LEE, A RISING POP STAR

Tonight was definitely my lucky night ... after DOROTHY from WIZARD OF OZ I met a RISING MUSIC POP STAR ... his name is LEE and he was playing cover songs in the POTBELLY(TM) restaurant while I was having my dinner ... the setup of the stage in the restaurant is a kind of curious ... it is on top of a couple of tables and can be reached only with a ladder ... a very cute idea ... unless you invite a hard rock band ... in that case I guess ... you will have troubles ... :)

LEE played really well, only with an acoustic guitar, a interesting selection of pop songs ... really the perfect background for an happy dinner ... I really enjoyed it.

While he was playing I took some picture and I clapped at the end of each song I liked (all of them actually) ... so at the end of the show, laughing, he asked me if I was a talent scout... unfortunately for him I am not but ... most important ... after that we had a very long and interesting chat ... he is a traveller ... he told me about his trips to Europe and how much he loved Tuscany in Italy ... I told him my challenges to really know American people (sometimes it so difficult to go beyond the How are you - Fine thanks) ... and we laughed about it ...

He gave me also some good tip for live music ANNAPOLIS, MD ... mmmm ... actually I can't find anymore the paper where he wrote ... I think I will have to send him an email ...

We exchanged also a couple of book suggestions ... he was interested about my experience in Israel and about the middle east conflict so I suggested him to read the book RIGHTEOUS VICTIMS: A HISTORY OF THE ZIONIST-ARAB CONFLICT, 1881-2001 by Benny Morris (if anyone reading wants to have a non biased perspective of that conflict ... this is your book!) and he suggested me DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA by Alexis de Tocqueville ... sounded interesting ... I will try to read it ... when I will be done with the 2 book I have in my bag ... :)

I hope to meet him again and to enjoy both his music and ideas ...
__

PS LEE's email is LEETGOLDSMITH@COMCAST.NET (you can read it painted on his guitar case) ... so if you want to test him for an audition just give him a shout ... I am sure he won't let you down ...

DOROTHY from WIZARD OF OZ

Today, actually tonight, I met DOROTHY from the WIZARD OF OZ. I met her in the POTBELLY(TM) restaurant in Hanover, MD (just in front of the CASTE) ... at first I wasn't sure ... because she didn't have her famous RUBY SLIPPERS ... but I am sure that this lady is the grown DOROTHY from the WIZARD OF OZ ... :)

... you can see that she bought a full bag and sandwiches, chips, sodas and brownies (probably for SCARECROW, COWARDLY LION and TIN MAN) and she managed also to forget the credit card at the counter ... here it is the moment when ... after 15 minutes she realized it ... and she comes back to the restaurant claiming back her credit card ... :o

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FAB

Today is FABRIZIO's (aka FAB) birthday. He is turning 33. Believe me ... FAB IS A GREAT GUY ... A WONDERFUL DREAMER AND PROBABLY THE MOST HONEST AND NICE PERSON I EVER MET IN MY LIFE. I am so glad I met him and I shared with him a part of my path. He taught me so much about ... what is really life about ... and he didn't teach me through words or sermons ... only through his simple and powerful acts and decisions ...

I met him in Israel. At that time I was working in Tel Aviv as an engineer. He was working in the PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES (hopping between WEST BANK and GAZA STRIP ... but mostly GAZA STRIP) as a peace activist. He was working (actually he was a volunteer = NO MONEY EVEN FOR FOOD) for a very good Italian NGO which was running a project called OPERAZIONE COLOMBA / OPERATION DOVE. If you want to check what they are doing here their blog ... WWW.OPERATIONDOVE.ORG

During his life FAB worked as a volunteer in CECENIA, KOSOVO, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES ... and the only message he always carried with him was that at the end of the tunnel there is PEACE ... but it must be obtained with non violent means ... violence brings only new violence ... the only way to find a "just peace" (this is a concept that you will learn in 5 minutes if you will visit the PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES) ... is only trough PEACEFULL MEANS ... and he wasn't telling that through a blog but living in the most dangerous corners of our planet, where sometimes the life of a person is least valuable than the bullett used to kill him /her ... he saw people around him day for no reason ... and he continued to beieve in his dream ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FAB ... and please continue like this ... YOU ARE THE BEST!
__

Credit for the picture goes to the WWW.OPERATIONDOVE.ORG site ... if you will look carefully to it you will recognize how powerful it is ... a PEACE "VIEWFINDER" spotting a WAR HELICOPTER ...

BOYCOTT THE OBELISK

When you will visit WASHINGTON DC you won't miss to spot - basically from anywhere - a huge obelisk...

On the touring guide most likely you will read that it's not "just an obelisk" ... it is the 555ft/169m tall WASHINGTON MONUMENT built between 1848 and 1884 in honor of the first President of the United States, George Washington. It is also the tallest free standing masonry (actually this work challenged my English dictionary!) structure in the world ... and it is located between the LINCOLN MEMORIAL and the US CAPITOL at center of THE MALL and it is surrounded by 50 flagpoles, with each flag representing one state. From the observatory on top of the structure, you have a fantastic view over all of the city. Admission is free, but you have to reserve a ticket ...

