Spooks

Bineau is rented. It took many days to empty the small place. I wonder how we could store so much "stuff" in such little space. We spent many evenings, till late, packing, cleaning, throwing away staff. From today a friendly French girl is staying at my place. It was strange to leave Bineau but it had to be done and it's done! When finally I sit on the couch...I can't wait to watch an episode of Spooks. I bought season 1 by chance and now I am totally addicted to it. Spooks is a British television drama series, his title derives from a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 intelligence officers at Thames House. If you are fed up with the "junk shows" on air lately on tv, rent or buy this brilliant series. You won't be disappointed.

Too much...

Now it's too much! I was in Barcelona, Spain for less than 20 hours! And going to Barcelona was hell and coming back wasn't any better either. It all started Thursday morning when I got at Orly Airport and saw that my flight had been cancelled! It was 10h40! "Shit" I said to myself. No matter what I had to be in Barcelana by 6pm just before my workshop started. So I called the office and ask them to assist me in searching another flight. While Clemance was teeling me about this new flight around two, two other calls arrived. Meggie's teacher was trying to reach me! I called the school back! Meg was sick with 39.4 fever! "Shit, Shit" I called immediately Wouter and told him about Meggie. Sure he was in a meeting and had to organize his day off. Anyway I had to catch the other flight that was leaving in less than 3hrs from Charles de Gaulle Airport. On the otherside of the city. Strikes, traffic jams, some car accidents and a fire were all going on Thursday morning. "Shit, Shit, Shit". Got a taxi (paid over 60€) and got to the wrong terminal. "Damn" By now it was 1pm and I did not eat yet and I started to feel really exhausted and depressed! An hour later the situation was under control again. Wouter had picked Meg up. She was resting on the couch and I had planned for Caroline to take care of Meggie for Friday. Before taking off I was already sleeping. Got to the hotel in Barcelona around 5pm. Took a shower and run to see a tour operator. I had to be back at the hotel by 7pm to go with Laura to the Utell's workshop. Only nice moment was a fast stop in a store where in less than 17 minutes I could buy myself 2 bikinis!! Then back to work till 11pm! On Friday I decided to take it slower and visit my colleagues in their new offices on Paseig de Graçia! Then back to the hotel and back to the airport! And then it all started again!!! First an hour delay. Then two. Then three. So instead of being back around 4pm I got back home after 8pm! By the way Easyjet (this low cost airline) and I are not longer friends!!

Busy April!

Hi Olg,I guess you read how Sunday Afternoon went in Toronto from the Blog.You have to change the times on the clocks on the Blogs. Everytime I go and sign on, the clocks show and hour behind.I bet Meggie is excited about Easter. Will you be in Italy for Pasqua?? April is going to be a very busy month for us. April 8th - EasterApril 11th - My good friend Patty's BirthdayApril 22nd - Madeline's CommunionApril 28th - Open house in the morning at Madeline's School - 40 yrs AnniversaryApril 28th - Jerry's Aunts 90th Birthday Party at Sandra's April 29th - Melissa's (a friend) Bridal Shower : I don't have time to go back to work. I don't know how I'm ever going to get my ass in gear and go back to those 7 in a row shifts. Hope you are all well, Ciao Nancy

That's what family is for......

Norma was great, Sunday afternoon was the longest day of my life. Sandra, Jerry, Steven, John and I all went along to Toronto to support Norma, we knew she was going to place somewhere in this competition. Her singing is incredible. We arrived at 1:30pm, had a really good meal and then it all started. First it was the Veterans age group to go up (45 and up) Lina our good friend was great she is Italian and sang a Portuguese song, she placed Bronze in her category and won $200. Then it was the kids age group to go up (15 and under). Some were really cute and sang well, while others obviously didn't have any family support to tell them they stunk. Our friend Christopher(15 yrs of age) sang really good, he placed diamond and won $500. 5 hours go by, then an intermission, you'll never guess, they had a Portuguese Elvis impersonator. He was good, but come on already.....when was Norma going to go up?? We were all pretty tired of waiting and Norma was so good, she held off on drinking as long as she could. Finally around 6:30pm it was the adult age group to go up. Norma was #5 out of 12 to sing. She was great, she sang her famous Patsy Cline song "If you've got leaving on your mind". We think the competition was fixed. The organizer of the competition called her and told her she HAD to sing that song, but everyone else had their choice of song to sing. Norma was the only non-portugese person to sing in her category and after the contestants sang their song, they each spoke with the host and judges, but not our Norma, all she got was "obligado" a thank you. Liberto and Jimmy were from Hamilton and were in Norma's category. They sang great,they had the place up, dancing and cheering, but they didn't place. Paul the Hamilton organizer was also in Norma's category, he sang OK, not better than Liberto, Jimmy or Norma, and of course he won diamond along with $500. HOW COINCIDENTAL.
All in all, we were really upset that Norma, Liberto, and Jimmy didn't place in this competition, we all know Norma has a great voice. I don't know if we were upset because she didn't place or that fact that it was 9:30pm when we finally left the hall. Did I mention Jerry Sandra and Steven left right after Norma sang, I don't even think they waited for her to get off the stage, they were out of the hall soooo fast. John and I hung around for yet another 3hrs. It was killing us, but we had to, we where there to support Norma, and we sat through it all until the bitter end. That's what family is for.
WAY TO GO NORMA, YOUR OUR DIAMOND WINNER!!!

