Angry Birds

I'm not a video game person.

At all.

The last time I was into a video games was Super Mario Brothers when Nintendo first came out. Before that we had Intellivision.....

...yeah, that was a long time ago. I loved games like Burger Time - a little chef that made giant hamburgers and was chased by fried eggs and sausages. The more mental, the better.

One day a few weeks ago my chum D. put her new iPad in my lap and started up Angry Birds. I couldn't believe what I saw.

Seriously? Sling-shotting birds into structures to smash into pigs? This is RIGHT up my alley.

I downloaded the $5 version and we've been playing it ever since.

There is only one problem with it - Ziggy can't sleep when we play it. All the smashing glass, pigs snorting, chirping birds - it keeps him up. He stares at us the entire time we're playing. Kinda like this:

Yeah, pretty distracting.

The Perseids 2011

Last weekend we watched The Perseids again. Remember last year?

This year rather than draping ourselves all over the car we were way more prepared. Camping chairs, a thermos of coffee, star charts and the new laptop - I have a super nerdy astronomy program installed...I know.

Plus, we have lived here long enough to know it's freezing at night: alarm went off at 2:00am, we donned socks, pants, t-shirts, sweaters, winter fleeces and bundled up in sleeping bags once we got out there...and it was still cold.

Anyway we drove out to Metchosin and found a great spot in a clearing - we were the only ones there. The only downfall this year was the full moon. It was so bright you could almost read by it.

Brad has been complaining about the weather ever since we got back from Italy. One of his favourite things is when it's hot enough during the day to go out at night in a t-shirt and shorts and feel comfy.

Yeah, that never happens here - especially in Victoria.

So at one point the wind started picking up....

He was SO disgusted with the weather, it was hilarious. I was laughing so loud I probably scared away all the wildlife for miles. I guess you had to be there, but seriously! It's the middle of August and we are this bundled up?

We stayed out a for a couple hours this year - we saw lots of meteors and learned a couple new constellations and had a great time so it was well worth it.

Of course afterwards we went right home to bed, which is almost the best part.

Italy Part 9 - Food

I know you guys have been waiting for this.....the "food" post!! We didn't skimp on the food. Why would you go to Italy and not EAT? We spent $1,500 Canadian on food - It was worth it.

The very first morning we woke up starving. And grouchy. We left the apartment and weren't exactly communicating well:
"Where do you want to eat?"
"I dunno, where do you want to eat?"
After a couple rounds of this mindless banter, we just went into the first tourist trap restaurant we saw.

I ordered a 'sandwich' with prosciutto and mozzarella. When they served me Wonder Bread made with Oscar Meyer ham and likely processed mozzarella, I looked twice, then looked behind me and said "I'm in ITALY right?" I couldn't believe it.

That was the worst meal I had, it was nice to get it over with!

One night in Rome we decided to take a chance and eat at a restaurant outside of the Pantheon....because well, it's the Pantheon. I can't think of a better backdrop for a great dinner.

I ordered lasagna and had no idea what I was in for. It was like nothing I've ever eaten. There was something in that stuff that was so ridiculously good I could hardly stand it. Bacon fat? Cocaine? Whatever it was, it was amazing.

And how the hell do they get all the cheese to melt except those giant medallions of mozzarella right in the middle?!

When it's 42C, you can't eat. So during the day we would eat breakfast (see previous post) then not eat until8 or 9 at night. It was too hot and there weren't may restaurants open. And anyway, who wants to cook when it's that hot?? If we did end up eating during the day, we would order "cheese salads":

Seriously - right up my alley. Who wouldn't love a giant plate of cheese? And that white bean bruschetta? One of the best things we ate.

Beer was expensive (6 Euros) and the wine was cheap....so cheap. We were paying on average, 4 Euros for a half litre of wine. The only downside was that they don't serve you water when you sit down, you have to buy it. Sometimes 4 Euros for a big bottle. And you needed it, every time. Did I mention the heat?

We had this meal in Bologna on a day I thought I would melt:

One day in Rome we stopped to have a snack and some wine - radicchio with melted gorgonzola cheese - it was delicious. Who knew?!

