there's nothing a little scotch tape can't fix

maybe you remember my post about our dsl not working? well, i finally called our ISP and i spoke with tech support. apparently our modem was working and transmitting an a-ok signal to them so we narrowed it down to a faulty cable that runs from my laptop to our modem (don't even ask me why i'm not using my WiFi... that's a whole different story). i jumped in my smart and made a quick trip to la spezia to pick up a new cable. i got home, changed out the cable and guess what? the new one didn't work either. so while i was back on the phone with tech support i wiggled the cable around a bit and realized that it wasn't making proper contact. so guess how i fixed the problem?!? scotch tape. yep. very classy i know. but the important thing is that i'm back online! :)

gustavo turns two!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GUSTAVO!

our baby boy (a.k.a. french bulldog) turned two today. it seems like yesterday that he was born. of course we had to celebrate so we bought a nice big steak for him and topped it with two candles. :) i know, i know... call us crazy but we really do love our dogs that much.

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! tickets bought!

i just got finished buying our tickets home for christmas... YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! i'm so excited! :)

we're flying out of pisa on the 17th of december and we'll be flying back on the 7th of january! so christmas AND new year's at home! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY! i'm doing my happy dance heeheehee!

we're flying alitalia (which pretty much stinks) but our connections are quite good (we have to change only in paris) so i'm happy about that. oh! and we're flying in & out of LAX (which is highly unorganized & crazy... i would have definitely preferred SFO but so is life).

i just wanted to share the good news! i now just need to nab a good car rental rate and we'll be good to go! oh... and travel health insurance (ehem... i learned my lesson on that one!).

where's our internet?

you never know how much you depend on something until you don't have it anymore. our dsl isn't working at home for some reason and i feel like i'm missing a leg. i didn't realize how internet dependent i've become! last night was even worse because francesco was watching a soccer game and i was twiddling my thumbs (normally i'd be online). i think i need to buy a good book. hmmmmm...

the port of genoa (genova in italian)

yesterday i drove to genoa to pick up our wedding book (album) from our photographer. it turned out lovely! we'll be bringing it home with us at christmas so everyone can see it. since i was already in genoa i decided to make the most of it and i hit up one of my favorite stores...

i love ikea because it's one of those places that you can get lost in. and i was so happy to be there alone because i didn't have anyone breathing down my neck trying to rush me (sorry, no offense francesco... heeheehee!). i ended up buying some new pillows for the couch, a sheepskin (to cover up the chewed corner of the couch... thanks gustavo) and some other odds & ends. all in all it was a great day.

the funniest part was when i got home to biassa i stopped by to see francesco's cousin andrea & his family because i wanted to show them the book. when andrea found out that i went to genoa by myself he thought i was crazy. as if it's some kind of epic journey to get there. mind you that genoa is less than 2 hours away from us and 95% of it is on the autostrada (the italian tollways) and only 5% of it is city driving (which can sometimes be a bit scary but i've got the hang of it... thank goodness for our GPS though!). i tried to explain to him that i did longer roadtrips when i was 18, but it really is another world here.

by the way, i love my smart. :)

we'll be home for christmas!

we'll be home for christmas! YAY! i'm really excited about it because it will be francesco's first christmas in california with my family. we haven't bought our tickets yet but we should be doing so soon. i think we'll only be able to be in california for two weeks (which passes in a snap, trust me!) but i'm just excited to be there!

burnt out...

i'm feeling burnt out at work. stagnant. i need something to shake things up and get my mind reeling again. after working here since 2003 it's feeling monotonous. i can only tell my "story" so many times a day before i start to cringe and fake an italian accent so i don't get asked. i know, it's pathetic. i think it's because we're towards the end of the season and even though i should see a light at the end of the tunnel, i'm not seeing it yet. and the funny thing is that i should LOVE what i do as i'm not overworked and/or underpaid like so many these days.

the girls of rio

here's a photo that was taken of us at julie's baptism a few weeks ago.

L to R: kiiri (canadian), martha (californian), julie (50/50 american/italian), christina (british), me! (don't ask why i'm not smiling, i have no idea) & last but not least, kelly (canadian)

at the beach with p&g

our "family outing" at the beach in marinella

francesco, gustavo & penelope

gustavo... he's a happy boy! :)

usually francesco has wednesday afternoons off but this week he had to switch with thursday. because gustavo has his dog training lesson on thursdays he was going to come with us to the lesson & bring penelope, too! we were all excited... until it started raining. i called the trainer and he said it was raining there as well so he cancelled the lesson.

we had to stop by the vet clinic to drop off gutavo's pee (see my other posts if you don't know what i'm talking about) so i talked francesco into taking the dogs to the beach in marinella (sarzana's marina area). dogs aren't technically allowed at the beaches in italy but my logic was this: bad weather = empty beach = happy dogs on beach! so we went...

it was pretty deserted. there were some fishermen who apparently don't care if there's bad weather and one foreign family who didn't seem to care either. it actually was perfect. we couldn't have been happier!

apparently i wasn't thinking ahead because i didn't bring any towels for the dogs (or francesco's feet... i kept my shoes) so i had to use a mitt for washing the car (that i luckily had in the back of my car) to try and dust the sand off of the dogs before putting them back in the car. i don't think i was very successful and i'm sure i'll be remembering our trip to the beach every time i get in my car for the next 6 months.

uncle mike, do you recognize that shirt? :)

welcome october!

welcome october! i'm so happy you're here.

to me, october means:

• chestnuts falling
• tourists diminishing
• the return of some much needed peace & quiet