First Day Stateside

We landed in New Orleans around midnight last night. We've worked out a pretty good system for beating jet lag... in the 21 travel hours it takes to get here, you can't sleep. It's really hard, but if you can do it, you're rewarded with total exhaustion upon arrival, which ensures a full night's sleep. We woke up feeling pretty normal.

We got to celebrate my brother's birthday today. He always gets the shaft since we're usually travelling on the actual day, which means a lack of phone calls and certainly no posts. This year was no different... he turned six yesterday. But apparently he's been celebrating all month, so extending the festivities one more day wasn't a problem. Here's Liam, smiling after opening our present.


And here's a family shot. He's tall for six, right? I've lost all knowledge of normal age characteristics. There was a time when I was surrounded by kids (being the oldest of many grandchildren on both sides of my family). But now, there are so many years separating me from the younger ones, and my brother and I in particular are 23 years apart! For his last birthday, I thought about getting him a book in Italian... figured it might be fun, until I ran the idea past Ryan. I got the, "you are crazy if you think he wants a book," look. Now, I know to ask my stepmom what toys he might like. She knows. I don't know anything. I don't know what verbal skills are considered normal for a six-year-old, so I'm always amazed when he communicates so effectively. I don't know what size is normal, so I'm surprised when he looks so big. When I'm around him, sometimes I just sort of watch... he dances, gets really excited, tells jokes, is sensitive and very sweet, sings normal radio songs, wiggles his whole body, and notices the mall Santas don't look alike (so they can't be real). All of these things are amazing if you don't expect them.


Tonight, the other side of my family got to play with an early Christmas present. Here's my stepdad flying the AR Drone. I think Liam would LOVE it. Although, I'd have to ask Paula to be sure.

Being Grateful

I have a list of blogs I go to in my down time. The weird thing about blogs is that sometimes they help you keep up with friends, and sometimes they help you keep up with perfect strangers. Thanks to a friend's favorite list, I've followed a blog (for quite some time) of someone I don't know and will never meet. And that person unexpectedly lost her daughter who was only 20 months old last week. I can't think about it without getting a tight ball in my throat that I can't swallow.

We've just been so lucky lately. Today for example... it was snowing, the streets were strung with lights, there were poeple playing Christmas music on every other corner. It was perfect. I have moments like today when I just look around and think, how did I get here? And it's at that exact moment when someone else is going through impossible pain.

This family's most recent post talked about being grateful for what you have, and hugging your family a little tighter. It's weighing heavily on my mind, so I thought I'd just send the message along... I'm sure we could all use a wake up call. And those of you who believe in prayer, this family does too, so maybe you could spend time thinking about a little girl named Evie. She leaves behind her twin sister, her parents, and judging by the comments on their blog, hundreds of friends.

A White Christmas Market

Sometimes when I don't post for a while, I feel bad. This is one of those times. However, school at this point is simply oppressive, we leave for Zurich tomorrow, and we leave for the US on Tuesday. Things have been a bit... hectic.

In Europe around the holidays, you hear a lot about how good the Germans are at Christmas, all due to their famous Christmas Markets. Picture snowy streets, lights everywhere, wooden stalls, homemade crafts, mulled wine and lots of sausage. I was trying to push for the real thing, but these last few weeks have been packed, and there was no possibility for a detour to Germany. So the next best thing is travelling to the German part of Zurich. Where it will be -9 and heavily snowing!!! It is in those conditions that I expect to accomplish the last bit of Christmas shopping, so wish me luck.

Even though the weather will be brutal, I could not be more excited. I love shopping, I love Christmas, I love Zurich, and I love Ryan. This might be the best weekend ever.

Big Ben Christmas Dinner

Last weekend, we went to the Big Ben annual dinner. Big Ben is a British social club, and we were invited by friends from church who are members. Us and our friends Sarah and Tom were the youngest, by kind of a lot, but it was so much fun. It was a great excuse to celebrate Annie's birthday (the vicar's wife - I'm going to try to use as many British terms as possible in this post), get suited and booted (dressed up), and experience a proper, English meal. We had stuffed turkey, roasted veg (they say veg), sausages, white sauce, trifle and Christmas pudding. What I was looking forward to the most was Christmas crackers. Here we are, hand over hand, breaking the crackers, which brings about the crack sound they're named for. There's a sort of firecracker inside, and when they're pulled apart, it's set off. I obviously don't know how to describe this proces... maybe you can google it. They're all filled with bits and bobs (again, English)... namely, paper crowns and little gifts. Mine had playing cards and Ryan's had little scissors. Jackpot!