posted by Nancy March 28, 2007

You are a winner!

No one was missing, well "me" apart!

Nancy+John, Sandra +Jerry & Steve and some other friends were in Toronto supporting Norma! It was a very long evening!

They all had a great time!

Norma was fabolous but she did not make it!

No worries!

Because:

She is a WINNER to US!

Osteria della Frezza

I have to apologize for turning into a sort of gastronomic "expert" but this stay in Rome was surely very stimulating for the "palate". Tonight, again, I dined out with Walkiria and Maria Cristina. Barbara gave "forfait" to spent some time with Louis (we were told that next day that it wasn't worth it!). We went to this lovely place called "Osteria della Frezza" in piazza Augusto Imperatore. Ho assaporato un antipasto di fiori di zucca in pastella ripieni di acciughe e ricotta e un bel piatto di rigatoni all'amatriciana, il tutto accompagnato da un bicchiere di vino rosso della casa. I spent one of the most pleasent evening in a long long time! We laughed, we cried...almost an episode of "Sex and the City"! What a great evening! Rome, taxi driver apart, it's a beautiful city. Did I tell you that we drive pass by Vatican City and I saw the "Cupolone" di San Pietro?

Gusto!

Long day at the fair. Lot of work and little food! Met some nice people coming from all over the world! Norma listen to this: I spoke to a lady from Nashville that met Elvis when she was a little girl! She actually sat besides him at Graceland to watch a movie! Elvis loved to invite kids from the neighbourhood to watch movies in his private cinema! Kids had to be good and silent or he would chase them away! She remembered this moment like it was yesterday! So a lot of work that was, then, compensated by another nice evening out with Ilaria, this time. We went to this lovely place called "Gusto" and I had one of the best pizza ever! Then it was time for bed. At least for me!

Up & down!

After a "roller coaster" start of my day...I have to admitt that things went better in the afternoon! I met with my friend Barbara at the bar of the Hotel d'Inghilterra where I could have a bite (I was actually starving!) and listened to the updates of her love story (do you remember her? She was the one going to NY for just 3 days trying to win the heart of her ex fiancé back!). In the end she "won" him back but her relation with Louis is going through a new storm. Which means that she is still in tormented waters!! Meaning also that she is also slightly depressed! What the heck I am surrended by depressed women! And they are depressed because of men! Ahhhh! Then I, finally, met Walkiria! She is a blast! Funny and inteligent at the same time! She was even better than what I was expecting! Walki, Barbra and I walked up to Piazza di Spagna got Walki's car and around 5pm the 3 of us went to Globe to set our stands and when we were done around 8 we went off for dinner! Weather apart (it was cold and rainy all day) we spent a nice evening at the Duke's in the fancy area of the Parioli! A cosmopolitan to start and then great Italian food! Around midnight I was resting peacefully in my bed under the maternal gaze of the Madonna!

