Wednesday, May 15

can't cry when we say goodbye

I smile
It doesn't mean I don't care
You've changed my life
Added points of shining light
And that radiates back now

daydreamer

I am so tempted to just move to Amalfi. I love love love that place. Even in gloomy rain. We could a) quit our science careers and move to Amalfi, make enough money doing whatever to survive and never ever leave, or b) keep our science careers, keep living elsewhere, making enough money to travel, invest, explore and retire (early) to Amalfi. When I see it written this way, logic tells me that option (b) is the way to go. But I still daydream about option (a).

47 things

1 I was born in Fort Knox
2 I have three younger brothers
3 I am 6 feet tall
4 My eyes changed color two years ago, from olive green to blue.
5 I broke my left pinky in two places while playing basketball.
6 I'm an excellent packer (everything from groceries to mini-hatchbacks).
7 My favorite children's books are "Pink Magic," "Skippyjon Jones," "Down by the Sea with Mr. Magee," and "Loud Emily"
8 I sing my kids to sleep.
9 My family chocolate chip cookie recipe is written on the back of the Nestle chocolate chip package.
10 I'd like to teach childbirth education classes.
11 I like rain and thunderstorms.
12 I wish I spent more time outside. My ideal house would have a large outdoor living space.
13 I prefer to leave my armpits hairy.
14 As a kid, my birthday dinner was always baked beans, ham and pineapple.
15 is my lucky number.
16 I breastfed both punks until they were over four years old.
17 My secret crush is Mike Rowe.
18 I like photographs of feet.
19 I prefer to sleep in the cold.
20 I love playing basketball, rowing, and rock climbing.
21 I like my marshmallows hot, gooey, and browned to a slight crisp on the outside.
22 Foods I miss most from the US are Mexican, Indian, Thai, Japanese, and Chinese.
23 I play the piano.
24 46 sounds SO sexy to me. I'm looking forward to the next decade.
25 Some of my favorite movies are Orlando, Wings of Desire, Female Perversions, Pane e Tulipani, Stranger than Fiction, Dracula,Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Being John Malkovich, Minus Man, The Straight Story, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
26 Hubby was my one and only one night stand. I failed miserably.
27 I love campfires.
28 The first time I went backpacking I froze my ass off, thought about mauling my guide who was draped in fleece, and nearly fainted at the sight of the stars in the night sky.
29 My favorite smell is Muir woods.
30 Having my arms scratched turns me into pleasure jello.
31 I like shopping at Whole Foods.
32 I would love to ride an Indian motorcycle while wearing lots of black leather.
33 My ability in the culinary arts is up there with the likes of the mother in Better Off Dead.
34 I have no patience for couch potatoes.
35 I prefer pepper over salt.
36 Ben & Jerry's is my favorite commercial ice cream.
37 Muscles are my favorite seafood.
38 September is my favorite month.
39 I like to color. With crayons. In coloring books.
40 I keep my nails short.
41 I don't wear makeup.
42 I like the smell of the incense they use during Catholic Mass.
43 I believe in the spiritual nature of life.
44 I'm more comfortable talking to men.
45 I forgive others.
46 I think I am lucky.
47 For some reason, I've always wanted to visit Morocco.

three things


This is the general structure of a triglyceride. Yea, we're chemists here and we like this freaky stuff. Scary looking bugger. All grabby with those long arms and itchy little double bond Os. (Now I KNOW you're starting to doubt that I'm a chemist).

Well, if you're up on your tryglycerides, then you know that

The National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines for triglycerides are:
Normal Less than 150 mg/dL
Borderline-high 150 to 199 mg/dL
High 200 to 499 mg/dL
Very high 500 mg/dL or higher

These are based on fasting plasma triglyceride levels.


Of course.

My point? you ask...

Yeah... well, getting to that.

Here's the First Thing. My hubby just found out that his level is 1200.

NormalLess than 150 mg/dL
Borderline-high150 to 199 mg/dL
High200 to 499 mg/dL
Very high500 mg/dL or higher


Look back at that handy dandy table... normal levels, 150... huh?

No. I didn't mis-type that. It's TWELVE HUNDRED!

He's a freak of nature. Or a walking heart attack. We've got to take better care of hubby. No more Marlboro Man Sandwiches. I guess you have to actually be a cowboy to eat those regularly.


Second Thing...

Nice bike. If you see it around this very north of northern Italian towns, beat the person riding it with your Italian Vogue. Jerk stole it from said hubby from inside our building.

Poor hubby. What is the world coming to!!! Now he can't even continue biking those 10 miles a day to keep his triglycerides in check.


Third Thing.

We get a call from our internet provider that our usage is exceptionally high this month. Well, we've been using it for a year and a half... nothing's new. So, what the...?

Turns out they have not billed us (in a year and a half) and we actually have a plan where we need to pay 2 euros/hour during the week. Weekends are free. That's why they've named it the FREE plan.

telephone guy: you've got the "Free" plan, right?
hubby: yea, that sounds right.
telephone guy: ok, well, that's 2 euros/hour.

Wait. What the ...?



So, later, hubby, distressed says... "oh, what's next... I'm dying, my bikes been stolen, we owe thousands of euros to the internet slime balls... what else is going to happen?!?!"

And this is where, I assuredly tell him, with my all american good sense,

That's three things. Nothing else bad is going to happen. These things come in threes, of course, as all we optimistic gomer smiling, good americans all know. You're done. Kaput. That's it. Finito! Not so bad, right?



Could be worse...
Could be raining...








sbaglio... mistake
My italian is riddled with them
broken and gasping through the discussion of our evening plans
what we "will" do expressed as what we "are" doing
the ten year old patiently corrects my conjugation
again
My hardened brain
I imagine it something like the brains you see floating in glass jars
Rubberized by the American formaldehyde bubble
These sbiglii (?) are one of many weak defenses I have
As my children bob along in the soap
They were American, then Italian, and now American again
Simply comfortable with their reality
Accepting what it presented to them
I'm the only one that sees the past and future
And blinds herself with panic of what will be lost
Or gained.

And in defense of my sanity
I put up blinders and try to see what they see for a time.
All is not lost
They still are what they were
They are evolving, still rich with experiences we worked so hard to give them
Distinctly suffering through their mother's broken Italian
And I see they are fine
And I am also
And sbaglii are essential to where I am
Where I want to go.

they let anyone do this

Irresponsible parenting:

When no one can sleep at 2:37 am, you all go out for donuts.
Starting school holidays a day early just because everyone has had enough.
Watching "The Office" wednesday afternoons with your 7 year old.
Disco dancing in the living room when you really should be getting ready for school.
Leaving the Grandparents to babysit via Skype.
Agreeing with your second grader that his English teacher is indeed an idiot.
Kissing attacks as a form of punishment.