Monday, July 30, 2007
dopo tanta fatica...
...finalmente si va in vacanza!
Questo implica che per le prossime due settimane il blog non verra` aggiornato anche se mi aspetto fior fior di commenti al nostro ritorno, specie da chi e` gia` stato in vacanza quest'estate.
Per quanto riguarda invece il BBQ di venerdi` scorso: alla fine si e` risolto che non serviva portar la propria carne, mettersela sulla griglia e mangiarsela in solitudine; era invece una normalissima grigliata dove "chi voleva portava qc" e il tutto veniva condiviso...
Cmq noi con i nostri cevapcici (amichevolmente chiamati civas) abbiamo fatto una sazia figura.
A questo punto la mia nuova teoria e` che i popoli piccolo-crucchi (tipo crucchi del sud e svizzeri) usino far cosi`... conferme? smentite?
tipo da qc che casualmente vive in Germania?
ok, buona vacanza (a noi)!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
German BBQ
Per una volta mi metto a difendere la abitudini patrie contro le asocialita` dei popoli cruccofoni.
Da quando siamo qui ad Amsterdam siamo stati invitati a due barbeques (o, se preferite, l'italianissimo "grigliata"), il primo in Cermania, organizzato da un ragazzo tedesco (non Ratzinger), il secondo qui in Olanda, organizzato da un ragazzo olandese (non van Ratzinger).
Il figo e` che per la seconda volta ci e` stato chiesto di "portarsi la propria carne da mettere sulla griglia da casa".
Eh??? Cioe` mi chiedi di venire alla tua festa e devo portarmi il cibo da casa?
Si, ma non solo: non e` che poi la` si condivide tutto (del tipo "ciascuno porta qc") ma ognuno si mangia in un angolino la propria roba e si beve la birra che si e` portato da casa... ma quanto triste e`???
Cmq mi son fatto un po' di statistica e devo dir che, spezzando una lancia in testa ad un olandese, tutti i dutch a cui ho chiesto (Martijn e Minko) rinnegano questa attitudine e la bollano come tedesca o amerikana, mentre tutti i tedeschi a cui l'ho chiesto mi hanno confermato l'usanza.
Purtuttavia il dubbio rimane (almeno fino a venerdi` che ci sara` sto BBQ)
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
mestamente...
(aka: chi se ne frega di un albero che cade nel silenzio del bosco?)
ok, dopo il fallimentare tentativo del blog in inglese che io avevo fortemente caldeggiato, decido per un colpo di mano (autoerotismo mentale?) di approfittare dell'assenza di eleonora (attualmente e` a 40km al largo della costa sud francese) - che cmq credo sia favorevole - per ritornare alla lingua dei padri (non miei cmq, visto che parlano in dialetto).
Lo faccio a malincuore ma spero questo renda il blog un po' piu` pop, e quindi appetibile (la prossima mossa sara` un banner porno).
Comunque sia, come si vede chiaramente dall'immagine, siamo andati a vedere Transformers, the Movie. Beh, figo no? A parte il fatto che potevano benissimo fare 3 ore senza dialoghi ne` uomini e mostrare solo roboti (plurale di robot in ceco) che si trasformano e soddisfare cmq tutti, il film era guardabile, no?
Ok, loro erano diversi dai cartoni, megatron non si trasformava in pistola, e non c'era soundblaster... pero` per il resto mi sono piaciuti.
Poi il fatto che il mio personaggio preferito, Starscream, sia sopravvissuto (anche se speravo vincessero per una volta i cattivi... maledetti autobot-americani) e` motivo di gioia comune.
Tuttavia potevano sforzarsi un pelin di piu`, tipo:
perche` non hanno usato una colonna sonora ricalcante la sigla del cartone????
bestemmie...
ok, cmq alla fine son stato soddisfatto.
specie alla fine quando il robot Parisi dichiara al mondo che alle primarie degli autobot votera` per Rosy Bindi (o era Susy Blady?)
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Garlic Queen (or garlic queer??)
Last Sunday we wanted to go to the cinema to see Transformers, but when we were there 4 hours before the show there was a queue of tens of meters OUTSIDE the cinema... so, also considering the fact that it was probably the only day of summer (that was more what I call Spring, but still far better then the normal Autumn!), we decided to have a walk around the city, trying to do some nice pictures and enjoying Amsterdam under the sunlight (it's easier to see a rich guy passing in the eye of a needle...). So, at dinner time (that it's an average between the normal dinner time and the dutch dinner time) we started to think about a restaurant... and why not try this amazing garlic Queer? I mean, Queen? It's in the most fashion (fascion) street of Amsterdam, where all the cocktail bars and fancy restaurant are, and it sounded nice. Indeed it was very nice. Probably too expensive for what we got, but we even receive a nice pin with written "Sorry, I've just eaten at Garlic Queen"... Only one pin because I think the waiter consider that Ermes has improved after the dinner (... :o)) ) It was very nice, all the dishes had a big amount of garic in, although it was much lighter then I expected, so we were not so smelly afterward... The grill with Francesco is definitively a more touching experience...
Anyway, if you want to have a look at the menu go to http://www.garlicqueen.nl/index.php?lang=en
It's worthy a look! :)
Sunday, July 01, 2007
TT Assen
Hi Everybody!!
So, here our last adventure... We have been to the TT circuit in Assen to support Valentino Rossi!!!!! And, as you may know, our support has been essential, because he finally won!
Well, the day started well, we wake up, took the car and start our trip to Assen. At few kilometers from the circuit there was the police that made all the cars exit from the highway, because there were far tooo many motorcycles, so there was no space for cars. Unfortunatly, outside the highway there were no signs or anything to help us reaching out destination, so it took us a while. What's more, the parking for the cars was right on the opposite side of our tribune, so we had to walk all around the circuit to get to our places. The 125cc motorcycles were anyway faster the we were walking, so, the race finished before we reached the places and we were just in time to hear the Italian Hymn. Then we have followed the 250cc race, but when the first motorbike of the motogp passed across we could really hear the difference. Each of these motorbikes makes the same noise of a jet plane. You can imagine 30 of them. Amazing!
We were quite lucky with our position, becaus ewe where just before the last turn, where all the overtaking took place. So, every lap, all the public stood up to see if Rossi was overtaking somebody, and for 11 times it was a great show!! Very exciting! Incredibly, it was the first day after almost 3 weeks in which it was not constantly raining, but there was almost the sun... so, good weather for Vale!
After the race we had another walk all around the circuit, so I bought a ot of cool merchandise of Valentino Rossi, but I didn't manage to get the autograph, he probably flew away witha n helicopter (no jokes).
But the show continued in the queue of the highway... It seems that the Dutch people has never seen a motorcycle in their life... in some way I can believe it, because are not so common as in Italy, but still... It's true that there were more then 5 thousand bikes that from the circuit were driving back home through the highway, and the cars in queue (including us) were leaving a plenty of space to all the motos to pass. Butyou cannot imagine, there were hundreds, thousand of Dutch having picnic in the border of the highway or standing on the bridges over the way to watch the motorbikes...Amazing... At a certain point it even started to rain, but still people was standing there like fools... I can't understand them.... Anyway, it was a great day, I really enjouy! And I sow Valentino Rossi, so I'm super happy!! And he won, so ... WOW!!!!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Politically scorrect....
