Waiting

Sorry for the absenteeism, not a lot going on here at the moment but big plans on the horizon! These days I’ve just been hanging around, here in purgatory- working, reading and watching movies. I’m trying hard to save money, and then, hopefully in a few weeks I’ll be heading off towards Asia for the epic adventure of a lifetime. I’ll let you know how things go, other than that there’s just not much more to tell- yet! ;P

Happy 2009!

Damn, another year. ’08 was a great one and I capped it off with a fabulous dinner & fantastic celebration among friends. We partied hard and counted down to the pop of champagne bottles and the smoldering, cedar-taste of a good-luck cigar afterwards. I might not have gotten my ‘White Christmas,’ but it was a white New Year’s, that's for sure! January 1st was full of fresh powder coating all of Mirandola. Now, I ain’t suspicious or nothin’ but that just feels like a good sign.

All the same, I have to look back on ’08 and be grateful for all the good times and experiences, and the many people I’ve met along the way. Russ- I still think about you all the time. Jonny and Jim- it was great seeing you over here and exploring Egypt together. I’ve really been blessed, man, and I can’t get that part out of my head. Hmm. Never mind. 2009 HAS to suck; something bad is bound to happen because this streak has been far too long. Haha, yes on the other hand pessimism at least anesthetizes one against disappointment- a far better outlook for the future, I say.

Some good pictures and a drunk video below. Ciao.

They burn an old man at the end of the year! How cool is that? Crazy Italians...
That is a long salami ;)
Way too much food. This was the first course, and afterward was something I don't remember, then Zampone, which kicks ass. Didn't have enough room for desert, but I ate it later in the night.
Paltro and I, pre-inebriation.
The gang.
Smoking a Romeo y Julietta hand-rolled cigar from Cuba. Thought it'd be a nice way to cap off the year, awww yeah. Cost me 7 euros, dude, but it was soo good.
My snowy apartment on New Year's Day. I'm the top floor.
From my apartment. I love snow. I love lamp...

First minutes of 2009

Good times, malaka. Savvy?

A Benatti Christmas!

Merry Christmas! It’s been a nice holiday season over here in Mirandola. This year, the Benatti family stayed home and invited me to partake in their Christmas festivities. No snow unfortunately, so I still haven’t had that ‘White Christmas’ I’ve always dreamed about, woe is me. Either way, things were relatively quiet and low key. The flu has been going around the Benatti house so everyone was a little underneath the weather. Except for me, that is. I Am Legend!

We exchanged gifts on Christmas day (video below) after a nice lunch featuring tortellini and some turkey-like meat. Pasta on Christmas, you say? Big surprise, I know. Our desert consisted of Christmas cookies, chocolates, and some sweetbread topped with powdered-sugar and/or Nutella spread- mmmm! Dinner was pretty much the same stuff from lunch. Leftovers baby!

Like I said, Christmas this year was pretty low key. It's a mite lonely being away for another year from the family and friends. But, I had the Benatti family here to keep me company this time around. For New Year’s I’ll probably just have a nice dinner with Paltro and the gang. I’ve got my Cuban ready 'cause I got a feeling ’09 is gonna be a good one. But, 2008 was damn good so it'll be pretty hard to top. Only time will tell…

Oh, and I want to say congratulations to Steven who had a baby boy over there in Texas. I saw the pics. I can't believe you're a father, man! Congratulations!

Benatti family opening gifts.

An Italian Nativity scene. Reminds me of the one we used to set up back home, albeit a little more elaborate... Nico is taller than me now.
I can still wupp Freddy, but not much longer..
What Christmas isn't complete without some kind of game console? In this case, an X-Box Elite.

Freddy is sick. We had to drag him over to open presents, but once he got going he had a little more enthusiasm. Julio is my Mexican name for those of you who don't know the story, it's kinda complicated. The boys know it nonetheless, as I addressed it so on their gift which you can't really see (it was an X-box controller).