Here are some scenes from around the table. And of the birthday girl - check out the candle! I bet she was dead chuffed (really pleased).















After dinner, we had a bit of dancing. People called the music "swiss" but Americans would have called it polka. And it never let up, so it was a little hard to dance, but we still managed.














After working up a sweat on the dance floor, we hit the balcony to check out some snow.




Here are some other British phrases we've been learning that I couldn't quite fit in... nick (to steal), cock it up (mess it up), and gutted (disappointed). Here we go - we were so NOT gutted the night of Big Ben. No. That doesn't really work.

Another reason I haven't been posting...

One of my group projects for a class called Digital Marketing is to create an online campaign for our final paper. I've been assigned the task of moderating our blog (some posts come from other members, and I put them up) because I'm the only one in the group that has done one before (that was surprising to me - the 29 year old usually never wins a technology race with 22 year olds).

So, if you want to see where I have been posting for the last couple of weeks, take a look. And, if you're into marketing, look specifically to my "Lessons Learned" post - today I wrote about a very common marketing question (in the age of social media, should you still be advertising?). It all comes from notes taken in class, I'm certainly no expert, but it's worth a read if you're interested. Our teacher is an expert (one of the highest in the field of social media), and I'm learning so much.

The blog is called FMCG Edutainment, because our task was to concentrate on the Fast Moving Consumer Goods industry. And, if you're feeling really helpful, download the report. It takes no time, and it adds points to our grade (since that's one of the objectives of our online campaign).

You didn't know you were being exposed to advertising here, did you? Silly unsuspecting readers.

Christmas Shopping in Milan

The semester is coming to a halt, and it's been harder to find time to write. But there's a lot to write about, and I'm off today (besides picking up the mess that's been accumulating from the past three weeks of neglect), so now I'm sitting on the balcony, enjoying the view, and remembering all the things I forgot to tell you.

First up, Christmas shopping in Milan. In Memphis, I'd always get excited about putting aside one whole day just for gifts... we'd go to Carriage Crossing (which is a nice, outdoor mall), start with a Starbucks, and basically just get in the Christmas spirit. This year, we did the same, only in Milan. We enjoyed it so much we did it two weekends in a row. The first time we took the train. The annoying thing about taking the train is that you have to always be conscious of time, and the last train available doesn't allow you to have dinner (because it leaves at 7:30, and the restaurants don't even open until 7:00). So the next weekend, we rented a car. Ryan pointed out that it only took a year to find a reasonable rental option. There are smart cars going for $120 a weekend! That compares to the $400 we spent last year for the same amount of time. Still, the learning process has its limits. I had to pick up the car the Friday before by myself, which I was nervous about. Lots of things can still go wrong here, and unfortunately, they all did. My iphone map wasn't working, my directions were a little off (I kept going in circles), and when I finally found the place (after asking a stranger for directions), I couldn't start the car (too smart for me), was probably being laughed at by all the men in the shop, and had to ask for help. It was a mess, but in the end, we had a car! And an argument, because Ryan didn't pick up his phone while all this was happening. Apparently he was in a meeting (terrible excuse). Luckily, my frustration didn't last too long, and we had a great shopping weekend. We had lunch at a restaurant we really like. We had some wine, ate homemade cheese (simliar to mozzarella), and tried chocolate salami (which is a dessert that just looks like salami, with the white speckles being bits of cream). The place was full of young people in graduation gowns (I guess in Italy it's cool to wear yours home). And this guy was apparently extra special because he had a wreath on his head.














After lunch, we set out to shop. We really didn't get a lot... you'd think we'd be exposed to tons of unique things, but in reality, so many of the stores are the same. And the stores with lines to get in - requiring a security guard to monitor the entrance - Gap and Abercrombie! We couldn't believe it. The Gap store was brand new, so that might explain part of it, but as for Abercrombie, they just love it here.

