shave ice & gelato

Today is Groundhog Day. Bad news for all those hoping for an early spring. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, which means that he is forecasting six more weeks of winter (if of course you believe in a groundhog being able to forecast the weather).

Kim has a great post on her blog about Groundhog Day. Check it out! Her post links to the official Groundhog site of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. She also posts a fun YouTube clip of the movie, "Groundhog Day, which is one of her favorite movies (and which also happens to be one of my favorite movies).

If you have not seen this movie or if you want to see more of this movie, here is another YouTube clip to enjoy. It was originally posted by someone from the Netherlands and so the subtitles are I believe in Dutch or possibly some other language spoken in the Netherlands.

I started a YouTube search with the word "love". There has to be a million songs with the word "love" in them.

I considered many, including:
Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender - a great love song,
The Beatles' Love Me Do - a classic,
Tainted Love & Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love - 2 songs that bring back some great college memories,
Brian Kennedy's Crazy Love - just because I love the way he sings that song,
and many many many more.

I ultimately decided on two songs. They are very different and deserve different posts and so I am posting the first one here and will do another post for my second choice. WOW, that makes two days this week with two posts in one day. I may need to count one of these double post days later on if I can't get a post in every day this month :-)

My first choice is a YouTube music video of the movie, Love Actually. This movie is one of those "feel good" sappy romantic comedies about LOVE. I also love the song in this video, a Beatles song All You Need Is Love written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon/McCartney. Lynden David Hall sings the song in this video.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here is my second "love" post.

My friends Katia & Guido introduced me to the song - io che amo solo te a few years ago. It is "their love song". It was written and orginally performed by Sergio Endrigo. I LOVE this song. It is a very romantic song.

I searched for a YouTube video of Sergio Endrigo singing this song, but the best I could find was the song being sung by him with just the cover of an album shown throughout the song - basically a song instead of a video. There are many other YouTube videos which are more interesting than just seeing an album cover with other artists singing this song, but to me, no one sings it as well as Sergio does.

Sergio Endrigo - io che amo solo te

lyrics
C'è gente che ha avuto mille cose,
tutto il bene, tutto il male del mondo.
Io ho avuto solo te
e non ti perderò,
non ti lascerò
per cercare nuove avventure.

C'è gente che ama mille cose
e si perde per le strade del mondo.
Io che amo solo te,
io mi fermerò
e ti regalerò
quel che resta
della mia gioventù.

Io ho avuto solo te
e non ti perderò,
non ti lascerò
per cercare nuove illusioni.

C'e' gente che ama mille cose
e si perde per le strade del mondo.
Io che amo solo te,
io mi fermerò
e ti regalerò
quel che resta
della mia gioventù.

I made an omelet for lunch on Saturday with little grape tomatoes as one of the ingredients. I was too lazy to cut up the tomatoes. Big mistake! I bit into one of the tomatoes the wrong way and the hot liquid burst, burning the inside of my throat. Ouch! Moral of the story - cut up those little tomatoes!! My throat is better today, but when I woke up yesterday morning, my throat was still pretty raw. I wasn't motivated to do much except to crawl up on my couch and watch a good movie.

I decided on "The Best of Youth" (La Meglio Gioventù), a movie that follows two brothers living in Italy over a span of about 40 years. I have been wanting to see this movie for quite a while. My uncle recorded the movie for me in December when it played on the Sundance Channel. I don't know why it took me so long to finally watch it. The fact that it is 6 hours and 8 minutes in length was probably one of the reasons. Not that I could not find six hours in my life as I waste enough time watching meaningless TV shows, but I think it had to do with the fact that it just seemed so overwhelming to sit down and watch a 6 hour long movie.

The funny thing is, halfway through the movie, I already knew that I did not want it to end!! I wanted more and more. It could have been 12 hours long and it still would not have been long enough. This was an incredibly moving movie that has now joined my list of all time favorites. I already want to watch it again.

Last night I watched one of my favorite musicals, The Sound of Music. I love storybook tales and this one has such a great ending with the family escaping over the alps by foot into Switzerland. I was crushed when I recently learned the real story of the von Trapp family. They did not escape over the alps but instead left by train. I guess it was a better way to leave the country but certainly not as romantic and exciting as escaping by foot over the alps. There are quite a few differences between the movie and the real story of the von Trapp family, but for me, I will always have the movie version to dream about.

My favorite song in this movie is Edelweiss. It is a song written about a small white flower found in the alpine hills. It was the last song ever written and composed by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Although many assumed that Edelweiss was an Austrian folk song or even the Austrian Anthem, in actuality it was an American song. In fact, most residents of Austria do not even know the song Edelweiss. They only know about the movie because of the "Sound of Music" tours in Salzburg.