Eternity

Going to the "Eternal city" took really an eternity. When I got to the airport, Wednesday morning at 5h40, I found out that my plane was delayed. 3 hours delay. "Gosh" I thought " I could have slept 2 more hours!". Still patient I bought myself some fancy magazines and had breakfast! Time seems to slow down when you are at the airport, unless you are late! Any how finally we take off around 9h40. I enjoyed a little hour sleep and two hours later I landed in Rome Ciampino. Luggages took forever to get on the belt and one of mine was missing. Level of patience started to lower! It went to zero when the guy at the "lost and found" told me that he was going home because he was too tired. I thought he was joking. But he actually went away. Some poor soul helped me with the declaration and told me that would get back to me when luggage was found! When I was finally sitting in the bus that connects Ciampino to Rome Termini, my cell phone rang. The guy from the "lost & found" told me that he found my luggage and asked to go back to the terminal. Shit! Get of the bus, get out of the bus the other luggage, run back to the terminal and search for the guy. This fellow, God bless him, help me enormously and I was able to get my belonging back. Then back to bus and head for Roma! When I got to Termini train station I could not find a taxi! And when I did I was robbed 20€ to be left 5 minutes walking from the hotel. "God I love this country!!". I finally made to the Hotel d'Inghilterra by 3pm! It took me 10hrs to get to my final destination in ROMA!! When the concierge told me that my room wouldn't be ready for at least an hour I exploded! "This is your problem" I said. "I want a room and I want to take a shower, NOW!" After some computer checks I was given a bigger room, and it was NOW! When I got upstair (room n.374) a huge painting of the Madonna was hanging on my head! Just to remind me that life is sofference and travelling is becoming now a days a sort of hell on earth! So, please, stop saying "Uhhh how fun is travelling!!"

OLGA!!!

Hey Olga...how are you??? I got your message the other day regarding my little contest..Yeah I made it to the finals and that's going to happen this Sunday the 25th. I am a little nervous but now that I know what song they chose for me, it won't be as bad..(I hope)...I was hoping they would pick a fast song for me but instead I'm stuck with a Patsy Cline tune. I already sang it 2 weeks ago but this time the judges pick the song that has the higher score. With this song though I don't see myself making it through to gold, silver or bronze...but it was fun while it lasted. Unless I go shopping and find the shortest skirt to wear..I might have a chance...lol.. But anyways, thank-you Olga for thinking about me in Paris. Even from over seas I'm getting support. YOUR THE BEST!!! Nancy or myself will keep you informed of what is to come... Love ya!!!

Città Eterna

I am still sick but I have to prepare my next trip, to Roma, tomorrow! I haven't been in Roma for many years now and I look forward to a nice walk through Piazza di Spagna and to my dinner with my friends Barbara and Walkiria. Then 3 days work. I'll be back, very late, on Saturday! Stories from la "Dolce Vita" will follow!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Great week end for Meggie! Two full days to celebrate her 5th birthday! On Saturday she went with omi and opi, Joppe and Roos to Disneyland, cake in the evenening with "gifts" rituals (us singing, she dancing!!) the next day, Sunday, we had 10 kids over for her little party! 2 hours to keep these fellows busy..what a task especially when you have the fever and you counts minutes for the last kid to be gone...nevertheless I made it through and by 9pm I was in bed already sleeping!

My Bambina!

My bambina, Sunday, turns 5! Seems yesterday when she was still kicking inside my belly and I had to wake up several time per night to pee! She is my biggest joy and my love! She is funny and smart and touches my heart every time I see her beautiful "faccino"! She is very excited of growing and she can't wait to have her first party in our new apartment on Sunday. Several kids have already confirmed their partecipation and it gonna fun...! Cuore grande della mamma "tanti cari auguri di Buon Compleanno!

Bowling!

Once a year we go bowling with all the colleagues from the office! I tried to convince them that I was too tired to participate and asked for mercy but no reason was heard and I had to be part of the team! I have to admitt that in the end I spent a lovely evening! We devided in 2 teams and like last year I ended up with the loosers being myself one of the bunch! And guess what? We won this year! Well just one match out of two but it's a beginning! After bowling we went for a bite "chez Felix" and finally around 1am I took a taxi home! Paris at night is absolutely gorgeous : the Eiffel tower was glittering and the Senne river was slowly following its stream...no traffic just Paris and its beauty! By 2am I was in bed and by 6am I was up again because our new couch was being delivered before 7am! After struggling for almost an hour to get this huge couch inside, I could take a shower and run to an appointment at 9! Tomorrow I take the day off...I have to get ready, the Dutch's delegation is arriving and I have to prepare for Meggie's birtday!! Hopefully tonight I can have a good night rest!