We don't want to let people think we claim the pope doesn't respect other countries. Here another picture that shows how good he is in integrating in other societies....
Sunday, May 13, 2007
TRIVIA of the week
Ehy people!! TWO free beers for who guess who is the guy in the picture!! Vote in the poll and write your name and choice in the post!! Beers are waiting you....!!!P.S. The most voted superheros are spare Superman and Spiderman.... how ordinary....
Thursday, May 10, 2007
smoke on the water
I've already had this bad impression, but yesterday I had the proof: the water is not my natural element.
When I was in the US I already used to be the slowest of the pool (and the poll), after puckered old men, pregnant women, drowning kids; but yesterday it was terrible!
Even the old women in the jacuzzi were faster than me (and they were lying still!).
The lowest complaint I received has been: "it looks like you're swimming on a treadmill".
I'm sick of the water.
Let's cheers with beer!
Monday, May 07, 2007
Erasmus Meeting
Here we are after a weekend of paties!!!
It has been great! Four of my friends from the Erasmus in Paris came to visit me here in Amsterdam. For few days it has been like doing the Erasmus again, this time in Amsterdam! (It would have been also nice!). We have done a barbeque in a park, drank a lot of beer, eat a lot of food, walked around the city and of course chatted a lot about the old old days!!
I am very very glad to have seen them again and I'm really looking forward for the next Erasmus meeting! This time in London, then!! Super cool!
Guys, thank you very much to have come and I love youuuu!!!!!
So, what I would like to say about this weekend apart for the meeting, is that here in Amsterdam on friday and saturday there were two celebrations of something "serious". The 4th of May it is the Dodenherdenking, the day of the deads, so in this day at 8 p.m. there is one minute of silence to commemorate all the people who died during the second world war. The 5th of May it is Bevrijdingsdag, in which the liberation from the german occupation at the end of the second world war is commemorated. It is interesting because this last commemoration nowadays it's not only the commemoration of the end of the world war, but it is an important moment to think about all the wars in general, so in the mueum plain there are few concerts and a lot of markets to collect money for war children around the world, or for creating hospitals and all these movements for peace in general. I find it particulary interesting because for the end of the second world war in Italy there are only a bunch of politicians that thanks the americans for having freed us (while we where not really invaded...) and take the occasion to underline how good are the americans and as they have helped us they can also help the middle east countries... Instead, I think it's much better to commemorate this date trying to avoid the same error, and feeling the pain for what has happened in the 40ies, avoid to inflict or to let other people inflict the same pain to other populations....
So, it's not true that all the celebration here are fancy and pointless....
Friday, May 04, 2007
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Koninginnedag
Hey Everybody!!So, here there's our last adventure, the Queen's Day!! If you want to have a look at the pictures, as always, you can go in the site http://picasaweb.google.it/ellyon17/Koninginnedag2007
So, what is it... the Queen's Day is THE national holiday in the Netherlands, and it is the birthday of the Queen. The 30 of April is actually the birthday of the former queen, Queen Giuliana, but this one, Beatrix, decided to keep this date because her birthday is in January and it's not the best period for an outdoor party in the Netherlands....
Originally the Queen's day is famous because is the only day in the year when people are allowed to sell everything on the street, to have the 'vrijmarkt', the free market. Now it is still like this, so you can buy literaly any shit you like, but it also a good occasion to have music and concerts and different events all around the city.
Well, I think that it is definitively the best day to visit Amsterdam! It's incredibly full of people, there was almost one million people around the city, and markets everywhere, and music, big stages, small stages, everything you ever wanted but you've never dared to ask it's there for you. Rivers of beer and food, baked ham, orange sweeties and cakes, really, everything!
We have walked around the city for something like 10 hours, we've seen some of the biggest events in the city but it was really impossible to attend to all of them, as there where tens of big concerts in the same moment in different parts of the city.
Of course the Queen didn't show up, she probably prefer to stay in small towns shaking hands to small children, but dutch people where really fond in taking fun of her all around the city.
It was a great great party, probably the best I've never seen in my life! But now... here I am back to work, because these Dutch don't celebrate the 1st of May (probably the only country in the world), and waiting for the next year Queen's day.....
Monday, April 23, 2007
U Pylos
Hello everybody!
Here I am back from my trip to Greece... and as I can see there is a PLENTY of people who have written some text, that wanted to share their ideas, it is SO cool to have all these friends around the world but feeling them so close coming in this blog....
.....
.....
Ok, I needed it.
Anyway, here I am back from Greece. As always, Greece it is always a great country to me, and greeks people are very nice. I mainly spend the whole week with the greeks, working on my program, and they have surprised me (I have to admit) for how well organised and well prepared they are. They offered me to go in Greece after the phd, and I will seriously think about that. Unfortunately the weather was not so good, it was probably the only week in which the weather was nicer in the Netherlands then in Greece, but still I manage to have a swim, although I really freeze.
What I will surely remember from this week was:
1) The roasted pig night
2) the octopus, ouzo and friutra mista night!
Something nobody wants to miss....
Please, visit here to check out the pictures!!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
"That African island that Italians keep calling Sicily"
Good Morning, Italy!As promised, here we are again...
It seems that lately we are visiting more and more continents... before America, now Sicily...!!
Well, fist of all, check out the pictures in the usual website http://picasaweb.google.com/ellyon17
Then, some description....
It's a bit hard, I don't know where to start. What I think it is important to say before starting is that Sicily is surely seen differently from people who come from abroad and people from Italy. For people coming from abroad (I got some impression from Guus & others) it is exaclty the stereotype of Italy. For people from Italy it is exaclty the stereotype we think others have of Italy and we want to fight with.
What I want to say is that everything is very nice and very folkloristic to visit and to live, but if you come from the same country, you are under the same laws and you live in the same society, you are a bit disappointed and you start to think about all the fines and the taxes you have paid, and that there are not existing... But, after you overpass this first feeling of injustice, you can start to enjoy the sun and the life there. All the good & the bad things you can find everywhere in Italy, there are to the hundreds.... the weather is extremely good, the food is extremely good, the cars traffic is extremely caotic and dangerous, the tendence of ignoring the rules has become a sort rule to ignore the rules, the disorganization has reach the highest levels, but the people is very friendly, after they have understood you are friendly too. From this point of view, it is maybe the opposite then in the Netherlands. Here people are always friendly and kind with everyone, without knowing, but then, to increase the level of the relationship is maybe harder. In Italy, and moreover in Sicliy, people are always diffident at the first sight, but then they are very friendly. I think that the reason is because the society makes you untrustful in respect of other people, because there is no a real society, there is only the rule that you have to think about your own good by yourself, and other may eventually risk your good, so be ready to fight! But then, when you realise that they don't want to damage you, then everybody is your friend. It may seem a good option, but I can tell you that living all your life like this is pretty stressful. And this kind of behaving is quite clear when they are driving: they don't know who's driving the other cars, so they are very much aggressive. But then, of course, there are also quite funny sides of this! One evening (but it was late afternoon more then evening) we were walking arount the very center of Siracusa and we have seen four (four!! 4!! FOUR!) smiling and joyful girls on one scooter.... FOUR ON ONE SMALL TINY SCOOTER!!! Of course none of them had the helmet, but come on, who notice the helmet in such cases?!?!?!?!