... but believe me ... the local folks don't care too much about it ... and actually they will try with any mean to put themselves between your camera and that big piece of stone ... look at these pictures I took on Sunday ... they organize POLITICAL ASSEMBLIES ...

... FOOTBALL matches ...

... they played KICKBALL (a funny sport ... same rules of baseball, but with a bigger ball, no bat and apparently more freedom in the gears ...) ...


... or any other sport they can think or invent ...


... they won't let you take pictures even with the tripod ...

... and when you will get really close and you will try to touch it ... they organize funny pacifist protests ...

... at the end of the day I learned my lesson, gave up on that and I decided to take a picture of an easier target ...

... :o

The WRIGHT BROTHER and MY GRANDPA

Which is the relationship between the WRIGHT BROTHERS (the 2 brothers who built the first airplane) and my GRANDPA? If you would have asked me this question yesterday most likely my answer would have been "nothing" ... I mean ... my grandpa flew only once ... once in the sense of one way from Milan to Naples in Italy ... and on the way back he decided to through away the return ticket and buy a train ticket ... :)

OK. One thing at a time. Let's start from the alarm clock.

You know when ... you are waking up on Sunday and you want to blow up all the plans you did for that day?!? This is pretty much what happened to me this morning when I woke up. Yesterday night I planned, for today, a visit to an other couple of museums in DC ... the NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM (WWW.NASM.SI.EDU/MUSEUM ) and the NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN INDIAN (WWW.NMAI.SI.EDU) . This morning when I woke up I looked through the window and I saw this gorgeous, perfect blue sky and I realized that all this "museum idea" was stinking ... I mean ... I am already spending 5 days a week in a no-window-office ... yesterday it did rain basically all day ... and today with this perfect sky I am going all day in a museum?!? Am I stupid?!? Apparently yes ... :) ... I decided to stick to my plan ... I thought that, in any case, I would have always the chance to do something different in DC.

In 1 hour I am in DC. Usual parking lot. The only one I can find without spending 2 hours driving through the huge-no-tunr-left DC Blvds. Usual tight security check at the entrance ... need to open the trunk, electronic sniffing for explosives ... something I was used when I was living in Israel ... not anymore here in US ... but after 3 weekends in DC I got used again ... :) In 5 minutes I am in front of the AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM. A long line at the entrance. But it is only for an other security check. Why am I going in? Come on Andrea ... such a beautiful day ... and I have already seen the MUSEUM OF FLIGHT in SEATTLE (WWW.MUSEUMOFFLIGHT.ORG) which is really incredible ... this can't beat that one ... mmm ... OK ... stop complaining Andrea ... let's go inside and check. I am going through the different rooms and I am impressed and delighted by the airplanes, rockets, propellers, engines ... this is really good stuff ... but again ... it is a kind of cold ... at the end of the day they these are dead pieces ... that's why they are in a museum ... I am getting more excited when I am flying ... that is a plane alive, with real people, with hostesses, 33,000f above the sea leveldrinking coffee, and with a certain risk to end up in a disaster ... here the airplanes are hanging from the ceiling like my grandma chandelier ... it is odead stuff ... there is no soul ... anyway great cimitery ... mmmm ... exhibition ... there are unique pieces ... I am browsing when suddenly ...

... a bicycle ...

... a bicycle!? What is doing a bicycle in the SPACE MUSEUM!? It is not from the movie ET ... this is pretty old ... but really cool ... I am reading the caption on the plate ... it is one of the 5 still existing pieces produced from the WRIGHT BROTHERS in their workshop in North Carolina ... can you believe that? These 2 brothers started from a bicycle workshop (before that they were actually running a RENT-A-BIKE shop) and manage to build the first flying machine ... an airplane ... isn't that incredible!? I just get excited ... I can imagine myself still doing something incredible out of my life ... I want to do something more ... I want to make the difference in my life and in the life of the people around me ... mmmm ... is that too much!? Yes ... it is just a dream ... but again ... only people who dream can make something. It is not enough. Sure. You need skills, you need luck, you need passion, you need in the right place in the right moment ... but again you need also to dream ... and I can easily do that ... :)

... all excited for this old bicycle I am going through the other rooms ... interesting ... the APOLLO modules, a SATELLITE, AIRPLANES of all sizes and periods, the AUTOMOBILE that drove on the moon ... cool ... but I a still thinking to that bicycle ... and to the jump to the flying machine ... :) ... an other rocket ... black and white ... this is pretty beaten ...

...looks really old ... it is a V2 ... the rocket used from the German Aviation to bomb London and other cities like Brussels, Belgium at the end of WWII ... I know that story ... but what is this picture ... these is a picture of concentration camp prisoners ... the caption says that during WWII the concentration camp prisoners kept under unbearably harsh working conditions built them in hidden tunnels and thousands of them died during this process ... unfortunately I know also this story ... my grandpa was one of them ... how many times he told me these stories ... he was actually working in one of these V2 tunels ... fortunately for me (my mom was born 2 years after the end of WWII) ... he didn't die in one of those tunnels and he was liberated in time ... and today he is 88 years old ... a little bit deaf but still a great grandpa ... he hates the war and any type of army (he was in the Italian Army and when Italy surrendered to the allies he was basically captured and became a POW ... from there 2 years in concentration-labor camp in Germany) ... I am looking again to that picture ...