Off to the "FINALS"

She made it!!! Norma made it to the final round of the Karaoke Contest in Toronto this past weekend. Her very long day Sunday was all worth it. Norma and her two friends (Lina and Lisa) managed to get to Toronto for noon that day, they sat through a Portuguese luncheon and then it all started, 30 contestants singing there little hearts out and our Norma was #27. The day earlier John, the kids and I, along with our good friends Patty and Enzo drove to the States, we shopped until we dropped and were simply to tired to go to Toronto with Norma the next day, but she knew that we were supporting her from Hamilton. Every few hours I called her on her cell phone to get an update on the contest. Nervous and excited, she waited until it was her turn to sing. She sang "If you've got leaving on your mind" by Patsy Cline. Then around 8:30pm we got the call, John answered the phone and with a smile told me "she made it to the finals". Excited as ever, she hung up and went to celebrate, I knew I would get the whole scoop of how her day went early Monday morning. Yup, I was right, Monday morning Norma called and still very excited explained how nerve racking it was to have to sit and wait all day for her turn to sing. She went on to explain there she was standing on the stage waiting to start and as she adjusted the microphone, "OH NO!!!" it broke apart. She broke the microphone, leave it up to Norma to cause disruption. Everyone laughed, the sound guy had to come up and help her reattach the microphone. Once everything settle down and as the music began again, "HOLD ON, she said "THERE'S NOW WORDS ON THE SCREEN!!! And yet again, Norma stopped the contest. Everyone howled as she made a big deal, and of course drew even more attention to herself. She didn't need the words, come on, I knew that and she knew that. She knows this song off by heart, she sings it every Saturday night at the Portuguese club, but she wanted the words on the screen so off went the sound guy again and helped Norma set up. Way to go Norma, good way to get the attention of the judges. At the end, she said, "IT WAS ALL OVER, " she said she doesn't even remember singing, it was over so fast. Finally it was time for the judges to call the names of the contestants who have made it to the finals. The first name they called was...............
"NORMA TARQUINI", in disbelief the place cheered, she couldn't believe she made it. Yup, here we go again, in 2 weeks Norma will be singing in Toronto at the FINALS. She has 2 weeks to pick and practice a song. CONGRATULATIONS NORMA!!!!
We're are off to the "Finals", Toronto here we come.

Posted by Nancy March 12, 2007.

Girly week end!

I survived the "Ginettes". We had an extremely busy but nice week end! Weather was amazingly beautiful and the girls loved any moment of their stay in Paris. Saturday we started early : we walked from Opéra to Place de la Concorde, then through the Jardin des Tuilleries we walked down to the Louvre. Went to see the nice garden of Palais Royal and the Gallerie Vivienne. Then took metro to Les Halles. Had a quick bite and then head to Notre Dame de Paris. Walked to St Germain de Près and had a nice minth tea at the St Germain's pub. Took bus to Bastille and walked to my favorite bistro " chez Janou". After a nice dinner and a huge mousse au chocolat we walked to the "Cantine des Ginettes Armées" which I can assure you arent't that armed after all! The ginettes here in Paris are much softer than in Turin and this place looked to me as a normal bar with a lot of women in it. Smoke apart! God heaven how much they smoke! I just saw couple of women kissing but in a very discreet way. Too bad this lack of "spicy" details! Next day, Sunday, around 7am, when I just had scarcely 5hrs sleep, Meggie opened one of my eyes and asked me if I was sleeping. I could have cried. But the weather was too beautiful to cry and so I got up early and went to the market with Meg and Wouter. The girls joined us around 12. Then all together we went up to Montmartre to visit the beautiful basilique du Sacre Coeur. After a a stroll through the place du Tertre we went down to Pigalle (the red lights distret of Paris), Wouter and Meggie went back home and we headed to Trocadero to see the Eiffel Tower. But it wasn't enough! And the girls wanted to go a boat tour of Paris! And so we did! Around 7h30pm we went back and had all together some chinese food at the my Levallois's place. Then coffee and cake to celebrate Claudia and Meggie. Meggie was totally happy and she danced for us, Claudia too: what a show !
It was a special day for Claudia and it was very special for me that she decided to celebrate her birthday here in Paris with me and Miky.Today Paris it's a little empty, sun is still shinning but my friends are gone and I feel it. It's nice to have my friends and family over, even when it's too much or it's not the right moment! Today I got several messages from Claudia. In one of them she wrote "ma che bel compleanno!". Mission accomplished!

The Voice...

Our little Norma won a karaoke contest in Hamilton and made it through to the semi-final in Toronto. She sang, beautifully, "Don't cry for me Argentina". Nancy told me: " Not because she is my sister but she was absolutely great!" Very serious before the performance Norma "got wild" after the victory. She drank all the alcohol available in this Portuguese pub! Semi-final are in Toronto, this Sunday, and if she will make to the final, and will be the winner our "voice" could get a recording contrat! Even from Paris I will be cheering for you, Norma! Ah our sorellina becoming famous...!!

Festa!