In the movie, Edelweiss is sung twice. The first time Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) sings the song at his villa after he rediscovers music thanks to Fraulein Maria (Julie Andrews). The second time the song is sung at the Salzburg Folk Festival.
This time he sings the song with the help of his family. My favorite part is when the audience starts to sing along with the family. I love the face Herr Zeller makes when the audience begins to sing along.

The Sound of Music - Edelweiss

Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Every morning you greet me
Small and white,
clean and bright
You look happy to meet me.
Blossom of snow
may you bloom and grow,
Bloom and grow forever.
Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Bless my homeland forever.

A photo of an edelweiss flower, which by the way is the national flower of Switzerland:

(click on flower to see the link for the photo)

The baseball season has begun! And the Sox are in first place!! They have the best record in the league and are a half-game up on the Yankees!! Yeah I know, no one else has played yet (except the A's) but still I am always happy when we are in first place and especially when we are ahead of the Yankees.

The first game of the season started at 12:11 am this morning my time. I only lasted an hour and then fell asleep. I watched the rest of the game this morning. Final score: 6-5 Red Sox with the game going into extra innings. There were a few blunders on both sides, but in the end, luck was on our side. A win is a win and we will take it.

I love the way the post "It Feels Like Christmas Eve" on the blog Center Field describes the excitement of the beginning of a new baseball season. It is the same excitement I feel each year. The post also has a great video I loved, which I thought you might also enjoy.

Ok...enough about my boys and the beginning of a new baseball season. Have I mentioned I love baseball?? and I love the Red Sox??

Both Annie and Sandra asked about my favorite baseball movie. I don't think there has been a baseball movie I have not liked, even a Yankees baseball movie. I love the game and enjoy any movie about baseball. A few movies that I would rank as my favorites include Field of Dreams, The Natural, A League of Their Own, and Bull Durham, but my all time favorite would have to be Fever Pitch.

Fever Pitch is about a die hard Red Sox fan, Ben (played by Jimmy Fallon), who is torn between the woman he loves, Lindsey (played by Drew Barrymore), and the baseball team he worships. Yes, I know it is a sappy love story, but what makes this movie my favorite is the way they portray the life of Ben as a passionate out of control Red Sox fan. Ben lives in apartment, which is decorated in a Red Sox gift shop theme. He even has a green monster wall in his living room. I love how Ben reacts when his season tickets are delivered, how he decides which friends get which tickets, and how he gives Lindsey a little black ring box with a ticket for opening day inside.

There are so many classic lines in this movie, including when Ben tells Lindsey that he attends spring training every year to figure out which players they should keep and which players they should get rid of and Lindsey asks, "And the Red Sox ask your opinion?". Another one of my favorite scenes is when Ben is depressed after Lindsey breaks up with him and his friends find him sitting in front of the TV watching the moment in the 86 World Series when the ball goes through Buckner's legs over and over again and one of his friends says, "Oh, my God. The Buckner game? I thought you took that away from him!"

But the best part is the end of the movie. When the Farrelly brothers, life long Red Sox fans, wrote this movie, they did not want to jinx the Red Sox. They wrote an ending where the Red Sox lost, figuring they would do just that. Once the Red Sox came back to beat the Yankees, and the thought that the Red Sox could actually win this time after 86 years, they had to scramble to write a new ending.

My favorite line in the entire movie, the actual WEEI radio announcement of the final out of the game, which gives me goose bumps and brings me to tears every time I watch this movie, is: "Back to Foulke. Red Sox fans have longed to hear it. The Boston Red Sox are world champions."

And that is why Fever Pitch is my all time favorite movie. Of course if you are talking real life, my Boston Red Sox 2004 World Series Collector's Edition DVD box set which includes the all 7 ALCS games and the 4 World Series games ranks right up there.

Click here to watch a preview of the movie Fever Pitch.

Recently there has been a rash of spam filling up everyone's email boxes. Jerry wrote a great post about spam (the email kind). I thought I would write about the other kind of spam.

Spam is big here in Hawaii (not the email kind but the processed meat kind). You know, that mystery meat surrounded by that gooey slimy stuff packed in a tin can. According to Wikipedia, in Hawaii, spam is so popular that it is sometimes dubbed "The Hawaiian Steak." I can definitely attest that people go crazy over their spam here. Spam is a very popular ingredient in all kinds of potluck dishes. Spam musubi is the most popular way spam is eaten. People have spam musubi at the beach, on a hike, for breakfast or lunch, and for a snack. It is also one of the most popular foods you will find in lunches on field trips. You can even buy spam musubi at 7-11 and you will find spam on the menu at McDonalds. This past Saturday the 8th annual Waikiki Spam Jam took place to collect cans of food for the Hawaii Foodbank. Check out the spamjamhawaii website for more information on this festival. The goal of the Spam Jam festival is to collect 5,000 cans of food for the to support the Hawaii Foodbank.