The streets were really crowded, and it was slightly raining, but it was so fun. They started to put up a big tree in front of the Duomo, the lights on the sides of the buildings were pretty, and the streets were strung with... bread? We couldn't figure this one out.


















Then, because we had the car, we got to go to our favorite sushi place. This was our view from the table. Not much to see, but I just wanted to capture the cozy, Christmas feeling, so it works for me.


And finally, here's a little video of some lights were thought were cool. They're on the outside of the craziest mall we've ever seen. It's really upscale, and people are dying to get in - there's always a big crowd at the escalators. Anyway, the lights were all sparkly, and were very pretty in real life.




We're going to a dinner tonight, so I'll have to write about the other happenings tomorrow. A domani.

Another Big Birthday

This is not a birthday blog. However, in the last month, two very special people have turned two very special numbers. And this is a big one... today, my Maddie cake turns 18.

Before she was born, the Cerise side of my family had been going through a bit of a baby drought (the Majeau side produced a pretty steady stream). It was just me, Aubrie and Adam for a while. So when Cissy got pregnant, it was something special. And at 12, I got to be the godmother! In 5th grade, it doesn't get much better than that.

She was the first baby I ever fell in love with. She had CRAZY hair, and a big personality. We would listen to the same lullaby CD in the car every morning on the way to school. I remember how Cissy could detect Maddie's cry from the others. We'd be walking through the hallway at school, she'd hear something in the nursery and say, "wait - I think that was Maddie." Then she'd stick her head in and make sure everything was okay. As Maddie got older, I remember picking her up from the toddler room. I remember the day they put her shoe on too quickly, and her little toe was bent backwards. She would come into my volleyball practices, strip down to her bloomers, and dance on the stage. She loved to sing. I wanted her to call me Nanny, but it turned into Ninny. She told people I was her fairy godmother. She was one of the best swimmers at Pat Taylor's (she didn't mind getting her face wet - that's a key performance indicator in the pool). Sports came naturally, which wasn't a surprise. I remember Nick (her hamster) biting her so hard, I got scared and called her mom. I remember summers of slathering sunblock, watching Trading Spaces, and trying to keep Jack entertained so her and Bizzy could have their own play time. I remember helping her choose an outfit for a talent show. I was so nervous picking her up from camp that day, just hoping that everyone loved her song. I remember going to the mall and helping her pick a cool pair of glasses. I remember the way she looked in her Ursuline uniform, her hair when it didn't reach past her shoulders, and her smile before braces.

Then, because I was away in Memphis, the memories have gaps. I remember coming back, watching her play volleyball and thinking - when did she get this good? I remember trying on clothes, noticing she was my size, and thinking - when did she get this big? I remember her telling me about losing an election, and she didn't break, she didn't get angry, she just understood that there were other things she could do. And I thought, when did she get this mature? When did she grow into this smart, completely undemanding, positive, amazingly older person?

And now she's 18. She's going to graduate soon and go off to college, and I couldn't be more amazed at who she's become. She's someone you'd want to be best friends with. Someone you'd be very lucky to have in your family. And for me, in some small way, it kind of feels like she's mine.

And did I mention beautiful? Tall and gorgeous. Happy birthday Mat! You deserve the best day.

2 Thanksgivings

Apparently, being out of the country does not exclude you from US only holidays. We not only scraped together one Thanksgiving meal - we had two! Of course, it wasn't the same without family, but we did have a double dose of friends.

