STARS, STRIPES and ... RAIN

Seen them today in CONSTITUTION AVENUE in WASHINGTON DC ...

... a colourful idea ... but ... I am not sure if it can work in other countries where the NATIONAL FLAG in not as AB-USED as here in US ... probably in ISRAEL ... but again ... there doesn't rain much ...

SPAM ATTACK TO THE BLOG

Today the blog had been attacked by spam emails ... mmm ... actually by 10 different SPAM COMMENTS ... this is one of them ...

... I deleted them ... mmmm probably D. is right ... I am OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE ... :o .. and I start using a BLOGGER feature ... the spelling word recognition ... so from now on if you will add a comment either if you are anonymous or not you will have to recognize few letters like these ... and type them in the box before sending your comment ... I think it is fair ... again no filter on the comments ... everybody can comment even as anonymous and I am not banning anything ... just wanted to avoid the SPAM ones... I have already enough of the hundreds JUNK EMAILS I get every week ... :o

THE BEARDER DUDE

This is my new challenge ... a book to read in less than 1 month ... the topic, the title and the credits sound really interesting to me and they convinced me to buy it ... but what I like the most now (even if I realized it after I bought it) is the photo composition of the BEARDER DUDE in the front page ... really funny ... I guess you can easily recognize him ... :o ... it actually made me realize, one more time, that the FREEDOM of PRESS and SPEECH are incredible rights we need to defend ... I am sure that even in the WESTERN WORLD there is people UP THERE who is manipulating in some way the news we get everyday but ... it is still better than anywhere else and if we are not really lazy we still have our brain to think how much of what we get everyday is propaganda and how much is news ... I believe ... :D

YOU CAN STILL VISIT ITALY

ITALY, MY BELOVED COUNTRY (in the map ... red dotted in the north there is my home town, BERGAMO and in the center the capital, ROME) is often in the news for some political scandal ... in these days, unfortunately, the news have the taste of the insanity ... the insanity of our actual prime minister BERLUSCONI who is not accepting the outcome of the political elections (and the blessing of the Italian High Court) he and his coalition lost for ~ 25,000 votes two weeks ago ... thanks to the awesome help of the ITALIANS WHO VOTED OVERSEAS ... :o

Below a good article by the FINANCIAL TIMES which is summarizing in few words the situation ...

________


Title: A SORE LOSER SULKS
Publisher: FINANCIAL TIMES
Published: April 21 2006 03:00

In spite of the decision by Italy's highest court this week confirming the narrow victory of Romano Prodi's centre-left coalition in the country's general election, the outgoing prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, still refuses to admit defeat. He seems to be calculating that by casting doubt on the outcome, he will destabilise Mr Prodi's coalition from the start, and thus shorten its life. If so, he is showing an arrogant dis­regard for the verdict of the ballot box, however finely balanced that may have been. He is contributing to international concerns about Italy's political stability. Indeed, as he has done all too often in the past, he seems to be putting the interests of Silvio Berlusconi ahead of those of his country.

To have an effective democracy, political leaders must learn how to lose gracefully as well as how to win. Al Gore, the former US vice-president, conceded defeat to George W. Bush as soon as the Supreme Court ruled on the question of disputed ballots in Florida. That is how democracies are supposed to work. But Mr Berlusconi is a sore loser. He refrains from comment, but Giulio Tremonti, his former deputy and finance minister, said there were still "things that need to be clarified". By questioning the outcome, he is undermining the system itself.

Mr Berlusconi's own record in office left much to be desired. On the political front, he reversed the electoral law that had produced a modicum of political stability (to his own advantage), returning to a proportional representation system that might have given him short-term benefit. Instead it produced a fragmented parliament, to the benefit of no one. During the election campaign, he continued to exploit his media empire to get disproportionate television coverage for himself and his party. As for the economy, his government proved a grave disappointment on the vital reforms needed to improve Italy's competitiveness. He has left the country languishing at the bottom of the euro-league.