And now for a blast from the past...

Monty Python - Spam

The question is...do you like spam?

It took me a while today to find a simple countdown widget to put on my blog to countdown the days til my trip to Italy. At first, all I could find were widgets that linked to advertisements. Finally, I found one I liked, a simple countdown widget that I could even customize with my own photo. 40 more days and I am on that jet plane!!! I am starting to get in my panic mode and my major procrastination mode. I am also beginning my...maybe I need new luggage, a different day bag, new shoes, etc. etc. Does this happen to you? So, what do I do? First, I spend hours and hours checking out new luggage - this year it is "Should I get a different carry on? One that can roll and slip on top of my check in rolling bag?". Then, I begin the procrastination stage. No decisions are made. Instead, I watch TV and spend time on the internet reading blogs.

Tonight, while reading one of the Italy blogs I follow, the olive notes... , I noticed a cool widget on the sidebar that plays short travel videos. I probably wouldn't have noticed this widget if I hadn't spent much of my morning checking out a bunch of countdown widgets.

I watched the video about the Campo in Siena and I was hooked. I clicked on the link below the widget and was taken to a site called geobeats. This cool video site plays short videos of destinations all over the world. Something new to do instead of cleaning my house, going through all my piles that need to be organized, starting to get organized for my trip, and the many other things I love to avoid. Check it out.

I was also going to add the Bush countdown widget to my sidebar. I actually did, but after 5 minutes, I changed my mind and deleted it. I decided I did not want to look at his name every day. 253 more days.... sigh.... still too many more days (although for me, one day is too many days).

A fun song to start off your day...

This is one of my favorite upbeat local songs. The video portion is basically still photos and the rainbow photo is pretty much it until 1:30 into the song, but there are a few nice island photos midway through. The song is really the best part. The only bummer is that the last "drop" gets cut off at the end of the video but it was the best acoustic version I could find.

Drop Baby Drop/Who Loves You Pretty Baby - by the Mana`o Company

After initially posting this, I did another search and found this mp3 version (no video) that you can listen to free through the computer here which contains the last "drop".

Enjoy your day...

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny
of a nation.
Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.
Yes we can. Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores
and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can. Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized;
women who reached for the ballots;
a President who chose the moon as our new frontier;
and a King who took us to the mountain-top and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
Yes we can to justice and equality.
(yes we can, yes we can, yes we can, yes we can...)

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.
Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.
Yes we can heal this nation.
Yes we can repair this world.
Yes we can. Yes we can.
(yes we can, yes we can, yes we can, yes we can...)

We know the battle ahead will be long,
but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way,
nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.
We want change!
(We want change! We want change! We want change...)

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics who will only grow louder and more dissonant.
We've been asked to pause for a reality check.
We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.
But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. We want change!
(We want change! I want change! We want change! I want change...)

The hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA;
we will remember that there is something happening in America;
that we are not as divided as our politics suggests;
that we are one people;
we are one nation;
and together, we will begin the next great chapter in America's story with three words that will ring from coast to coast;
from sea to shining sea - Yes. We. Can.

Edited to add: I know many of you may be thinking, is this going to turn into a political blog? I promise to not post more than one post a week (I am thinking Sundays) and you can always ignore these posts if you want, but I would urge you to at least consider what I am posting.

I also want to share two excellent blog posts, both that articulate the same concerns
I have much better than I ever could:

pssst, republicans: comfortable has no place in politics ~ bleeding espresso

Sarah Palin ~ Casey, Italy and Other Good Stuff

It has been inspiring seeing so many positive Obama videos and blog entries. I found this video through Annie's blog entry - Creative Campaigning. Make sure to check out Annie's post and all the great links, including a link to Kathy's blog entry on riding for change.

This video/song represents so much of why I am voting for Barack Obama. It is also a very catchy tune! After listening to it a couple of times, I downloaded the song (for free). If you would prefer to watch a larger version of the video below, click here for a QuickTime version.

