Simple thoughts

So, yesterday night started the 2007 Italian Songs Festival of Sanremo (for the ones not used to it, take a look at the official site at http://www.sanremo.rai.it/R2_HPprogramma/0,,1067026,00.html ). The show is hosted in a theatre in the nice town of Sanremo, famous for its many greenhouses and flowers. It will last 5 days, and I whish I could sleep all through this! Every paper, magazine, tv news or radio program is talking about it, and I can't stand it! It's all about new singers wanting some space to show their talent (most of time, the lack of) or famous ones (maybe a little forgotten) wanting some spotlight again. The rules are written by the various music labels, and even if it's the audience (by phone) that proclaims the winner, I have a lot of doubts about the truth of the system (and in the past a lot of scandals occured). Luckily, I have better things to do in the evening than watch tv, and most of all, I have a remote!

On a much more important level, some of you know about my insane passion for the MAN himself, the twice sexiest man alive, Brad Pitt. I'm happy he found a new happiness with a very beautiful, sexy, intelligent and passionate woman, Angelina Jolie. She's currently in Chad, for her work as a UNHCR Ambassador, to keep the Darfur refugees situation in the news again, and getting help. I admire her so much, as I admire all the people fortunate enough to have everything in life, but not forgetting to help others in need. So, we too can do something, to raise awarness on the subject, take a look at the UNHCR official site, read about her visit with the refugees, and learn how you can help. http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home

We have this couple of friends, you know. They are quite new friends (even if we know them for several years now) considering that our other friends are the ones of a lifetime. They are the parents of one of Marty's schoolmate. Marty and Lucia were in the same class all through the elementary and primary schools. During the elementary school time, we saw each other at teacher's meetings and outdoor excursions with the children, usually twice a year, and at the end-of-the-school dinner. We got along pretty well, but nothing more than that. Then we bacame closer during the three years of primary school, we went out for a pizza together with or without our daughters, so we had the chance to know each other better. When the primary school was over we stayed in touch and our friendship has grown a lot since then. We even spent a very nice vacation in England in the summer 2004. We both have a bike, so we like to take a ride from now and then and go to bikers' reunions. We meet usually once a month, every time with a lot to say. Last time was on saturday night, we had pizza in a restaurant a few minutes outside the city. And, as always, we talked and talked, and talked. We have the same point of view about a lot of things, how to raise our daughters, what's important in life, same political address, same religious beliefs. And the same passion for bikes and travels.

Here's a pic of them with hubby (on the right) during our english vacation, and Marty (on the left) with Lucia in Cornwall

We're looking for another trip together as soon as our vacation time will be the same again.

It started on friday, I took time off the office to spend the afternoon with my dad.  He was a little nervous at first, but then I took him on a walk (I walked, he was in his wheelchair) to the daycare center, where a bunch of children were having a costume party (it's Carnival time here) and he's always liked to be surrounded by children. Then I gave him his dinner and went to the monthly reunion with the staff of the nursing home. Interesting but nothing new, but it's nice that all together, with patients and families, they want things to be better and better. This is the front of Villa Matilde where dad is staying.

Then I rushed home, a short shower, and out to our dancing night! We met with our friends, had the last cigarette (inside it's forbidden to smoke) and we got in, ready for a long fun. We met a bunch of friends there, and some people we remembered from the old times (included the coolest guy back then, and it really seems that at least for him time didn't passed, he's still a very good looking man!). Lot of people dressed for Carnival, and it was pure fun to see some of them! With the help of two mojitos, we danced till 3.00am, when we decided that enough was enough. The staff is planning a new event, and maybe...... Wanna see some pics of the night? Here they are http://www.tarotarostory.it/Home.htm

Saturday morning we had a little hangover, but the fun of the night before was worth it! After our usual groceries shopping (well, a bit later than usual) and lunch, I spent the afternoon with Marty at the mall, coz she had to buy some things to renovate a little her bedroom. I like to spend time with her like this, with no hurry, just walk around and talk. We had coffee at Lino's and went back home.

Not being in my '20 anymore the night before was asking its toll, and at 10.00pm I was already in bed with a book, and I slept like a baby into the morning. I spent yesterday afternoon with dad again, at home we had pizzas, and being this book I'm reading so very captivating (and considering on tv it was dead calm) I was in bed reading by 9.30pm.

