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I still want to write about the Gelato and Linens in Florence.
However...
Today Steve and I had Double Chocolate Fudge Milkshakes from Steak 'n Shake when we passed it on our way from Elk Grove Village, which was going to be on our way to Buffalo Grove for a Cross Country Meet which was cancelled. So we get to Steak 'n Shake and I see that the Double Chocolate Fudge flavor is called a "Sippable Sundae". Yeah. Yum. I couldn't wait, and could only imagine how good it would be. A few minutes later, I found out. Good. My only suggestion for an improvement would be to supply one of those spoon straws with it rather than a regular straw. They give the spoon straws at Taco Bell with the Fruitistas, and they work really well. But I digress. The Steak 'n Shake Double Chocolate Fudge Sippable Sundae (I love writing that-Double Chocolate Fudge Sippable Sundae) is wonderful. If you've got a choice of whether to read Under the Banner blah blah blah or Fordlandia or have a Double Chocolate Fudge Sippable Sundae, I'd strongly recommend that you go for the chocolate.
Now....having said all that, would I choose a small Chocolate Cherry Liquer Gelato at Gelato de Neri in Florence, or a Steak 'n Shake Double Chocolate Fudge Sippable Sundae? The gelato every time. If it was that flavor, it wouldn't even have to be in Florence. I'd go to a gym or workout place for it even. (That's the very worst place I can think of to go - I like going almost anywhere else). I might even go to a cold and snowy place for it. Might. When I originally wrote this entry, these paragraphs followed the book reviews, but right now I'm going to do some revising and put these paragraphs at the top of the blog, and those lousy books can go at the bottom. I just saved you time from having to read the reviews today, didn't I?
One of my friends has been after me to read this book for years. Well, at least since we'd been discussing Big Love at bead group.
Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer - The book turned up at a yard sale for 50 cents, so I bought it and just finished it in a mad burst of let's get this over with. No. Just no. It's about Mormon fundamentalists and gives the history of Mormonism, talks about some awful murders and crimes that have been committed by fundamentalist zealots, and in general repeats itself over and over again. But hey, some people like to read this stuff.
Fordlandia by Greg Grandin - Oops. This is a very detailed book about Henry Ford's failed experiment to grow rubber trees in the Amazon rain forest in the 1930s. I found the Wikipedia entry more entertaining than this book. Did I mention it was very detailed? I do read to learn, but usually the newspaper, not a huge book with every last painful detail repeated over and over. Reading is my passion, and I like to read for entertainment. I like to read a story. I like to read a memoir. I like to not know what's on the next page.
I hope that whatever is lined up on my nightstand to read next is better than these last two books. I'm open to suggestions. You know what I like to read. I need something I can't put down. Call me or comment.
Back home watching and reading and trying to get things done.
Bewitched - I'd DVRd this one a while ago, and finally watched it the other night. What a charming little movie. I'd hesitated because I don't love remakes if I've loved the original, and Bewitched holds some special childhood memories. I should have known that with Will Farrell you can rarely go wrong. The movie is about making a modern day remake of Bewitched and it's funny and engaging.
Teddy In His Own Words - This was an HBO Documentary about Ted Kennedy that aired a few months before his death. He narrates his life story never mincing on any of what must have been very very low moments. He was resilient and a survivor. He never stopped caring.
I Love You Man - This is the movie I watched on the flight over to Italy. It's sweet, but don't pay for it.
Where Did You Sleep Last Night? - by Danzy Senna - I liked the cover and title, brought it home, and read it next. (There is a small pile of to be read books on my night table). It's Danzy's story about her heritage. As the child of a white mother from a notable Boston family and black father with a largely unknown background, she sets out to find her father's people. So many of us crave to know who we are and where we are from and why we are the way we are. I'm one of the people with a thirst to unlock the mysterious past of my ancestors, but others don't care at all. Ultimately the non- carers have an easier time of it, and maybe they enjoy life more in the moment than we who have one foot in the past. Danzy found most of her answers. Will I?