First Thanksgiving - Wednesday, our apartment with English and South American friends. I only had a half day of classes, and spent the afternoon cooking things I thought would give them a good idea of what typical Thanksgivings are like. Basically, we introduced them to the art of rendering a vegetable unrecognizable by smothering it with cream, cheese and/or sugar. On the menu: stuffed mushrooms, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and because turkey was really difficult to find, steak. Ryan left work early to help me, and ended up baking the apple pie. It was hard coming up with typical dishes... some of the ingredients aren't available (like anything in a can), and vegetables are often seasonal, so I had to make a first list along with a couple of backups. Then, to determine which recipe I was going with, I'd try to find the main ingredient first. Take the green bean casserole for example. First, I had to find a recipe that didn't include cans of cream of mushroom soup or a French fried onion topping. Then, I had to make sure I could actually buy green beans. The first two grocery stores didn't have any, but I knew there was a last resort option... a frou-frou veg shop, where I did find the elusive fresh beans. Enough for a casserole only costs you $17 - thanks Switzerland! It went on like that throughout the afternoon. I went through the network of grocery stores, trying to find enough ingredients to complete a dish. It was like a scavenger hunt, and when I was finished, weighted down with bags full of groceries, I felt like a winner! Here we are plating up, and finally sitting down to dinner.






Second Thanksgiving - Thursday, with our American and Parisian neighbors in their apartment. Our American neighbor was adamant about having turkey. This is not a temporary rotation for him... Europe is his home now, so I think he needs to hold on to the details of American tradition a little more than we do. Thanks to his hard work and determination, plus a trip to Italy, we had a turkey! And his grandmother's stuffing as one of the sides (we could have used that at our first Thanksgiving).


Things I still missed... the Turkey Bowl, Mossy's stuffed mirliton, Memere's mirliton casserole, meat dressing, and green beans with artichokes, Cissy's pecan pie, Bill's shrimp remoulade and crabmeat ravigote.

But maybe next year I'll remember our expat holiday and miss that too. The turkey won't be Italian. The conversation topics probably won't include Pablo Escobar. And we certainly won't have Titi watching us eat, waiting for crumbs to fall.

Foreign Languages

I have been reading some Mark Twain lately. I feel a connection with him because we have a few things in common. He was born in a small town in Missouri (my dad’s side of the family is from a small town in Missouri). He spent a lot of his life on or near the Mississippi river and the big river towns like St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans (me too). He also did some travelling in Europe and has some great stories that are very funny to me after spending some time here.

Here is a little excerpt from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The entire book is FANTASTIC. If you haven’t read it in a while, you should. To set the scene… Huck and Jim (the runaway slave) are rafting down the Mississippi river looking for freedom. They have a lot of great conversations along the way like this one about foreign languages.

**SIDE NOTE: In order to keep our blog PC, I have edited the original text slightly with the text in brackets. I hope you and Mark Twain will forgive me.**

"Why, Huck, doan' de French people talk de same way we does?"

"No, Jim; you couldn't understand a word they said – not a single word."

"Well, now, I be ding-busted! How do dat come?"

"I don't know; but it's so. I got some of their jabber out of a book. Spose a man was to come to you and say Polly-voo-franzy – what would you think?"

"I wouldn' think nuff 'n; I'd take en bust him over de head. Dat is, if he warn't white. I wouldn't 'low no [body] to call me dat."

"Shucks, it ain't calling you anything. It's only saying do you know how to talk French."

"Well, den, why couldn't he say it?"

"Why, he is a-saying it. That's a Frenchman's way of saying it."

"Well, it's a blame' ridicklous way, en I doan' want to hear no mo' 'bout it. Dey ain' no sense in it."

"Looky here, Jim; does a cat talk like we do?"

"No, a cat don't."

"Well, does a cow?"

"No, a cow don't, nuther."

"Does a cat talk like a cow, or a cow talk like a cat?"

"No, dey don't."

"It's natural and right for 'em to talk different from each other, ain't it?"

“’Course."

"And ain't it natural and right for a cat and a cow to talk different from us?"

“Why, mos' sholy it is."

"Well, then, why ain't it natural and right for a Frenchman to talk different from us? You answer me that."

"Is a cat a man, Huck?"

"No."

"Well, den, dey ain't no sense in a cat talkin' like a man. Is a cow a man? – er is a cow a cat?"

"No, she ain't either of them."

"Well, den, she ain' got no business to talk like either one er the yuther of 'em. Is a Frenchman a man?"

"Yes."

"Well, den! Dad blame it, why doan' he talk like a man? You answer me dat!"

Sweet 16

Since this is a major birthday, I thought it deserved a major post. However, my exam tomorrow and my 1500 group projects disagree. They have deprived me of all creative energy.

