Happy Birthday Tyler!

Today Tyler is celebrating his birthday!  He's also kicking off the best, most birthday filled month of the year (or as anyone not related to or friends with the Gratz and Cornelius families calls it, "April").

We both agreed that having your birthday on a Sunday in fact entitles you to a birthday weekend, which we began on Friday night with a visit to the usual local bar with the British guys for some end of the week beers followed by a visit to our favorite neighborhood pizzeria. On Saturday evening, we invited our good friends Martin, Rosana, and James over for a BBQ. Now, most Italians would consider this a bit early in the year to spend an evening outside flipping burgers and chatting with your friends, but when you come from Michigan, if the temperature reaches 70 during the day and the sun is shining, it is definitely time for shorts, flip flops, and BBQ-ing (even if the evening is a bit chilly after all). We were all still hanging out at midnight, so everyone got to officially wish Tyler happy birthday when the clock struck 12.

Today, continuing in the theme of "it's practically summer now", we headed to the coast for our first beach trip of the year.  We even managed to go for a quick swim ("quick" being the operative word) before sitting on the beach for an hour or two to read books and enjoy the sunshine. Going to the beach on April 1... thumbs up Calabria. We hope to start heading back there more often now, especially because for the next few weeks we can basically have the beach to ourselves. And as you can tell from this photo, our tans could really use some work...

Happy Birthday Tyler!! 

Italian Scrappy Dumpster Cats Jump for Joy

Italian Scrappy Dumpster Cats Jump for Joy


Rende (Italy) - Late in the evening saturday, several of Italy's famous scrappy dumpster cats were said to be making loud noises in the night. Five or six different cats were observed jumping about, meowing loudly, and taunting cars as they drove by. When interviewed, one cat said, "We are scrappy. We are Italian. And we just won our family NCAA Basketball Pool!"

Authorities confirmed that several cats were arrested, but as of this morning charges had yet to be filed.

"I don't know what happened, " said one confused neighbor, "...things seemed to be normal, I saw one cat eating some leftover pasta in the dumpster, and another was eating some rotting pizza, then, all of a sudden, they just started freaking out. It was as if they had won the Mega-Millions lottery."

Another witness was surprised to see a group of cats burning a couch. "I'm originally from Lansing, MI, so I am used to rioting and burning couches, but these cats were out of control," said local resident, Dr. Lynne Gratz. "But these cats are just too much, normally all they do is jump out of dumpsters and surprise me, but last night I couldn't sleep because these cats were partying well into the night. Now excuse me while I go eat this cannoli."

Officials from the Gratz Family Spectacular refused comment. "We in no way condone the actions of our 2012 NCAA basketball pool winner, and the opinions expressed by the Scrappy Italian Dumpster Cats are separate from the pool, its members, and its sponsors," said one official who insisted on anonymity. "We try our best to make this a fun, happy, exercise - but these cats just get too excited."

While the cats partied all night, the following morning was eerily calm, and only one cat was visible to confused bystanders. "I came down here to see some scrappy Italian dumpster cats tearing shit up," said one local boy, "but all I see are empty beer bottles and pizza boxes, these cats are crazy."

Copyright 2012, Associated Press

Valentine's Day Snow Day

It doesn't snow often here in Cosenza, and for the past month or so it seemed like although we were getting plenty of rain, the temperatures were hovering just above freezing and almost teasing us with what winter should look/feel like.  Instead it was just cold and wet.  Last week we finally got a taste of what I consider winter.  On Valentine's Day around late morning, the flakes started to fall and it was not long before everything was covered in white.  As Tyler and I were about to leave the institute to go home for lunch, we were told that there was a possibility that the institute would close for the rest of the day due to the weather. In fact, one woman said she was waiting anxiously for the confirmation from our director in Rome, otherwise they would all be "risking their lives" on the drive home from work.  Silly Italians.  Granted, if your city doesn't have snow plows or have any idea what to do with snow, maybe you have reason to be afraid of a few inches of snow.  Maybe.

For about the next 30 minutes as we drove home and started to make lunch, I kind of felt like I was back in grade school just waiting for the phone call saying that my wish for a snow day had come true.  When we got the call saying that I didn't need to go back to work that afternoon, I think I literally jumped for joy.  My first snow day since high school! Tyler and I enjoyed a great lunch of homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese (perfect on a winter day, especially when you haven't eaten that kind of meal in ages. Italians think tomato soup is weird).  Then we put on some warm clothes and set out into a winter wonderland.  Everything was white and the snow continued to fall hard.  But because this is southern Italy after all, it wasn't really that cold and we were able to enjoy a really nice walk through the snow.  When we got home we had the rest of the evening to relax and Tyler cooked another nice meal for dinner.  It might be my favorite Valentine's Day ever (especially given that Tyler usually refers to February 14 as "Anti-Valentine's Day"... haha).  Here are some photos of our neighborhood covered in snow. All the snow was gone by the next day, but it was pretty while it lasted. And now we're ready for spring :)

Valentine's Snow in Rende

Perils of Google Translate

For anybody who has done any translating (or any travel, for that matter) you are well aware that moving between two different languages all throughout the day can 'fry your brain'.

