Roma

I faced death squarely in the face when I let Jason drive me to the airport. His U-turn across 4 lanes of traffic was quite interesting.

Leap Year day in Roma /Catania, it doesn't get any better than this!

For those of you keeping score, Contreras family 2 - British Air 0! Neither one of us lost any baggage at Heathrow Airport in London on our two separate trips! This doesn't sound like much unless you know about the black hole of luggage that British Air has become.

Random Thought of the Day: As many of you know, I taught Criminal Justice at Rio Mesa H.S. for many years, my favorite class by the way. For many years I held a very hard stance on punishment for convicts. I have now made a change in my core beliefs in this area and thoroughly believe that all convicts should be given a conjugal visit if they can put together a streak of let's say 57 days of good behavior. I believe this would make things much more positive for all people involved in the penal system.

The Pantheon is my absolute favorite building in the known universe.

Trevi Fountain

We did promise to come back by throwing coins into it two years ago.

Early morning at Vatican City at St. Peter's Basilica

Laurie in front of Michaelangelo's Pieta.

When we visited this sight two summers ago the crowd was 50 people deep and wider than the scope of this photo. 

Two pilgrims visiting the Pieta

This Holy Water fountain in St. Peter's is bigger than any other one in Christendom!

This reminds me, I went to Confession at St. Peter's Basilica today.

The Sacrament of Confession binds the priest to secrecy but not the penitent. That being said, I must relate that after telling the priest my sins he asked me two questions. The first was to find out if I help the poor (thank you United Way)? I gave him a hardy, YES! The second question was if I have ever helped a woman get an abortion? I gave him a hardy, HUH? Random and bizarre indeed! I doubled the penance prayers he assigned me in hopes of getting Brian FitzGerald to heaven some day!

Laurie's first cappuccino of the trip.

SPQR

"The Senate and the Roman People"

Wednesday Night Practice

Lucky models our new helmets at Wednesday night's practice.

Jonathan's Pannini Stand, a Wednesday night post practice staple.

ONE OF CATANIA'S BEST PARKING SPOTS

Please note that the blue lines marking this parking place already put the driver about 5 feet over the curb and onto the sidewalk.

The tree is an added bonus.

Laurie in Roma

After 43 years together, I still feel this way about her!

Life Is Definitely Beautiful

Laurie arrives in Roma in about 23 hours as I write this. These two pieces of graffiti near Malibu pretty much sum up how I am feeling about her arrival.

The Small World of the IFL and Ventura County

David Lassen NEEDS to cover the Catania vs. Parma game!

If you have been following this blog you know that I am involved with the Catania Elephants, an American football team, playing in the Italian Football League. The IFL is made up of the top nine teams in Italy. Over 50 teams all over the country are playing football in leagues based on their various levels of proficiency but the IFL is king.

Besides the Elefanti, the other 8 IFL teams are the Ancona Dolphins, the Bergamo Lions, the Bologna Doves, the Bolzano Giants, the Milan Rhinos, the Palermo Corsari, the Palermo Sharks and the Parma Panthers.

So, approximately 12,000 miles away from Ventura County what would be the odds that three people with Ventura County ties would all be involved in the 2008 IFL season?

On Sunday, May 25 the Parma Panthers will travel to Catania for a 3:00 p.m. kickoff. I will be acting as the Defensive Coordinator of the hometown Elefanti. If you don't know, I've been coaching high school football since 1970 at four different Ventura County high schools (Thousand Oaks H.S., Westlake H.S., Buena H.S. and Rio Mesa H.S.).

The Parma Panthers will feature WR Cory Mazza out of Thousand Oaks H.S. and Harvard University. Also, James Bonelli who went to St. Bonaventure H.S. and Notre Dame University will be playing on their offensive line.

What were the odds? I think that an enterprising newspaper, like the Ventura County Star, should send a crackerjack sportswriter like David Lassen to cover this great human interest story. What do you think?

Things I Saw Today On My Aci Trezza Walk

All of these pictures were taken on my short, approximately one mile walk this morning in Aci Trezza on the way to our daily cappuccino and Nutella cornetto. Amazing things are happening daily in Sicilia!

Take a shot big boy and grab her hand!

How many Sicilians does it take to paint a boat?

One to actually paint the boat and four of his friends to second guess him.

Jason tries to move in on the old guy's action.

What were the odds of running into a direct descendant of Christopher Columbus walking in Aci Trezza?

For a split second he thought I was Ernest Hemingway.

Discreetly look over your right shoulder, is that tall, quiet girl looking at me?

Does Steve Gama know about this?

Grooming is the key to success with the ladies.

I bet you I can tip this car over in 5 seconds flat!

Jason's Best Pictures

Child on a balcony in Syracuse

Sant'Agata Parade Madness

Agrigento Temple

This is my absolute favorite Jason/Margaret picture.

It is of a priest in Catania at the start of the Sant'Agata Parade.

As you have read here before, I believe that Jason is the spirit of Margaret Bourke-White, the great 20th century photographer, re-incarnate.

I offer you my four personal favorite Jason Johnson pictures, out of the thousands he has taken so far, for your approval. See if you agree with me.

Golfing On Our Day Off

A slight driving problem in a small mountain town on our way to the golf course.

Claudio, "Il Naturale", teeing off with Jason in shock over this Italian phenom on his first day on the golf tour.

Three golfers enjoying a "Good Walk Spoiled".

Mt Etna

LAURIE IN ROMA: Less than 44 hours as I write this post!!!

Claudio joined us for our first round of Sicilian golf at the Il Picciolo Golf Club in Castiglione di Sicilia on the north side of Mt. Etna about 45 minutes from Malibu. It was a great setting and a nice course to play. Because golf is not big in Sicilia, we only saw two other golfers, both singles, the entire day. This made for a quick pace although walking with our rental clubs on a hilly course was a true test of my intense conditioning program. The rental club bag came without a strap, an obvious ploy to make us pay 7 more euros to rent a pull cart. As the manly men that we are, we scoffed at the very notion and started our epic trek on the slopes of a live volcano!

I know the question you all want to ask is how did I play? Let me say that when our boys Andy and Mike were about 8 to 10 years old, we bought them an adjustable basketball backboard that could go anywhere from 6 to 10 feet tall. They would play against me and I would at will swat their shots away. Today I was one of the boys and EVERY TREE in Sicilia was playing the Dad role routinely swatting my shots all over the hillsides. PAYBACK SUCKS!

For a first time player, Claudio did VERY well and we all had a great time. Golf to me is all about scenery, a good walk and fun with friends. Today was a GREAT day of golf!

The People of Catania

This is the sun rising in the East this morning as viewed from the upstairs patio at Malibu.

The question is did I wake up in time to take this picture at 5:45 a.m. or was I just getting home?

Do you remember the joy of riding a brand new bike as a kid?

Did I mention that Italians like to talk with their hands?

Two boys and a ball, it doesn't get better than this as a kid!

This interesting old house is on the water on the path of my daily morning walk.

LAURIE IN ROMA: Less than 72 hours until her plane lands in Roma! This morning while standing in the Cityper Market parking lot waiting for Jason to get something out of the car, I looked around at the cars and the people as was struck by a feeling. I no longer feel like a visitor or tourist, Aci Castello/Catania is where I live and work, these are my new towns. I like the feel of my new surroundings.

When I was researching Catania before I left California, the people I spoke with that had visited Sicilia in the past usually said the same thing, “Why would you want to go to Catania? It’s nothing like Rome, Florence, Venice, etc.” That is exactly why I love Catania! We are not living in a tourist town although there are some historical sights and summer’s heat will draw MANY visitors to our beaches. Catania is basically a gritty working town with vibrant people, great food and a great range of nighttime activities. The best thing here is the people not the things or the sights.

We have found people here who you are glad you had a chance to meet including, of course, the Elefanti, their wives, girlfriends and children. We see people standing on street corners just talking, kids playing in piazzas, crazy drivers, funny billboards and people engaged in interesting cultural habits that are different but still very charming from what we are used to in America.

I have mentioned young love before. Here there are always public displays of affection. We think it might be because everyone lives at home with Mom and Dad until they are married so the streets are the only place for “privacy” for young adults/teenagers.