... I am sooooo lucky to be here ... what if the Americans wouldn't liberate the camp, what if ... I can't think about it ... :o ... for sure I wouldn't be here to watch this picture today ... so you need to be lucky in life? For sure! But can't do anything for the luck ... it is just coming. But I know also that one of the reasons (not the only one) why my grandpa survived was for his love for life, his passion for life, his capacity to dream that one day he would be able to leave that camp and that craziness ... and you know what? After 50 years I have wonderful German friends, I have a German roommate in LA ... I simply can't think that for 2,000 years, in Europe, we killed each over forever ... so sad ... and for what!? I don't know! I mean I know ... greed, religion, power, money, because our King or our Dictator told us to do so ... but I can't believe it ... how many people had been killed, how many kids never saw this wonderful world ... !?!

I am leaving the AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM thinking about all these things ... I am closing my eyes and I imagine Leif, my German roommate, smiling at me while were are drinking a beer together in the porch after a Saturday night playing Foosball ... I am out ... and I see this wonderful blue sky ... I AM SO LUCKY ... and I don't want to waste even one second of my life ... I want to live with all the passion and that I have inside ... I LOVE MY LIFE!

Again ... which is the relationship between a WRIGHT BROTHERS and my GRANDPA? In one sentence? Probably THE LOVE AND THE PASSION FOR LIFE ...

PEOPLE and ART

Today I visited the NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART (WWW.NGA.GOV) in Washington DC. I didn't visit it all ... way too big for me. I limited my visit to the EAST BUILDING which contains the MODERN AND CONTEMPOARARY ART. It is my favorite section in every museum ... it always give me so many new ideas ... :)... anyway ... I took tons of pictures ... I was looking at them right now ... and the one that I loved the most were the one with people inside ... and I realized once again that ... there is NO ART WITHOUT PEOPLE and that the BEST PIECES OF ART ARE THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES ... so I thought to share them with you ... no titles, no comments, just the pictures ... I don't want to ruin them ... I hope you will enjoy them ...

LIFE SHOULD BE THIS SIMPLE(TM)

So. I am in Washington DC. I park my car in the parking lot of the RONALD REAGAN BUILDING. I didn't have breakfast yet today. And that was a bad idea. I need to drink a SMOKING HOT COFFEE. Outside it is raining cats and dogs. I am freezing just thinking about it. I am going to get seriously wet today. I don't even have an umbrella. Actually I don't own one. I SPOT A COFFEE SHOP IN THE GROUND FLOOR OF THE BUILDING. Good! This is funny ... these guys Trademarked the phrase LIFE SHOULD BE THIS SIMPLE(TM). This country is great ... in few years the publishers will have to pay royalties to the thousands of US companies to put nouns and explanatory phrases on the vocabularies. Anyway ... there is a long line before me. I start checking the map ... I want to see same modern art today ... and I am sure I will find it here ... I mean ... the NATIONAL GALLERY of ART of DC is supposed to be one of the best in the world ... HAPPY! Mmmm ... what about the NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM? Probably. I am so sleeeeepy ... again I did blog too much last night and I didn't sleep ... I am closing my eyes ... why I am here!? ... I should be in my bed right now ... I can't keep open my eyes ...

How can I help you Sir?
So ... I would like a medium regular coffee and a croissant, please.
Are you sure you want a medium one? For 20cents more you can have the BIG one.
Mmmm ... actually I am really sleepy ... OK ... give me the BIG one, please.
BTW, we don't have croissant ...
Sorry if I am asking ... but what about the one over there?
Actually those are for a croissant-sandwich. We don't sell them plain croissant.
Fair enough ... may I have a have a croissant-sandwich in this case?
Sorry Sir, but we don't have time now, can you wait 10 minutes?
Sorry if I am insisting ... may I have the empty croissant ... it is there.
OK ... I shouldn't do it ... but I don't want you to get nervous ...
I am not nervous ...
I think you getting nervous ...
Whatever!
Do you want cream in the coffee. It is 50cents more.
50cents more!?
It is our policy ... do you see here on the counter? Since February 1st.
OK ... actually I drink dark coffee
Are you sure?
Yes ... I am sure.
It is $5.20
Here you go ...
Sorry we don't accept credit card for purchases below $10...
Sorry ... are you a coffee shop or a Jewellery?
Excuse me, Sir?
Never mind ... here the debit card.
Thanks ...
Thanks G-D
Sir ... it doesn't work!
What do you mean?
What I just told you ... it doesn't work ... it hasn't been approved.
But it is a debit card ... not a credit ... it has to work ... OK ... OK ... here $20
Mmmm ... do you have something smaller? I don't know why everybody are coming here with $20 bills today!
Uuuuffff ... probably because the ATM are distributing only $20 bills!? And probably because you are so complicated ... anyway ... let me check. I have $5 ... but the purchase is $5.20 ...
Mmmm ... I am sorry ... you have to wait for the next customer.
You gonna be kidding me!!! I already spent 10 minutes for this bloody coffee ... I would have spent less time to go and pick it up directly in Bogota', Colombia
I am sorry ... the rules are the rules ... NEXT IN LINE!?
... come on ... make me a 20cents discount ... I want my coffee ... I need it!
I can't Sir.
You know what ... I have an idea ... through away the 20cents additional coffee and give me a medium coffee ... so we can match the $5 purchase
Awesome idea Sir ...
What!? You gonna be kidding me, right!?
No Sir ... here you go ... a medium coffee for you Sir.
:O ... I can't believe it ...
Who is the next in the next in the line!? The next in line!? Siiiir!? How can I help you!? Sir, are you here or what!?

