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Italy Trip 2009

Gian and I just got back from our trip to Italy. We were there for two weeks and visited Milano, Bologna, Ferrara, Palermo, Agrigento, and Lake Como. It sounds like a lot, but most of those places were near each other (well, either North or South). It was a beautiful trip and a great opportunity to practice the Italian we’ve learned at from taking Italian language classes through Dante Alighieri. We did a lot of sightseeing but also took advantage of having access to beautiful beaches during the summer. It was perfect!

If you are interested, you can check out all our pictures here!

Nonno Papini’s Eulogy

I thought I had put this online, but somehow did not. Last month, on May 7, my grandfather – Nonno Papini – passed away. Here is his eulogy. You can also read his obituary here.

Making pizza on the BBQ

Gian and I took advantage of the nice weather that returned today to BBQ. We decided to BBQ pizzas, which are quite easy and delicious to do on the grill. Here’s some pictures from our efforts.

Click the picture to see more of our pizza making adventures.

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Interview Day

I’m gearing up for our scholarship interview day at work and I’m surprisingly not nervous. Maybe it’s because I was left with remarkable notes about the process and have had a lot of help. Plus, I’ve been really meticulous about staying organized throughout this process. That might help too. Anyway, wish me luck for Saturday… let’s hope it all goes smoothly.

Central Basics

Yesterday, Gian and I went grocery shopping at Madison Market, which we do every week. We have been members of that Co Op since moving to Capitol Hill (over a year now) and love it. Yesterday, though, was the first time I noticed their “Central Basics” sale pricing. It’s deep discounts on some of the most common bulk and staple items. Yesterday, all kinds of canned beans were on sale. We bought pinto and black beans and chickpeas (to make hummus) for 89 cents a can. There were also huge discounts on bread flour and lentils (about a dollar per quart can filled with each). Can you tell, yesterday was very much recession shopping. I am glad they have this program happening, it certainly softens the grocery bill.

Garbage in Seattle

Lately, I’ve been noticing more garbage/recycling service vehicles in Seattle. During the week, I’ll see 2 or 3 trucks driving around my neighborhood (both near work and home). CleanScapes is the company that manages most of our garbage pickup. The city has made recycling much easier and composting has improved with weekly pickups! I like this…

General updates – mid March to early April

I haven’t been posting much on my site lately. Part of that is because I’ve been using Facebook a lot more. It’s just easier and more convenient. I also have been incredibly busy at work. We’re in the midst of scholarship applicant selection AND I am working on two major new initiatives at work (one is a new internship program we’re starting the other is a new web-based scholarship application for next cycle).

On the home front, our new deck is installed and looks great. Now, we just need consistent sunny days to enjoy it.

What I might start doing is porting my Fb and Flickr updates to this site instead of “actively” posting… but we’ll see how that works out (depending on whether or not I can find good tools to do this).

Doggy Day Care

This pas week, we started bringing Sophocles to doggy day care. The first part of the morning was a little rough for him. By the afternoon, he was having a bit more fun (despite how it looks in the pictures).

If you ever want to see him and other doggies, visit the Downtown Dog Lounge web cam.

Capitol Hill Changes

So, Anchovies & Olives opened earlier than expected. A nice, upscale seafood restaurant is a fun addition (though Gian isn’t too excited). Now, the upper floor of the Oddfellows Building is getting The Tin Table. We’ll have to check it out…

Also, this is exciting reading from the City of Seattle’s web site. It’s the project proposal for the building across from Brix on Broadway. Should be incredible once it’s built. Let’s hope this means an end to MORE QFC’s and Walgreens’ on Broadway.

Destined to be rained upon

Gian and I are having a GREAT time in San Francisco, but it has rained a LOT this weekend. Today was the first clear, sunny day so we went to Sausalito, which was spectacular! Despite the wet weather, we have had a very relaxing and fun trip. We spent most of our time in North Beach and Castro shopping, eating, and just relaxing.