Absolutely Nothing

We just returned from one last vacation before school starts tomorrow. This was our first visit to Edisto Beach, an island in South Carolina boasting one teeny, tiny grocery store, no fast food restaurants, dirt lanes, and miles of beautiful, rocky shores. I mean, there is n.o.t.h.i.n.g to do...which was fine with us because doing absolutely n.o.t.h.i.n.g was what we wanted to do.

Nothing, that is, except swimming, walking along the beach, watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics, and playing boardgames during an afternoon thunderstorm.

Nothing, except going for a candlelight walk on the beach one night, and the next morning discovering the tracks of a loggerhead turtle that came in from the sea to bury her eggs, the area already roped off by local volunteers who patrol the shore every morning for new nests.

Nothing, except reading late into the night, laughing at our four year old wrestling with his older brothers, and eating junk food (our first meal on the island: sub sandwiches, Sour Patch Kids candy, soda, and Klondike ice-cream bars).

And it was lovely doing absolutely n.o.t.h.i.n.g because, starting tomorrow, we will be doing absolutely e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g!

In which Sister meets the Godfather of Soul

Today we took Sister Gaudiosa to The Augusta Museum of History. We showed her many interesting things about our local history: a cotton machine; a real steam locomotive; memorabilia from the Masters Golf Tournament; the flight suit of Susan Stills (an astronaut from Augusta). But the museum had added a new exhibit since we were last there, and so we were able to introduce Sister to James Brown, the Godfather of Soul.

Sister has music in her soul, so she was very intrigued by him. She listened to samples of his music, studied his over-the-top clothes, and oh, my did she ever get a kick out of his dancing. One video showing all of James Brown's signature dance moves had her laughing hysterically (I mean, what else can you do when they introduce a move as the "funky chicken"?).

Later that night we introduced her to our family movie night. We dimmed the lights, lit a few candles, popped 5 bags of popcorn, and watched The Lion King. After our discussion the previous evening about lions, we thought she would enjoy it. It was her first full length cartoon feature...ever.

She was amazed at how much Swahili was featured in the movie. Besides character names such as Simba (lion) and Rafiki (friend), she pointed out to us that at one point Rafiki says asante sana, thank you in Swahili. Then came the song Hakuna Matata and she almost jumped off the couch in her excitement; "No Worries!" she exclaimed to us.

With a little James Brown, a little Disney, and a whole lot of enthusiasm from a sister from Tanzania it was the makings of a perfect day. Hakuna Matata, everyone!

A Song in the Dark

Today was the first full day of Sister's visit and we had a lovely time. We spent the morning at the library (checked out some books on Tanzania and on Jane Goodall's work with chimpanzees at the Gombe National Park in Tanzania), and then this afternoon I did something I never in my wildest imaginings thought I would ever do: I went bra shopping with a nun.

Well, she needed a new one. And just in case you're wondering (and I know you are) we bypassed Victoria's Secret and headed for the more sensible stuff found in department stores.

And we also got her a winter coat. She is headed for Kansas City, MO for a year and did not have any winter gear.

The high point (for me) was coming home from the movies after taking her to see Narnia's Prince Caspian, and in the darkness of the car she started singing in Swahili. We had been discussing the religious symbolism in the movie and how a lion is so often used to represent a king, when all of a sudden she started singing a song from her childhood about the roar of a lion being the voice of God. It was haunting. It was beautiful.

BTW, remember Simba from The Lion King? And Rafiki?
Well, simba is the Swahili word for lion; rafiki is the Swahili word for friend.

And that is what Sister is...our rafiki.

Haiku Festival...Important Update!!

UPDATE: Look what I got for my ugly haiku..."s'not" bad, is it??!!

Happy Haiku Festival Day... ACK! I sound like George's father on Seinfeld with his Festivus Day! Anyway, thanks to Laura for bringing us together. Go read some great haikus and join in the fun!
the good...

A nun in our home...
My boys on good behavior,
I think I’ll keep her.

the bad...

Black leather jacket,
Big hair, sunglasses, tight jeans.
Trying to be HAIKOOL.

the ugly...

Little boy sneezes
long, slimy, strands of grossness.
Where are the tissues??!!?

and from my sister, Laura (yes, she shares the same name as our Haiku Laura):

Is haiku a word?
This is the best I can do.
Good grief, it's Friday!

Gotcha!

There. Now that I have your attention with photos that have absolutely nothing to do with this post, I have an announcement.

You see that Haiku button on my sidebar? The one in which my oldest son taught me how to download? Well, if you click on it you will find details for a Haiku Festival this Friday that Laura is hosting.

What's a haiku? Three lines with five, seven, and then five syllables in each line. That's it. Easy breezy.

So, I challenge you to reach for the stars and write a haiku this Friday. It's easy, it's fun, and most of all, you'll be haikool!

Go on. I double dog dare you.

Mangia Ancora Pollo! (Eat More Chicken!)

Dear Chick-fil-A,

I wanted to begin this week by thanking you for three things: one, for offering healthy fare; two, for being closed on Sundays (a noble thing to do in today's business world); and three, for the great toys you offer in your kids' meals.

Case in point, the language cd's that came out earlier this summer.

We have the Italian cd, and this weekend while my sons and I primed and painted five bookcases, we listened to that cd over and over again.

Oh, at first my sons complained (they wanted something more "fun"), but after a while they began repeating buon giorno, andiamo, and il ufficio postale. And while I already speak the language, it was fun repeating the key phrases with my sons who don't.

Even my four year old got into the action, providing us with a good laugh. He recognized words such as pasta and ciao, but when they asked "Where is a good place to eat?" (Dove si mangia bene?), before they provided the Italian translation he answered out loud, "At Nonna's house."

So, grazie for providing educational entertainment for our family.

Sincerely,
Bia, la dolce vita mom

The Art of Interrupting

Last night we had dinner at my parents' house. A friend of the family was there with her daughters, and since she lives in Washington State and we haven't seen her in a year, conversation was fast and furious.

At one point I happened to glance over at my oldest son, and he had a dazed, helpless look on his face. "Uh oh," I thought. "Like father like son."

The first time I brought my husband (then fiance) to a big Italian picnic, he later confided to me that he had wanted to participate in the conversation, but was at loss as to when to jump in. No one stopped talking long enough for him to say anything.

My poor husband. He comes from a polite family where everyone takes turns speaking: one person speaks, then another, and so on. There are no interruptions and voice levels are moderate.

On the other hand, in my Italian family conversations overlap, and in order to get a point across, or a story told, we get louder and louder. Interruptions are the norm, and chaos can reign supreme.

So when I saw that same expression on my son that my husband had twenty years ago, I knew it was time for an important lesson. I gave this same lesson to my husband, and I could see that it was now time for my son to hear it.

The Art of Interrupting

Be vigilant for pauses: Even though it may seem as if there is no cessation is speech, there are in fact pauses; for example, when someone takes a sip of wine or takes a bite of food. Even a big intake of breath is a significant pause.

Create your own pause: don't be afraid to call out someone's name that is sitting across the room. That person will then pause to see who called his name...this is your chance to speak.

Be quick. Other people will also be looking for these pauses, so you need to move in quickly!

Instead of trying to address the entire group, address the person next to you. It is much easier to get one person's attention.

Go with the flow. With everyone talking, shifts in the conversation occur from sentence to sentence. One minute the topic might be the recipe for Nonna's minestrone, and the next minute it's about natural childbirth. Transitions often don't make sense, but if you're willing to take on any topic, you'll then have more opportunity speak.

Finally, when you can't get a word in edgewise, grab a glass of wine, listen, and enjoy the show. You'll have the best seat in the house.