In the end, I can say it was a great holiday, I enjoyed it very much, I was maybe too much conditioned by the tendency of comparing it with Trieste (that most of them will keep calling Austria...), but without thinking of it, it was really great!! And, by the way... after 5 days we were there most of the people still didn't believe that me and Ermes were Italians!! They were always trying to speak in English, although their English was most of the time just Italian, but spoken slower... and the fact we were understanding what they were talking about didn't help them in believing we are Italians..... Maybe it's because of our Dutch accent!!
Friday, April 06, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Money Money Money
Italy is now present with its troups in 20 countries, with 24 missions. The Prodi gouvernment had set an amount of money of 1.040,5 milions of euros for military missions. And this only for the year 2007. I am working abroad, also. But I'm not paid by Prodi. And he doesn't seem so interested to have me back. Ok, maybe I'm not such a good scientist, but I'm surely more useful then a bunch of fascist soldier that hang around raping girls in the middle east.
On the other hand, the last financial balance for the 2007 gives, in TOTAL, 230 milions of euros for the ministry of university and research. (against the 1040,5 milions ONLY for foreign missions). These milions are distributed in this way:
30 milions for research institutes (for the proposition of Montalcini)
70 M for the universities
100M for the budget
20 M to give a permanent position to the researchers
7,5 M for new jobs
Well... maybe even if I am happy that the gouvernment didn't fell, I would like to ask to this gouverment to think again about its priorities.... and then let me know where I have to buy the house....
Sunday, March 25, 2007
New post
I don't know what to write, but I feel the moment has come to write a new post: all the quiz has been answered, I have won a beer, and we decided what to do for Small Easter.... don't we? Finally where do we go? the poll suggest Sistiana....
Anyway, I think that Moris has proposed a new nice trick... the quiz! So.. from which movie this dialogue has been taken?
"
- I like to dress in women's clothing.
- You're a fruit?
- No, not at all. I love women. Wearing their clothes makes me feel closer to them.
- You're not a fruit?
- No, I'm all man. I even fought in WWII. Of course, I was wearing women's undergarments under my uniform.
"
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Saint Patrick's Day
So...Yesterday was Saint Patrick's Day (aka "just another reason to drink")!
Since in the afternoon there was also the rugby match between Italy and Ireland (and Ireland had the chance to win the 6 nations) we decided to watch it in an Irish pub, having an Irish breakfast (at 14:30; that required to synchronize the day and the wake-up on that time), drink a reasonable amount of beer, get beaten by a reasonable amount of drunk Irish men and then keep drinking at some Saint Patrick's party somewhere around in Amsterdam.
The plan was nice but the breakfast-beer caused more effect than we expected. So we ended to have headache at 14:35. Moreover Italy lost the match (with a honest 24-51) so there were no reason to be beaten.
So we tried to cure the headache drinking more beer ("to drink Guinnes is the same as to eat something, so it will work") without success. At the end we had our (Saint Patrick's) Indian dinner with a non-reasonable amount of spicyness and some other beers.
However this Saint Patrick's day was nothing special so we have to try again at the Small Easter(n) Party!
"To Alcohol! The cause of... and solution to... all life's problems."
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Poll results and conclusions
And, it seems is time to change the poll and to decide what to do to Pasquetta (Little Easter or Pasentje)!
Friday, March 09, 2007
The Future of the Blog
(It would be nice that when you vote you also put a comment - You can do it in Italian for this time)
Thursday, March 01, 2007
The Big Fruit Salad
Good Morning, Europe!
So, here we are back in the old, but always beloved, continent. I guess some of you may be interested in a description of our Manhattan experience. So, here we are. First of all, if you want to follow the story with some pictures, let's go to the usual website: http://picasaweb.google.com/ellyon17 and check it out.
Well, the first impression when you get out from the subway in the heart of Manhattan, just one street after Time Square, it's not the one you had imagined. Or at least I had imagined. I have to say that the picture I had in mind of New York was given by movies such as Breakfast at Tiffany's, You've Got Mail, Sabrina, the last Devil wears Prada and, of course, all the movies of Woody Allen. Well, forget about it. Ok, if you look carefully you can find the shoots of these movies, but you have to dig under meters of dirt and rubbish. Anyway, after a while, when you have realised that things are not bright and shining as in the movies, you can start to appreciate the city for what it really is (although it's impossible for me to deny a bit of general disappointment). Anyway, our hotel was on the 55th, so no more than 10 minutes walking to Time Square. That's why the first night we have hanged around there (I suffered the jet lag for the first few days): we have eaten shrimps at the Bubba Gump Shrimps and we have walked around there. It is always quite dirty, but in the night it's easier to look up instead of down, so you tend to see more the lights and the shining commercials on the skyscrapers.
The following day we walked around the Fifth av. as I had to buy a dress to go to the Metropolitan the next day. The stores are expensive (not incredibly expensive, mostly cheaper than in Europe, but more expensive than in the rest of the city), and a lot of them are quite elegant and chic, like Cartier or Saks, but between a Chanel and a Prada store there is always a H&M, and it doesn't seems they can really recognise the difference. What really cheered up my day was the visit to the Sony store, it was really great!The famous Apple style can disappear in front of the Sony style!
The weather was nice, so we also went to the top of the Rockfeller building, and Manhattan looks much nicer from above (the rubbish is too far away).
The next day we went to visit the Central Park Zoo, and it was nothing like the Madagascar Zoo, although there were the penguins (also the Gentoo Penguin! no Kubuntu, though... ;-) ). The evening has surely been the best in the week, as we have been to the Met. The orchestra, as well as the singers, were exceptional, and I think it will be hard to listen again to something like this. There was La Traviata of Zaffirelli, so finally the scenes were as good as Verdi thought of, and probably much better. The theater was really beautiful and the acustic great, we had a very good place, first row and central. Everything was perfect. What has to be noted is there there were really few americans inside. Most of the people were italian-speaking or japanese/corean. Probably most of them had an american passport (the couple seated next to us were italians, but arrived in NY in the 1954...), but it seemed to me that if an american had 80 euros to spend, prefer to go to the Madison Square Garden...
The third day we have done a trip to the Liberty Statue and to Ellis Island. There was a hell of wind, and it was so cold as I have never experienced before. The entire trip was with a boat in which they stored something like 1000 turists, probably to make us feeling the experience of the ancient immigrants... To enter in this boat we had to stay in queue for like 2 hours, and to pass through a metal detector and to be checked completely... these are the kind of things that make you hope to have a plane to crush on their heads.... anyway, the visit was not the most interesting ever, the statue was a statue (that have already been seen in Paris) and Ellis Island was just a big empty room where they use to store people.
In the evening we went to see the Phantom of the Opera in Broadway, and it was really nice, although in this case there were quite a lot of americans, and you could understand it by the mobiles ringing, the noise and the discouraging dumbness you could feel around. Probably more that what you could feel in the Madison Square Garden, I think this is because here people wanted to look intellectual, while to the match you just want to have fun, and it is more normal to shout and be a bit mad. Indeed the NBA match we went to see the last evening was really fun. People where more polite than the people usually following sports in Italy (maybe it's the football that collect only the beasts around, maybe the football or, for them, the baseball has the same effect in U.S. ...) and the show was good. Between the quarters there were few shows of dancers, acrobats and magicians, and the match itself was really exciting. It was Knicks against Miami, and NY won for few points after a well fighted match. Pretty good. Shaquille O'neil was a bit disappointing because he spent all his time doing faults, but I guess it's more or less his job. Anyway, it's impressive how big he is....