Dessert was amazing too. This was my favourite dessert - Tiramisu. The way it should be - the cake style. We had this one in Venice.

Italy Part 8 - Coffee

Behold.

One of the things I was most excited about when we went to Italy was drinking coffee. I love coffee - you have no idea. I think a good coffee is one of the best things in life.

Every morning we would get coffees and pastries for breakfast. It was the perfect way to start the day when it was so hot. The last thing I wanted was a gigantic breakfast with greasy bacon and piles of potatoes.

Brad didn't even like coffee until about three years ago when he asked to try a cappuccino of mine after dinner one night. Since then he's been drinking it more and more, then when we were in Italy - all he drank was espresso. Seriously.

Since we've been back, we've found one place in Victoria where we can actually get a good macchiato. Discovery Coffee is amazing. Other than that, we're a bit lost.

I used to only drink decaf. A few months before we left on our trip, I ramped up my caffeine intake so I wouldn't be a hot mess in Italy.

It seemed like no matter where you ordered a coffee in Italy, it was fantastic. If only it was the same way here!

Worst Week Ever

There is something wrong with the universe this week. I've been getting hit with bombs everywhere I turn.

It started with site meetings and trips to city hall that went no where. More problems on site than solutions, upset clients, looming deadlines with no help on two projects, uncooperative workmates and it all culminated today.

This afternoon I realized that I made a huge mistake on a set of drawings. I specified a quartz product that is the wrong colour. And you might think "Well, how bad can it be really?"

Um, yeah...

It was supposed to be a sparkly white...the quartz installed is dark grey.

Seriously?

And I have one more day to go.

My Hermit Long Weekend

Brad went to his friend's house in Pemberton this weekend. So everyone was asking me what I was going to do. When I would reply "I'm not leaving the house" I got nervous laughter.

But I'm serious!

I love spending time with friends, family and of course my husband. But often I just need to be alone. I don't mean for half an hour. I mean for days. So when Brad announces these trips to the mainland, I mentally mark my own calendar too.

Friday night I stocked up on all the groceries I needed, made sure I had enough food and littler for Ziggy etc.... I shut the door and knew I wouldn't leave again until Monday afternoon when I pick Brad up at the ferry.

I've done lots of great stuff! Slept in, read tons, listened to copious amounts of music and tonight I'm planning on curling up in bed with a Jane Austen movie.

I also bought these earrings and this necklace. I wanted something really simple and found this fantastic shop.

I remember seeing this great quiz a while ago so I just took it and I'm Elizabeth Bennett! Woo! Hoo!

I think it would be interesting for someone to take it who isn't familiar with the characters. Here is the link if you're interested.

I hope everyone is having a great long weekend!

Hello Strangers!

Music is a HUGE part of my life. I grew up playing instruments, singing in choirs and endless, endless music always playing in the house. My Grandma could play by ear - a gift I always wished I had.

For years now, since I bought my first iPod I haven't bought cds, so my cd player became obsolete. The only way I could play music was to plug my iPod into my amplifier. It worked fine, but it was a huge pain and I rarely listened to music anymore.

Today I bought something I've wanted forever! Right now I'm lounging on the couch, blogging and surfing the net with Brad and.....get this.....listening to music on my stereo speakers with the laptop!!

Holy crap have I ever missed these speakers.

Airport Express is a beautiful thing.

Book Review #8

It's been a while since a book review and I've read lots - and lots of GOOD book this time - woo hoo!! My pile looks small, because I've been using my Kobo a lot lately. I'm addicted to how easy it is to hold and carry around with me.

Summer's Lease - John Mortimer
I only got 75 pages into this before I put it down. Even though it was about Italy, I couldn't get through it - B-O-R-I-N-G! The characters weren't interesting enough to keep me engaged.

The DaVinci Code - Dan Brown
I was in the mood for a page turner and Brad bought this book a couple years ago. It was good but I wouldn't say it's tops on my book list or anything. Probably as good as the movie, which is rare. I give credit to Tom Hanks for that last statement.