All of this makes the task for Mr Prodi, at the head of a nine-party alliance, all the more daunting. Yet he has held together a disparate government before, and negotiated Italy's entry into the single currency at the same time. Reports that he may appoint Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, former executive director of the European Central Bank, as finance or economy minister, should provide some reassurance to the capital markets. Mr Prodi needs to demonstrate that his is the voice of dispassionate experience, in contrast to the partisan posturing of Mr Berlusconi. The former is what Italy needs, not more of the latter.

______


... I know it is a shame ... but don't worry ... YOU CAN STILL VISIT ITALY ... YOU ARE NOT RUNING IN ANY RISK OF POLITICAL STREET RIOTS ... THE ONLY RISK YOU ARE RUNNING IS TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THE ORIGINAL ITALIAN FOOD AND WITH THE MASTERPIECES OF ART ... :D

INSANITY

Today during a meeting, where we had more problems than credible explanations, GINA (a very wise customer senior manager) ... came out of the blue with this definition of INSANITY ... "INSANITY IS WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO SOLVE A PROBLEM WITH A PLAN THAT ALREADY FAILED IN THE PAST" ... I am not sure if she created it or she just copied it ... but I have to say that I love it ... and next time I will have a problem will be up to me decide ... if I want to be insane or not ... :o

1 YEAR TO READ A BOOK!

BELIEVE IT OR NOT ... IT TOOK ME 1 YEAR TO READ THIS BOOK ... actually 1 year and 2 days ... and I finished it today because I felt to ashamed of myself! Today I was thinking that I bought this book pretty much 1 year ago ... so I decided to check the receipt inside the book and ... holy cow ... I realized that I bought it on April 18th 2005. It was too much ... today I read the last 5 pages ... FINALLY ... :D

I kind of remembered when I bought it because I bought it in JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA ... I was in a shopping mall waiting for the photo shop to copy my camera memory stick to a CD and I decided to kill the 1 hour going in a book store ... and I found 2 interesting things ...

* A PHOTO BOOK OF THE ARIZONA ANTELOPE CANYON
* THIS BOOK

IN THAT BOOK STORE I DECIDED THAT I HAD TO VISIT THE ANTELOPE CANYON AND I HAD TO READ THIS BOOK ... I was lucky enough to have money to buy the book (and 367 days to read it) and I did manage also to visit the ANTELOPE CANYON ... :o

ANTELOPE CANYON ... you have to visit it ... no excuse ... you have to go there and take a picture ... it is amazing ... probably I will post a picture that I took there when I will be back in LA (where my back up hard drive is). But if you can't wait ... there are plenty of pictures in internet ... look for them (eg http://IMAGES.GOOGLE.COM/) ... the pictures are really stunning ... the canyon itself it is very small and not that impressive compared with other canyons in ARIZONA and UTAH ... but again ... picture wise ... it is perfect ... :o

Going back to the book ... I did read half of the book in the 3 following days in SOUTH AFRICA ... probably during my long bus rides ... and after that I kind of forget about it ... reading few pages here and there ... not many, though ... :) It is the autobiography of GIUSEPPE GARIBALBI ... the general who back in the 19th century unified ITALY (which was divided in at least 14 small states and kingdoms before that) ... the amazing thing is that he did it w/ 1,000 men w/o proper equipment ... a typical ITALIAN MIRACLE ... :o ... anyway the book is OK ... but not that interesting ...

What I liked the most in the book is a sentence I found in there ... "RECIPROCAL FEAR RULES THE WORLD" ... I think it is, unfortunately, very true ... a pity, though ... and I think our rulers (democraticaly elected / not) undestand it really well ... and they use it in order to lead entire countries to WAR ... what a madness ... :o

Anyway one of my resolutions for 2006 is to read 1 book/month ... so far (after 4 months) I read only 2 books (counting this) ... I think I need to blog less and read more to make it happen ... :o

MARYLAND SUNSET

I know ... I know ... MARYLAND SUNSET doesn't sound as nice as CALIFORNIA SUNSET ... but look at this ...