The calendar says it’s winter so our friends are wearing their scarves, fur coats, heavy jackets, etc. If the weather goes up into the 70’s (21 degrees Celsius) like the last two days, it doesn’t matter, we will wear our winter clothes because it is winter! I’ve been wearing a t-shirt and shorts today while Jason is doing the same plus wearing flip-flops, the looks we get are interesting…crazy Americanos, IT’S WINTER DAMN IT!!!

I love Italian kids and their parents playing in parks or piazzas. The bambini have the same joy for life as the adults only they are much more fun to watch.

A Wonderful BBQ

The Church Lady is the one seated on the left.

I know the picture quality is poor but security was tight and I had to use my clandestine, C.I.A. issued shoe camera to take this picture in the church!

The beauty pageant before the big BBQ.

From the left to right:

 Daniella, Davide's wife, currently in her 13th month of pregnancy

Titziana, Salvo's wife

Roberta, Claudio's girlfriend

Federica, Lucky's wife

Our hostess, Ika,  Tony call me Pony's wife

In Sicilia, as in America, every man in his heart knows he can build a better BBQ fire than any other man. Here Lucky, on the left, and Davide, on the right, second guess Pony's fire starting techniques. 

In red, Fortunato, a.k.a., Lucky

In blue, Ika, a.k.a.,

"The Pride of Amarillo's Cap Rock High School"

Antonello, a.k.a., "Tony call me Pony", our host, chasing his two year old son Federico who it turned out is wise beyond his years.

Salvo, in white, and Claudio, in blue, discussing the correct way to clean ricotta cheese off your hands. Matt with his hood over his white hat is about to go into a state of torpor.

Davide's dream is to be the next great Italian international motorcycle champion.

Future Elefanti linebackers Alicia, left, and Federico enjoy a moment recalling how they gang-tackled one of Lucky's boys earlier in the day.

Lucky and Francesca's son Simone on the left and Pony and Ika's boy Ruggero on the right.

Two baby faced assassins in the Elefanti's future defensive schemes.

At the BBQ, Brandon, Matt and Claudio relaxing between sausage servings.

LAURIE IN ROMA: Three more days! This is like waiting for Christmas morning  when you are 8 years old and have known for two weeks that your parents have hidden your new bike in the attic! It’s all about anticipation!!!

Sunday started off on a low note when the Mass in Aci Trezza lasted 42 minutes! The reason was the gospel which was about four times as long as usual, what could the priest do but read it. After Mass I saw the priest storm out of the church in street clothes visibly upset at letting the congregation down.

When you arrive at church before the start of Mass you are greeted by a group of women who fill the church with their voices as a mature woman we shall call “The Church Lady” leads them in chanted prayer. She calls out a chant and the other ladies repeat it instantly and loudly. I have been led to believe that “The Church Lady” was at one time the Padrina (Godmother) of the Curva Nord section of Calcio Catania, leading the crowd in hundreds of soccer related chants. Now barred from Stadio Massimo for rioting and having found God while in prison serving a six month sentence for disorderly conduct at a public sporting event, she instead chants in the more dignified venue that is San Giovanni Battista Catholic Church. When the Mass ends, she is back at it for about five more minutes. The whole time she is chanting she keeps looking back over her shoulder to see who is and who isn’t following her lead. Another week or two and I know she is going to call me out in front of the flock for nonparticipation. I really hope that she isn’t packing an oak ruler with a metal straight edge!

Davide called us just before we were leaving to drive up to Taormina again. He invited us to a BBQ at Tony call me Pony’s family summer cabin in the foothills of Catania. Thank goodness we said yes and changed our plans!

The thing I really like about the Elephants is that we really do act like family. Back in the states, the high school players are too young to hang out with and there are just enough parents with axes to grind that you have to be very cautious in socializing with the parents. Here in Catania we are all adults and we tend to all be on the same page. Today’s BBQ was a good example.

When we arrived at Pony’s we were greeted by Davide and , WR Salvo as opposed to the LB Salvo, Fortunato call me Lucky, Claudio and, of course, Tony call me Pony and their wives and children. In Claudio’s case it was his girlfriend Roberta (her smile again lit up the patio area as the sun went down).

We brought three bottles of red wine and they brought every possible type of meat and dessert imaginable. Although the food was fantastic it was the family atmosphere that was even better. I especially liked watching the interaction between the six male children, 2 each for Salvo, Lucky and Pony. Davide and Daniella still have about a month to go before their first, Alessandro, is born. The craziest one of the bunch had to be Pony and Ika’s lone daughter Alicia. She may grow up to be the first female Elefanti if she can just keep her intensity, being the only girl in a sea boys, at this level for a few more years.

It was obvious that these people have been friends for a long time and truly care about each other and their families. Being graciously welcomed into this family setting on this glorious afternoon will be one of my fondest memories of Catania.

LA VITA E’ BENE!

Except…There was one huge, depressing bit of news we were given at this otherwise joyous BBQ. The men got the four Americanos together for a discussion and you could tell by their faces and body language that something bad was about to happen. Heir purpose was to inform us that ricotta cheese is not produced due to spoilage issues during the summer months in Sicilia. This means that starting in about May, cannolli will no longer be served until the Fall, long after we are back in the U.S.A.! WE WERE STUNNED TO SAY THE LEAST! There was talk of our leaving Catania and abandoning the Elefanti in midseason after the last cannolli is crafted. Cooler heads prevailed and someone, Pony and Ika’s two year old son Frederico I think, told us to suck it up, reminding us that after all summer IS gelato season! Out of the mouths of babes…

Salvo eased our pain by bringing cannolli from a new pasticceria, Fratelli Di Bella (Via Battiati 1, Aci Bonaccorsi if you are in the neighborhood and hungry). These cannolli had good slant, fine pistacchio, ricotta made by the hands of angels and the mandatory blizzard of powdered sugar. These may give Savia’s a real test if they meet head to head in Jason’s B.C.S. Cannolli Championships. I give Savia’s a small edge due to the crispness of their shell, which is of great importance to our expert Matt Obi Won Cannolli. We may have to sample more cannolli to be certain.

Catania Saturday

The Elefanti's new ad campaign that is sweeping Catania starting today.

Note the football between the knees of our mascot, that is a football isn't it?

Brandon and I at the Havana Club last Friday before

"The Incident".

I only bought two this time.

Two Curva Nord Calcio Catania crazies just chillin'.

Laurie In Roma: FIVE more days, YAHOO!

The day started with a phone call from Jason at 8:45 a.m. that he and Matt missed their flight (why am I not surprised?) and would make the next flight that puts them into Catania at 2:30 p.m., a half hour before Saturday's practice. They made it and had a good practice thank goodness.

Our defensive team is starting to come together. Our third linebacker, Salvo, showed up for the first time this year. He was the Elephant's best linebacker last year but has not been to practice as he has been studying for his final exams to graduate from college. Salvo lacks knowledge of what we are doing but his skills are evident and he is very aggressive! Salvo, Pino and Gianmarco make for a VERY solid core to any defense.

We have seen five or six accidents in the streets, not counting the Night of the Shattered Glass, and all of them have included a murdercycle, imagine that!

P.E.T.A. will not be holding any conventions in Catania in the foreseeable future. The mature women here love to wear their fur coats when they go to church on Sunday's or if they are going out on the town for an evening.  

The Blues

Italian Wall Signs

Many of the local establishments have signs hand painted on their walls announcing there business to the passerby like this tratorria.

This is not my barber shop but they have a better sign than mine does.

A local bakery, sorry for the shadows but I saw this on my early morning WALK a few days ago. Yes, physical fitness IS part of my regimen.

LAURIE IN ROMA: Six more days, isn't that less than one week?

Talked with Laurie today about our phone bill that just arrived, I am now officially incommunicato!

Today was a big wash day at Malibu, both mine and the boys at The Dorm. It's been raining off and on so between the over two hour wash cycles, the wet weather and limited clothes line space, it has been slow going today. I've still got about two or three more loads to go for Brandon and Matt. I can't believe I'm writing about laundry!

While being the domestic goddess that I have become, IU watched an Italian TV show ala The Today Show. They had a group playing music to wrap up the show and they were quite good. Still, it was somewhat strange to hear Blue Grass music sung in Italian.