The previous day we went in China Town. Funny place! Little Italy is a depressing street that, as Ermes has probably already told, is almost (luckly) disappeared in advantage of Chinatown.
We had good luck because in the Sunday we were there they were celebrating the Chinese New Year, so we have seen the parade and eaten spring rolls... cool.
In fact we have eaten almost every night in a mexican restourant, where you normally dine drinking Margarita Frozen.... not bad.
So, finally, everything I enjoyed in NY was not American, but European or Chinese or Mexican... I'm very happy not to live there and I'm always more and more proud of being European. The main problem in U.S. is the society, which is really primitive, it is based on hating the others and to be scared by the others. Everywhere they check you, everywhere there are signal of fear for whatever, bombs, attacks, guns, illness... In the metro there was even a poster of a medical insurance that was trying to sell some medicine(probably a kind of aspirine....) and it was written :"Influenza can kill! Save your children!"... Come on, I should have died 100 times!! Or "If you see something (a picture of a bad guy with a gun) say something (a picture of a woman shouting)", "Illegal gun: 3 years of jail", and a lot of other signs about terrorism and so on.... but come on!! Who the hell you think you are? It's incredible how they are afraid you want to stay there forever, in the airport they asked me hundreds of question about where I will stay, adress of the hotel, how long I was planning to stay, why, what I want to do there and bla bla bla.... but when all the american turist come here in Amsterdam to kill themselves with joints we don't bother them so much! And life here is so incredibly better then there, I really cannot imagine why someone should want to leave our beautyful city to go in that crap. Unless, of course, you're a millionaire... in that case you can enjoy the Opera and have a nice clean appartment next to the one of Woody Allen, you go around only in taxi or with a private car with driver and you probably have much to do everyday.... We have lived more or less like millionaire in these days, so we have enjoyed the holiday pretty much, but I don't think I would spend there more then few days....
Enjoy Europe!
Sunday, February 18, 2007
The Empire State 2.3
Happy New Year!
As you all know, the year of the Fire Pig has begun.
That means fortune and fertility for everyone!
To celebrate this event I decided to go to Flushing - the Asian neighborhood in Queens - to attend to the Lunar New Year Parade with some friends of mine (with the fundamental supervision of a Chinese girl).
Actually the parade was for both the Chinese and Korean community (but the Korean part sucks as compared with the Chinese one) but at a certain point they split and we followed the Chinese one going to a market place for more celebrations.
I had my rate of dragons and red lanterns, Pekin ducks and amazing fishes, harp music and green tea cakes...
I'm quite satisfied: here in the States I had the chance to know and learn something more about these eastern folks (I had also very good impressions about three Japanese people during my staying here) and they very fascinating.
And moreover the number of bad words I know in Chinese is increasing!
AND now I know what's the meaning of the spheres the white dragon grabs in the Bhutan flag (I know you all were wandering about that): it's the symbol of power and wealth...
What shall I ask more from the Fire Pig year?
probably more RAM...
and anyway, quoting the wise (Sun Tzu): "of the (Fire) Pig one doesn't throw anything away"
PS: I'm going to take a week off so see you in March from The Netherparts!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
The Empire State 2.2
(aka: previously on lost)Here we are.
My long stay in The Empire State (and neighboring states) is on its way: the next week end I'll go to The Queens for the Chinese New Year Parade and after that I'm going to take a week off so this will be one of the last upgrades of The Empire State 2.
So its time for summarize and for draft a ranking of the cities I visited.
All four are of course American cities (huge and spread out urban areas, built for cars and without a city center) so they are very different from the cities in Europe; anyway: New York City is obviously the best. There are so many things to do and to see that you feel nearly to be in a real city. Its problem is that it's a (too) well known place, especially from movies, so when you see something interesting you live a sort of deja vu that makes you not to be able to appreciate it completely. But still...
Boston is also a nice place especially because it is the only (big) city in the US built before the car era. That means that the street and the districts are human and you can walk through the old city and see some other people around you (instead of yellow cabs). Cons: a huge Little Italy and a typical (New) English weather.
On the contrary the other two cities (Washington and Philadelphia) are a bit boring. Actually if you like federal buildings and war memorials (Washington) or "old" houses (200 years) and items from the US independence (Philly) they are full of those.
If you don't, then they have not so many thing to offer...
Anyway in Washington you can visit a Space Museum with the residues of the Soviet Union while in Philadelphia you can enjoy the Cheese-steak!!
In general also here it is true that the souther you go the better you eat (as everywhere).
I have still to prove that the souther you go the bidetter you find
see you
ps: picture here: http://picasaweb.google.com/keterelyon
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Italians & Dutch
Brief compendium of the Italian & Dutch way of life.... today I experienced both.
First of all, this morning I had to go to the Italian Consulat in Amsterdam, to get the passport stamp to go in the States. Going there it is like entering in a movie, from some point of view an horror movie, but for sure in a science fiction movie, because such things are not happening in real life.....
So, first of all I was in front of the Consulat at 9.55 (it opens at 10, from 10 to 12, you can take your time...) and there was already few people standing in queue. The funny thing is that when they opened, at 10.00, they let enter only 2 people per time, and everybody else was just standing below a sort of metal detector that was by all means a fake.
When I finally manage to enter there is a nice folkloristic guy giving you a random number to wait for your turn (Do you know the Tim Burton's movie Beetle Juice). And when I say random, I mean random, in fact sometimes he gives the same number several times to different people ("Eh, può succedere..."). Anyway the bright side is that you didn't need the number at all, because there are no screens or any other way to know who is being served or who is before you.
Served? Did I say served? Because actually there were three desks, but hardly one person behind them, doing whatever he wanted. He was eventually calling someone to serve him, but there was no order at all, and after he finished with one person (mean time 15minutes) he disappeared for like 10 minutes doing God knows what. Luckily I was like the third in the queue, so I had to wait only 50 minutes. When finally my turn arrived I went to the desk, and I asked for a stamp for the passport. He stared at me distrustfully and he asked me since when I was registered in Amsterdam. I told him 7 months and he looked satisfied... It's a proper amount of time to be considered by the Italian burocracy. He asked me 40.30€ and I gave him 50.30 (I didn't want to pay by pin-card because the italian consulat is the only place in The Netherlands where you have to pay 0.40€ of commission to use the card, everywhere else is free...) and he told me he would have be back in 5 minutes. On the spot I thought "What the hell, five minutes to get a stamp?!?". After almost 20 minutes I realised he has been quite optimistic. In the meanwhile few people has passed in front of me, of course, while a poor Dutch guy had the number just after mine but as he was slow in understanding numbers (of course, the "calls" were only in Italian) he has been overtaken by something like 5 people. When I finally get my stamp (the guy at the desk was kind enough to change also the residence location on my passport) and my money back, I pushed the Dutch guy in front, telling to the desk-man it was his turn and I left. I heard behind me few voices complaining and insulting the Dutch guy because he hasn't been fast enough. When the door closed behind me, I felt in a free country again.