To all my emancipated girlfriends :
"Buona Festa della Donna"!
Have you ever wondered if it was better in the old days when women had "just" to take care of the household and kids?? Feminists of all the world have struggled this last century to get to the total emancipation of women! Thank you ladies! So now we still have to take care of the house and to raise the kids but we have to have a carrier too, we have to make money and we have to participate in paying bills! Great! And they call this "parity" or "equal opportunities"! What's in word, eh?? So for this "equal parity" I have to run all day to take care of everything and I can tell you that these days it's all too much! Not mentioning that the moving isn't over yet, I have to prepare a trip to Roma and to Barcelone, Klaudia and friends are over this week end, my in-law, Babs and Meggie's cousins are coming next week for Meggie's birthday, I have to organize a party, take care of all the administration...and finding someone to rent my old apartment! I know that my friend Dongurigal disagrees with me but sometimes, and just for a moment, I wish I could be an ornament woman!!

La cantine de Ginettes Armées

Let's light up a little. Let's forget for a moment romantic love. And Russia. My good old friend Klaudia is coming to Paris this week end to celebrate her 40th birthday. It's her first time in Paris and she is totally thrilled about this week end! It's gonna be a kinky week end because Klaudia comes with other 3 girlfriends and they are all gays! So after dinner at "chez Janou" we are going to this place called "le troisième lieu- the club of the armed ginettes"! I have already been in a gay club before and everytime is quite amusing especially when women stare at you and you don't know how to handle the situation. My friend Micaela, who was also at school with Klà, will be part of this little group! So 2 hetero and 4 gays girlfriends attacking the Parisian night! And I promise to write all details...even the noty ones!!! Sandra, please, don't get scandalized!!! Nancy, please, stop laughing!!! ahhahaahah!!

Russia on my mind!

While I was walking the snowy streets of Moscow some memories of a book I read a while ago came up to my mind. Uncertain of the title (unfortunately books' titles are changed when translated in other languages!) the breathtaking love story of Tatiana and Alexander was still vivid in my mind. I remeber those sleepless nights when I could not stop turning the pages because I needed to know more but also slowing the reading not wanting the book to come to and end. Today I made a little research and found out that the title of this book is "The Bronze Horseman" written by Paullina Simons. If you are a romantic soul, and you love impossible loves set in historical background you don't have to miss this book!
Leningrad 1941: the white nights of summer illuminate a city of fallen grandeur whose beautiful palaces and stately avenues speak of a different age, when Leningrad was known as St Petersburg.Two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha, share the same bed, living in one room with their brother and parents. It is a hard, impoverished life, yet the Metanovs know many who are not as fortunate as they.The family routine is shattered on 22 June 1941 when Hitler invades Russia. For the Metanovs, for Leningrad and for Tatiana, life will never be the same again. On the fateful day, Tatiana meets a brash young officer named Alexander.Tatiana and her family suffer as Hitler's army advances on Leningrad, and the Russian winter closes in. With bombs falling and the city under siege, Tatiana and Alexander are drawn to each other in an impossible love. It is a love that could tear Tatiana's family apart, a love that carries a secret that could mean death for anyone who hears it.Confronted on the one hand by Hitler's unstoppable war machine, and on the other by a Soviet system determined to crush the human spirit, Tatiana and Alexander are pitted against the very tide of history, at a turning point in the century that made the modern world.Mesmerizing from the very first page to the final, breathtaking end, The Bronze Horseman brings alive the story of two indomitable, heroic spirits and their great love that triumphs over the devastation of a country at war.

"This novel set in the white nights of Leningrad and during the days of the 900 day siege stays in your mind and heart long after you've finished it. "

balalaika

The Russian adventure is finally over and I surivived! Well I have to admitt that the good Lord thought that I wouldn't make it so decided to make my life easier and raise the temperature! So the expected cold was not "that" cold!! So instead of -22 degrees we experienced -15 degrees the first day and then the termometer went up everyday till almost 0 degrees when it started to snow! For Russian fellows it was almost spring! Russian girls, extremely beautiful creatures, defy cold and icy streets walking in the hightest fancy boots you can imagine and they do not fall with their butts on the ground! Still wandering how they do it! Moscow is huge, trafic is allucinating, it's polluted and it smells bad but there is something magical about this place. I felt like Lara, without Doctor Zhivago, and seeing places where the movie was shot was like hearing balalaika's music! Every one I met asked me why I have a Russian name and I made up two stories: one with a Russian lover and the other more plausible that my mom was in love with Russian literature! The real story behind my name is another one but I will tell you another time!