Brandon came over to Malibu in the afternoon and we had a great talk for a couple of hours over a nice bottle of red wine he brought with him.

On the way in to the office we stopped for a great pasta meal at Menza's that included a great new dessert, raviola. Now I've had it a few other times and it was O.K. At Menza's they take it to a whole new level. Raviola looks like a calzone but the warm dough has the consistency of a great sugar doughnut. It does have sugar sprinkled on top and warm ricotta cheese stuffed inside.

The nearby church just started it's bells peeling "Ave Maria" to mark the hour, COOL!

Back in the car after dinner, I got hold of a local radio station that was having a Blues hour, all in Italian of course. Different but I liked the beat.

Not much else to report today, Matt and Jason arrive back from Roma at 10:00 a.m. Saturday and practice at 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon. Our first game is still SO FAR AWAY!

Google Analytics

Jason Johnson, "Il Padrino" of Internet Technology, at play.

Jason got me onboard with Google Analytics which allows me to see how many hits and from where the hits are coming to this blog. He started me on the analytics site on February 1st and as of 12:01 a.m. California time on February 21st this blog has received 1,795 hits from people in 40 different countries/territories throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Cool stuff this internet!

Random Scenes of Catania on a Rainy Thursday

A typical and, of course, beautiful Sicilian courtyard street entrance.

 

This is the street sign that leads you to "Malibu".

We live on a private road to be sure.

This is Catania's Hall of Justice.

For awhile I thought I might be spending a significant amount of time here.

Thank you again Davide and Gustavo!!!

Matt is in Roma with Jason today but I'll bet he is still eating a nutella cornetto as you read this.

These stone masons are actually helping to restore an ancient building in downtown Catania using original carving techniques.

On my walk around town today I saw this new billboard. I ordered four of them on line and they should be here by Monday. I wonder what I bought?

Agip is one of the big gas station chains in Sicilia.

You have to love a company that has a six legged, fire breathing dog for a logo!

This translates as "Danger of Death", I stepped on it anyway.

Sometimes you just have to take the law into your own hands! Here a citizen takes over as traffic cop for the real one on coffee break in the background.

Quiet Day in Catania

LAURIE IN ROMA: 7 days and REALLY counting

I have decided that Davide Giuliano’s best roll is not as our Head Coach or as an excellent lineman on days that only four linemen show up for practice. His greatest asset to the Elefanti is as the team’s General Manager. He continues to bring in good players to our team as our needs become apparent. His latest addition is a linebacker from Bolzano called Pino, no last names necessary here in Sicilia. Pino is 40, looks like he is 30 and plays like he is 20! He told me that this is his 27^th season playing football! He plays with a great motor, GOOD JOB Davide.

Italian Haircuts: Yesterday I went into Aci Castello to make an appointment with Giorgio my hairstylist. Last month I saw him for the first time and as near as I could tell he told me that over the next six months he would sculpt and shape my head into some kind of award winning topiary bush/head. I thought, why not! After all, Italy is noted for a great art scene. He asked when I would like to come in and I said today in the morning. Giorgio said he would have to check his appointment book so we went to the desk and after checking it said 9:30 a.m. would be fine. I was looking over his shoulder and noted that there was no one else listed on his busy Thursday calendar! When I got there this morning there was no Giorgio. He was in Catania and would be 45 minutes late for the appointment. His boss, Luigi, would take over. Luigi is flying to Chicago next week to enter the World Hairstyling Championships. What better way to hone his craft than to work on my duomo. After seeing his work on me, he is a sure fire winner in America, bet the farm on him.

Sicilian Markets: I stopped in a small downtown market today and had the usual issue. Here in Sicilia it never fails that at least one person in front of you will get to the front of the line and then decide that they need to go back and get something else. No one bats an eye, we just flow on.

Fifty Days in Europa

Buon girono Sicilia e America!

Giulio's bella mamma lives in a 4th story apartment right next to the Internet Cafe. She has graciously added pillows to the stairwell to keep customers happy and coming back for more.

The Dorm's famous 4th story Internet Cafe at 1:00 a.m.

Celebrating Fidel's decision not to run for President of Cuba after 50 years at the helm.

Think of all the possibilities.

Outside the Cathedral in Syracuse

Will I ever get tired of the beautiful house color schemes in Sicilia?

LAURIE IN ROMA: 8 days to go and I’ve got the fever…

Today is my 50^th day in Europa, maybe we should celebrate this milestone after practice. Parade, band, fireworks, festival anyone?

Random Thought for the Day: Ronnie Lott was a Hall of Fame defensive back for the San Francisco 49ers, the Oakland Raiders, the U.S.C. Trojans and, of course, the Eisenhower High School Eagles of Rialto, California. It was at Eisenhower that I first saw Ronnie, then a sophomore, play as a tailback against our Thousand Oaks High School team in about 1974. He was a great player even then. The trademark for his greatness was his mental and physical toughness. In the NFL he once suffered a broken ring finger tip that the doctors said had to be operated on and pinned thus causing him to miss at least two games. He gave the doctors another option, cut off the injured fingertip so he would not miss anything.  HE PLAYED THAT SUNDAY. TRUE STORY!

Jason and Matt are going to fly to Roma tomorrow and return in time for Saturday’s afternoon practice. I plan on exploring the last few major sights in and around Catania while they are gone.

No big news or events to report as all is quiet and we continue with our great routine of football, food and road trips.

In Search of the Elusive Siracusa Orangeman

Who ordered this?

Fisherman in Siracusa.

Young love in Aci Trezza.

Che's influence is everywhere!

Old boat in Aci Trezza. 

Listen to the big guy!

Surprising choice of subject matter for a statue in Sicilia!

Outside of the Siracusa Cathedral of Santa Lucia

The very hard to find intersection in Sicilia, one with both streets named!

A rare daylight sighting of Brandon and Matt outside the ruins in Siracusa.

They start kids young on gelato addiction in Siracusa!

Kids being kids in Siracusa.

Laurie in Roma: Nine more days, isn't that a single digit number?

The four of us drove to Siracusa today to watch Jason video the epic search for the elusive Siracusa Orangeman. He kept asking random people where we could find the Syracuse Orangman. It will be on his Vlog soon, check his site in the next few days, it will be hilarious, trust me!

No practice today, so our trip was the highlight of the day seeing old buildings, a cathedral, people watching and eating at several tavola caldas/gelaterias. We are duty bound to keep the economy growing!

No Good Deed Ever Goes Totally Unpunished

Charter members Valeria, on the left and Giordana, on the right, welcome a new Pink Elephant, Roberta, center, to the herd. Roberta and Giordana are cousins. A happy moment just before my "Night of the Shattered Glass".

This is an interesting house I spotted in Aci Trezza on my walk home from church Sunday.

Suddenly horses appeared in the streets of Castiglione di Sicilia as we were trying to find the golf course. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse" takes on a whole new meaning in Catania!

The tenth hole at Il Picciolo Golf Course.

With a cook like ours in white, how could you go wrong eating at Messina's

Fratelli la Bufala?

The Messina Duomo is in the background, it is both large and ornate.

This is the very cool calendar built into the tower of the Messina Duomo, note that the angel's arrow is pointing at Sunday's date.

LUIGI CHALLENGE: It’s over yet again, after only five days, sleep was just too good to pass up after Saturday’s practice. I have given up on the Luigi Challenge and can only admire the monk’s stamina. Never again will I attempt to near his greatness, it is just too great a health risk.

LAURIE IN ROMA: 10 days to go and YES, I am counting!

Well wasn’t that an interesting Friday night?

The boys wanted to cut loose for the first time since we’ve all been together in Catania and I volunteered to be the Designated Driver. At the end of a very late night I decided to go get the car by myself so that they would not have to walk too far…BIG MISTAKE!

As I have mentioned before, driving here is an adventure in and of itself, each and every day. It would seem that an accident is just a matter of time. Little did I know that mine would come at 3:00 a.m., by myself, backing up three feet, going 1 mile per day, sober, into an open glass door of, ironically, The Havana Club. The explosion of glass was loud and alarming but the car has neither a dent nor a scratch to show for it. My air bags didn’t even inflate for goodness sake!