... and when I will be back to LA (hopefully in 10 days) I will make sure to take for you a picture of a sunset in HERMOSA BEACH, CA ... I have seen amazing ones over there ...

POSTCARDS from HAWAII

Today I received 2 postcards from a friend who was visiting HAWAII ...

... really nice postcards ... the one on the left is from MAUI (West Maui Mountains) and the one on the right is from OAHU (Kailua Beach & the Mokulua Islands).

In my WALK THE EARTH tour around the world I was lucky enough to visit the HAWAII islands 4 times ... I have been in OAHU, BIG ISLAND and KAUAI ... really really nice ... they have definitily something special ... try to go there ... and rent a surfboard in WAIKIKI ... everybody can surf in WAIKIKI ...

IT WILL BE A GREAT DAY

I really like stickers on the car bumpers ... probably because most of them are supporting ideas that I like ... look at this picture that I took a couple of days ago in the parking lot of the SAFEWAY store ...

I simply love the one that says ... "IT WILL BE A GREAT DAY WHEN OUR SCHOOLS WILL HAVE ALL THE MONEY THEY NEED AND THE AIR FORCE HAS TO HOLD A BAKE SALE TO BUY A BOMBER" ... :D

GUN SALE

Probabaly I am just naive ... but I can't really understand how it is possible to have shops selling guns ... today ... in US ...

... why do people need them? Probably the answer, or at least a part of it, is in the documentary BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE ...

BTW ... I took this picture today in Glen Burnie, MD.

PREVENTION

TODAY I AM SICK. Since yesterday I feel really bad. I have a kind of general weakness and a stomach ache. Yesterday I crashed on my bed as soon as I got to my hotel room from the office and I fell asleep around 8PM (!) ... I didn't even have strength enough to make a post on my blog (!). Of course I had an horrible night ... full of the strangest nightmares ever ... I can only remember that was a loooooong night ... :o

This morning, in order to avoid additional nightmares, I decided to skip the working day and to visit a physician.

The search for the doctor was longer than expected. I had to look on internet for a physician, suggested from my health insurance, close enough to the hotel where I am staying. Of course I miss my way going there but after a couple of U-Turns I got there. The doctor assistant bounced me back when she found out that I was just visiting BALTIMORE ... apparently they accept only patients who are willing to have the doctor as long term physician ... which is not my case ... :o ... fortunately she gave me the direction for a MEDICAL CENTER that is taking care of poor visitors like me w/o a family physician in the area. Also going there I missed my way ...but at the end I found it.

The way it works here in US when you step for the first time in a doctor office is a kind of very professional ... they ask you to fill at least 3-4 forms with all the relevant information of your medical history ... which is ok. The funny thing for me is that I did this at least 5 times in the last 3 years ... 'cause I got sick in different places here in US ... and you have to think that you want just to see a doctor ASAP and before even letting you open your mouth they ask you to fill all these forms.

Sometimes the questions are really tricky ... look at the section PREVENTION of the form I had to fill this morning ...

... some are reasonable but other are really strange for a doctor appointment ... for example ...

DO YOU WEAR SEATBELTS?
DO YOU WEAR A BIKE HELMET?
IF THERE IS A GUN IN YOUR HOME, IS IT OUT OF CHILDREN'S REACH AND UNLOADED?
DO YOU EVER FEEL AFRAID OF YOUR PARTNER?
DO YOU HAVE "LIVING WILL"?
METHOD OF BIRTH CONTROL?

Of course I took the opportunity to have some fun ... I did answer that in my home the GUN is always loaded and that it is in the kids room ... and ... that, yes, I am afraid of my partner when she is using the CREDIT CARD ... :o

The doctor visit went pretty well ... I am not sure what I have ... she gave me some pills for the stomach ache and I did a blood test ... I will know the results tomorrow probably ... :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRO

Today April 19th is my brother birthday. PAOLO is my only brother and I simply love him. My continuous traveling (since I finish the university 7 years ago I never stop traveling abroad) doesn't help our relationship ... but again he knows that wherever I am and whatever I am doing he can always count on me ... for now ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRO ... but I hope to see you soon ... :D

EASTER TREE

This is an ITALIAN EASTER TREE ... I think this is the first one I see myself. Back in Italy we are used to have XMAS TREES, not many EASTEN TREES though. The picture was sent to me from my very good friend ALESSANDRA (aka ALE)... and apparently her mom is the artist. I have to say that I really like the idea. It's nice to decorate a tree w/o leafs ... a good way to welcome the incoming spring. Really a good idea.