VOTE FOR HOPE
by M.C. Yogi

chorus
Change begins when we believe / in a brighter day a better way to succeed / together we can make it better you and me / so we can be safe and prosperous and free

Ladies and gentleman beautiful intelligent / friends of all ages races and measurements / us citizens world wide residents / what ever your religion is or sexual preference / there’s no separateness one things connecting us / the planet we inhabit plus all the different elements / that’s the reason why we need a new president / someone who understands interconnectedness / and won’t go to war based on false evidence / who’s not addicted to oil and aggressiveness / who believes in global warming and he’ll fight pollution / instead of shredding and abusing our constitution / the candidate in 08 that we’ll be choosing / is Barack Obama cuz he’s gonna offer real solutions / lets get involved and offer all our contributions / vote for hope join the movement of the revolution

chorus
Change begins when we believe / in a brighter day a better way to succeed / together we can make it better you and me / so we can be safe and prosperous and free

I hold this truth to be self evident / it’s time for Barack Obama to become president / that’s why I’m calling to my nation and my generation / this is our moment no more waiting or procrastinating / we gotta make it happen; time for some action / it don’t matter if your black white asian latin / we gotta vote for hope; and steer clear of fear / regardless of the garbage they put in our ears / the talking head on the radio and television / spinning the facts treating us like we’re little children / but even with the propaganda they can’t stop us can they / cuz we know in our souls that we’re gonna stand up / & let our voices be heard word to the people / lets make sure this election is fair and equal / no more illegal war dying on a distant shore / and that’s the reason why Obama’s who we’re voting for / he can restore our reputation in the world / and that’s the reason why Obama’s who were voting for / so we can be prosperous free and feel secure / and that’s the reason why Obama’s who were voting for

chorus
Change begins when we believe / in a brighter day a better way to succeed / together we can make it better you and me / so we can be safe and prosperous and free

Obama/Biden '08

I made my first YouTube video!! It was an interesting learning experience.

I took a few video clips of four different types of jellyfish this summer while at the Genova Aquarium (in Italy). The first two types of jellyfish are very similar, the third type are the same as the what you see in the preview thumbnail, and the last type of jellyfish are the same as the photo I used for my "blue" PhotoHunt post. If you don't have time to watch the entire video, slide the slider across to take a quick peek of the last two types of jellyfish. They are both pretty cool!

I had a difficult time choosing a song for this video. I ended up using one of my favorite Israel Kamakawiwo'ole songs, Kaleohano. The words don't really go with the video, but the song is beautiful just the same. Enjoy!!

GO BLUE!!!

Can you believe it? Election day is only a day away. Some of you will probably be happy that my political blogging is almost over. I wasn't always successful in keeping it to one political post per week but at least I tried to keep it positive as much as possible.

For one of my last political posts, I decided on another inspiring video. I found this video by searching Bruce Springsteen.

Description: "After combing through thousands of images from the Obama '08 campaign, this video sums up the desire for change we so desperately need in this country. The song is by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band."

Obama/Biden '08

VOTE!!

Remembering John Lennon who was killed 28 years ago today...

Enjoy the music, turn up the volume, and imagine how the world might be as John often did.

There are 5 songs on this video - click on playlist (bottom left) to choose your song/songs. If you just click play, all 5 songs will play one after another.

Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow once again this morning. That makes 98 times! Although it seems like every year he sees his shadow, there have been 15 times when he has not. There have also been nine unaccounted years with no report. Not sure what happened to him during those years. I do seem to remember at least one time when I was growing up when he did not see his shadow. There is always hope for next year.

I have been away from the internet the past few days. Major internet connection problems most of the day on Saturday. I finally decided to drive over to the main office of my internet provider to get a new modem (hoping that would be the fix) instead of waiting 5 more days for an appointment for someone to come out to figure out what was going on to solve the problem. Yay! The modem was the problem.

Sunday & Monday I was very ill with one of the worst migraines I have had in a long time. It was a very strange migraine, not even sure if it was a migraine or something else as I had pain throughout my entire spine and could barely walk or move my neck. Thankfully, I am feeling much better today. I am now behind in work and I will be very busy watching the Lost tonight!!! Tomorrow night, I have my photography class. It will probably be a few more days before I catch up with everyone.

Happy Tuesday!! Happy Groundhog Day!!

I was very surprised to come across this video storefront window featuring my favorite movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, while exploring Pisa for the day last summer.

A couple of days later, I noticed another storefront window featuring the same movie, this time in Lucca. Surprising to see this movie featured in two towns in Italy. Would love to have this poster hanging in my house!

A week later, I noticed this picture of Al Pacino in Scarface as I peeked inside the doorway of a bar in Bologna . I couldn't resist taking a quick photo.

American movies about bad guys (although I still have a difficult time thinking of Robert Redford and Paul Newman as bad guys) seem to be very popular in Italy.

*One of the reasons I originally did not sign up to participate in March Madness this year was the difficulty keeping up with commenting on everyone's blogs. This next week is going to be a pretty busy week for me. I will continue to try to check out everyone's posts but will probably not have time to leave many comments. Will try to catch up some the following week when I will be on Spring Break.

This year to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day, I decided to post a video of an Irish band performing at Slane Castle in Ireland. Can't get much more Irish than that!

Enjoy :)

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!