Unlukily I didn't know that to complete the morning I had to experience also the Dutch life. So when I get back to my bike I found the front tire flat again. It is the third time in 4 days, and I was a bit annoyed, also considering that last Saturday I changed the whole inner tire, just to be sure. I pumped it (now I always ride around with a fietspump, and all the other stuff you need to repair a bike) and I get at Nikhef. There, Gordon has shown all his Dutchiness and he fixed my tire in a time record and in front of all the nikhef, having transported the bike inside. Now it seems ok again, hopefully it will last a little longer. That was fast, so Holland-Italy 1-0...
Monday, February 05, 2007
The Empire State 2.1
(aka weekly review on the physics we're onto; coming soon on PPT presentation)Here I am again, after the Potential Most Boring Week End in the History of Mankind.
At the moment I'm watching the XLI Super Bowl (Indianapolis Colt: 19 - Chicago Bears: 14 , six minutes to the end of third quarter) and yesterday I had my first Campbell's soup; so I can say my work here is finished, I'm quite satisfied.
Actually the condensed soup needed the addition of milk I didn't have so it turned to be a sort of watered-down condensed stuff smelling like fish but tasting like potatoes. Not so bad.
Especially because I cooled it down out of the window so that it regain a bit of its consistence (am I the only one in the world who likes the cool soups?).
I know: I'm ready to live under a bridge.
Speaking of bridges I have to note down the most stupid bridge of the known (by me) world: the Kosciuszko Bridge. It connects The Queens to Brooklyn (Interstate 278 or Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) and it's a ill-proportioned enormous bridge over a very small naked canal; it's really impressive also because while you're travelling on it you don't realize it's over some water.
However it offers the possibility of the complete view of Manhattan (it's quite far from that) and I think it's the best place for take a picture of the whole borough, even if it is not possible to walk on it (it's a bridge planned only for cars, as everything here after all) and you can't stop the car over there.
So here it comes its uselessness.
Cheers
Saturday, January 27, 2007
New features
I followed the suggestion of a new advertisement for my blog, so here there is the "Tell a friend" button, so you can suggest your friends to visit my blog.
And, (thanks to Giovanni) for who has stress problem, here you can also help yourself punching as much as you want mr. Berlusconi! So, have fun!
The Empire State 2.0
(aka weekly review on the physics we're into)
Yes, I'm back in the land of the brave and the home of the free (turkeys).
Everything is like I expected to be: veeeery cold (-13 Celsius at noon) and snowy, veeeery geese and turkey (the adverb of being turkey), veeeery far from home.
I'm going to stay here in the long long island for another month so I decide to update (and upgrade) the last version of the review.
The question that bothers my sleep in these first days is: what the hell the turkeys do during winter?
Do they migrate to New Jersey?
Do they hole up in some holes in the ground?
Do they just wait for the next thanksgiving?
Are they a seasonal animal or can they survive more than a year (if they are not so inductivist to escape the thanksgiving)?
Why are they still here and they keep going around in flocks also with -20 degrees?
Why are they staring at me when I go out in the morning?
obsession...
Anyway, the pictures are always in the same place (follow the link above) but this time I decided to take just the pictures I like, so be prepared to just a few boring images of trees and don't tease me.
obsession...
Yes, I'm back in the land of the brave and the home of the free (turkeys).
Everything is like I expected to be: veeeery cold (-13 Celsius at noon) and snowy, veeeery geese and turkey (the adverb of being turkey), veeeery far from home.
I'm going to stay here in the long long island for another month so I decide to update (and upgrade) the last version of the review.
The question that bothers my sleep in these first days is: what the hell the turkeys do during winter?
Do they migrate to New Jersey?
Do they hole up in some holes in the ground?
Do they just wait for the next thanksgiving?
Are they a seasonal animal or can they survive more than a year (if they are not so inductivist to escape the thanksgiving)?
Why are they still here and they keep going around in flocks also with -20 degrees?
Why are they staring at me when I go out in the morning?
obsession...
Anyway, the pictures are always in the same place (follow the link above) but this time I decided to take just the pictures I like, so be prepared to just a few boring images of trees and don't tease me.
obsession...
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
New Blog design!!
- New green design
- New language: from this moment on, only English is allowed
- New links!
- New hit counter, poll section & the big news: a Guest map! Put a flag on your city!
- Feeds reader in the bottom of the page (Repubblica & Hardware Upgrade)
Any comment will be welcome!!!
De muis in de huis
Ora il sondaggio è più sul sociale, vedremo cosa vi aspettate dal futuro!!
Monday, January 15, 2007
Corso di olandese
Ho appena cominciato un corso di olandese... figo... a parte la pronuncia che secondo me è assolutamente impossibile...ma sembra divertente!!Ho messo anche un sondaggio a riguardo, per vedere come ve la cavate voi!!
Monday, January 01, 2007
Anno Nuovo
Non ho scritto per un bel po' a causa dell vacanze natalizie, Ermes e` tornato, siamo tornati a Ts per le feste, e tutti vissero felici e contenti....
Che dire...
cerchiamo di ripristinare il blog, anno nuovo blog nuovo!!
Proposte?
Continuiamo con la cosa dei sondaggi?
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Ecco il nuovo sondaggio...
Accorrete numerosi, che se quasto sondaggio va bene, potrebbe non essere l'ultimo....
Monday, December 04, 2006
Nobel Winners in Stockholm
Eccomi qui... sono stata nel weekend a Stoccolma per ritirare il mio Nobel... Gli altri sono i miei colleghi, ne abbiamo uno a testa(di Nobel). La città è molto bella e, in questo periodo, molto Natalizia. Fanno una cosa che chiamano Glog (con 2 puntini sulla o) e che è un brulé più dolce e con della frutta secca dentro. Non male.... Le foto sono sul solito http://picasaweb.google.com/ellyon17/Per il resto il nostro stile di vita non ci permetteva di apprezzare la luce del giorno, visto che il sole tramonta subito dopo l'ora di pranzo, e noi in quel momento generalmente facevamo colazione.... C'è una specie di museo open air, con mercatini di Natale che vendevano carne di renna (di Babbo Natale), ornamenti di ossi vichinghi (tra l'altro vichingo in svedese si pronuncia come vinegar, aceto) e babbucce di pelo di renna (la stessa della carne credo). Nello stesso museo c'era anche un tipo zoo, ma l'attrazione principale, un orso bruno, era giustamente in letargo, per cui non lo abbiamo visto. Ma c'era una mangusta, ed era cmq abbastanza divertente. Per consolarci del freddo e del buio la sera andavamo a ballare (facendo una coda di minimo mezz'ora per entrare in un locale con musica a tutto volume, birra a 5 euro e pula ovunque), e l'ultima sera siamo andati in un bel locale fatto su una barca, con una specie di festa hawaiiana...divertente!
Ora devo preparare ben 2 talks per il CERN, dove vado la settimana prossima, per cui ci si sente!!
Saturday, December 02, 2006
a "grande" richiesta
uff...ok, lo scorso week end ho approfittato del ponte di 4 giorni per il ringraziamento e sono andato a Washington.
La citta` e` stata costruita nel 1790, ideata apposta per essere la capitale del nascente impero; nei primi secoli (1) della sua vita era abitata sostanzialmente da politici e affini mentre nei secoli successivi (1) ha subito l'ondata d'immigrazione da parte di hyphenated americans; questa piu` o meno e` la situazione ancora oggi (anche se negli ultimi vent'anni hanno cercato di renderla piu` vivibile): un centro senza gente e costellato di palazzoni federali, musei e memorials e un anello di case attorno popolato (ora) da portoricani; tuttosommato la vera citta` e` questa.