THIS IS LEIF (THE GREAT)

OK ... I AM READY ... I was waiting for this moment since the first day I had this blog ... I wanted to wrote a post about LEIF (you have to have to read it like the English word "LIFE") ... and now that I am under the effect of 5 GUINNESS BEERS ... I think it is the right moment ...

_____

This is LEIF, THE GREAT ...

... this picture was taken during his last visit to LAS VEGAS, NV ... :D

LEIF is one of my 2 roommates ... the other one is JASON ... I have to make a post on him as well ... he is also a great guy ... but that's an other story, I guess ...

LEIF is GERMAN and he moved to US, particularly to Los Angeles ... back in 2004 ... the three of us (Leif, Jake and I) lived together for almost 2 years ... really a wonderful time ... now JAKE lives in Shanghai, China ... but still we are very much attach to each other ... I really feel that they are part of my family ... really.

LEIF is really a GREAT GUY ... he is HALF MAGICIAN AND HALF SOMETHING ELSE ... I can't remember what the other half is ... but it is something really nice as well ... probably he can comment on that ... I know that he is reading everyday this blog ... but he never put any comment ...

LEIF is also a great FOOSBALL player ... if you are looking for a good foosball mate ... LEIF is your man ... we are used to go to play together to the PITCHER HOUSE on the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) in Hermosa Beach ... and we have a great time together ...

LEIF is also a great VIDEOGAME player ... when he first moved in our place (JAKE was there since one year and I was there since 3 months) ... he was used to have HEADSETS ... but now he doesn't do it anymore ... you can hear his videogames from 1 block away ... which is actually cool ... a way to recognize that you are BACK HOME ... :D

LEIF is also a good COOK ... but he cooks only for his girlfriend ... so I normally steal his food ... but he knows it ... I guess ... :O ... I normally steal also his CHIPS ... and he knows that for sure ... :D ... the only thing I can't steal is his beer in the bridge ... BEER BOTTLE (NOT CANS, please) are like kids for the GERMANS ... they know them one by one ... you can't f*ck around with them ...

LEIF has also a great SENSE OF HUMOUR ... he can deal with my b*llsh*ts about the WWII for hours and hours ... and still hug me at the end ... simply great ... :D ... the only thing he can't really accept is that ITALY will win the FOOTBALL WORLD CUP (what you guys in USA call SOCCER WORLD CUP) in GERMANY this year ... :o

What else!? Ah ... yes ... LEIF has a GERMAN FLAG in his room ... very nice ... once I replaced it with an ITALIAN one ... and he slept there for one entire nite ... I am sure he was pretty upset the morning after ... :o ... he has also a MOTORCYCLE (not a SCOOTER like me) ... I will take a picture when I will be back to LA and I will make a post on them ... just wait ... :)

Bottom line ... I think I AM SIMPLY BLESSED to have LEIF as roommate ... he is the best ... and I can't wait to go back to HERMOSA BEACH and drink some beer with him on the porch, steal him some chips and go together to play foosball ... wait for me ... I will be there sooooon ... :O

QUESADILLA

I took this picture tonight ... this is the the way I saw the exit of the BALTIMORE pub after a MEDITERRANEAN QUESADILLA ... and 5 GUINNESS beers ... :)

... they definitely put some strange spice in that QUESADILLA ... definitely ... :o

EASTER SKY

This was the sky today in ST. MARY'S CITY, MD ...

