New Day no. Infinity Whoa!, a long and warm week...somehow difficult and stressful, and I mananged to get myself into circular mind-fuck kind of depression and then just spring back out again....Life sometimes hits my nervous system like a squirrel chomping on the powerlines....

..You know, its always all types of situations together that get me into trouble, not just one thing. For example, the past few days, I've been battling with myself and others for what I believe in. Internally pondering questions of belief can be fine, but impressing beliefs on others for self-validation gets ugly, cause you're always wrong for them and they for you. After a few arguements that went absolutely circular, I started to embrace the 'ol "If you don't have anything nice to say...don't say anything at all", so there again starts my silence and brooding over thoughts which aren't nice and then realizing that maybe I DON'T have ANYTHING nice to say, which leads to more negativity and so on and so forth...but now, isn't that just all some bull?? And to compound the problem, I'm getting closer to being 'Involved' with an attractive young It-al-ian Lady and I'm losing some signals (as always) in doubt and translation...ARGH...

But now, everything is back to 'Normal', which I'm told for me has more ab- associated with it than for everyone else, but I remember how that feels and it is recognizable, by which I mean to say, "Everything is okay and phlabbadablab"

Consider my mindframe summerized.

Now, I said it was warm and sunny, and taking a hit from paulski, I'm unna post up this little slice for you:


It never stops, nor does it ever rain. The beach is my only haven in this weather and luckily I live near a big one.

The un-named events of the past are something like this:

Not wednesday past, but the wednesday before went to go see Ma Pavola (a ballet) at Teatro San Carlo in Naples. My first real ballet. Was kinda strange and sleep inducing and good only for the experience of having gone to 'The Ballet'. There must be better ones.

Last weekend was Festa Dei Gigli in Nola where the people dance around town for nearly 24 hours carrying 80 foot tall decorated wooden obelisks with people playing traditional folk music on each one. There are about 120 men to each of the 8 Gigli, 20 who are playing the music and the 100 others carry the thing. Each Gigli team has had a year to recruit, plan, build (all built the same way) and decorate thier tower. No doubt they workout to carry the thing. After nearly a week there are still men walking around with a very large 'Third shoulder', which is the swollen and bruised area of their upper back that the wooden crossmember of the Gigli was carried on. The band is made up of 3 singers, 2 drummers, keyboardist, guitar, base, and a number of horns (sax, trombone, trumpet). The horn melodies are lofty tunes with your head upturned and mind wheeling. The bass and drums drive the tower through the tiny streets scraping balconies on both sides. I really liked the tune and I am still humming it.

The rest of the week, we had a lot to do at work so I was really tied up. We managed to organize a group trip to Berlin for next friday through monday. Manal and I got a cheap flight and are meeting up there with the Poland crew (6 students from Montreal) and the Munich crew (another 2). All together, we're going to rip the city down, finally getting a chance to celebrate some independence in a city that knows it so soon ago, so first hand.

And finally a note on independence. Today is Canada Day, a week ago, "La fete nationale", and on Monday, July 4th. Yes, we know its all turned into a beer-slugging fest and bbq-athon, no matter where you celebrate from. Canada, I'm relatively new to, and I don't particularly take anything out of celebrating their independence. This isn't a hit on Canada, I'm just indifferent. I will celebrate American Independence, because I think now more than ever we need it. I will celebrate an independent spirit of the ancestors who fought to make it that way and I will keep in my foremind the challenge of preserving our independence from any party who exerts force to tie my hands as a citizen; be that party external or internal.

I'll say some more after the fact stuff about Canada when I get the chance...This is too long though and I've got to get out of here.

This Weekend: Beach (Ischia, Capri), Michele sings Choir, dinner with a green-eyed girl.

Ciao  ¶ 08:58