I took the picture of the flowers on our green shamrock (Oxalis) with my new camera. I couldn't take it in black and white. With the Nikon S60, one has to take the photo in color, then use edit tools in the camera to put the photo in black and white. In this case, I used the iPhoto edit tool to go black and white. My S1 would let me shoot in black and white, and I think I preferred doing that, then doing the additional in camera editing which is more work, and seems less honest. So now I have to find a new old stock S1.
I'm home from Florence, Italy, still sorting through my experiences there, and not quite all back home yet. Just taking it easy, reading, figuring out how to catch up on a myriad of must-dos and want-to-dos. Slept on my new Italian sheets last night and slept like a baby, if I do say so. Nothing like beautiful new sheets. When I can, I'll take a picture of them and continue my Florence best linens and best Gelato recommendations. Here's my self portrait in front of the Ponte Vecchio, taken shortly before my camera died.
The Pen/O.Henry Prize Stories The Best Short Stories of the Year 2009 - I've always loved short stories. So compact, so wrapped up, so different page to page, and yet they flow. I imagine compiling a collection of short stories must be like lining up the music on an album. This collection is wonderful. There are lots of stories set in different countries, and lots of stories about characters from different countries. That might be the theme. One of the stories is entitled Twenty-Two Stories; and it is composed of 22 different shorter stories in a group. I flew through these stories from place to place as I flew through the air from Europe to Chicago the other day. Enjoy.
The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan - I enjoy this author and the way she entices me into the world of Chinese immigrants. They have their own ways and customs - an ingrained culture that she generously shares. In some ways these customs are similar to the ones I grew up with as a child with immigrant grandparents. In others they are so different and more about the human condition - beliefs and craziness. This is a story about sisters, ghosts, personal histories and love. Sometimes it was too long as the narrator selfishly concentrated on her feelings and reactions. Not as good as some of Amy Tan's other works, but a decent read nevertheless.
Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie - This is a chick lit beach read that I took for the sleepy 8 hour night plane ride to Munich, stopping point on the way to Florence. It's about a larged boned chick named Minerva who tries not to fall for a hunk named Cal. You know the rest. But I liked it, and read it into the jet lagged night until finished. Thanks to my friend Susan for the fun read. It was perfect for the occasion.
I'm here now, and it's the best of times and worst of times. The best is absolutely everything about this wonderful vacation. The worst is that my camera screen in shooting mode is on the blink. I'm unable to take any more pictures! I'll add some or do a new post of the pictures I took on the first two days when I return home. I've just been searching the interweb all night, googling my heart out in a quest for the most beautiful bed linens. They are probably to be found in Italy, and in fact I might have found them yesterday. But they are very pricey. They are my colors, though, and the quality is unbelievable, comparable to the sheets that I purchased in Milano 9 years ago. I know, I know, you want your guide to sheets. Here's what I've got so far:
King Sheets - I only buy King Size Sheets, and when you buy a good set in Italy, you generally get a 4 piece set that includes a top sheet with flanges or embroidery, 2 king size pillow shams with the matching flanges or embroidery (flanges are wide bands of a contrasting fabric, often attached to the main part of the sheet with hemstitching which is open stitching, formerly done by hand, now often done with a zig zag stitch or twin needle stitching on newer machines. The last sheet is your bottom, plain with no flange or embroidery, and it will not have elasticized corners. When I bought them in the past, that bottom sheet didn't tuck under the mattress very securely, so plan on possibly using a matching bottom sheet that you already own. My mattress is a 15" thick pillow top, so the bottom sheet might work better for you if your mattress isn't as bulky as mine.
Thread Count: Italians do not go by thread count. They don't have to. These sheets are lovely and soft and you can often tell that the thread count is high by the density of the cotton. And yet, it's still so soft. It's about the quality of the cotton, not the quantity of the threads. It's nice to find a shop that specializes in sheets and linens, where they tell you the sheets are made in their own small workshop.
