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Italy #1: How I Got Here
The first time I came to Italy, it was 1997 and I was 18 years old. My parents, Emil, and I were visiting Amu Jamil, one of Dad's oldest and best friends from Baghdad, and his family. They were, at the...
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Italy #2: Bones
I am a big fan of the weird things. Or like...weird touristy things, I should say. Once when BFF Sarah and I visited my sister in Atlanta (for Spring Break 2000, mind you), we drove all the way to...
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Italy #3: Haikus for the Men
Both my sister and my friend Miriam write haikus pretty often. And although they've never been my forte, I've been hearing some in my head as we've walked around Rome these past few days. A warning in...
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Italy #4: Gnocchi
I learned to pronounce it in Italian class in 2000. Domenic Vecchi was in that class, lovely Domenic. A shy, skinny, and modest Greek god-looking guy. I stared at him a lot. Vecchi means "old" in...
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Italy #5: The Photo Series
You know what happens when you go through all 900 or so pictures from your trip to Ireland and Italy? You get a little dizzy and you see a lot of colors that probably aren't there. But also, you start...
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This Is How We Do It (Kentucky Road Trip & Wedding in 48 Hours)
This is how we get our nails did. And this is how we pick out shoes to wear in the car.This is how we pack the car. Fancy clothes and hats everywhere.This is how my father sets up an office in the...
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There is a Farmers Market Across the Street
And there's a lazy lady who can't remember to charge her camera battery and is subsequently using her cell phone for all pictures these days.
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Restaurant Week Summer 2011 - 43 North
Guess what! I'm not feeling too wordy lately. So, here are some pictures from 43 North during Restaurant Week:"Amuse bouche." Jess says, "Well, I'm amused!" Come on, man, that's FUNNY. It was also sort...
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How to Make Sushi with a Friend
I remember writing a blog entry a few months back, and promising that this wouldn't become a food blog. I promise, that was not a lie. "Become" is a word that completely transfers and changes, you see,...
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Real Life Gal
Ways I'm becoming a Real Life Gal this summer:I usually fancy "something sweet" after dinner when I never used to before. Like a bonbon.All I want to drink is a margarita. I'm literally excited about...
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Punchy
You guys! Vanilla/Ice Cream Face turned six last week! It's so weird...he seems so different from when we started lessons a year ago. I asked him what he did on his birthday, and he told me all about...
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What I Made This Summer
It's no secret that I'm not the greatest cook in the world. I am a damn fine baker, and I can prepare the hell out of appetizers and desserts and party foods. But sometimes you have to try a little...
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The Elusive Student Handbook
When I was in second grade, I memorized all the state capitals of the United States. I think, around the same time, my sister was studying them as well, and I helped her memorize them with the use of...
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Pho
It's pronounced like "fuh," so I probably should have called this entry "What the Pho?!" But hey, there are already 743,000 results when you google "what the pho," so none of that for me. I prefer my...
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Amazing Breakfast Sandwich
There's this Simpsons episode in which they go to a swap meet and Bart picks up a "pencil holder," to which Homer says...oh never mind, I found the video. Here:This line has been in my head for a...
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Wisconsin Love Affair #1: The Sky
My cousin Luai is a stand up comedian. I like to think he's almost as funny as me. Almost. Aw, who am I kidding? He's hilarious! Though you may remember him from such stories as this, you'll probably...
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Wisconsin Love Affair #2: Hook's 15-Year Cheddar
I hit a giant and stupid wall of writer's block just a little while ago, while at the same time being unable to figure out how to transfer some pictures from my Google+ affected Picasa account to my...
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Jamba Juice - It's Fer Real, Brah
I'm a big fan of gift cards and gift certificates. Around the holidays, I receive a lot of them from my students and their families. They've caught on over the years; I've gone from receiving Starbucks...
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Appreciations #2: Ludwig van Beethoven, Or Ode to Ode to Joy
Give it a listen, and maybe you'll see what I mean. Start at 41:00:I think it's safe to say that, at any given time, three or more of my students are working on one or another version of the song, "Ode...
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My Lovely Little Christmas Tree
You know what? Nobody ever told me how sad it is to take down a christmas tree alone! I mean, I should have guessed; with all the magical joy I felt whilst looking at my tree every night for the last...
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Ireland #2: Two is For Joy
There is a saying about magpies - the black and white, scrappy-looking scavenger bird that crosses your path randomly in Ireland. Nanny used to say it and my mother repeated it and I had it completely...
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Ireland #3: Me Mudder, Da Tour Guide
"I can't remember what I did yesterday, but I remember these little things from over 40 years ago..." - Me MudderShe is a wealth of local knowledge and history. She'll show you flowers and grottos and...
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Ireland #4:Crazy Lady Night
I'm not sure what night it's been on the past few trips, but on this one, it was night three. Monday night. Though we've been out of the house all day and for much of the night, we still get a bit stir...
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Ireland #5: Immediate and Immense
We were invited to Ashling's (Ian's fiance) parents' house for dinner tonight, just two days before the wedding. Never before have I met a family so identical to mine back in Chicago...Your drink is...
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Ireland #1: We Are Home
I wrote a ton in Ireland and Italy, and although I wasn't able to publish any blogs because of the lack of technology, I saved 'em all up in a notebook and will publish them over the next couple of...
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