The owner of The Havana Club, a passionate man who probably owns season tickets in the Curva Nord section for Forza Catania calico games, was insane. Italian hand gestures were flying, noise levels jumped drastically and I think he even called on a host of avenging angels to exact revenge on my soul for this incredible crime against humanity. I thought I believe heard someone even mentioned Nuremburg for the tribunal site but I may have been mistaken on this point. Fortunately I go to 8:00 a.m. Mass every Sunday so I think I was covered against all of his incantations! Of course, it was my fault and I readily accepted the full responsibility and said I would pay for the new glass. The owner’s assistant was calm and clear thinking and we were able to come to this agreement several times during about a half an hour of discussions. The great help of two Elefanti , Marco and Tino, who randomly showed up at the scene and mediated the situation in Italian with the crazed owner  was the key to bringing the negotiations to rest. It took so long to reach this simple agreement because everything would be going smoothly and then the drama queen owner would reappear to fan the flames. Finally everyone, owner included, was in agreement as to the solution, which was my repaying him for the replacement glass which is what I offered as the obvious solution from the beginning! We went back by their place on the way to practice Saturday afternoon to check on the progress of the work but they were closed and their metal roll down door was protecting the Club from an impending invasion by the Visigoths.

After telling Davide before practice about the situation, he put Gustavo to work on fixing the problem, the car insurance may cover it, we’ll see. I received a phone call from the calm assistant Saturday night saying that the glass man would be there Monday or Tuesday to repair the door. He and Gustavo got the details worked out quickly and the door should be replaced by Tuesday. The owner wanted 500 euros cash Friday night to settle the situuation, the glass company said the cost of the glass plus labor will be 60 euros! I promise not to bother Gustavo about the lack of an internet connection at Malibu for the next ten working days.

Saturday’s practice was a good one for the defense. We are finally getting competitive with our offense. Usually at the start of a season the defense is ahead of the offense, not so with the Elephants. We have been stressing effort as our number one coaching point. Without effort you just can’t be any good. Both the effort and the technique are starting to really improve and it shows in scrimmages! We put our best players available on defense for the first time for ten plays and I was happy with their performance to say the least.

Sundays have become a big travel day for “Margaret” and me. I drive so that Jason can take full advantage of all potential photo ops and there are many in Sicilia. His trademark shout of glee, “Stop the car, I can get a great shot from here I just need a minute!”

Random Thought for the Day: It should be noted that Jason’s hometown of Puyallup, Washington is famous for their annual Dafodil Parade and Festival. If the people of Puyallup spent more time and effort teaching their youth in the public school system about the time and space continuum instead of worrying about the yearly local flower crop what a better world it would be!

That being said, Jason would be the poster child for The Society for People That Have No Clue About Time, if there were one. His one minute stops on our Sunday excursions usually turn into 10 to 15 minute odysseys. I don’t mind because I admire his passion in search of the perfect photograph, I usually take some shots make me happy and “Margaret” does take some really great pictures. The tradeoff is that a one hour drive to Messina takes about two hours but it is worth it!

Did I mention that Jason drops things?

This Sunday, after a 32 minute Mass in Aci Trezza, Jason And I drove up to Castiglione di Sicilia on the north side of a now venting Mt. Etna, to check out one of only two 18 hole golf courses in Sicily, Il Picciolo Golf Club. The other course is in Cefalu’ on the north coast of Sicilia. Il Picciolo was very nice and very cold, 3 degrees Celsius, as a light dusting of snow was falling as we drove into yet another beautiful hilltop town. We plan on returning Tuesday morning, if it warms up a bit, and play 18 holes.

From there we drove farther north to Messina, which General Patton said has always been the key to Sicily. They have a wonderful Cathedral, which was virtually the only thing open today. You can see the town of Reggio di Calabria on the mainland of Italy across the straights only about two miles away.

We did have an amazing lunch in Messina at a place called Fratelli la Bufala. We ate a great pasta dish with a sauce we lapped up with every piece of bread we could coerce from the waitress. Then we split a meat dish and a bottle of red wine that were equally good followed by a killer cannolini desert. All in all one of the best restaurant meals we have had in Sicily.

After Jason’s working out and my one hour walk this morning we had the usual cornetto and cappuccino breakfast at Mythos and got supplies at the Cityper Market. Back home I cooked us a lunch of filet mignon ravioli with pomodoro sauce. I added a heavy sprinkling of bleu cheese on my portion for flavor. Served on the patio, we enjoyed incredible view from Malibu of the Ionian Sea.

Practice tonight at 8:00 p.m. by the airport was another step forward!

We have seen a lot of this fabulous and somewhat mysterious island in the 47 days since I left California and it continues to surprise me daily, especially the glass door part.

Freak Blizzard Hits Catania!

Holy Cannoli!

As you probably know, Sicily has a very mild climate much like Southern California's. 

Yesterday we were actually soaking up the sun's rays out on our patio.

Today as we walked out of Savia's pasticceria (cannolo only 1.80 euro today as opposed to the 2 euros the other day), we were ambushed by a freak blizzard the likes of which I have not seen since a similar storm hit the Cafe du Monde in New Orleans about two years ago the night before the Saints vs. 49ers game. It was a winter wonderland as you can see in the picture above.

Why Is This Man Smiling?

Please come up with a good caption for this young man named Bes by the

ancients.

We will announce the winner in a future post and I will eat a cannolo at Savia’s in his or her honor. What more could you want as a just reward for your witty efforts!

P.S. I finally was able to upload all my missing pictures from the last few days for your viewing pleasure.

Thank you Jason.

Thank you Baia Verde internet connection.

Typical Scenes of Catanian Life

LUIGI CHALLENGE: Four down, and a mere 44days to go.

LAURIE IN ROMA: 13 days, isn’t that less than two weeks?

Thursday was beautiful! We got up late, had breakfast on the patio, got a little sun and then went down to the Dorm to see the boys.

The three of youngsters went to the University to work out while I decided to try to upload some picture but continue to have problems. Jason has shown me some of his sweet Margaret techniques to perhaps make the blog like my pictures and cooperate.

I walked around the Dorm’s neighborhood for a bit and then hooked back up with the boys at Ernesto’s for a quick meal down by the beachfront promenade. The three pictures I posted today are of interest to me.

The first is of men playing a card game in a small park. This is a very typical scene in Catania.

Next you will see the doorway to the Mario Litrico Driving School, you don’t think drivers like these are just born do you? I hope Matt takes this as a hint to get over his deep seated fear of driving in Catania and signs up for a refresher course. Like all great things, driving skills must be taught and passed on from generation to generation by men like Mario Litrico…“Gentlemen, START YOUR ENGINES!”

The final scene is also very typical here, “Young Love on a Vespa” It was Valentine’s Day after all, so I thought a little romance was needed.

Ingredients are the key to healthy Italian cuisine. I know it is an American staple, but the jar we have here says the ingredients are peanuts, salt and sugar, no preservatives. I think they are on to something with this natural ingredients only idea!

Our night practice for the line, linebackers and running backs was a good one! There was lots of competition and greatly improved effort and hitting by the defense players. We’re moving in the right direction. We had to celebrate at Jonathon’s, I had the cipolata pannini with patatine on top, very tasty indeed after a good practice.

As I write  this I am by myself in the 4^th story stairwell of the Dorm’s internet café. I am in total darkness and it’s almost midnight…way cool!

Still no internet at home, I’m now at the Baia Verde Hotel paying to use their service. Our lives would be both easier and happier if we ever got hooked up at Malibu. I know, Gustavo, 10 days…

Castello Ursino

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY TO ALL!

LUIGI CHALLENGE: Third day was long and VERY cold early in the morning, only 45 to go.

LAURIE IN ROMA: 14 days and counting!

The afternoon highlight was our visit to the Castello Ursino, pictures, located in the middle of Catania. The castle was completed in 1250 A.D. by one Ricardo da Lentini for Frederick II. It has a large moat that is sans water at this time and houses the Civic Museum with several pieces of sculpture and mosaics on the bottom floor and paintings on the second level.

