hands are clean, I guess. And even A won’t be whiter than white, I suspect.
And the solution? Whatever solution is thought up, it has to rely on 90% of the people abiding by whatever rules apply. And I don’t think that’s ever going to happen here any time soon. And so the solution is that there is no solution. However depressing that may seem, if one accepts that, then one can concentrate on the things that are solvable. Insolvable things don’t mean that you can’t try and exercise some control – just don’t think they are solvable.
For those of you who follow my blog, you may remember how pleased I was to find this flat.
It was on the street that I loved from the first time I saw it. It was, in fact, the perfect street. The flat was just right for me. It was, in fact, the perfect flat. And, so, this was the-perfect-flat-on-the-perfect-street – as far as I was concerned.
The street has many beautiful buildings. It is a joy to walk down (as I do every morning when I take the dogs out) and there are many small shops and restaurants. It gives a ‘village’ feel, even though we are no more than 10 minutes from one of the busiest and main shopping streets in Milan. It is a haven from the normal hustle and bustle of the city.
We have everything we need here and I would hardly need to go anywhere else. Our favourite pizza restaurant is just on the corner up the street. There’s an Indian too, although I haven’t been there for ages. There’s a small version of one of the supermarket chains, some cafés, a chemist, the place where I just had some pictures repaired, the vets are just off the street. Yes. All-in-all, it is the perfect street.
And the flat is wonderful. It is old (1920s or 30s) – a little Art Nouveau with very high ceilings (that I cannot reach, even with my step ladders), there are nooks and crannies, a built-in cupboard in the kitchen (that was, probably, an old larder) – the flat has been divided up from a bigger flat, making it more interesting. The rooms are large (for the city of Milan) and, even with my large English furniture, it is not too claustrophobic.
It took me a while to learn how to shut the windows properly. They have an ornate handle.
To close them properly, you must first pull the handle away from the door. It has a strange joint inside.
Then you close the door with the handle still out towards you. Then push the handle closed but at 90° to the down-frame.
Then you bring the handle down to make it flush with the frame.
At this point the window is secure.
The one problem with these windows are that, because they are old, they are a bit draughty. They are not really secure, either, to be honest. It wouldn’t really take much to break in.
Also, the front door is not one door but two. The left side (as you look at the picture) opens normally. The right side has a bar keeping it firm and closed and you take the bar out to open both of them (when you are taking stuff out or having stuff delivered).
But, soon, all this is to change. Some guys came in to measure all the windows and doors. Apparently, the building administrators (landlords) are replacing all of them.
I know what this means. We shall have modern double (or triple?) glazed windows. Probably ones that open outwards from the top as well as open fully as normal. They will be wonderfully good at keeping the noise out (when closed) and there won’t be any more draughts. They will be much more secure.
In addition, the front door is to be replaced. It will be replaced by a single door. This door will be much more secure and will probably have a spy hole to see people when they come before you have to open the door. The lock will be on of those that is securing not only the opening but also the top and bottom making it almost impossible to break in. And, again, there will be no draughts.
This is great, except for one thing. It will take a little away from the flat. It won’t really be ‘in keeping’ with the style. I am a little sad that they will be going even if I know that the result will be a warmer (and you know how I like it hot) and certainly more secure.
Hence the fact that I have taken photographs. I love the handles and the way that they work and for all that the new ones will be easier and more efficient, it seems a shame that these ingenious pieces of engineering and aesthetically attractive handles will be replaced by fairly boring white plastic handles.
Ah, well, it is progress, I suppose.
Oh, yes, and the shutters are being replaced too. You can see the style of shutters in the flats opposite mine in the following picture. Maybe we shall get ones that close from the top – a single shutter – rather than these that close together. Again, more secure – but it’s still a shame, in a way.
The first time I try to grab the ……… it twists and turns so much that it jumps out through my fingers. The second time I pinch a bit harder and quickly dip the translucent ………. in the accompanying emulsion of brown butter. When it lands on my tongue it does a little hop, skip and a jump before I decapitate it with my teeth and swallow the wonderful blend of crunchy shells, soft tail meat and creamy sweet butter.
I pride myself on the fact that I have never actually refused to eat anything put in front of me. I think, I could, almost eat anything, including grubs and insects (given the right circumstances – I am not, right at this moment hunting for a nice, big, juicy spider, for example. I’ve just had lunch!). There are things I might ‘struggle’ with like slugs (if they are even edible) or, in particular, dog (it’s OK, Korea is not high on the list of places I simply must visit).
However, after reading this piece, I’m almost certain I can now add ‘live things’ to the list of the unlikely things!
