ops, I did it again

before my dear readers start thinking about something weird, I would like to specify the title: yes, I am nearly going broke this month as well. So, miei cari, as you know I spent the last few days in Milano. So I got a new hairstyle (not so sure that I like it, but whatever) and then I went furiously shopping. So now I have 4 new skirts, 3 new tshirts, a shitload of books (19 to the last count, but I am sure I forgot some), some new dvds and some cds. Highlight of the weekend was the Afterhours concert on Friday. While I was driving there I remember that I went to the first concert of them around 10 years ago. This tells me 1. that I am getting old 2. that they are getting old as well (ha haaaa) 3. that there is still hope if a good group manages to survive in a country that exports all sort of pukable shit like ramazzotti (the singer, not the liquor) and pausini. Anyway, the concert was very good and the most amazing thing was that not only the place was completely full (and we are talking about a bigger place than normal, probably 7-8000 people) but that the public sang all the old songs as well. Well, if they decide to make an international tour this time as well I strongly recommend that you go see them.
Now I'd better go to bed that tomorrow I have to work...

short week and metaphisical considerations

miei cari, some could wonder how Germany can still be on the top 10 of the industrialized countries with all the public holidays that we get. But, since I live here, I couldn't care less about the financial situation of the German state - as long as they keep on paying my salary and the state is more serious than in Italy. Which, unfortunately, is becoming easier and easier each day: please find above a picture of our minister for equal opportunities, Mara Carfagna. No, it is not a joke. And I took a picture where she is dressed. Santa Madonna. Now, it could be that she kept all her intelligence and expertise hidden and will be the best minister in the history of the Italian republic. However, given her first public speeches, I am getting more and more afraid.

Now back to important matters: tomorrow is the last day of work, then I will fly to Italy and hopefully meet with friends and have a manicure, a pedicure, a haircut, buy a shitloads of books (because yes I am reading this shitty business books but hell they all say the same thing), go to see concerts and possibly remember some of it. And try to understand if the situation is really as shitty as it seems.

In the meantime, let me tell you what happened last Saturday at Rodrigo's party. First of all, he got engaged!!! Very well done and we are happy for him. It is a bit strange to think of him as engaged, when he moved to Frankfurt we would have never guessed it. Secondly, next time I see some high heel shoes , with high averaging anywhere between 15 and 20cm, I'd better consider that being 1.74m tall I would feel like a giraffe and think twice about buying them (eheh, there goes your saying about short Italian women: kiss my butt! and you don't even have to kneel down). Thirdly, I had further proof that the world is full of weird people. Fourthly (I don't think this is English, but who cares) the clubs where bankers go suck, which makes me long for Berlin (or for any other town where less than 60% of the population is working in a bank, for that matter). And then on Sunday I had my first bicycle tour ever since I moved to Germany, Ana convinced me that it would make my hangover go away. Which sort of worked, apart from a terrible pain in my butt the next day. So overall everything OK and today I could also walk straight thus avoiding all sort of unneccessary gossip at work.

ciaociao

dolce far niente

miei cari, in case you still haven"t learnt Italian (shame on you!!), the title of this post means something like "how sweet it is not to do anything". So basically today is Saturday, I am at home and, you would never guess it, I am not doing anything. Well, apart from writing here. Then I will get a shower, go meet with the Seidels, go around to see who has the biggest head and then tonight there is Rodrigo's bday party. But without hurrying.
So what happened this week? Basically nothing, apart from 2 considerations: 1) having my own laptop at home is becoming freaking addictive, I come back home at 11PM and still I turn it on to see what happened in the world. This has to stop (that's why I am writing here...) 2) I was taking the piss off Jack for ages because he reads this bullshit business books. Well, I am reading them as well. It still hasn't reached the emergency point, however this has to stop (that's why I have the art of war for women" next to my bed...). But, apart from this, everything is OK.
ciaociao

back from Belgium

miei cari, this weekend I was at Nancy and Tom's wedding in Belgium. The weather was simply fantastic. The whole wedding was extremely well organized, which is surprising especially considering that they have been living in NY for the past months. So on Saturday we first went to the city council to have them officially married, then we were taken around on a boat while being served all sort of nice food and wines. Then at night there was another cerimony and then a fantastic dinner. The meat course, beef layered with goose liver and truffles, was simply unbeatable. And then we started dancing until collapse. The next day we were taken on a tour of Gent, which I had never heard of before but is a beautiful town. And then we decided to come to Frankfurt - still haven't quite understood why, since today is public holiday in Germany and the weather is fantastic.
So today I will do my washing and perhaps go out later.
All for now. Ciaociao

lullaby

cari miei, I am here writing on the computer: my mum is sitting on my sofa (which is my bed in these days, my parents are sleeping in my bed) and is watching some sort of crappy pride and prejudice dvd. Why was I so stupid to take her to bloody Saturn? There is this lady Kira-whatever-her-name-is that right now has some sort of pearls on her hair and is jumping around with a bad looking short moron. Well, anyway. Today I finished reading this extremely nice book called Lullaby from Chuck Palahniuk. OK, if you like sort of she meets the guy of her life and after a lot of adventures and perils they are eventually together for the rest of their life, ehm, then perhaps think again about buying this. To be honest, I could sell it to you as she meets the guy and, after a lot of adventures and perils, they are eventually together. It would be true however slightly misleading. Anyway, it is a really nice book, so read it read it read it (and if you are broke ask me and I lend it to you).
What else happened? Well, we had the surprise of our lives when last week we received a latter from Eugenio and Maike saying that they got married 3 days before. Since I haven't had a chance to talk to the guys, I will suspend any further comment until the chance occurs.
And when I was writing the title of the post I figured out that I didn't tell you about the The Cure concert I went to probably already 1 month ago. Shame on me. Well, will be for another time.
I think the bloody Kira-whatever-her-name-is is in love with another guy. Well, at least this one is not short. Che pallllleeeeeeeeeee.

competition

miei cari, I figured out that my new intelligent laptop doesn't need cables to download the pictures, I just need to stick in the memory card of the camera. So this is one of the best pictures I took.

And now the competition: which one is the worst looking embassy in Berlin? Send your answers, the winner gets a free dinner (together will all the others) at my place.

ich bin ein berliner (mit marmelade)

cari miei, I am eventually back in my flat after spending a couple of days in Berlin with my parents (being their 40th anniversary, I decided to have them do a German tour and meet them in Berlin). To be short: I LOVE BERLIN. And I haven't even been to the *cool*
places. Last time I was there was 2 years ago for the final of the world championship (really cool) and I strongly recommend going there. I used to moan about having money taken from my salary for the unification tax; after being in Berlin and seeing what they are doing with my money, I am very happy I gave it. The town is fantastic, full of history, nice things to see, nice people around with nice hairstiles and nicely dressed (which, being Germany, is basically a miracle), loads of bars, cafes, restaurants, art exhibitions and so on. Right now it comes first in my personal list of town where I would like to move. Fantastic town. I want to go back. And I also found a really cool radio, motor fm.

And for the non Germans or non-living-in-Germany: the famous sentence ich bin ein berliner was said in I don't know when by JF Kennedy. Unfortunately, though, noone told the guy that a berliner is a pastry, usually filled with marmelade (what in Italian we would call a krapfen). This to prove, once more, the truth of: good or bad, as long as they talk about me.