Biz - I hope this birthday's a great one, and I wish I could spend it with you. And even though it's your birthday, I have one wish... can you be this age again? Please? You being 16 blows my mind.



PS - Proof reading this post has me crying. I think the school work has taken my sanity as well. Either that or I just really miss you.

PPS - I still have my sanity.

PPPS - That means I really miss you. See what I did there?

Calcio!

Yesterday, we went to a soccer game in Milan. THE DERBY! Inter Milan vs. AC Milan. A once in a lifetime experience! Even if you are Italian!!!

So, I was pumped.

Getting tickets began approximately one year ago... not really, but for you to appreciate how special this opportunity was. I should explain how getting tickets works. You can't just go to ticketmaster.com and buy tickets to a professional soccer game in Italy. From what I have gathered over the last year, you have a couple of options.

Option 1

The tickets are distributed by local banks in Italy. So the first option, is to wait until they are available at the banks. Then you can camp out in front of the bank the night before they go on sale and wait in line for hours and hours and hope that when you make it to the front of the line you can actually get a ticket before they are all sold out. If you don't live in Italy, this is not a great option.

Option 2

You can have an awesome job where your company has season tickets and gives them to you to entertain clients and to build up morale in the workplace. I do not work at a place like this, nor am I close friends with any such person...

Option 3

You can join one of the team's fan clubs. The members of these clubs have the right to buy tickets first. How you become a member of one of these fan clubs is shrouded in mystery. I am now a member of a fan club, but I couldn't really tell you how to do it. You kinda have to know someone...

Here's the story. My friend from work, Marco, is an AC Milan superfan. Whenever he even says the name Inter (his team's arch rival) he has to make an insulting remark, stab a voodoo doll, and wash his hands. He refers to the Italian sports newspaper as "the Bible" and is full of useless Italian soccer trivia, history, facts, figures, etc. Soccer is like a religion to our Italian friends and Marco is a high priest of AC Milan. So, I asked him to get us to a game by whatever means were necessary. He agreed. He knew the best game for us to go to would be the Milan derby (i.e. Inter Milan vs. AC Milan). These are two of the best teams in the league and have both been in 1st place this season.

Now... Marco's uncle is a fan of Inter and is in the Inter fan club. How they even speak to each is a mystery. Inter was the home team for this particular derby, so their fans got first options to buy about 80,000 of the 90,000 tickets available for the game. So, for us to get tickets, Marco, Malinda, me, and the other two guys who went with us all had to join the Inter fan club through Marco's uncle to get tickets.

The fact that Marco is now a card carrying member of the Inter fan club is so disgusting to him that it pains him to think about it. I don't think he knows about this blog, because if he knew this was in print he might try to kill me. He has also told me of some interesting ways we could use the fan cards and what we can wipe with them... Here's what I know you need to join the Inter fan club:

1) it costs 20 euros per person,

2) it requires a copy of your passport,

3) you must provide your birthdate (this can be done through a text message),

4) you must provide your address (also okay to provide this via text to some mystery person),

5) you must provide a copy of your Swiss/US ID, and

6) you must promise your firstborn son will swear allegiance to the team

After that, you can buy a ticket which aren't so expensive (45 euros each).

The atmosphere of the game is great. The "curves" (endzones) of the stadium have the "ultras" (psycho fans) for each team. One side is the home team, one is the away team. These guys don't just make signs, they have enormous coordinated signs that cover the entire section they are in. They stand up the whole time and sing songs the whole time. They also set stuff on fire, light flares, and have been known to sneak in Vespa's and throw them off the upper levels into the lower levels. There are leaders of the ultras that coordinate the people to sing the right song at the right time. The leaders are facing the crowd, and sometimes standing on the outside of the railing of 60 ft high second level they are on. Marco says the leaders never watch the game because their job is to coordinate the people to sing, burn, or throw stuff when the time is right.

The game itself was not that exciting. There was one goal in the fourth minute and it was a penalty. There were a few yellow cards and one red. Some shoving, but no fighting. The level of play is really amazing. The guys are super fast and don't make many mistakes. All in all, it was a fantastic experience. It really is something that even most people in Milan have never done.