La parte turistica e` un prato enorme ("The National Mall") centrato sull'obelisco (Washington Memorial); attorno ci sono la casa bianca, il campidoglio, vari musei e una serie infinita di memorials: Lincoln, Jefferson, Roosvelt (F.D.), Martin Luther King (Jr.), guerra in corea, guerra in vietnam, veterani, olocausto, etc. Tutto molto pomposetto.
Al di fuori di questo "centro federale" non c'e` molto: non esiste un vero e proprio centro (per legge non si possono costruire palazzoni alti stile new york per non oscurare i memorials) e alla sera la gente si riunisce all'incrocio tra le due vie principali (come a monfalcone circa).
Di interessante ho visto i museo dello spazio (anche se era un pelin filo americano) e una "statua" che e` la stessa che c'e` in piazza ad Utrecht.
Ma non capisco perche` tutti interessati a washington e nessuno mi ha chiesto niente di boston... boh...
Comunque alla fine sono contento di esserci stato, e` stato interessante.
Il cielo era bello e faceva caldo.
Poi siamo ritornati a casa.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Viaggio nell'Empire State X
aka "rubrica settimanale di komunismo".
Insomma 'sti russi sono una delusione! Qui al laboratorio c'e` una marea di gente che e` venuta da Mosca (Protvino) anni fa per lavorare in Amerika e invece di spiegare agli amerikani la storia della guerra fredda, si succubizzano (e incubizzano) e girano in nike e cappellino.
E io finisco per ascoltare un amerikano chiedere ad un russo "ma voi in russia avete le expressway?" e lui rispondere "no, solo le autostrade" (tra l'altro autostrada in russo si dice "autostrada"), e l'amerikano "iiiiiih, neanche le expressway avete!". Intanto continuo a collezionare cimeli da riportare in Italia (le opere d'arte rubate dagli USA che rutelli vuole indietro) come si vede nella foto.
A parte questo, giovedi` qui era il giorno del ringraziamento e io l'ho passato a cena col mio capo (e famiglia) e mangiare un tipicissimo tacchino (induttivista), stuffing, cranberry jam, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie e pecan pie; tutto abbastanza buono (certo che un porco allo spiedo tipo in croazia...).
Ah, come si vede dalla foto sono stato a Washington, ma di questo taccio (essendo il post intitolato all'Empire State).
Ah, un jelly bean a chi indovina chi ha vinto la guerra fredda.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Il mio primo Albero di Natale
Ecco a voi il mio primo Albero di Natale fatto tutto da sola. Certo, non mi sarei mai aspettata che il mio primo Albero di Natale nella mia casa lo avrei fatto da sola... ma d'altro canto, ci sono tante cose che non mi sarei aspettata, e non tutte sono negative, anzi. Per cui me lo sono fatta da sola. Come è facile notare, non è ancora finito. Nuts Lack, mancanza di palle.... in tutti i sensi possibili e immaginabili, e anche di più. Beh, comunque ho tempo per finirlo. L'ho fatto con largo anticipo, visto che i prossimi weekend andrò via, e poi torno a Trieste, per cui non avrei avuto tempo per godermelo....
E siccome mi piace condividerlo con altri, lo metto sul Blog!!
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Nuovo Sondaggio
Per favore, evitate di rivotare, se no non è più divertente!!
P.S. Dopo che vedo che lo stesso ip ha votato due volte lo banno...
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Juvanji-Baster
Allora... Qualcuno è stato sgamato rivotare più volte per cui:
1) Io ricevo una mail con l'indirizzo ip di chi ha votato ogni volta che si vota... finora le ho ignorate, ma poi ho controllato e ho tolto alcuni dei voti extra... Clikkando sull'indirizzo IP mi è comparsa questa foto, che ho deciso di pubblicare quale monito per tutti...
2) Ho anche la possibilità di bannare per sempre un ip, per cui.... ATTENZIONE!!
Tra pochi giorni uscirà il nuovo sondaggio, mi raccomando siate onesti (se no mi tocca controllare tutti gli ip), va bene???
Sarà un sondaggio molto più avvincente del primo per cui.... preparatevi!!!
Monday, November 20, 2006
Viaggio nell'Empire State IX
Un Jelly Bean a chi indovina chi e` il "tizio" sul tetto!Oggi sono ritornato a New York: gran giro in macchina da sud a nord di Manhattan.
Partenza da Little Italy, addobbata da babbo natale (=abbobbata), e China Town, dove abbiamo pranzato in un buco pieno di cinesi (che tuttavia mangiavano con le forchette al posto delle bacchette, probabilmente erano comparse amerikane) talmente densamente popolato da far invidia alle gabbie dei polli. Li` ho mangiato un pollo al curry (solo per liberare un po' di spazio) e un simil bapao gigante che la tipa si ostinava a chiamare pan, a non volermelo dare e a ridere della mia scelta con un'altra cameriera...
Poi siamo risaliti verso la parte nord di Central Park e poi sempre piu` su (o giu`) attraversando Harlem e arrivano fino alla punta estrema di Manhattan: Washington Heights.
Tralascio dettagli inutili riguardo a questo quartiere per arrivare al punto forte della giornata: ritornando indietro verso sera ci siamo fermati al Rockfeller Center e cosa ti scopro? Che han tolto quel centinaio di bandiere statunitensi che prima attornavano la pista di pattinaggio e le han sostituite con un tripudio di bandiere dei singoli stati amerikani.
Nella sostanza non cambia molto, ma che figata tutte quelle bandiere!
Ma cosa parlo a far con voi di bandiere....
Friday, November 17, 2006
Nuova iniziativa del Blog: il sondaggio della settimana!
D'ora in poi sulla sidebar troverete ogni settimana un nuovo e avvincente sondaggio a cui potete partecipare!! Accorrete numerosi e dite la vosta sulle notizie più calde della settimana!
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Viaggio nell'Empire State VIII
Week end pieno di speranze questo.Giovedi` son riuscito a farmi offrire pranzo e cena per il mio compleanno, anche se l'ora della cena fa pensare piu` ad un tardo pranzo (ritrovo IN RISTORANTE alle 17:30, cena e ritorno a casa per le 19:15, giusto in tempo per far niente... a parte guardar partite dell'NBA in tv).
Venerdi` il laboratorio era chiuso per l'anticipo della festa nazionale del giorno dei veterani (che cadeva di sabato); tuttavia per generosa concessione del mio capo son dovuto andare a lavorare lo stesso (i tempi stringono e il nostro rivelatore deve esser pronto per l'8 dicembre, data della chiusura del tunnel dell'acceleratore) da mattina a sera.
Sabato invece son riuscito ad andare a New York. Siamo stati al Met (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) e finalmente non mi son trovato di fronte a mostre speciali di Lucio Fontana; poi a sera ho convinto gli altri ad andare ad un musical. Sono un genio. Si grazie lo so.
Poi verso le due di notte ci siamo perso nei sobborghi di Brooklyn cercando "la camminata panoramica" e abbiamo attraversato (a 60 miglia all'ora) il vecchio porto, la zona delle vecchie montagne russe e il quartiere povero (la zona delle montagne russe e` oro in confronto). Interessante.
Oggi invece l'idea era di andare a Montauk, il capo orientale di Long Island, ma il tempo inclemente (o clemente, come mastella) per cui sono a casa.