After the Castle, Jason and I went on a crusade to find the Savia pasticceria, the much ballyhooed home of Catania’s best cannolo. We had one of them for desert at Salvo and Titziana’s home last Saturday but just like Doubting Thomas, by the way he’s a BIG HIT in local art circles from what we’ve seen at several museums to date, we had to see the source to truly believe. The cannolo at Salvo’s home was VERY good but could a fresh cannolo at the pasticceria itself possibly be better? Our hunt took us to the lower parts of Via Etnea where we found Savia on a busy corner blending in with it’s neighbors. Once inside, we saw them in a glass case, large, long  slants on both ends with bright green pistacchio bits, ricotta glistening and a blizzard of powdered sugar on top. They cost 2 euros each, anywhere from .20 to .50 euros more than normal but it was worth every penny. The firm crust exploded in my mouth. The powdered sugar, ricotta and pistachio melted into a blend that can only be described as a delicious slice of heaven. Savia is indeed the best and I really can’t begin to even imagine that a better one exists.

As I mentioned earlier, we cancelled the evening practice for WR’s and DB’s yesterday and instead met at the Elephanti headquarters for a video session with the players. They were able to see themselves for the first time as we reviewed last Saturdays practice tapes. The meeting went well and we believe that they all benefited from seeing both the good and bad techniques that they used. Hopefully this Saturday’s scrimmage will be greatly improved!

After the meeting we went out with the usual Elefanti reprobates. Anything more that I say about our final hours of the evening/morning together could be used as evidence in a court of law. I have decided to invoke my rights against self-incrimination guaranteed to me by this week’s Italian Constitution and remain silent.

Italian Postal System and Italian Fiore

LUIGI CHALLENGE: Two down, only 46 to go.

LAURIE IN ROMA: 15 days and counting!

Did I mention that Jason tends to lose things?

Since I was able to post all of Tuesday’s adventure in Agrigento late last night/early this morning, I don’t have much to report at this time.

The Italian postal system has been very efficient to date with mail arriving in California or Aci Castello in a tidy 7 days from the day it was posted. That being said it is still run by people, Italian people who bring a certain charm to this simple process. Yesterday I sent Laurie a postcard. The lady at the window said the stamps would cost 1.50 euros. As I dug out the correct change, she came to the realization that she did not have any combination of stamps handy that would add up to 1.50 euros so she did the obvious and just changed it to 1.60 which she could handle. Today I went back to her with four postcards to the girls at Rio Mesa H.S. and two more from Jason to Christie and his genatori (parents). An apparently simple mathematical task, 6 x 1.50 euros = 9 euros. It became quickly apparent that she could not do the math in her head and she, of course, refused to use the calculator that was sitting at her work station. The answer was simple, if I only charge the grandote 1 euro per postcard the answer would be an easy to figure 6 euros…SOLD! Or maybe Wednesday is buy two, get one free day, “I do not know”. It is this attitude that makes life so simple, fun and stress free in Sicilia, got to love it!!!

Brandon and Matt’s place in town has been dubbed “The Dorm” while we live at “Malibu”. The Dorm has a unique advantage over Malibu, internet access. If you take their elevator to the 4^th floor, the 5^th in American floor counting systems, and sit in the stairwell you get free internet access. Last night at midnight it meant sitting in total darkness with only the screen for illumination outside of Giulio’s apartment while the boys played Madden Football ’07.  Atlanta was beating San Diego when we left at 1:30 a.m.

Random Thought for the Day: After watching Michael Vick run wild on the Chargers in Madden ’07 last night, it hit me that when he is released from prison the Falcons should trade his rights to the Cleveland Browns. Just think of the marketing potential if Vick were leading a team whose main fan base is known as the “Dawg Pound”.

Football practice was cancelled tonight in favor of a meeting in the Elephant War Room to study the video tapes of last Saturday’s scrimmage. We all believe that the team needs to see what we are trying to coach them to do. This will be time well spent.

In today’s post I thought I would show you some of the fiore of Sicilia, enjoy!

Marine Life

We do live on a very large island, so the sea is an important part of everyday life, culture and cuisine. I thought some scenes of our “backyard” might be of interest.

Interview with Bob

Bob is the Elephant's silent partner, co-owner and middle linebacker. His full-time job is working as a Harley-Davidson mechanic in Siracusa. As you may recall from an earlier post, he also moonlights as the greeter at Leo's BBQ in Catania, "Where Horse is King!".

In granting this rare interview, Bob allows us to discuss the attributes that make him arguably the IFL's all-time greatest linebacker thus earning him the moniker, "Dick Butkus With Horns".

Agrigento

Tuesday, Jason and I drove to the south of Sicilia to the ancient town of Agrigento. They have an incredible archeological park there called The Valley of the Temples. This area was first built up by the Greeks in about 450 B.C. and later taken over by the Romans.

We visited the beautiful main three temples of Hercules, Concord and Juno. Concord is the best preserved thanks to the efforts of a Catholic Bishop Saint Gregorio who preserved it against further decay. Because of his efforts, he is now the Patron Saint of Conservators. FESTIVAL ANYONE?

The statue that looks like the Michelin Man is actually one of 38 figures which helped support the roof of one of the Temples with each standing between the fluted, Doric columns.

Again, the great things about visiting  Europe at this time of the year are the cool weather, no humidity and zero crowds. There were maybe 150 people maximum in the entire park when we visited today!

If you get the chance, go to our QB  Margaret-Jason's website, he got some incredible shots of the ruins.

At the end of the long day we were both tired and very hungry. We did something I swore never to do in Italy, we ate at the Agrigento McDonald's. If you recall either the book or movie, "Alive", members of an Argentine soccer team are flying over the Andies Mountains when their plane crashes. The survivors are eventually forced to eat the remains of their friends and family members who perished in order to survive until eventually being rescued. Our motivation at McDonald's was similar to their experience, irrational but necessary under the conditions.

Novel Italian Advertising Concepts

I don't know what it is about the Italian advertising concepts that catch my eye as we roam around town. The ads just grab you somehow, maybe it's the creative use of a stuffed penguin in a jewelry ad. Yep, that must be it.

Catania Architecture

LUIGI CHALLENGE: Luigi, I’m back! One day at a time, 47 to go.

LAURIE IN ROMA: 16 days and counting!

Quiet day, Jason joined the local gym in Aci Trezza and I had an orange marmalade cornetto at Café Solaire to celebrate his good fortune.

We walked around Catania and I took some random pictures of Catania architecture. One is of the our favorite Gelateria on Piazza Bellini that serves their excellent Bellini gelato, a mixture of ricotta with chocolate chips. I think this flavor is the best I’ve tasted to date.

Practice tonight was in a pouring rain but I feel MUCH better about our defense, we got a lot of things cleaned up and took a big step forward.

After practice, the four Americanos got together for a pizza, o.k., technically we had four pizzas, at the Jonio ristoranti. Good food and good times indeed!

Big thunder and lightning storm just hit as I am writing this post, free entertainment in the wee hours of a Tuesday morning.

A Weekend of Food, Travel and Photography

LUIGI CHALLENGE: IT’S OVER! On the 37^th day he rested. Sunday night, February 10^th an exhausted George Contreras checked himself into a local psychiatric clinic seeking help for his sleep deprivation related health issues caused by his assault on Luigi’s record. He was heavily sedated by 11:02 p.m. The Elephants President, Davide Giuliano, refused to comment on the name or location of the clinic but did say Contreras was doing well under the circumstances and that a steady diet of arancini balls would be the likely key to his speedy recovery. Doctors at the clinic said that the mentally Contreras is having a hard time dealing with failure only nine days away from tying the record. The monks at Luigi’s Monastero Maria di Sant’Accelerazione, the patron saint of Italian drivers, in Caltanissetta opened a bottle of champagne and celebrated. This is a monastic tradition that the monks have employed for centuries anytime someone has gone 30 or more days in an attempt on Luigi’s mark and then failed. They did note that Contreras was the first person to get this close to the record in over 40 years.

LAURIE IN ROMA: 17 days and counting!

Friday night I had a panini made of my latest favorite Sicilian food, cipolata, picture, barbequed green onions wrapped in salty bacon that’s been dipped in vinegar. Those are horse meat patties on the left for all you PETA fans.

On the way home we ran into Bob our secretive team owner and linebacker who moonlights as the greeter at Leo’s BBQ. Check out the picture of this strong, silent but generous man.