Who!? Me!? ... but ... I just ... got one ... where is it!? ... NO ... I didn't ... AGAIN ... did I dream everything!?!? Uuuuffff ... I really to sleep more and now ... I need a coffee ... :O

So ... I would like a medium regular coffee and a croissant, please.
Are you sure you want a medium one? For 20cents more you can have the BIG one.
Mmmm ... actually I am really sleepy ... OK ... give me the BIG one, please.

:O

BLOGGER DREAM

Friday evening in Hanover, MD ... I am sooooo tired ... I didn't sleep a lot in the last nights ... too much blogging, I guess ... :o

I am back to my hotel room ... 8.23 PM ... this hotel room is quite interesting ... I feel like at home ... strange ... or probably not ... it is here that last week I started my blog. Anyway no blogging today.

I am going to sleep. Decided. Who cares if it is 8PM. The shoes are flying in the air. One is landing on the other bed ... I don't know why but these hotel room in US have always 2 beds. The other is landing ... mmm ... where did it land? Wherever ... who cares. The window is close ... so they are inside. good. Socks are following. BANG! I jump on my bed. Put the glasses somewhere. Mmmmm ... glasses are important ... I need to know where they are ... whatever. I always found them ... I will find them also tomorrow morning. Mmmmm ... soooo nice to be on my bed ...

... ooohhhh man ... what the hell is going on over there ... ooohhh noooo ... the usual f*cking Jersey truck driver. I don't get it ... if G-D put water between f*cking Jersey and the city ... why did we put a bridge!? And not only that! What about the tunnels!? We should allow them to get here only by train or by boat ... or even better only paddling ... I don't get it!! Hey man I don't know if I can get to Penn Station on time ... that truck from Jersey has decided to stop the entire city this morning.

... so tell me again about your story ...

Aaahhh nothing really interesting ... I am a woman doing a work that a man should do. And every day there are at least 30 people who are asking me "why are you doing this job?"

ooppss ...

... I mean ... why this people is not going to ask to Bush why he can't stop the price of this bloody gas to f*cking rocket ... I mean ... I understand that we invaded Afganistan to catch that bad motherf*cker and his crazy dudes ... but Iraq!? Why did we invaded Iraq!? I know why! A congressman told me. We did it in order to keep the NYC TAXI DRIVER happy ... right!? OK. WE FAILED! I am a NYC TAXI DRIVER and I not happy of the gas price!!

... I know ...

... anyway ... don't worry ... after 5 years of cab I am used to it ... I don't know why I start doing it ... I mean ... I know it ... but I don't know it. Life is strange. When I a was a girl I was dreaming to become a writer, but I ended up driving a cab in the city ... NO NO NO ...THIS IS TOO MUCH! Did you see that guy? He is chewing his Jersey Hot Dog and doesn't care ... look ... I am a pacifist ... but this is too much ... NO TRIAL, NO JURY, STRAIGHT TO EXECUTION!

... don't worry I will pay you the run ... and a good tip.

I know ... but that that doesn't matter ... I can't see that ... 5 minutes to cross an intersection ... I am gonna kill that Jersey piece of sh*t!

... so you were telling me about the priest who tried to seduce you. I can't believe it. I mean ... I guess ... it is something different. But a priest!?

Why DIFFERENT!?

... no no ... not different ... just ... yes ... different ... I think the right word is different. I have to admit it. Women who are doing male type of jobs are exciting ...

I know ... everybody is telling me the same ... are you trying to seduce me!?

No ... I don't think so. I am married. Happy to be married. And happy of my monogamy. I guess I found the perfect match. My wife, Jennifer, is the perfect person for me. She is not perfect ... but she is perfect for me. I would never ever do anything that could arm her ... and our relationship.

What a pity ... you are pretty cute ... I like your eyes ...

Thanks ... :) ... anyway ... you were telling me about your writing dream? What happened to that?

I don't know ... I kind of forget about it until a friend of mine gave me the idea to write a blog. I started it back in April last year... and you know what? I simply love it ... the address is on the taxi receipt ... take one is there in the back ...

... got it ... I will have a look ... I am sure you will have crazy story over there ...

Not really ... just my daily war against the JERSEY BARBARIAN INVASIONS ... I am telling you ... there is only 1 good thing in Jersey ... the train to get to the city ... :D

... ahahaha ... you right ... :)

Here we go ... this is Penn Station ... it's $82.5 ... sorry we are late. BTW ... where are you going?

DC ... I have a meeting tomorrow with a writer. Here you go. Keep the change.

Thanks. So you are meeting a writer!?

Yep ... I work for a publisher. I will look to your blog ... who knows ... one day I could be your publisher ... :O

That would be really a dream for me ...

Dream!? Where I am ... ufff ... this is not my place in Hermosa ... uuuufff ... yep ... that was a dream ... what a stange dream ... 2.54AM!? And where are my glasses ... ooouuccchhh ... better I go back to sleep ... tomorrow I want to go to visit some more museums in DC.