Non mi sembra sia successo niente altro; Jim e` partito per il Texas (peace + greace a lui) e a me aspetta ancora un mese di Upton...
Alla prossima
Auguri a zio j!
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Un piccolo passo per l'umanità
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Viaggio nell'Empire State VII
Sempre piu` in alto.Sono ritornato in Citta` il giorno della Maratona di New York. No, non l'ho vinta. No, non ho visto Gianni Morandi. No, non mi sono fermato allo stand per scroccare da bere.
In compenso ho visto una massa di gente che correva in mezzo a Central Park (peraltro facendomi fare una deviazione infinita) e un'altra massa che guardava la massa precedente sventolando bandierine e alzando dei cartelli con scritto "Vai, Pincio, puoi farcela!".
In compenso la citta` alla sera era popolata di gente puzzolente e palesemente affaticata, che andava in giro alle 10 di sera (-5˚ C) con pantaloni corti e cerata addosso (?) per mostrare la medaglia che aveva al collo al collo.
A parte questo ieri sono stato nel museo piu` bruto del mondo: il Gugghenheim! Che roba, il pezzo forte era una mostra speciale di Lucio Fontana (sempre quello che imita Mattia) che ho scoperto non incideva solo le tele ma anche pezzi di lamiera di rame e di alluminio.
Alla fine sono salito sul Rockfeller Building a far un due foto al tramonto. 66 piani in un unico ascensore (circa in 20 secondi) e all'inizio della salita il soffitto dell'ascensore diventa trasparente e ti fanno vedere il tubo nel quale passerai con in cima, microscopica, la luce del cielo. Impressionante.
Infine: non raccolgo nessuna protesta rivolta al mio album a 1697 foto, a me piace cosi` e bon.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Viaggio nell'Empire State VI
All hallow even!Ormai le mie conoscenze automunite mi permettono di uscire dal laboratorio ogni week end, e anche di piu` (a discapito delle mie conoscenze religiose che si sono rivelate una delusione, nemmeno la preghiera prima della cena in comunita` mi hanno fatto fare!).
Infatti ieri sono riuscito a scappare dal lavoro prima e ad andare in "the City" ad assistere alla parata di Halloween lungo la sesta strada. Alla fine la parata in se non era organizzata come le nostre feste di carnevale con carri e gruppi mascherati (come il celeberrimo carnevale di Monfalcone che sicuramente tutti conoscono, http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monfalcone) ma era piu` che altro una marea mascherata, urlante e trasudante alcool che si muoveva lungo questa enorme strada da lower Manhattan fin su verso l'incrocio con Broadway.
Comunque impresionante la massa di persone, sia quelle che partecipavano alla parata (tre ore!) sia quelle che vi assistevano. Alla fine i costumi piu` ricorrenti sono quelli tipici da Halloween: zombie, fantasmi, streghe, personaggi dei fumetti (anche uno vestito da Mr. Burns e uno vestito da Optimus Prime); poi c'erano anche molte maschere dissacranti e sfottenti Bush (ma anche Bin Laden), i politici amerikani, il papa, la chiesa.
Alla fine sarebbe stato molto meglio seguire la marea alcolica da dentro, magari vestiti da francesco.
A proposito, la cena in comunita` e` stata una palla ("ma va?!?"), l'unico momento di folklore e` stato quando il padrone di casa ha iniziato a boffonchiare una preghiera; al che` io che pensavo mi avesse chiesto qualcosa (stavo guardando il tacchino, e forse il fatto che boffonchiasse mi ha fatto sentire in bisiacaria per un attimo) gli ho chiesto di potermi ripetere. E li` mi sono ritrovato circondato da gente a testa china e a mani giunte, e il tacchino in mezzo alla tavola che mi diceva "si, lo so, il pollo arrosto e` meglio, ma mangiami prima che sia troppo tardi!".
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Viaggio nell'Empire State V
Seconda domenica a New York.Questa volta sono stato nella parte "migliore", a sentir le guide turistiche: Midtown e la parte sud di Central Park. Devo dire che effettivamente e` mooolto meglio rispetto a "lower Manhattan" anche se vorrei riuscire a visitare la citta` durante la settimana (o almeno di sabato) per vedere effettivamente quanta gente si riversa nelle strade.
Comunque questa volta sono riuscito a rimanere in piedi fino a sera ed ho potuto apprezzare le migliaia di luci che illuminano (piu` che) a giorno Time Square e Broadway, il Rockfelle Center e la 7th Avenue. Impressionante; non vedo l'ora di vederla sotto natale che deve fare il suo effetto.
Sono riuscito anche passare un'ora e mezza al MoMA, poi sono fuggito perche` l'arte moderna non fa per me ("quella antica invece..."), anche se ho potuto "apprezzare" famosissime opere italiane tipo Spatial Concept: Expectations di Lucio Fontana (quello che taglia le tele come se fosse Mattia) o la scultura Forme uniche della continuita` nello spazio di Umberto Boccioni (la storia sui 20 centesimi per intenderci). (Ovviamente taccio di alcuni quadri di pittori inutili che mi sono piaciuti, ma e` piu` divertente cosi`.)
Invece poco prima ho fatto un giro per la parte taura di Central Park: molto carino e molto verde, anche se fa molta impressione vedere questi palazzi enormi dell'Upper West Side (?) che occupano il cielo sopra gli alberi. Davano un'atmosfera un po' lugubre e opprimente, complice il brutto tempo e le nuvole nere; probabilmente col sole e con il cielo sereno, con gli uccelli che cantano e gli scoiattoli che fanno all'amore (con le oche canadesi), tutto diventa piu` bello (specie per le oche). Oppure quando le foglie ingialliranno, cosa che non hanno ancora fatto; tutti qui mi dicono che l'autunno ("fall") e` la stagione migliore a New York, forse anche ad Upton, NY.
Invece gran delusione il palazzo dell'ONU: senza una bandiera che sia una! Che senso ha il mondo senza bandiere?
come sempre le foto sono sul sito: http://picasaweb.google.com/KeterElyon/TheEmpireState
infine: TRIVIA
- Gotham City e` un vecchio nickname di New York, datole da Washington Irving (autore Newyorkese dell'Ottocento, ha scritto The Legend of Sleepy Hollow per esempio) nel libro Salmagundi Papers in riferimento alla citta` di Gotham nel Nottinghamshire (UK), i cui abitanti sono noti per la loro ingenua stupidita`. (Salmagundi era un piatto che si mangiava nelle navi pirata e consisteva in "tutto quello che si poteva buttar dentro".)
- Il nome del quartiere di SoHo deriva da South of Houston, una delle vie principale che taglia trasversalmente lower Manhattan. Analogamente NoHo deriva da North of Houston; mentre TriBeCa da Triangle Below Canal (street), un'altra via di Manhattan.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Viaggio nell'Empire State IV
Finalmente sono andato a New York!Ho fatto un giro (della madonna) a piedi per la parte bassa di Manhattan attraversando alcuni quartieri caratteristici: Noho, Little Italy, Chinatown, Financial District, Tribeca, Soho e Greenwich Village.
La citta` non mi dispiace anche se a quasi ogni angolo hai una sensazione di deja vu dovuta ai film che non ti fa apprezzare l'immensita` delle costruzioni. Di conseguenza spogliata dalla sensazione di novita` la "parte famosa" di Manhattan a me e` risultata un po' deludente.