... I simply loved the way the white coulds and the blue sky worked together ... and I want to share it with you ... HAPPY EASTER TO EVERYBODY... XA

SOMETHING DOWN THERE

Today I decided to visit the hidden spots of SOUTHERN MARYLAND ... I checked my ROUGH GUIDE and I planned to go to SALOMON'S ISLAND, ST. MARY'S CITY and POINT LOOKOUT ...

... when I passed through WASHINGTON DC I lost 3 times my way ... I learned that isn't simple to check 2 maps, the street signs ... and at the same time speak on the phone without headset for EASTER GREETINGS ... :o

SALOMON'S ISLAND was my first TARGET ... funny enough I found out that, depiste its name, it is not an island ... it is just a peninsula ... it is a small pretty harbor city ... when I found out that all (two) the coffee shops in town are going to open only in 1 week, on April 21st (don't ask me why ... :o) ... I took the picture of the local church ...

... you know in case my granny will ask me if I went to church for EASTER ... :) ... a picture of the PUPPY MAGAZINE IDEA OF THE YEAR ...

... and I headed my car towards the first gas station ... and I finally had that coffee I was craving for ... :D

Next stop was ST. MARY'S CITY ... interesting enough ... this small college town was used to be the capital of Maryland. The first settlers got here back in 1634 with a couple of tiny ships ... the MARYLAND DOVE and the ARK ... this is full the scale replica of the MARYLAND DOVE ...

... but from what I spotted outside the old STATE HOUSE ...

... the civil rights weren't yet part of the American culture ... not sure if they are now either ... but that's an other story, I guess ... :o

While I was on in ST. MARY'S CITY I was on the phone with BRIAN and NATAF a couple of friends I met in ISRAEL and that now are living in DALLAS, TX ... 'cause they were complaining that there are not enough pictures of me in the BLOG ... I decided to make them happy w/ a self-timer picture ... the first one didn't work out as expected ...

... but the second one did its work ...

... not sure which is the one that I prefer, though ... :O

The city is interesting but ... after half hour I decided to go to my last target ... POINT OUTLOOK ... the southern point of the MARYLAND PENINSULA ... on my way I was thinking that exactly 1 year ago I was traveling in SOUTH AFRICA ... and how much i loved CAPE OF GOOD HOPE ... I was dreaming of something similar ... you know ... a lighthouse on the rock overlooking the Ocean ... dreams not always come true ... this is a case ... this is, in fact, what I found in POINT LOOKOUT ...

... a NAVY station with a RADAR on a flat point ... :O ... mmm ... there is a reason why CAPE OF GOOD HOPE is more famous than POINT LOOKOUT, I guess ... :O

Yep ... there is something down there ... but probably you can easily skip it ... :)

SAVE THE PLANET EARTH

SAVE THE PLANET EARTH ... THE ONLY ONE WITH NUTELLA ... :o

... BTW, I bought this NUTELLA today ... and after I took this picture, 2 hours ago, I already ate half of the jar ... my sweet way to celebrate EASTER ... :D

POTS

I took this picture today in ANNAPOLIS, MD ...

... and reviewing it now ... I am wondering if it was done intentionally or not ... and ... more important ... which is the correct ONE WAY!?

NITE LITES

This is the last picture I took today in ANNAPOLIS, MD ... and it is definitely my favorite ...

ANNAPOLIS

Today I couldn't decide where to go ... BALTIMORE or DC!? DC or BALTIMORE!? At the end I decided to go to WASHINGTON DC ... but on my way I saw the signs for ANNAPOLIS ... I wanted to see something new ... so when at the intersection ...

... I decided to turn left ... and I found myseld in ANNAPOLIS ... :o

I didn't know what to expect ... I went to the VISITOR CENTER, I had a look to my ROUGH GUIDE of US and I started browsing around ... very nice houses ...

... I visited also the MARYLAND STATE HOUSE ...

... and once inside I found out that ANNAPOLIS today is just a pretty (very pretty) touristic town ... but it has a HUGE HISTORY ... BETWEEN 1783-1784 ANNAPOLIS WAS THE US CAPITAL!! And in this room ...