__

If you got till here ... you can't miss this ... http://newyorkhack.blogspot.com/2006/04/announcement.html ... quite an interesting story ... I am sure you will like it ...

YOUR PICTURE on USPS STAMPS

Look at this ...

... this is great. I simply love this idea ... basically with USPS (US Post Service) you can already print stamps from your home printer (I guess the USPS machines read the optical code printed) ... now you can put also pictures on them ... SIMPLE, like most of the best ideas!

This idea reminds me of an Italian story which happened few years ago in Naples, Italy (the city of PIZZA, PASTA, MOZZARELLA, SOFIA LOREN and S. GENNARO and other incredible inventions) ... at that time a couple of guys (I think they were students) printed their own stamps as a joke ... and start sending mails with them ... but the Italian Postal Service (le POSTE) never realized it and they were delivering postcards and letter ... till the 2 guys told to a local newspaper ... I don't think the Italian Post Office did anything special ... they just asked to the 2 guys to stop it ... :O ... the 2 guys ended up writing a book about the story ... funny ... :o

Bottom line is ... in ITALY WE HAVE GREAT IDEAS ... PROBLEM IS ... WE TRY TO IMPLEMENT THEM IN ILLEGAL WAYS ... SORRY ... WE CAN'T HELP OURSELVES ON THIS ... :o

BTW ... I found this flyers in the coffee box Teri sent us ... I mean she didn't put it, she ordered the coffee from WWW.STARBUCKS.COM ... and they put inside some fliers, the other were crap ... but one was good ... thanks also for this, Teri!

DRAMA in the DRAMA

This is a no-picture story ... sorry ... :) I am here in Washington Baltimore for a work related type of Drama ... from there the nickname of the project WABADA (WAshington BAltimore DramA) ... my colleagues are either sleeping or working or tired or whatever ... dinner alone tonight ... I AM CRAVING FOR ABURGER ... I am going to RUBY TUESDAY restaurant ...

Perfect dinner ... CHEESBURGER + FF + DIET COKE ... and I now am reading a book ... a couple seats in the table beside mine.

He is VERY TALKATIVE with the waitress ... she DOESN'T SPEAK. He is on the PHONE with some colleague ... and she looks the MENU. He order a COLD BEER ... and she orders RED WINE. He orders a BURGER ... and she orders a PASTA ALFREDO. He is BROWN ... and she is BLOND. He is FAT ... she is THIN.

I am reading on the the book that GHANDI was assassinated by NATHURAM GODSE, a Hindu fanatic ... because he was defending the rights of the Muslims in the post-Partition India ... I am checking if it is true, by SMS, with an Indian colleague. IT IS TRUE. The waitress is asking me if I am still working on the check. I am turning my attention from my book and I am looking at her. Yes, I am done, thanks ... but wait a minute ... what happened!?

She is CRYING ... he turned WHITE. She is saying something ... he doesn't speak. She is LOOKING AT THE BOWL OF PASTA ... he LOOKS AT HER. She is saying something ... and IS EATING THE PASTA ... the CHEESEBURGER HAS ONLY ONE BITE. I continue to read. But I can't resist. I am looking at them. She is DONE with the pasta ... the BURGER IS STILL THERE. I can't look ... come on. I continue to read. The author of the book says that he love LAHORE (his home city in India) ... but come on ... do I really care!? No! I am sneaking again. I shouldn't do it. She looks at him ... he looks to THE EMPTY PAST BOWL.

The waitress is stopping in front of their table and she is asking if they are done ... yep ... they are done ... she has dumped him ... and he doesn't even want a DOGGIE BAG ... WHAT A PITY FOR THAT BURGER ... :O

BASTA

OK ... I have to admit ... I am a reader of THE ECONOMIST ... but I wouldn't never dreamed of a cover page like this ... I simply love it ("BASTA" in Italian means THAT'S ENOUGH ...) ... unfortunately for me ... I am always supporting the losers (I supported GORE against BUSH in US in 2000, BARAK against SHARON in ISRAEL in 2001, RUTELLI (sic!) against BERLUSCONI in ITALY in 2002, KERRY against BUSH in US in 2004) ... but this time I have the GUT FEELING that THE ECONOMIST is right ... :D

ELECTION DAY

IT IS ELECTION TIME BACK IN ITALY (my country) ... luckily enough few years ago the Parliament approved a law which is allowing the Italian citizens living (not simply visiting) abroad to vote by mail.

It works like this ... you need to register to the Italian consulate as ITALIAN RESIDENT ABROAD. After that few weeks before before the elections you receive a BIG envelope with all the BALLOT PAPERS, some instructions, and a copy of the law related to the election ... how to make things complicated ... I mean ... I just need to put a cross ... :o ...

... in this case we need to vote for the HOUSE OF THE REPRESENTATIVES and for the SENATE ...


... you vote ... and again ... just a cross in the right place ...


... ooopppss ... this is secret ... I mean ... not very secret for my friends ... but I can't show it ... it is against the law ... sorry ...

Once you are done you put everything in an envelope and after in an other envelope ... and send it to the Italian Consulate ... in my case ... the one in Los Angeles, California ... where I live ...