I also have my eyes on buying an older version of a Fiat, picture, commonly seen as the clown car at Circus Vargas. It would be a great asset in dealing with the rampant parking issues.

Great storm surf Saturday morning, pictures. Forget the sea conditions, fishermen must fish.

If I had to describe Saturday’s defensive practice in a word, the word I would pick would be “frustrating”. Let’s leave it at that. Offense looks very good!

Saturday night we ate a great dinner, pictures, at the home of one of our wide receivers, Salvo Persano. His wife and newest Pink Elephant, Titziana, was a delight and their two sons are 100% boys. Great food, great hospitality and another good feel evening. Salvo has a GREAT family and a very wonderful home. They served us cannoli from Savia’s pasticceria considered by many to be the best cannolo in Catania, who was I to argue!

At about midnight we hooked up with the usual group of fellow Elefanti degenerates and went to a beer garden in Aci Reale to help Jason celebrate his first wedding anniversary (Saturday, paper) and Brandon’s birthday (Sunday, 23rd). Mission accomplished.

Sunday Jason and I decided to get up early and explore the north coast of the island. It must be understood that if you believe in reincarnation then I must be living with the spirit of Margaret Bourke-White. Jason is addicted to photography! He is shooting a minimum of 200 pictures a day and then spends a lot of time playing “God according to Annie Leibovitz” adjusting the color settings, contrasts, etc. of the good shots he gets. I must admit he is getting good but he tends to disappear in the middle of a walk for several minutes when he feels a great photo op calling.

Our road trip took us on the autostrada through the center of Sicilia past Enna and finally onto the northern coast of the island in the seaside town of Cefalu’. It is a gorgeous setting with the best interior of any church, picture, I have seen to date in Sicilia. We met our stud linebacker Gianmarco and his lovely girlfriend Simona who live in nearby Palermo for lunch, good people! While there I found this small bat, picture, that has the words “Doma Sposa” printed on it. It translates into “Wife Controller”, I do not know.

We continued our trek eastward towards Messina and discovered that Sicily leads Western Civilization in miles per capita of tunnels. We didn’t get to see much of the Tyrrhenian Sea because we were mostly underground on the autostrada.

We stopped in Milazzo at about 5:00 p.m., where “Margaret” got an unreal picture of the sunset, no touching up necessary! Then it was the dash home to try to scalp two tickets to the Serie A calcio game between Forza Catania and Inter. The game was sold out and the only seller we could find in the street wanted 150 euros for a 100 euros face value ticket after the game was already 15 minutes underway. Too rich for our blood, so we settled for a cannolo at Ernesto’s for 1.80 euros. Jason was a little down at this momentary setback but he will recover soon.

As noted at the start of the post, I went to bed early last nght, Luigi just flat out broke my will. No excuses, it was a great ride while it lasted.

Just Say No

While folding the boys’ laundry this morning I found Matt’s “D.A.R.E. to Keep Kids Off Drugs” T-shirt. I almost cried.

We have tried to keep this a secret from his family and friends back in Texas but truth be told Matt has an addictive personality. Of course cannoli are his drug of choice and I am personally very distraught knowing that I was the one who bought him his first one. We all were enablers in his addiction to some point even giving him the funny nickname Obi Won Cannoli, now we all feel so cheap and dirty for what we did to encourage Matt’s binging.

Matt went totally out of control about 8 days ago, I even found a partially eaten cannolo in the pocket of one of his shorts I was washing last night, very disturbing indeed.

With the help of the pastor and congregation at Calvary Baptist Church and the Elefanti team we convinced Matt that we were taking him to Cannoli R Us but in truth it was a lie to get him to an intervention session. It was a very tense two hours but finally Matt confronted the truth about his problem, promised to “be a man” as he put it and agreed to enter the Cannoli Anonymous chapter in nearby Aci Reale.

We visited him yesterday, he looks pale, has lost a lot of weight, his skin is clammy and he is very edgy. The staff tells us that this is all normal at this point and that they had never seen such a severe case in their 60+ years of existence. At his current pace they will release him back to us in another two weeks.

We are not sure how long the IFL will suspend him for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Davide hopes that Matt will be suspended for only the first three games of the season as a first time offender, the maximum penalty is five games. Our season may hang on the Commissioner’s decision.

We’ll continue to do all we can for him here, please pray for him back home, this will be a long  and difficult journey to complete recovery.

Gelato anyone?

About Ice, Rain, Mantras and Italian Designer Clothes

CHASING LUIGI: 35 days and still counting barely.

LAURIE IN ROMA: 20 days and really counting!

After our usual morning in the Elefanti War Room, we ate a light lunch at a place called Margi for one reason only…they serve ice with their sodas! This is the only place we have found that does this act of kindness for the tourist trade. It was a big hit and it is located within walking distance of Brandon and Matt’s apartment, sales will soon be booming.

While we were eating, a very large storm front moved into Catania complete with thunder and lightning. The boys are close to running out of clean clothes and still do not have a washing machine at their place. So, being the domestic goddess I’ve evolved into (are you listening Laurie and Koreen), I offered to take their laundry to our house and wash it for them. Of course I required them to separate them into a pile of lights and another of darks! Just a reminder that here we have a washing machine that takes two hours to do one load. Also, since we Sicilians don’t own dryers we have to hang the laundry on a clothes line which takes the better part of a day to dry. With the rain storm this chore might last awhile. Look on CNN for two Americans being arrested for going commando in Catania in the next few days.

Tonight I reached new heights driving solo, in the rain, at rush hour in Catania. Everything has doubled and the stakes can really change! Behind the wheel I am now all about speed and intensity! Catania and Aci Castello are both coastal cities at the base of a very large volcano, Mt. Etna. As a result all the water from the storm runs down into the coastal road to our condo. The possibility of hydroplaning excited me greatly but didn’t happen.

Random Thought of the Day: In the early 1960's, Bear Bryant was building his first powerhouse team at the University of Alabama, officially the Red Elephants by the way. He had a linebacker who's name I can't remember, that was extremely physical. Legend has it that the Bear would not allow him to scrimmage for fear of his hurting other players on his own team and instead had him just jog around the practice field for the entire practice. I think Brandon, our offensive tackle, is quickly becoming the Italian version of this legend. 

As near as we can tell Sicilians are still somewhat traumatized from the movie “The Wizard of Oz”. The residue of the film is that our friends have a morbid fear of melting should they be caught in the rain. Thus the street life was curtailed greatly and we decided not to go out after practice for once. Once at home, I made a meal of veal cordon blue patties cooked in extra virgin olive oil with a dash of lemon juice to bring out the rich flavor of the veal. Of course we had some fruit and a small pizza as well. Throw in a half bottle of red wine and we were done for the evening.

“Che Buona Sera Da Giocar Football Americano!” In 1970, my first year of coaching, our J.V. team at Thousand Oaks H.S. started the season 7-0. Our eighth game was played at Hueneme H.S. in a driving rain storm and we lost. The rain really got into our players heads. I vowed to myself to never let a team ever let weather conditions affect them mentally again. As a result here in Italy at the start of every practice I yell the Italian phrase above, which translates into “What A Beautiful Night To Play American Football!” About a week ago, 30 minutes into practice on a cold evening one of the players said “Coach is it a good night for American football?” I had forgotten to say it and he needed to hear it so of course I obliged him and yelled out the catch-phrase. Tonight it poured at practice but I reminded them about the beauty of the evening and we got through it just fine.

“Elefanti Mai Stanchi!” This is our other mantra, “Elephants Never Get Tired!” Obvious but an effective mental tool for our little blue cars.

The blue car reference is to a philosophy of Jason’s grandfather, Hall-of-Fame coach Frosty Westering of Pacific Lutheran University Fame. If you want to know what it means buy one of his books. He’s retired now, could use the extra cash and you could use a good book to read!

It’s ALL About Style: The final thought of the day is the answer to the burning question about what the well dressed Italian football player will be wearing this season. One of our linebackers, Fabio Russo, a.k.a. Foca (The Seal), has his own line of clothing and decided to model for our collective consideration one of the latest looks from his spring collection at tonight’s practice. SMOKIN’!