And you? Would you? (Italians are excluded form this as they’re almost certain to dislike the idea ;-). Sorry Lola, Pietro, etc.)
I seem to be picking up more teaching work. It’s recommendations from people already having lessons. I prefer the book writing corrections and the other correction work I do but such is life *sigh*.
So, the guy who works in the tobacconists below my flat is due to start on Thursday. He wants to do the TOEFL test (and I’m really not sure he’s anywhere near that level but let’s see on Thursday).
I teach a colleague on Tuesday, after work. She’s a sweet girl of about 20. She is at a low level but she tries really hard and her pronunciation (once you correct her) is quite good, really. I’m impressed. According to another colleague, she really enjoys the lessons, which is good.
I go to teach her at her house. She lives with her parents in what I first assumed was a very large detached house. In fact, although it looks like that, it is two flats. They have the ground floor and her sister (who is married with two kids) has the top floor. Still, they make big flats.
Last night, as we were finishing the lesson, her sister arrived and sat down in the lounge (it’s an open plan ground floor) and was working on her laptop. As I was packing up, my colleague’s nephew came in. I said ‘Hello’ as I do. He was a bit confused because it wasn’t Italian. Then her sister asked me if I would teach her two kids and some other kid, English.
I said that I would think about it. I would need to think of a price and what I could do. I explained that, normally (in fact, always), I teach adults and I teach business English. Teaching English to kids is a bit different. There will be two six-year-old girls and the eleven-year-old boy.
Hmmm. But, now, it leaves me with a bit of a dilemma. What to do? My colleague (MT) has obviously told her sister (family?) about the lessons and how much she is enjoying them and is probably saying I am a good teacher – hence the question.
But ……… I have never taught children. Let’s be honest here, I don’t, generally, even like children! Have you ever noticed blog posts detailing the joys of children on my blog? No, I didn’t think so! I would have to write brand new lessons – it would have to include games and stuff. To keep them interested and occupied would be a task in it’s own right, let alone trying to actually teach them something of English!
On the other hand, it could be quite interesting. I mean, teaching kids means more money, for certain. I mean, for an hour I could charge more than for an adult student. Also, they are not poor people. Plus, I would end up with a load of lessons for kids. How difficult could it all be?
Actually, it could be very, very difficult. But I won’t actually know that until I try, will I?
So, what to do, what to do?
Things are not going well, it would seem. There’s the to-do about the illegal immigrant who was released from jail (but she WAS pretty and young), there’s the homophobic comment from the other day making headline news and then some prostitute has suggested that Mr B (Buzz Lightyear) paid her for sex which, I learnt, yesterday, is actually an illegal act (the paying for sex, that is).
The other problem is that Gianfranco Fini, one-time best mate of Buzz and, until recently, by his side in almost everything, a reformed neo-fascist, so it is said, keeps sniping at Buzz. He’s formed another group (soon to be party?) but they aren’t quite ready for an election yet. Instead of bringing the current government down, he is suggesting that Buzz should resign. Buzz, on the other hand is suggesting that if Fini is any sort of ‘man’ he would force a new election (Buzz isn’t actually stupid, I guess, in spite of his antics and outpourings that point to the contrary).
But, what of the current global financial crisis and Italy, I hear you ask ………..
……………wait………….
WHAT CRISIS?
the government of pretending everything is going well
I just LOVE this quote from Fini, talking (yesterday or the day before) about the current government in Italy (ignoring the fact that, until very recently, he was actually part of it). I only hope it is a faithful translation!
As I said to my colleague yesterday, the real problem here is who is to replace him? There’s simply no one strong enough to do that, at least, not from my outside view. Names are mentioned but it has to be someone who can bring a number of parties together and, unfortunately, there don’t seem many people able to do that here.
“It tastes a bit like custard”, I say.
There are some important words there. ‘Bit’. ‘Like’. They mean it’s not exactly the same but it reminds me of custard. After all, custard is made with beaten egg yolks, caster sugar mixed with milk and a touch of vanilla.
Unlike the cream used in tiramisù. Instead, this is made with beaten egg yolks (check), caster sugar (check), mixed with mascarpone (a light cream/yoghurt-like cheese made from, erm …… milk) (sort of check) and the beaten egg whites.
OK so one is missing vanilla and is not cooked and the other is missing egg whites. Overall, almost the same ingredients. It not only tastes a ‘bit like’ custard but is, in fact, a ‘bit like’ custard!
However, the look on the face says everything. Apparently, even if it wasn’t said, the cream for tiramisù IS NOT, IN ANY WAY, ‘like’ custard, even if, of course, it is, actually, quite a lot like custard.
Hmmmmph! Bloody Italians and their ‘our food only tastes like our food and has no similarities’!