... of course ... no sender name on the envelope ... CLEAN, DEMOCRATIC, FAIR ... isn't it!? You know what!? In order to decide to give the right to vote to the Italians living abroad the Italian Parliament spent 50 years in endless discussions ... :O ... but now (since 5 years I believe) we have the law ... and I can vote ... and I AM HAPPY AND PROUD THAT I CAN VOTE IN A DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY ... VERY VERY HAPPY!!!

TODAY STREET FOOD!

Today I had to finish some report for our customer so I didn't have time to go to eat with my colleagues. I thought I was going to have an other BIG TEXAS CINNAMON ROLL ... but when XIAO (a colleague) stepped into the office with a sandwich and he told me he bought it at the FOOD TRUCK (a colleague is telling me that a name to call them is ROACH COACH ... Which is not a compliment at all ... COACH like COCKROACH) at the end of the road I realized that was going to be my lunch.

The truck is at the traffic light of the road where I work ...


I love street food ... when I am backpacking is my favorite food ... but here in US you don't have a lot of these places.

Darline is the funny lady working inside the tiny truck ... she insisted to put MAYO in the sandwich ... I have to admit ... it was a good choice ...

... at the end I got a cold sandwich, chips and a cold Diet Pepsi for $6.50 ... great deal ... but most important ... great food ... and a new friend, Darline ... I can continue to work now ... WABADA is still a DRAMA ... later.

YOU HAVE TO VISIT STU WEBSITE

This is STU ... I mean STU WEBSITE ... if you like to travel you have to visit it ... it's so great ... the address is WWW.STUARTRILEY.NET ...

STU complete name is Stuart Riley, but his friends call him STU. He is a great guy. He is Australian. I met him in Israel. At that time we were working in the same office ... also in that case a NO-WINDOW-OFFICE ... mmmm ... :o. What always fascinated me about him was his free mind and his ability to dream. He loves to travel and he travels a lot.

In his website you will find there the reports of most of his travels. I am sure you will love his pictures and his stories. Unfortunately he didn't update after November 2005 ... anyway ... you will find enough stories and pictures to keep you busy for days ...

KLARK KENT or RICC?

A funny picture I took tonight in the Baltimore BARNES&NOBLE bookstore ...

VIVA TERI!!!

So ... this story goes like this ... 2 weeks ago Riccardo and I had been hijacked for a project in the customer office in the WASHINGTON DC - BALTIMORE area (aka WaBa) ... a real DRAMA ... we need to do a miracle ... from there the nickname to the project WABADA (WAshington BAltimore DramA) ... anyway ... we end up working in an office without windows in a warehouse converted to office ... and basically with a very limited quantity of coffee available because our customer policy doesn't support coffee for free in the office. Luckily enough the local folks organized themselves and they make a MONTHLY FUND RAISING for the coffee ... but ... you know ... people doesn't like to pull out money from their pockets ... so there are reminders everywhere ... here one of the signs I can see every day in the break-room ...

probably you can't read it but a part of it says "no all the contractors are on our network -mail list, so please pass this info along your reports. They need to pay as well" ... is pointing directly to me (here I am a contractor) ... and note the empty box ... which is again pointing to me ... I drink 6 coffees a day and I never contributed ... :oooopppsss

What I have learned this week is that ... the sign changes every month ... quite an interesting marketing strategy ... new month, old problem, new announcement ... it makes people more aware of the problem, I guess.

I liked very much the March version ... although I think it would be more appropriate for the St. Patrick's day beer fund raising ...

... I didn't get used yet to the April version (below) ... but it reminded me that Spring is here ... something you can't really notice in the no window WABA(DA) office ...

Riccardo's comment "probably they spend more money in the print of these colourful signs than in the money they should invest in coffee " makes sense ... :O

Anyway I wrote all this story on my intranet blog (my company intranet ... BTW ... I have to close that ... too much work ... and not enough readers) and I added at the end that if someone had some spare coffee bag to ship to us ... we would just love to receive them. I did this last Friday ... and I kind of forget about it.

Today around 10AM I receive a call from the reception of the WABA(DA) office ... "Mr. Bonanomi ... there is here a parcel for you" ... I am stepping out of the hole (aka office) where we are working ... and a kind of surprised I get the package in my hands ... mmmm ... what is it!? You probably understood ... YEP ...2 bags of wonderful STARBUCKS COFFEE ... Teri, my colleague from Atlanta, sent us 2 bags of STRABUCKS COFFEE ... I felt like a baby in the Xmas eve ...

... I can say only one thing ... VIVA TERI!!! ... you are the best!!!
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PS If you want to send me / us more goodies, please do so ... just send me an email ...I will be more than happy to send you the complete street address ... :o

GEORGE WALKS THE EARTH

Today I realized that I have a fellow traveller ... GOERGE WASHINGTON.

It is a one of the funny games that this country has invented. Basically there is someone (!?) who prints the red label on some $1 bill and from that moment people who happen to have the bill in their hands in invited to login to the www.wheresgeorge.com and report the serial number of the bill and the zip code of the area where the George is ... basically a GEORGE WASHINGTON BLOG ... :o

My fellow George started his trip in Cleveland, OH on December 2nd 2005 ... and after that I am the first NUT to post his movements ... sorry dude ... I hope you will find more folks who will trace you ... later.

