Import Export

I love Christmas lights. I actually should've done a better job of photographing them in Bologna, where they are the best in the whole world (in my biased opinion), but the ones in NYC aren't bad either. Italians put them on every street and Bologna has them not just over the street, but in the market, in the porticoes, on the towers, everywhere. It's beautiful. I'm sad that they'll be gone when I get back.



It's good to think that 2009 is ending, even if all of the year's little loose ends can't be tied up and left in December. I'm sure that 2010 will be better!

Speaking of great things coming in 2010, here is one:

Eataly, Flatiron Building, New York City, Summer 2010! Yipppeeee! Full of Slow Food and good vinegar and rabbit ragu and basically every other delicious thing to come out of Italy. Probably fewer people will want to visit me, now that a part of Italy (and Bologna, though mostly Turin, where Eataly comes from) has been directly transported to Midtown. I'm almost jealous.

No More Snow

This is the weather in my Italian home:


This is the weather in my American home:


That's why it's pretty great that we're going to Florida for 6 days, starting tomorrow. This is what it looks like, there:


Yay!

Hot dog!

My NYC trip has been completed (see gourmet culinary exploits above). All my presents are wrapped. It's really Christmas. There's the same bittersweet feeling of being in one place and feeling as if part of me is elsewhere; I should be used to it, but with possible upcoming decisions about my big future, it feels even more poignant than usual. And our catless house feels rather empty; I think that we all keep expecting Dinkie to be in one of his old hangouts, and he's not.




Hopefully more snow and festivities are coming up; along with visits to shelters and new animal friends. The first step is stuffing my face with Christmas Eve dinner. Hurrah!

While we may not know the identities of our future kittens, we do know the identity of our future vet. She's already preparing the ensemble that will help make her seem friendly to her patients. (No comment about the cash; it has more to do with vegan-food-related tips than with animals.)



P.S. The location pictured below is a the view from my friend's house in a town called San Lorenzo in Collina. It's about 20 minutes outside Bologna in the hills. Her house is a bit chilly, but the view makes up for it (note: that's the exact view from her bedroom window).

Bad Blogger

It's Christmas and I haven't blogged in forever. Probably it has to do with the fact that I felt the need to write a fitting farewell blog for my beloved cat, Dinkie, who passed away this fall. But it's probably better to get back to blogging, even without the right memorial post.

I'm in Cambridge for the holidays and it's been a wonderful whirlwind of activity so far. I'm looking forward to more food and Florida and possibly even new kitties.



More soon.