Now that we are members of the Inter fan club, if Inter makes it far in the Champion's League, we could have a chance to see another great game. We will see...

Tower of Pasta

Today we went grocery shopping, which is pretty typical for a Saturday. I usually have to go during the week as well, but I save the big runs for when Ryan's available. I picked up pasta, which Ryan questioned, thinking we had some at home. I overruled it... we were making a pasta dish tonight, and if we didn't have any, we'd be in trouble.

So, this is what the funny boy made when he was unloading the groceries. I guess we didn't need pasta.

Remembrance Day

At church last year we learned about Remembrance Day. It's just like our Veterans Day, but British, and is commemorated by bright, red poppies people wear on their lapels. The significance of the poppy flower comes from the WWI poem I've attached below. I love this poem, and thought it was a nice choice for a Veterans Day post.

In Flanders Fields
by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.


Here's a picture of my favorite veteran. He's second from the left, and kind of looks like me (because he's my dad). I've got a few other favorites... my grandfather, Ryan's grandfather, and my two uncles, one of which is preparing for another tour in Afganistan as we speak. I'll be picking up a few extra poppies this Sunday.

Sick and Tired

That's what we are around here. I caught a nasty cold, one that included chills and a terribly sore throat. Luckily, the weather this past weekend was perfect for laying on a couch under a blanket. It was cold, grey, and rainy. Still is, actually.

So here's what our weekend looked like. Ryan was actually well, but he'll take any excuse to nap. Now is a different story... he's caught my cold, and he's a nose blowing mess.


The bright spot in our weekend was Saturday night when we had our English friends along with our upstairs neighbors over for dinner. When the neighbors come for dinner, they always bring their dog, who is SO excited to come over.

We didn't take any pictures, which is a shame, because we had such a good time. I did manage to take pictures of the flowers we got for the occasion. I had never seen these before - they're like pretty artichokes. Ryan picked out the lilies. I didn't think I was a lily person, but now we have blooms all over the place and I'm loving them.

Day Trip to Zurich

Ryan has been working in Zurich all week, and I had Thursday off, so I took the train and met him on Wednesday night. We love Zurich, and the fact that it's only a three hour train ride away makes it a really easy side trip.

My favorite thing to do is walk and shop. It reminds me of what I loved about Chicago... you can go for miles and not get bored. Thursday was the prettiest day you could ever ask for, especially considering I have NEVER seen Zurich with good weather. It made my walk soooo much more enjoyable.



So, while Ryan was at work, this is exactly what I did. I walked. And walked. And walked. For hours. It's the easiest thing to do in a city like Zurich. The stores are interesting and the scenery is beautiful. The flower shops are my favorite. I could probably spend hours in this place alone (below), but unfortunately, plants are hard to take back on the train. When you get tired, you can sit in the frilliest dessert shop, and have $12 hot chocolate. It's actually worth it. Then, when you get tired again, you just walk until you find a little square like the one below with trees and benches. It's the best place to pull out your book and let another hour go by. I'm not sure what this paragraph sounds like to you, but for me, it is the perfect way to spend the day. I really can't think of much else I'd rather do - ever.

USI

I came across this link today... it's an advert for my university, so it's a little cheesy, but I thought some of you might want to see where I spend my days. With Laura.

Train Video

I was excited about our overnight train, and merely suggested Ryan take a video.

Ryan: What must I video?
Me: Very funny.
Ryan: How long do I have to do this for?
Me: As long as you want.
Ryan: Hmm, then I'm done.

Vienna

... was beautiful. We just got back, so I'll have to save the stories for later.

You get to see it for yourself.

Marco is learning. Instead of "grand fire" he now says this...

Why am I laughing?

Marco just scored again, so he screamed "GRAND FIRE!!!" in Ryan's face. To which Ryan responded indignantly, "It's I'm on Fire not grand fire."

Street Fighter Updates

I'd love to have video of this epic battle... I am laughing my butt off.

PS - Marco just scored.

What's happening at our house...

Ryan has two of his work friends over, and they're playing Street Fighter II. One is trying to beat Ryan and the other is keeping score. Be jealous, ladies... be jealous.