PASTRY OF THE YEAR 2005

This morning MY WALK THE EARTH activity was limited to go to the office vending machine ... but it was pretty interesting ... for 70cents I got the famous (!?) BIG TEXAS ... check out the bottom left corner ... it has been voted THE PASTRY OF THE YEAR from the 2005 AUTOMATIC MERCHANDISER Readers' Choice ... :O ... this country makes me laugh sometimes ... mmm ... actually most of the time ... :D ... better that my own country Italy ... that is making me cry most of the time ... but thats an other story ... later.

MY BLOG BANNED IN CHINA!

I just got this email from a friend who is visiting China ...
_______________________
andrea -
you will be happy to know that as best as I can tell your blog is banned in China! enjoy the land of the free!
_______________________

... FREEDOM is really a great gift ... and unfortunately it is not coming for free ... :o .... funny enough Riccardo took this picture of mine in front of the KOREA WAR MEMORAIL in DC last Saturday ... unfortunately it is still true ... yep ... FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.

I am planning a trip to CHINA this year ... should I reconsider it as a protest against their policy or should I go there in order to give the chance to the local people to meet an other foreigner who will help them to understand what is happening outside their country!? What do you think?

THE LAST PEARL HARBOR SURVIVOR

If you will go to Baltimore, MD you will love its waterfront ... and in one of the canals of the harbor you will find a small surprise ... THE LAST PEARL HARBOR SURVIVOR ... here it is, in fact, resting the TANEY ...


...today it is a floating museum ... but it is also ... the LAST AFLOAT WARSHIP WHICH SAW ACTION DURING THE PEARL HARBOR ATTACK OF DECEMBER 7, 1941 ... after that has been used in action in WWII, Vietnam War, in some anti narcotic action and as Coast Guard patrolling (you can see its last dress in the picture) ... anyway now it is retired ... but still afloat ... to me it looks like it has a pretty good health ... and it will stay like this for several decades ... so SON'T RUSH TO BALTIMORE JUST TO SEE IT ... you will have time to do it ... and if you will end up in Baltimore you will find more interesting things to do than to get aboard an old stinky warship ... :O

BALTIMORE BY NITE

I love Baltimore, MD ... I love to walk this city!

Funny enough ... when I came here last week I thought I was going to spend a lot of time in Washington DC ... but after a couple of days ... I realized that I prefer Baltimore ... I don't know ... I feel a warmer atmosphere here. DC has wonderful museums and unique building, but it is a kind of "cold" ... :

I spent the entire Sunday in Baltimore ... and of course ... I took a lot of pictures ... but when I went back to the hotel I messed up with the USB adapter and a couple of memory cards and Windows gave me a great help ... bottom line ... I deleted all my touristic hard work of the day ... luckily enough I have still a good memory ... :O

Tonite I went back for dinner w/ some friends ... and I took some more pictures ... here an artistic version of the BARNES & NOBLE bookstore + HARD ROCK CAFE building ... you should see it (yep ... this picture doesn't help sorry) ... really a wonderful building ... it is the old POWER PLANT of the city ... now retired and restored. The 4 chimneys in copper are still there and they are running all the way from the ground floor inside the building ... really nice to see from inside

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

After 3 years ... that I am WALKING THE EARTH for most of my time inside the US borders ... I have suddenly discovered that this is the country of the MESSAGES IN THE BOTTLES ... look to the message in the bottle I found today ... :O

I really don't get this ... sorry ... if someone out there wants to help me is more than welcome ... anyway ... I think I am done ... I need to go back my beloved fountain diet coke!?! I guess yes ...

THE HANOVER CASTLE

Yep ... I am still in Hanover, Maryland ... not Hannover, Germany ... and yep ... it has a castle ... I see it everyday when I am going to lunch and today I have decided to take a picture ...

... pretty funny, isn't it!? For the folks who are not living in USA, this is just an other a location of the "Medieval Times" chain. I have never been inside, but I understood they organize dinner / parties / show in medieval style. I think Leif went in the Las Vegas, NV location ... and we still have some plastic beer pitcher in our place from the show ... pretty ugly ... :) Actually while I am writing Andres (a colleague) is telling me that is really cool and that I should go there ... mmmm ... I don't know why ... but I have a hard time to believe it ... :O

RAY CHARLES READING PLAYBOY

I know ... I know ... if you know me, you will think this is a joke. But believe me, this is not. I took this picture in the of American History museum of Washington DC. And you know what?! I think it is simply great! BTW ... if you haven't seen yet the movie RAY, you have to watch it ... really well done ... and what an amazing life he had.
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If you can't read the blue plate from the picture it says "Ray Charles enjoyed reading the articles in Braille editions of Playboy magazine and Readers's Digest. The Library of Congress has produces the Braille edition of Playboy (without pictures) since 1970." ... mmmm ... why without pictures!?

CONFUCIUS IN A BOTTLE CAP

In Washington DC you can find Confucius in a bottle cap ... really an awesome city ... :) BTW ... this is really a great quote ... I really believe in it, I love it and I am trying to remember it especially in the tough moments ... it is simple to see the beauty when you have health, you are in peace with yourself, with a reasonable wealth and people around you who love you ... but again ... I know a lot of people who has all this and still can complain all day long ... what a pity guys!