Doing so with the help of an online translator has improved things, especially at work.

But, BEWARE, moving between two languages is all about the context of the situation, and google translate can fail you, sometimes spectacularly: Pictured above is a "Bando" - an Italian announcement for a project about sheep's cheese in Tuscany. The English title was supposed to read: From Sheep to Pecorino: Traceability of the Milk Chain in Tuscany, Italy.

Anyhow, if you happen to type the word "pecorino" into google translate, you get ALL of the possible definitions of the word, not just those that are more genteel.

You can see by the options that Google Translate presented, that one or more of the possible translations could lead to some trouble. And, of course, that is what happened. Unfortunately, this poor sap didn't check this with a native speaker before publishing, and apparently the announcement went viral.

If you look at the more detailed screen shot of what he or she wrote on the version of the bando posted above, you can see that they missed their intended meaning of "pecorino." Oops!

Of course, they fixed it pretty quickly, but not before a bunch of people noticed and made copies. Ha!

Sheep's cheese, "pecorino," is delicious by the way.

Happy Holidays from Roma!

Before heading to Michigan on Friday, we were able to spend a few free days in Rome after Lynne had to attend a meeting there on Tuesday.  We spent two full days just wandering the streets, eating delicious foods, and enjoying the holiday lights in downtown Rome.  It was really nice!  

Happy Holidays to all from Italia!!

With sadness for the loss of our sweet Janet Rose

I am sorry to offer up a sad post on these pre-Christmas days, but I want to share some of the other events going on for us recently.  A couple weeks ago, we lost someone very dear to our hearts.  Someone who saw the world for only the good it had to offer, someone with unending optimism, and someone with a bigger heart than anyone I have ever known.  On December 8 our dear friend Janet Rose O'Connor passed away after a 7 month battle against colon cancer.  She was taken from us all too soon, and I cannot help but think that there is now this huge hole in our lives, a hole that was once filled with her laughter, friendship, and love.

I met Janet in 2000 during my first year at the University of Michigan.  Along with 6 other very special ladies, we became the best of friends.  We lived together at 1140 S. Forest, a place which we lovingly call the Brothel.  Janet, also known amongst the Brothel as Janet Rose, Rosie, or J-Ro, was a central member the group.  She loved doing things all together and did not want to miss out on one moment of fun, laughter, or debauchery, even if it was just a trip to the grocery store.  She made her name amongst our group as the leader of Goodness Day, a true Michigander, a lover of all things pink, and master of the scarf dance.  The friendships that we all formed during our four years of undergraduate life have stayed with us beyond our Ann Arbor days, despite us all moving to places like Chicago, LA, DC, NYC, St. Louis, Wichita, and even Cosenza.   Distance cannot break these bonds. We spend a weekend together every summer in some convenient beach location, laughing and drinking and just being who we have always been since we were 18 years old living in the dorms.  We have attended each others weddings and other major life events, and when life gets hard we drop what we are doing to be together.

Earlier this summer when we learned that Janet was sick, the girls decided to have the annual reunion in Michigan to spend time with Janet.  We enjoyed a great weekend of swimming, bbq-ing, and just plain old Brothel fun.  Since that time, Janet fought her fight with strength, determination, and the eternal optimism that we all love her for.  In early December when we learned that Janet was terminal and her time with us would not be long, the girls all traveled to Michigan again to visit Janet.  I joined them via Skype to look at old photos, do silly Mad-Libs, tell stories, and remind Janet of how much we love her.  It was so hard for me not to be there, but it was also so nice that I was able to see everyone and watch them all take care of our girl.  They were so strong for her, even though I know they were all hurting so much inside.  I also was not able to attend Janet's services when she passed away, but the Brothel was there and I was with them in spirit.  Being far from home in a time like this makes me feel so helpless and so disconnected, but the girls did such a great job of keeping me a part of everything.

At the time when Janet's funeral was starting in Michigan, Tyler and I along with his mom (who arrived for her visit the same night that Janet passed away) put some flower bulbs in the ground.  We planted pink tulips, white lilies, and purple hyacinth at the end of our front walk, and in the spring when the flowers appear we will think of Janet.  We will remember what a great friend she was and we will know that in some way she is still with us.  She will always be with us, in spirit and in everything we do.  Because of Janet, I hope that I will always know how to be a better friend, how to love more deeply, how to see the good in other people, and how to give of myself to others before worrying about my own needs.  That is what Janet did, and it is my responsibility to live my life how she would want me to live it.   I am forever thankful that I had the good fortune of meeting Janet, because my life would not be the same without her.  I miss her so much.

Happy Holidays from Calabria!

This Christmas we'll be traveling to Michigan to spend the holidays with the Gratz family. Lynne and I can't wait to get home, to have some great food, to play in the snow, and most importantly, to play with our nephews and nieces! If you are in Michigan, drop us an email and perhaps we can stop in and visit! Happy Holidays!