... George Washington ratified THE PARIS THREATY which ended the REVOLUTIANARY WAR against the former rulers ... ENGLAND.
There is displayed also the AMERICAN FLAG in its "first dress" ...

... the stars look very different.

ANNAPOLIS has also a very nice waterfront ... where anyone find its way to relax ...

If you will visit ANNAPOLIS and you lke TEA (I LOVE TEA!) you need to go to the ALCHEMY TEA (WWW.ALCHEMYTEAS.COM) ... they have a huge selection of organic tea and MATTHEW ...

... will be a good campanion to help you to discover the secrets of the town.

If in your tour around the globe you will end up in the North East of the US ... do like me ... turn left at that intersection and visit ANNAPOLIS ... I am sure YOU WILL LOVE IT ... :D

BUNNY VISIT

Today I am really happy! Even if I had to work till 11.50PM ... :o ... I am happy! I am happy because I had a BUNNY VISIT ... a friend, one of my best friend, sent me a wonderful EASTERN BOX ... look how beautiful it is ...

... as you can see, my favorite threats are there ... STARBUCKS COFFEE, CHOCOLATE EGGS, CHOCOLATE EGGS WITH PEANUT BUTTER, EARLY GREY TEA ... and ... last but not least ... a LONELY PLANET book ... :D

The chocolate is almost completely gone ... and with my new LONELY PLANET I am sure I will dream even more than usual ... and I will dream about one of my favorite passions ... TRAVELING ... :D The title is THE GAP YEAR BOOK ... I am not sure if I will ever have the guts to take 1 year off and travel around ... I love to travel ... and I travel a lot ... but I know that I can get easily bored to do again and again the same thing (mmmm ... so I am not sure if I will be able to keep up forever with the blog!) ... but never say never ... maybe this book will convince me ... :D

There are pictures of the 10 places you can't miss ... check them out ...

... mmmm ... I feel lucky ... I visited already 4 of those ... and in 2006 I am planning trips in a couple more ... not sure if I will manage to do it ... Xing my fingers ... XX ... :o ... BTW, this is the terrible thing about me ... I tend to make lists of the places I have been ... I can't help myself!

More funny are the different sections in the introduction of the book ...

There is an entire section on PERSUADING YOUR PARENTS ... OK ... I can skip this ... :O

The section SOLO is probably more appropriate for me ... I like to travel SOLO 'cause it is "forces" me to meet other people ...

CHOOSING AN AIRLINE section starts with an interesting theory ... "Just like condoms, all airlines are different but basically do the same thing" ... should I use this theory in my next long flight to introduce myself to the flight attendants :?

An other interesting theory "THINGS ARE DEFINITELY CHEAPER THE MORE PEOPLE YOU SHARE THEM WITH" ... I can't disagree ... not sure if it always works ... :o

Apparently if you want to save money better you go to Ghana ... $400 ARE ENOUGH FOR NEARLY 3 MONTHS ... not sure what I can do 3 months in Ghana, though ...

Mark admits that "I CARRY CASH BECAUSE I AM STUPID" ... I have to admit that I do the same ... I have with me my credit and debit cards ... but there is nothing like USD ... everybody accept them ... mmm ... and everybody can steal them ... yep ... probably I am stupid as welll ... :o

I can't read the section RUNNING OUT OF MONEY ... only the title scared me ... :D

On CONTRACEPTION suggests to check the expiration dates of the condoms ... good point!

The section GETTING HIGH ... sounds interesting ... but it is about the lack of oxygen at altitude ... :(

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh ... there is also a section about your travel-journal on the web ... basically a BLOG ... :o ... apparently the service from lonely planet (WWW.LONELYPLANET.COM look under TRAVEL SERVICES) costs $66/year ... mmmmm ... I think I will stick with WWW.BLOGGER.COM (this one) ... so far it is for free ... :D

There is also a SAD SECTION about how to REINTEGRATE TO THE NORMAL LIFE AFTER THE GAP YEAR ... :( ... I believe Amanda comment ... "Two months on, my gap year feels like a dream" ... but I loved Laurence suggestion ... "MY TIP IS TO GO AWAY AGAIN IMMEDIATELY" ... :O

... the rest of the book, which is actually most of it, it is about location you can't miss and basic information related with those ... and now ... I can't stop dreaming ... I will have a hard time to fall asleep ... :D

Anyway ... if you have the chance ... ask to your EASTER BUNNY to bring you this book ... it is really cool ... :D

JAP

Tonight I went with my colleague PETE to the JAPANESE restaurant on the Baltimore, MD watefront ... and I took these two pictures ...