Stores:
TAF : Stands for Tablecloths Artisans Florence - This store is located on the main street north of the River from Ponte Veccio. There are two stores across the street from each other at 17r and 22r Por S. Maria. They are known for their Embroidered hand made linens. One store carries linens for children and babies, the other carries the tablecloths and bed linens. The bed linens are located on the second floor, and the sales person will show you the current selections of sheets in your size. Yesterday, I saw beautiful embroidered, white on white, and pastel pink/blue/yellow small flower embroidery king sheets, 4 piece sets for 160 Euros/set. This translates to about $230. The sheets are very soft almost a sateen finish. They also carry a line of sheets made of not-as-soft cotton which are 85 Euros for a 3 piece set with top sheet and matching shams. The designs were one color embroideries, not as intricate on the pillowcases, but very pretty considering the price. They also carred real linen sheet sets - anywhere from 400-600 Euros/set. They have a few intricately embroidered coverlets as well as a couple of metalesse coverlets upwards of 400 Euros, but they are not going to be making them anymore, so you may do better with the price on those items. There was also at least one sale sheet set in a discontinued design. A good stop, but nothing for me today.
Pratisi - Frette - Bellora - These are all carried in their own stores here, and there are sales this month, but I haven't priced them yet. I prefer something not carried in the US which is why I'm sharing my sheet-shopping-in-Florence research. You can price these high end designer linen lines at home and online, and they will be expensive and gorgeous. I'm going with something made by a small atelier...something that can only be found here in Italy.
Gelato - There is quite a bit about Gelato on the world wide web, and this is a very subjective topic. Tonight we tried Grom near the Duomo.
Grom is loved by many, and I must say the texture was really creamy and good. I had flavor-of-the-month which was Sour Cherry coupled with Fondante which is dark chocolate gelato. The Fondante was tasty and rich; the Sour Cherry had very little flavor. Three in our group enjoyed their Pistachio, but the children were not impressed with their vanillas, and my sister in law didn't think there was anything special about the coffee flavor. My brother's mint and lemon were light and refreshing. I think people love it because it's natural, and that creamy texture is more like ice cream than gelato. Somehow it's not sweet enough for me. My brother finished all the vanillas, and we took the little ones down the road to the
Festival de Gelato which is always hopping, and which is the Baskin Robbins of Gelato in Florence with it's 48 flavors. Festival is popular with young people - I think it's a Florentine fad just now.
Corona - is just a stone's throw from Festival, and really really good. Corona will only give you one flavor in the Piccolo size, and the Fondante was yummy. My sister in law LOVED her coconut gelato from Corona, though, and pronounced it her current favorite.
La Carraia - This is where we had gelato on our first night. It's near Santa Croce at Via de'dBenci 24/r. Definitely my favorite so far. Much better than Grom. The Ciocollino and Fondante were wonderful wonderful. That same night we discovered a lovely little geleteria on Via De'Neri just around the corner, and I'm looking forward to going back to that one before the trip is over.
Borso - This is on that main drag north of the river after Ponte Vecchio, and their smallest size is like a large. The Fondante isn't that hot, and the Creme Caramel flavor should have been much richer.
I still want to try Vivoli and Perche No and Caribe, but will continue to seek out something new and different. Each gelatafficianado has a way that they choose a gelato place, and mine is to look for one that has been in business since the beginning of gelato creation in a rich looking shop with dark wood and fancy lettering. And yet, my favorite so far was very understated and kind of new looking!
Stay tuned for more on linen shopping in Florence, as well as the best in Gelato.
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn - My wonderful garage saling friend, Debby, found this one at a sale and stated that she used to only want to be friends with people who loved this book. So that's why we get along so well! This is one to go into with no preconceived ideas - just know that it's a different kind of a story about a different kind of people with accordingly different kinds of lives.
I'll say that I long to see Arty as the writer saw him. I mean with my eyes, what he looks like. As you'll find out, you will see and know Arty soon enough. I did get to see Olympia somehow - and I saw the love. So, just read it. And let me know if you like it, 'cause although our friendship isn't riding on this one, I'll know a little more about you depending on what you thought of Geek Love.
I'm off to Italy after a week of heavy nightly partying with The Posse in sad celebrations of Pam's moving out of state. We did have fun. And now without our tireless leader and inspiration, we are left to carry the social torch of parties, supper clubs, exciting events and girls' nights out all by ourselves. Even the sky cried rain as she pulled away in her suburban off into the Chicago traffic. Her new neighbors and friends have no idea of the fun they are in for when she hits their town. 