THIS IS RICC

Riccardo (aka Ricc) is something special for me ... he was one of my mates at the university (indeed I knew him in the last months), a colleague, one of my best friends and almost a brother (aka FratelloGuff) ... I wouldn't be the same without him! We both studied in the "Politecnico di Milano" university in Milan, Italy ... we got hired from the same company ... we worked together 1 year in Athens, Greece ... for few weeks together in Tel Aviv, Israel (he worked there for few months, but I ended up working and living there for 3 years) ... in Seattle, WA ... Los Angeles, CA ... and now roaming together for the unknown freeway-land (actually here in North East, I found an old European friend ... the tollway) ... also Ricc is here in Washington-Baltimore for this project ... Ricc, don't worry we will make it also this time, I hope ... :)

The picture was taken Saturday during our visit to Washington DC ... Ricc did you ever digest those broccoli!?

LIKE FORREST GUMP (LEIF VERSION)

Today I started spreading the news to my friends ... "Yep, I have a blog!" ... the reaction that I got to such a great news (!?) ... has been from enthusiastic (i.e. "Well done dude, that's great") to surprised (i.e. "Why are you doing that?") to scared (i.e. "Don't even try to mention my name over there") to politically correct (i.e. "I am busy now, but I am going to check it out later ... for sure, I guess") to boring (i.e. "Ah!").

Anyway ... the prize for the funniest reaction goes ... surprise surprise ... to Leif, my German roommate back in LA. He send me this photo-composition and the title is "Forrest Surf Andrea Gump".


The photo-composition is done with a picture taken during the 2004 Xmas night we spent together in our place in Hermosa Beach, CA ... that has been really a funny nite ... there was also an Israeli Jewish friend ... which I tried to convert to Christianity ... explaining him - after few beers and some ron shots - the superiority of the Xmas gift tradition ... :) ... really a funny nite ... THANKS LEIF ... :)

You should know Leif ... he is really a great guy ... a kind of confused sometimes with the dishes and the sink ... but come oooon ... who never left some dish in the sink after 20 "Pauli Girl" beers ... ?-) I need to make a post on him ... just give me sometime!

LIKE FORREST GUMP

The dryer did a good job ... and here I am 2.45AM (EST) to post a new blog ... I am definitely addicted to this stuff ... anyway ... here it is ... here on the stairs of the Lincoln memorial is where I felt like FORREST GUMP ... yep ... really a funny feeling ... :) You go to Washington DC to see the "White House", the "US Capitol", the "Smithsonian museums" and you end it up getting excited for this ... I guess the conclusion is that the life is nice because there is always something unexpected to surprise you and Hollywood has a great influence on us, or at least on me ... :) BTW ... now that I am the Forrest Gump mood ... next time that I will be back in Atlanta, GA for work I will try to find time in a weekend to go to seat on the Savannah, GA bench ... but after that don't ask me to run like Forrest ... :O

A DAY IN WASHINGTON DC

Still here in my room ... and while I am waiting for the laundry to finish (lucky me I am already in the "drying phase") ... i have decided to post also a picture of mine .. it was taken yesterday at the entrance of the Ronald Reagan building in Washington DC ... can you recognize the piece of concrete I am touching? Probably not ... anyway ... believe it or not ... it is a section of the BERLIN WALL ... I have to admit that I would have never expected to found it there!

I have to admit I had a pretty interesting weekend ... yesterday I was all day in Washington DC ... visited any sort of war memorial (i.e. WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam), the Lincoln Memorial, the museum of American History, the museum of Natural History ... really nice ... I had watch these places only in TV, or in movies ... was nice to be there. The nicest (and probably pettiest!?) feeling was on the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial ... I felt a little bit like Forrest Gump giving his speech on the Vietnam War ... :)

During the evening we went (I was there w/ a friend and colleague) to Georgetown ... we ended up in a pub watching the NCAA semifinal LSU - UCLA ... I started supporting UCLA (you know after 3 years living in LA you have to support the local team) ... but I ended up, as usual, to support for the underdog (a.k.a. the losers) ... yep ... LSU lost really bad ... so sorry for them!

My cellphone countdown is ringing ... I guess the dryer has finished its work ... I have to leave.

DAY 1

Hhhh ... hhhh ... here I am ... in Hanover, MD (Maryland, north east coast of the USA) Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Room 361, typing on my laptop the first post of my new blog ... and I have to admit ... I am a kind of excited ... silly ... isn't it !? ... :)

This is not my first blog ... actually since 3 weeks ago I am also posting in an intranet (my company intranet) blog ... I started that because I thought it was a good idea to "glue the team" I was working with ... and I have to admit ... I am not sure how the team is gluing ... but for sure I became blog addicted ... the idea to blog in internet came from the example of a blogger friend (www.smhyla.com) ... actually while I am posting this ... I am also asking her some advice by email ... I am really a beginner ... :)

The name of the blog is WALK THE EARTH - which is at the same time ... a quote from Pulp Fiction, my favorite movie & one of my favorite catch phrases & a kind of personal mission for me :) ... of course my initial idea was to have the same web address ... but I guess I got in the blog-sphere too late ... :O ... I had to switch to a name nobody picked up ... I ended up choosing my own name ... pretty uncommon name, I guess ... :)