Ho invece molto apprezzato i numerosi parchetti che si aprono di tanto in tanto sulle strade principali e che danno una sensazione molto tranquilla. E` strano stare in un giardino e intravedere oltre le foglie degli alberi degli edifici enormi che lo racchiudono e che sembrano proteggerlo. A me piace; mi sembra che riesca a conciliare la citta` (e quindi il contatto con la gente) con la tranquillita` del verde (...).
Analogamente mi sono molto piaciuti i viali alberati della parte ovest di Manhattan (Soho e Greenwich Village in particolare) e le case di mattoni rossi che la fanno sembrare la periferia tranquilla di Londra.
Assai deprimente invece Little Italy con tutte le bandiere italiane e americane a coppie ad ogni angolo di strada (bandiere americane che peraltro quasi non si vedono in citta`, a parte sugli edifici pubblici, al contrario di quanto accade al di fuori dove quasi ogni casa ne e` addobbata) e ristoranti dai nomi tipo Benito, Benito 2, Palermo Mafia con ragazze portoricane che urlano all'ingresso parole come "pasta", "mozzarella", "sale" (??) per invitare la gente ad entrare.
Anche Chinatown non mi e` sembrata un granche` anche se almeno conserva un minimo di orgoglio culturale rispetto a Little Italy.
Fortunatamente dopo aver attraversato questi due rioni sono andato a vedere il ponte di Brooklyn (impressionante) e il City Hall Park, in assoluto il posto piu` carino che ho visto.
Alla fine la citta` mi e` piaciuta abbastanza e ho notato un'enorme differenza tra qui e "tutto il resto" del territorio; a New York forse puoi anche far finta di non essere negli Stati Uniti intesi come campagna, prefabbricati bianchi, autostrade con semafori appesi e chiese della Comunita` della Visione Paradisiaca di Shirley.
Per un po' almeno.
ps: le foto sono come sempre qui:
http://picasaweb.google.com/KeterElyon/TheEmpireState
Friday, October 13, 2006
Viaggio nell'Empire State III
aka: breve compendio per il guidatore sprovveduto.Dopo una settimana che giro in bici per questo posto, oggi sono venuto a conoscenza di alcune divertenti usanze degli americani alla guida.
Innanzitutto il cartello qui a sinistra esiste, il che prevede che quando questo non viene esposto si possa passare anche con il rosso. O meglio: mi e` stato spiegato che qui in america le leggi stradali sono piu` morbide (soprattutto per il fatto che ci sono spazi sconfinati) e generalmente, al di fuori di una decina di citta` enormi, quando ad un incrocio ci sono due macchine passa la prima che e` arrivata, e tutti sono contenti. Se invece c'e` il dubbio su chi sia arrivato primo, vince chi arriva da destra (come nell'obsoleta Europa). In citta` invece le leggi si fanno piu` soffocanti e iniziano ad apparire anche i semafori; nella maggiorparte dei casi comunque e` permessa la svolta a destra anche a semaforo rosso (dando la precedenza ovviamente). Quando invece vogliono essere proprio intransigenti non ti fanno svoltare a destra se c'e` il rosso (da cui il cartello), e questo me l'ha spiegato un texano che proprio non si raccapezza di questi divieti.
Invece la grande notizia del giorno e` che grazie alle mie conoscenze religiose sono riuscito a trovare un passaggio per New York per domenica prossima!
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Viaggio nell'Empire State II
E` passata ormai una settimana da quando sono arrivato qui anche se in realta` non sono riuscito a vedere molto del mondo che mi circonda, viso che vivo segregato in questa landa deserta che e` il BNL senza possibilita` di scappare.Questo a causa del fatto che i mezzi di trasporto non esistono: l'unico autobus che esce da qui per andare alla stazione ferroviaria piu` vicina (20km) ritorna indietro alle 16:00 (quindi se vollessi andare a New York ad esempio, avrei a disposizione ben 3 ore); e tra l'altro non funziona nei week ends...
Questo fatto mi ha portato alla ricerca disperata di qualcuno che avesse la macchina e che fosse disposto a portarmi fuori da qui. Al momento non sono riuscito ad ottenere granche` ma in compenso sono stato abbordato da una comunita` di religiosi (della Chiesa di Cristo, http://church-of-christ.org/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Christ) che mi hanno invitato a cena sabato prossimo. Figata, magari chiedono a me (in quanto ospite) di pronunciare la preghiera prima di mangiare il tacchino...
Altro che i reverendi da quattro soldi che girano dalle nostre parti!
Per il resto non e` successo niente di interessante, anche se in verita` ho scoperto l'esistenza della liquirizia alla fragola e dei cioccolatini al burro d'arachidi e ho provato la celeberrima (?) Root Beer.
grace + peace
(ma anche un po' di terrore, distruzione e morte)
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Viaggio nell' Empire State
Il titolo del post sul mio viaggio nella Terra della Liberta` (vigilata) doveva inizialmente essere un altro, ma alla fine mi sono fatto conquistare da questo nome che ho scoperto viaggiando in Limousine dall'aeroporto al posto dove lavoro.
In questo primo giorno e mezzo di mia permanenza qui (precisamente Upton, NY) mi hanno colpito fondamentalmente due cose: i tacchini e le macchine.
I tacchini sono ovunque, li vedi la mattina ai bordi delle strade, di giorno sotto gli alberi e alla sera mentre si muovono in gruppo vicino alle case. Sono l'analogo dei polli nei nostri paesi di campagna e, almeno qui a Long Island, ti accompagnano in ogni momento; devo dire che inizio a capire l'attaccamento che provano gli americani verso questi volatili (per quanto brutti e insipidi essi siano): e` il loro animale di campagna.
L'altra cosa che mi impressiona (piu` dei tacchini) sono le macchine.
Qui sembra che le citta` siano vissute dalle macchine piuttosto che dagli uomini (uso apposta la parola macchina al posto di automobile); sono enormi e lucide, sproporzionate per il loro scopo. Non mi stupiscono piu` di tanto le Limousine, i SUV (che qui sono la maggioranza), le berline, i pick-up, gli Hummer, gli autobus stile furgone della scuola dei Simpson. Quello che mi impressiona maggiormente sono i furgoni, i camion dei pompieri, le macchine da lavoro: sono dei dinosauri enormi con pezzi d'acciaio luminoso saldati ovunque. I Transformers sono loro.
Da una parte il bosco, il silenzio, i tacchini; dall'altra la strada, il rumore, le macchine. Sembrano due mondi diversi, inconciliabili: la natura vasta e silenziosa e il progresso dell'Occidente che la riempie.
Strabordando.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Monday, July 10, 2006
Premio WC2006 - regolamento generale
Dovra`, altresì, essere comunicato il nominativo della seconda persona che usufruira` del premio, che per ragioni logistiche dovra` essere disponibile a condividere il letto col vincitore.
Al fine di superare alcuni dubbi interpretativi relativi alla nota in questione, che si sono peraltro manifestati nei mesi precedenti, si ritiene utile evidenziare quanto segue:
il viaggio premio comprende 3 giorni e 2 notti di soggiorno ad Amsterdam, in localita` Rietlandspark numero 127, e una cena in un ristorante scelto dalla commissione. Non sono comprese nel pacchetto le spese di trasporto e il vitto.
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