Brilliant
For all you Woody Allen and Larry David fans, there's a new movie in town. It's got the un-Woody title of
Whatever Works, and it's about all the things I told my son it might be about as we drove over to the Wilmette Theatre this aftenoon and he asked what it was about. I like to know nothing more than the title and that certain friends loved a movie before seeing it, so I explained that Woody Allen was originally a stand-up comic who I saw in Las Vegas at Caesar's Palace (I'm pretty sure) when I was 10 years old. I remember that he was really funny. The show was free, but you had to buy dinner for everyone at the table, so my dad was on the hook for three steak dinners for his hotdog-eating young family. Woody was a small bespeckled (probably very young) guy with a soft voice. The headliner at the show that night was the dancer George Chakiris, who had starred in West Side Story. We were there because George was greek and so were we, and because my dad loved comedians. After the show my dad wangled our way backstage to meet our fellow countryman. He couldn't have been nicer and signed a few menus that my mom probably still has, but that I haven't seen in years. But I digress.I told Peter that a Woody Allen movie was usually funny and witty, but not always a comedy. Larry David was sure to make this one enjoyable for us no matter what the story which would maybe be about relationships or a romance, and most likely be set in New York City.
Brilliant
Woody:
George:
I'm so tired right now.
When I was younger I had the wanderlust and loved to travel. By travel I mean going to new places and walking around cities and exploring countries and meeting new people and seeing what was what here and there. Especially places with beaches and water.
After years of marriage and a teenage son who doesn't love to travel, I have no idea whether I have the wanderlust anymore. Until I talk to a fellow luster, especially one who is really seeing the world. Like my friend's daughter who's been to countries and continents, beaches and villages for the past few years. She alights in our town, like a beautiful butterfly, a couple of times a year, and if I'm lucky I get to see and chat with her and hear about her adventures. Last time she was in town, she gave me a book to read.
The reason I'm so tired is that for the last few days and nights I've been circumnavigating the globe singlehandedly on a 26 foot sailboat with the author of
Maiden Voyage - Tania Aebi wrote the book with Bernadette Brennan of Cruising World Magazine, about Tania's 1985-1987 around the world adventure. Tanya left when she was 17, and returned at age 20, and grew up in a million ways on that amazing voyage. She saw the most beautiful places in the world while experiencing loneliness, companionship, love, days-long ocean storms, close calls, boating disasters and more.
I couldn't put the book down. Tanya is engaging, descriptive, serious and real. But, would I do it? No. I'm way to frightened of the ocean storms. When I return the book to my friend's daughter, I'm going to include a weatherbeaten copy of The Drifters by James Michener. This is one of my favorite books ever, and one I've read over and over again.
STORY OF THE WEATHERBEATEN COPY OF The Drifters. First you have to know that I have a new garage saling friend, Debby. We met years ago because of beading, but recently re-connected at the home of our mutual friend, Barbara, who I used to go saling with a long time ago. Barbara joins us on our adventures around the north shore, and on Saturday morning I met them at the annual bead garage sale, (yes, there are annual themed garage sales out there, but if you want to know more, you'll have to jump in and be serious because teaching someone this would take the years of experience that one brings to the search for necessary and unecessary treasure hunting) and I said,
"I'm looking for a couple of books; I want to find Maiden Voyage to share with sailors, and The Drifters for the person who leant me Maiden Voyage". So after the sale with the wonderful ladies who happened to have a brand new hot air popcorn popper for me (inside the house-there were some intense minutes of suspense to see if it could be sold) for our other mutual friend Nancy's daughter, we were wandering through a neighborhood garage sale and there was The Drifters. Weatherbeaten and well loved and well read by another young woman who wants to see the world. We agreed on 25 cents for this treasure, which could maybe buy her something in an exotic village somewhere on another continent. Or right here in the exotic north shore at another garage sale. So one down and one to go. What are the chances you ask? Well, they're pretty good actually. Like the philosophy goes....if you put it out there to the world, the world responds. Or like my mom says "if you ask you get, if you don't ask, you don't get."
Nothing to do With AnythingMy copy of The Drifters looks like the one at the top of today's blog.