... funny how things get really artistic depending on the perspective you see them ...

MUD

I spotted this SUV a couple of days ago down the road where my office is ...

... from the sign on the driver window (ENGINE SEIZED, PLEASE BARE WITH. IT WILL BE TOWED ASAP IF YOU CALL ###-###-####) ... I guess this guy has learned that there is a limit in the mud a SUV can deal with ... :D

OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE?

A couple of days ago a friend of mine checked my blog and when she called me later she told that I was definitely suffering of OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE disorder ... :O ... not the first time she was telling me that ... finally I check the definition and I found out that (http://www.mentalhealth.com/) that there are two definitions ... EUROPEAN and AMERICAN ... :O ... for sure I am not according to the EUROPEAN definition, here the AMERICAN one which is challenging me a little bit more ...

A pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:
1. Is preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost shows perfectionism that interferes with task completion (e.g., is unable to complete a project because his or her own overly strict standards are not met)

2. Is excessively devoted to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships (not accounted for by obvious economic necessity)

3. Is overconscientious, scrupulous, and inflexible about matters of morality, ethics, or values (not accounted for by cultural or religious identification)

4. Is unable to discard worn-out or worthless objects even when they have no sentimental value.

5. Is reluctant to delegate tasks or to work with others unless they submit to exactly his or her way of doing things

6. Adopts a miserly spending style toward both self and others; money is viewed as something to be hoarded for future catastrophes shows rigidity and stubbornness

This is my auto diagnosis:

1. 5%

2. 5%

3. 90%

4. 5%

5. 50%

6. 50% (I mean I prefer to make gifts, than to spend money for myself)

... and now I am afraid of my friends comments ... :D

ROYALE WITH CHEESE

LATE DINNER in US most of the time means McDonald's ... it is in fact, in most of the places, the only "restaurant" (sic!) open after 10PM ... and when you realize it ... you wonder if it is a good or a bad thing ... :D

I managed to avoid it for more than 1 year ... but today when I left the office after 10PM (WABADA project is really a DramA) everything was closed so I had to give up ... and I had to step thru the big M ... I tried to make it more interesting and I ordered a ROYALE WITH CHEESE (i.e. QUARTER POUNDER WITH CHEESE in the PULP FICTION version) ...

... but it didn't help ... basically I ate a PIECE OF RUBBER with cold FF ... and even the DIET COKE had something weird ... :o ... missing so much the IN 'N OUT double double burger ... I really need to go back to LA ... :D

OFFICE or POULTRY HOUSE?

This is the POULTRY HOUSE ... I mean ... our customer office (ironically called, in English, OPEN SPACE) where I am working since 2 weeks ...

... but ... THE GOOD NEWS ID THAT I WILL BE OUT OF HERE IN 2 WEEKS ...and I will go back for some time to my house California where I am living with my 2 great roommates, JASON and LEIF ... hey guys ... wait for me ... I will be back soooooon ... :D

PICASSO

Even if his work is only in the background you can't just stop to look at it and have to love it ...

... BTW ... one of the dreams of my life is to see the original GUERNICA painting ... I hope I will realize also this dream ... :)

__

I took this picture in the modern / contemporary section of the NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART in Washington DC.

AMERICAN MELTING POT

I took this picture last Saturday in the modern / contemporary section of the NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART in Washington DC ...

... and, while reviewing it, I was just wondering (not knowing much about Warhol's work and ideas) if this is the Andy Warhol's vision of the AMERICAN MELTING POT ... :?