It’s 12:41 a.m., the streak is alive and I’m going to bed early for once after I check the laundry. CIAO!

Buon giorno! It was still raining on our way to the Elefanti War Room, traffic was jammed on our usual route so we took a side street that turned intro a great shortcut. Every cloud in Catania does have a silver lining as it turns out. I hope we can find the new path again.  

Second Income

If you haven't done so already, go to Jason's blog for his takes on our experiences. He is very funny and very creative with his vlogs.

CHASING LUIGI: The streak entered it's 34th day this morning.

I meet Laurie, mia moglie, in Roma in 21 days!

I am getting over a slight bout with Mussolini's Revenge, picture, nothing too serious thank goodness.

Many of you have expressed concerns over my possible weight gains due to the great food we are eating and to my overall health with our, as Jason calls it, 34/7 lifestyle. Don't worry, tutti stai bene!

To help fill in my empty hours, I've started a part time job as a pizza cook, picture, at a small pizzeria in Aci Castello. Last night was my first night and the boys came over to support me. Brandon was my first satisfied customer but I may have put too much cheese, picture, in his calzone, "I do not know?"

Good practice last night working on goal line pass concepts. We improved but still have a long way to go.

We got shut out on tickets for this Sunday night's Catania-Inter calcio game. Maybe we'll try to scalp some ducats that night. FORZA CATANIA!  

 

Tough Night

Before going out last night we were invited into our offensive guard Giulio’s home because we were sitting outside of his apartment door in the 4^th story stairwell picking up somebody’s internet signal. Giulio lives in the same building as Brandon and Matt. Their apartment is on the ground level and this sitting on the stairwell technique is as close as we currently are to anyone having internet at home. The picture is of Giulio’s two nephews, Sebastiano and Pietro who were there for a family get together.

The three day Festival of Sant’Agata concluded last night. The crowds were huge, it took me 20 minutes before I found my parking spot of the day, picture, illegal but acceptable. We walked around the town and Festival, pictures, and ate a huge dinner near the Piazza Duomo. I think this meal being cooked on the grill in the picture was the last straw for my lower intestine, I had a long and eventful night of trying to sleep.

The yellow candles are sold to people to light up and carry around as a sign of penance. The W S. Agata confetti pictured is all over the place, the W is really two V’s standing for the word Viva.

Upon returning to Brandon and Matt’s apartment, we did the usual, we talked football. We discussed concepts, play selections, things that both the offense and the defense reads at pre-snap and most importantly the things we need to do to make us a better team. This discussion took us deep into Wednesday’s early morning hours. Which reminds me…

In 1347 A.D., a Sicilian monk by the name of Luigi of Caltanissetta was commissioned by a very powerful and cruel nobleman from Palermo to create a beautiful illuminated manuscript, picture, of the four gospels. He gave Luigi 45 days to finish this task. Normally it would take at least three months to finish such a Herculian labor. Under threat of torture and death if he failed to make the deadline and working day and night to avoid this Draconian measure, Luigi did indeed finish the manuscript on time. As a byproduct of his stressful workload he also set the current Sicilian record for most consecutive days, 48 (he was a little bit of a party animal already), of never waking up in the morning one day and going to bed that same day sometime in the evening.  My current streak in this pursuit is at 33 days. I have decided to honor Luigi’s memory and if I get close to his mark, tie it and then stop. I think his name and record should not be broken by anyone but a 100% full blooded Sicilian.

Practice tonight at 8:00 p.m. at the University for WR’s and DB’s.

Sicilian Faces

Jason is GREAT with a Mac computer rivaled only by California’s heralded champion Brian FitzGerald! He is working his magic this morning with the videos I promised about yesterday’s Sant’Agata Parade. Please refer back to Monday’s post soon to get a feel for this grand festival.

On a very sad note officials in Catania cancelled today’s scheduled “Jason Johnson-Welcome to Catania Parade” due to the use of quotation marks amongst other issues. Please go to Jason’s blog for the detailed press release about this sad turn of events.

Practice last night was a break through for the Elefanti Bambini secondary and linebacking crew. I love it when a plan starts coming together!

After practice it was back to the office for some last minute computer work. Jonathan’s for a quick panini and then home for a very early 1:00 a.m. bedtime.

We walked into Aci Castello for the obligatory cornetto and cappuccino breakfast this morning. Now it is off to Catania for the third, final and reportedly craziest day of the 2008 Sant’Agata Festival.

Instead we drove the coast road north driving through a series of very interesting towns ending up in Taormina. It was as beautiful as ever and we can’t wait to take the wives there.

Today’s pictures are of random Sicilians from the last few days both friends and interesting strangers.

Gelato

Heather Johnson, the first picture on the left is of gelato, i.e., Italian ice cream. Is that clear enough?

Sant'Agata Parade

We are in the middle of the annual Festival of Sant'Agata, the patron saint of Catania. We were invited to the home, pictures, of our WR Gregorio to watch the start of the big parade in her honor. Gregorio's family lives on the second story of a building that overlooks the parade's 

starting point. His mamma, Katerina, is a great hostess and a marvelous cook. She and her friends made all sorts of antipastos, pastas and dolci to feed the 50 people who were there as spectators. MANGIA, MANGIA, MANGIA! You can hear Katerina speaking on the second DVD telling us about some of the parade's traditions. GOOD PEOPLE!

If I can upload my videos you will really get an idea of the local color of Catania. It's a BIG if.

The people in the first video carry these very heavy gold candeli all over Catania for two days. They wear white tunics as a sign of penitence. As near as I can tell, they wear the black hats solely because they look cool and Sicilians are all about style!

The second video highlights the people pulling Sant'Agata's reliquary by two huge ropes. Along the parade route, people offer yellow candles, money, jewels, flowers and anything else they can to thank Sant'Agata for her protection of the city.

It was all very interesting. 

 

Super Bowl Monday?

A VERY LONG WEEKEND INDEED!

Friday was a big day for football at the office. There was a lot of discussion about our offensive schemes and a we had a good planning session for Saturday’s three hour practice.

After eating a pizza in Aci Castello, we went to the apartment and the four Americanos studied DVD’s of 2007 games of Milano, Bergamo and Bolzano trying to get a feel for their style of play and proficiency.

Then it was time to take the newbies out for a Friday night at Piazza Bellini that included two gelatos, the Chiave, the Fundo Bianco and, of course, a stop at Jonathan’s for a panini. We saw none of the usual players and to our great collective disappointment only one of the Pink Elephants, Elisa, at all that night. Could they possibly all have been getting rest for Saturday’s practice?

I must mention that at the Fundo Bianco, Brandon gave Atilio, the owner, the biker t-shirt he wore the night before when they hit it off so well. This gesture got us a free round of drinks and Atilio insisted that the four of us go behind the bar for a group picture with him on the far left and Pope Benedict’s picture above us, a rare honor indeed! Brandon has made us instant locals.

Because so many Elefanti were missing, two other great moments occurred at the Fundo Bianco. We are still operating on a two drink maximum limit per night. O.K., Matt Obi Won Cannoli had WAY more than two Cokes with his gelatos and Brandon’s two beers are big enough that they really should be brought out by a waitress from a beer garden in Munich. Jason ordered a rum and coke and I mentioned that he should be sure to get the Havana Club rum from the forbidden island. This got Brandon started on leading a discussion about Castro and his effects on the Cuban economy and culture. Brandon had a good grasp of the subject and swore to cut block Fidel HARD if he ever got the chance! From there the discussion turned to The Da Vinci Code. Two areas were discussed at length, the book vs. the movie…the book won easily. The second subject that Brandon and I addressed was contrasting and comparing The Da Vinci Code vs. Dan Brown’s earlier novel, Angels and Demons. Neither Matt nor Jason had read Angels and Demons so it was up to us to inform them about how we both believed that it was the better read of the two books. The subject matter is just not as controversial, but a better book nonetheless in the opinions of the two resident experts on the topic in a small bar…on a small side street…in Catania, Sicilia, Italia.