The one I bought the other day looks like this only the cover is pink:
I was In Detroit last weekend and fell behind on everything including my blog, but here I am, back and ready to write. Peter was bored as he always is unless he's playing WOW or with friends, and wanted to see The Hangover again. Being the good mom who loves a funny movie, I complied and we went to the Fairlane Town Center movies near my childhood home. I was so happy to see that it's a great little multiplex, and that we pretty much had the show to ourselves.
The Hangover is funny, clever, suspenseful, hilarious, not too raunchy considering, and keeps you guessing throughout. It's a story about Stu and Phil and Doug and Alan. Stu and Phil take Doug to Las Vegas for a bachelor weekend a few days before Doug's wedding to Alan's sister. Although Alan isn't a part of their little group, they include him as Doug's brother in law to be. After the first night in Vegas, Stu, Phil and Alan wake up in their villa suite at Caesar's to a baby, a chicken, and a tiger in the room. The groom is missing, and they can't remember one thing following their first toast to the groom the night before.
If you want to laugh, this is your movie.
Little Bee by Chris Cleave - Excellent, wonderful, beautiful and so as not to give anything away, I'll quote the flyleaf: "This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one....day....Two years later they meet again...." It's a story about the world. And waht about the cover art? I know that you will fall in love with Little Bee. This is a story that will stay with you for a long time.
Just read it.
I Love You Miss Huddleston by Phillip Gulley - This memoir collection of first person short stories center on growing up in an Indiana town in the 1970s. Philip Gulley is an engaging teller of tales, with the craziest little edge of humor. I found it to be tremendously enjoyable and a quick little summer read.
Austin Lunch by Constance Constant - This is one of the very best books I've read in a long time. It's a memoir about a Greek Immigrant family who lived in Chicago during the depression. They were always able to keep their heads above water because the dad owned a restaurant called Austin Lunch. In 1984, Constance and her family discovered a sack of letters from America in the abandoned home of her grandfather in Greece. Those letters brought back the memories that were used to write this story. This is what it was like to grow up Greek American in the 1930s. It's the story of so many people I know and love, and it's so beautifully written that reading the book was like watching a movie of their lives. Thank you Constance Constant for this gift.
Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist was a great little movie. It's a love story and a story about a quest of sorts, and a story about being young and cool and not cool. And not caring, and driving around and crossing paths, and being wild yet not wild. About being grown up yet not grown up, mature yet not really. Remember those golden days and years? It was really fun, even with the angst. Nick is played by Michael Cera who is pretty much one of my favorite actors nowadays, and if you ask me his name a minute after I write this, I won't know it. Nora is beautiful but doesn't know it; her confidence comes from who she is. And the music is great.
Playlists. The first notion of playlists for me was in the book High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. The main character was a list maker, and in one of my favorite scenes from the movie, he talks about what it takes to make the perfect mix tape. Then we all got this ability to create our own song mixes on CDs using iTunes, and a new passtime was born. If you get a playlist right, the music can take you through anything. It soothes and comforts. It encourages and energizes. This doesn't happen naturally and rarely happens by chance. Some amount of thought has to go into which songs to include, and then the song order. Sometimes a song you love has to be sacrificed for the greater good of the mix. Sometimes the mix has to be scrapped in order to create the right compliments to that one song.
Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. I love Harold and Kumar. If you're going to watch, then try to see these movies in order. It explains a lot. First of all these two are really smart, drug habit notwithstanding. And of course so funny without even trying. I'll be in Detroit this weekend, and there's a White Castle a few minutes away, so you know where I'm going. I usually get one or two sliders, onion rings (I always want them to be better but they never are and I still get them anyway) and a small chocolate shake. Yum. H & K ordered about 35 sliders each. It was a very funny movie.
Paul Blart Mall Cop - We loved this. It's a great little family movie, and the title says it all. Paul is lovable, the girl is pretty, his family is sweet, the bad guys are bad, and the good guys are confident and typical. I love his segway riding.
Freakin' Fabulous by Clinton Kelly - Clinton is one of the What Not To Wear Hosts, an
d I picked this book off the shelf as a lark. However it would make a great gift for a college graduate or a young someone just starting out in their first place. It's kind of a style, etiquette, entertaining, decorating, cookbook combination, and I enjoyed reading through it. I can't wait to make some of the recipes which are classic yet modern.