The Birth of Venus - Sarah Dunant
This book was fantastic!! Thanks Christielli! The main character and her family were so interesting, then the book took a turn I was totally not expecting which turned it into a really complex story. I highly recommend.

The Everafter - Amy Huntley
A young adult book I got from the library and it was pretty good! A girl who had died, she was stuck in this weird space between life and death. She would find an object she had lost in her life (a bracelet or a key or something) and it would take her back to re-live that moment.

The Midwife of Venus - Roberta Rich
Holy crap - another amazing book!! I read this start to finish while we were in Italy. I didn't sleep well in Florence at all for some reason. It was way more of a page-turner than DaVinci Code. A midwife who lives in the Jewish Ghetto in Venice and her husband's story. I'm surprised they haven't made a movie yet. Read this book.

The Red Herring without Mustard - Allan Bradley
Another refreshing mystery from the perspective of a 12 year old girl who is obsessed with chemistry! I love her sisters even though they are totally mean to her. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes the occasional mystery.

I've also had the best luck with the library lately - I was 20 pages from the end of one book and the next one became available to download. Also, I get ebooks on hold way faster than regular books. I had a hold on Midwife of Venice and was 249th out of 249 holds. It only took about a month for it to become available.

What have you guys read lately that's good?

Italy Part 7 - La Boheme

Alterations to Wedding Dress - $120

Tickets to La Boheme in Rome - $250

Hauling opera clothes around Italy - free

Not being able to see a thing - priceless

* * * * * * *

Okay. Let me explain.

When we bought our tickets, we reserved the box - not the seats. There were four seats in each box so we got there early so we could get the 'best seats' in the box. But there were already two people there - who had the better seats. The problem was - we didn't realize how bad the other two seats would be....

So, basically our box wasn't where I thought it would be - it was along the side of the theatre, not the back. So it looked towards the other side of the theatre, not the stage. You can see what I mean in this photo. The stage was off to the left...

The worst part was that there were solid walls on either side of the boxes. So in order to see anything, I had to lean out (in my dress, with the boning, the boning) to see anything. And the more I leaned out the less Brad could see.....it was so uncomfortable and ridiculous.

Well, anyway - here was the stage we could barely see.

Bottom line - this theatre was built when you didn't go to the theatre to see a show - you went to see and be seen. They shouldn't be selling four seats in a box. I'm glad we went - but it was disappointing.

Italy Part 6 - Gelato

Behold.

Ooooh, wow. We ate so much gelato. It was all so yummy, but unfortunately we only took photos of half of the gelato we ordered....but get ready anyway:

In Florence, I had peach and Brad combined chocolate and orange gelato.

In Bologna I had strawberry and Brad had ricotta.....I know....

In Florence we got caught in a tourist trap place by accident. We paid 11 euros for these - oops. They were good though - mint chocolate and pistachio.

In Venice after our lunch from my previous post, we had gelato that came highly recommended. I had caramel and Brad had chocolate orange.

Again in Venice - I had lemon and Brad can't remember what he had! This time I shouldn't have gotten gelato, I was already full of wine and pasta from dinner.....oh well, it was worth it - the lemon flavour was incredible.

In Rome - these were two of the best ones we had - dark chocolate. It was like eating a cold, creamy not-too-sweet chocolate dream.

In Rome - this was another of my favourites - grapefruit!! One of the best cones EVER. Brad had watermelon. We ate these as we watched a French music festival in the Piazza Farnese - right up the block from our apartment.

In Rome again - I had cappuccino - so good, not too sweet. Brad had zabaglione - which is like custard. Very eggy - weird. He liked ordering the strange flavours.

If you found the right place, you got super yummy gelato for cheap. Maybe three euro for a small cone. And no worries about getting the smallest size - they always seemed to pile it on.

When we got back here a friend told me to go to this "gelato" place downtown. I think we were pretty desperate because we weren't thinking. This place was right in the tourist zone and it cost a fortune ($15) for two cones. It wasn't gelato either - it was bad, chalky ice cream. Super disappointing.

Ah, Rome. I miss you already.