Groundhog’s Day 2008…Happy Groundhog’s Day mi’amore!  In 1968 Laurie, picture at Christmas in Las Vegas, and I were in our third year of dating. I was attending the University of Washington while she worked there as a secretary in the Educational Foundations office. We had a typical spat that couples in their teens have from time to time on or about February 1st. As a make up on February 2^nd, I bought her a small gift (I think) and a card (I KNOW). In the card I asked her to be my Groundhog because in America the second of February is indeed Groundhog’s Day. For my Italian brothers, there is a small town in Pennsylvania that each year on this date has their own festival (parade, brass band, fireworks, confetti, the usual stuff we have here in Catania every night) and a large groundhog is somewhat like their town’s patron saint that day. The tradition is that at a big ceremony at sunrise they take Phil, as the groundhog is called, out of his cage and if he can see his shadow, i.e., a sunny day, winter will last six weeks longer, maybe shorter…”I do not know”. It is all just an excuse to have fun and Bill Murray made a funny movie perhaps ten year’s ago about the town and their festival, it was an instant Contreras family cult classic. Since that fateful Groundhog’s Day in 1968, Laurie and I do not honor Valentine’s Day on February 14^th like the rest of Western Civilization. This may sound strange to you but think about it, dinner reservations at a nice restaurant are easy, flowers are MUCH cheaper, no hassle with crowds at the Hallmark store. The only drawback of our now 40 year tradition is finding an appropriate card for the occasion. Usually I find one I can tweak a little in about June or July, buy it and try not to forget where I hid it for half a year. This is surely the first time that we have not been able to share this special day together. We have had great fun with Groundhog’s Day for a long time. I wonder what we fought about?

Everyone here thinks that Jason is at least half Japanese, he is constantly taking pictures with the impressive array of picture and video cameras he brought with him. He plans to make a documentary of our shared experiences, maybe a book and if nothing else have a great, detailed visual record of our time here. He is very good with computers, has a mind that is in hyper-drive with ideas about life, football and fun. If there were a video game called High Energy, Jason would surely be a PLAYER!

Jason is very excited about Saturday’s practice, his first chance to work with the receivers in particular and the team in general. I know the team feels the same way about finally getting to see him in action.

The competition level in practice just went up a BIG notch. Jason has great composure and patience. He continues to be a good teacher to our hosts. His high definition video camera is a great tool in combination with his computer skills. We stopped by the office to bring home the video projector and watched the practice tape for about a half hour before going out to dinner. It will be a great teaching tool for the Elefanti. Jason looked very good today with great command and presence, just what you want at QB.

Dinner tonight at 9:30 p.m. will be at a Mexican food ristorante. This is a very big stretch for me as I live by a very simple rule, i.e., “Never eat Mexican food above the 45^th parallel or in the Eastern Hemisphere”. We’ll see…

No we didn’t see. In terrible news, Davide called as we were on our way to meet him and Daniela, with the news that their home had been broken into and many things had been stolen including all of her jewelry. Of course, they would not be joining us as they were dealing with the police. I can’t think of many things that would be more of a violation than this, terrible…

We picked a nice ristorante near the Zo Club where Renato D.J.’s and where we were to meet other Elefanti  after our two hour dinner. Matt expanded his gastronomic horizons with swordfish and calamari. The talk at the table revolved around Saturdays practice and how to improve the team. When we got home, rather early by Catania standards, at 2:30 a.m., Jason and I watched the practice video tape again for about 45 minutes.

My best parking job of the weekend is pictured.

 The picture of Matt coming out of the mandated, end of the evening Gelateria if of him with a gelato in one hand and a marmalade fiiled cornetto in the other. The white bag in his pocket contains another cornetto for the road. Matt is quickly moving up the depth to number two chart at offensive right guard.

Sunday started with Matt, Jason and I driving the half hour out of town to Motta Sant’Anastasia for church, Brandon slept in and stayed in Catania for the day. We got somewhat pressed to be on time when we got stuck behind a flock of sheep blocking the road, picture. While they heard a sermon about “…being a MAN!”, I attended Mass in the old hilltop church in this picturesque little village.

After our religious experiences we decided that it was time for a road trip! We drove inland to the town of Piazza Armerina to look at the Villa del Casale and it’s famous mosaics. This site is an 1,800 year old villa that was buried in mud by a massive flood in the 1,100’s and was rediscovered in the 1,800’s. Each room and corridor of this very large villa was decorated with intricate mosaic floors which are very well preserved, pictures.

We then proceeded to take the back roads back to Catania and took several pictures of the towns and countryside.

We met with some of the players, again at the house of former Elephant player/coach Matteo as we did two weeks ago, for our first ever Super Bowl MONDAY party, pictures. The game started at 12:15 a.m. Catania time and lasted until after 4:15 a.m. I picked the Giants as did everyone except Brandon and Jason. It was great fun and a good game to watch.

To warm up our Italian friends for the game, we brought the Elefanti blow-up video projector and broke down the Saturday practice film for about half an hour with the players present. It was an eye opening experience for them and it was fun to coach all of them up in such a short time. They really do love football, want so much to learn and the four of us like teaching them our game of football…REFRESHING!

NEW GASOLINE RECORD: Last Saturday, after practice, we filled up the Nissan Micra for 56.07 euros, breaking the old record by 7 cents! To give you a better perspective on the subject, there are about 3.75 liters in a gallon. We paid 1.37 euros per liter, the equivalent of $5.14 a gallon!

Random Thought for the Weekend: In the late 1960’s or early 1970’s there was a show on American TV starring an actor by the name of Ben Gazzara. The show was called something like “Run for Your Life” and the premise was simple. Ben was told by a doctor that he had a terminal disease and only had one year to live. Ben’s character was in his 30’s, so decided to try to cram 30 years of life into the one he had left. I feel like I’ve experienced his quest for 30 years of life experiences in my first 30 days in Catania. I realized that I have yet to wake up and then go to bed in the same day since I got here, i.e., I have not gone to bed before 12:30 a.m. once this whole time and it is usually much more like 3:00 a.m. when I hit the sack.

Manly Men Bonding

After the newbies arrived and got settled either at home or at the office, it was off to practice at the University. Brandon is a PLAYER! More importantly for our team he is also a very good teacher. He did a great job with helping our other offensive linemen and brings a tough attitude to the practice. I really want to see him at Nose Guard on defense, I think he will be a dominant two way player. His example is going to raise everybody's level of play on both the offensive line and the front eight on defense.

Jason is not really the "Positologist" he claims to be, what he really is is a "Million Miles an Hourist"...really high energy. He also is a good teacher and will also, beyond question, raise the level of play for our offense and for our linebackers and defensive backs.

In a nutshell, our team just got a whole lot better!

After practice it was a night of team bonding. First it was dinner, picture, at a small restaurant near the Piazza Duomo that specializes in meat. We ate all sorts of wonderful things, including cavallo. My new favorite is a dish that has green onions wrapped in bacon, MAMMA MIA!!!

From there is was off to the nearby Etoile D'Or, pictures, for cannolis. Jason gave Matt the perfect new nickname "Obi Won Cannoli". He only had two last night. After my cannoli, Giulio bought me a "Small Breast of Sant'Agata". Sant'Agata is the patron saint of Catania and was martyred by a Roman Emperor who cut off her breasts before killing her. Etoile D'Or serves these white pasteries with a candied cherry on top in memory of her, quite good but I'm still a cannoli and gelato man first and foremost.

We went to the Fundo Bianco bar where the owner, Atiel (crazy looking guy with the red eyes that is not Matt) picture, had his Harley-Davidson parked out front. Brandon lit up when he saw it and struck up a conversation with Atiel about motorcycles and tatoos, instant bonding and a very happy lineman.

Jason got up early enough to go  out on the patio, picture, and see his first sunrise in Aci Castello. The we walked into Aci Trezza for a cornetto and cappuccino. Afterwards I introduced him to the "Two Marias", picture,  far left and far right. They are the ladies who run the local dry cleaners. I brought them a cornetto to share and they are our friends for life. They do a great job running their business and think we have connections in Hollywood. They also want us to introduce them to Mel Gibson and Richard Gere.

Finally, you see a picture of Jason with a fresh gash on his forehead.

He was either

A. hurt in practice when a linebacker blitzed and gave him a vicious blow to the head

or

B. hit his head on the little pop up top that hides the view of the trunk in our hatchback car putting his gear into the car after practice. You decide.