Jambalaya

Well, hello world! I almost feel like part of you again. My brain is still in a little bit of a cold-medicine fog, but I actually got out of my pajamas and went out into the world--willingly, even!--so that is definite progress. I'll take it!

Maybe it's the cold medicine making me loopy, but I have been wondering a few things the past couple of days. Like, for instance, do people actually listen to the "Sounds of the Holidays" music channel in the first week of May? And is there a law I don’t know about that states that if you want to buy a tiny dog you must buy them in multiples? And should I be ashamed that I'm a 32 year old woman but every time Taylor Swift comes on the radio I turn it up and sing along? And where exactly are the shelves that go in my CD/DVD bookcase so I can, you know, put away all my CDs and DVDs? Did the movers not pack them, and if not, were they trying to make me crazy? And do people who still have Christmas lights up on their porches turn them on at night? And what in the world should I get my mom, who doesn't wear much jewelry and never wants anything, for Mother's Day? And is it really true that people who are allergic to chicken can eat Chicken McNuggets?

Obviously, the cold medicine is making me loopy. Still, I do wonder about those tiny dogs I only see in twos and threes.

Lots to share today!

First: Our Friend the Olympian!

Daniele Molmenti is a friend for sure… but he is more like a brother to me (and Jason, too). Jason met him at a motorcycle club when we lived in Italy and we all became fast friends. Jason was on a motorcycle ride with him last April when Dani had an accident and was launched into a ravine (right in front of Jason). He landed in a creek bed, surrounded by boulders on every side. (He later told us that he felt water rush into his helmet and he got a thought of Sylvester Stallone climbing so he climbed onto one of the boulders to not drown. It’s so Daniele to be on the brink of death and thinking of Rambo. :)) Jason called me to come to the scene of the accident to pick up Dani’s motorcycle gear and I was a WRECK when I saw where it happened—I didn’t think there was any way he could live through it. (To be honest I was a wreck the second Jason told me—so much so that I had to ask my Italian neighbors to drive me there.) When we got to the hospital we found out that he was going to be transferred to a larger hospital so we waited for him to be brought out—I just had to see him with my own eyes. They rolled him out with one of those silver blankets over him and as soon as he saw me he said, “I’m sorry Cameron!” I laughed out loud and breathed a huge sigh of relief, because I knew that if he could worry about being in trouble with me then he was going to be okay! Somehow, he miraculously suffered only a fractured vertebra; he was in the hospital for weeks. We brought him Jason’s media player stocked with movies and music and episodes of Family Guy, and got to know his parents really well. :) But he has fully recovered.

And I mean, fully recovered. He’s been a competitive kayaker since he was a kid, really, and we were all afraid what his accident would mean for his career (while of course knowing that his life was more important). After lots of physical therapy and many months of intense competition, this past weekend he was chosen as the (as in, the one and only) Italian kayaker for THE OLYMPICS! A year ago he was in traction—now he is going to the Olympics! I am over-the-moon thrilled for him. I got the text message during the Avon Walk and screamed and jumped up and down, and said randomly about a dozen times throughout the weekend, “Dani’s going to the Olympics!!!!” Tanti baci, Dani, carissimmo mio!!! I’m so excited for you!

(Notice the Family Guy tank that then-girlfriend Zora made for him.)

What a stud!

Second: End of an Era

If you are lucky enough to have ever been to Venice, Italy (and maybe even if you haven’t), then you know about the famous pigeons in Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square). Some people love them, some people hate them, but everyone must agree that for decades the pigeons—and the feed sellers—have been an institution in Venice. One of my favorite memories of Piazza San Marco is of watching a woman with a tiny dog on a leash throw pigeon feed (corn) out to attract them and then the dog running around in a circle chasing them away. It was hilarious; the pigeons would fly off until the dog was past, swoop back in to grab some food, and fly away again before the dog could get them. The dog constantly ran in a circle so it was a constantly moving arc of pigeons, too.

Those days are over. As of last week, selling food and feeding pigeons is illegal in Venice. The story is here. I had a lot of fun with the pigeons when we were there so I am kind of bummed to hear this news… but like everything in Italy the rules could change any time. ;)

Third: Avon Walk

I know I said that I was going to write more about the Avon Walk, but, well… I’m not. I like the way the moments came together, and I’m going to let them stand together as my story.

The only things I will add are these: I am going to lose two toenails and one of them really hurts (but it also will not need chemo); if anyone wants to take this thing (or a similar thing) on, let me know and I can help you out with some hints and tips; I am really, really, really glad I did it. Just in case you didn’t get that the first time. :) And also, I will post photos tomorrow.

For now, I leave you the task of decoding what dear Emma Stedronsky wrote on the Avon Walk pillar. I think she said it pretty well. :)