Another argument, and I can't stand it anymore. I'm sick and tired.

Martina is 19 today, happy birthday honey!!

We had our first weekend without football, and ....... surprise!.....we survived! It has been a nice weekend, we watched tv, read, I went to see dad, and the football match wasn't even a issue. So it's possible to live without 22 men running after a ball! Now that we have found out, maybe we can think about its true meaning, it's called football GAME, right? So, why die for a game??? Why go to the stadium ready for a war? Why? Years ago we hated and feared  the english supporters coz of their crazy violence and lack of decency. After the Heysel Stadium tragedy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heysel_Stadium_disaster)  all the world comdenned them and all the english teams were banned from international competitions. But the UK governement did what it was necessary to stop the violence, and it succeded. Now the english matches are the safest ever. So it's possible to do something to stop all this. All that's needed is the political willing to draw a line and make some difficult decisions. And I have some ideas, taken from other countries where this kind of accidents don't happen anymore:

- Now that subscriptions and tickets have the owner's name on it, it's possible to know who's entering the stadium,   so, if a supporter is involved, even once, in a violent fact, he will be banned from all the matches, and his whereabouts will be checked by the police.

- The teams won't give free tickets to violent supporters just to have more people at the match.

- The football teams will be the owners of the stadium, so they will be responsible for its safety too.

- More controls will be done to check the safety of the stadium, if the safety isn't ensured, the stadium will be closed.

- More money fees (very heavy fees, not like now) to the teams that don't follow the rules, and even a ban from the championship for reiterate faults.

The medias have their faults too, it's not possible to talk about football all the week, in such a high and hard tone, as it was a matter of life! We have much more to deal with, in this country, health system that fails to take care of less privileged citizens, schools that failed to give a decent learning, a tax system that's unfair, the pollution that's chocking our cities. And still, someone dies for a football game??

Pics of our city Stadium Tardini

Parma Football Club official website http://www.fcparma.com/en/

   Late '70, early '80. We used to go to dance on friday and saturday nights at a disco called "Taro Taro" just outside the city. It was always crowded, but the music was really ok, and so was the people there. It closed several years ago, after changing name and property many times, but it never got closer to the greatness it had back then.

      In 1995 it was destroyed, leaving us all sad and suddenly "adults". One year ago, some badly disco-addicteds, including the old dj's, thought about creating a website recalling the story of the disco, collecting news, pics and old posters. It was just for fun, but last september they thought about making out something of it. So, last september, it was the first "Taro Night", with the old dj, the old music and the old people from that glorious time. We knew about it too late to get the tickets, and so it was the second time, in november. But THIS time.....we got tickets!!!! So, the 16th february, comfortable shoes, suitable dress and no way something can keep me away from a night of pure fun!!

Chech the official website and see what we look like back then http://www.tarotarostory.it/

    This is a blackbird, Turdus Merula its scientific name. Tha last three days of january here are called "the blackbird days". Why? They are supposed (by an old peasants tradition) to be the coldest of the winter.

This tradition tells that once the blackbirds were white. A couple of blackbirds that was unable to build a nest coz the trees were all frozen, and the cold was unbearable, choose a warm chimney to call home. After three days there, the female blackbird took a look outside and saw that the sun was shining again, and the air was warmer. So they came out, but the ashes of the chimney coloured them black, and the colour never went away.

There's another story, always with a blackbird as a protagonist. Once January had 28 days, and it was the coldest month of the year. The last day, a blackbird happily shouted to the sky "I don't fear you anymore Lord, now that winter is over". So January took revenge asking three days to February and making them the coldest ever.

Or maybe the right tradition is the one telling the story of a young couple, who, willing to go fast to another village country fair, crossed the frozen river Po, the ice broke and the two fell in the cold water. For three days a blackbird sang to the peasants to call their attention, but failed. The third day the sun melt the ice and the bodies surfaced, sorrounded by flowers.

Maybe now winter is not how it used to be in the old days, the global warming is heating all the planet; the blackbirds can build their nests without problems and the river Po is not frozing anymore, but the old traditions are good to be told, nevertheless.