Hmph. Not Quite MilAir

Okay, so as I was dealing with my fellow passengers flying out of Naples, I felt like I fish out of water. No personal escorts to the flight line. No meet and greets. A thorough security screening. Boarding passes being scanned and check. Of course I also wasn't asked for my body weight...

Some how, even in a more German dominate population, the crew pegged me as Italian. Ha. I love opening my mouth speaking "American" English even when my puffy coat, out of control curls, scarf, boots, and a bag of fresh mozzarella di buffala make me look Italian. (It's all about the accessories!) Seriously. This is a game that never gets old for me. Of course it had been nice just a few weeks prior flying with a ton of people I knew & all spoke English.

As the plane left the gate, I got this really strange feeling.

All of a sudden I started questioning their trilingual safety instructions, the fact that people had to "ask" to move seats, and perhaps the most disconcerting item- I had no idea who was flying me to Munich!

Yes, this the first commercial flight I've flown since the Turkey adventure in January and although the food and beverage service was nice, I just don't get the customer service I'm used to anymore. And this was Lufthansa!

I'm telling you, MilAir just may be my 1st choice method for flying from here on out. Where else do you get to walk around in the cargo bay? Or go visit the captain? Or not have to worry that your bag made the flight since it's right there next to you? Of course it helps to know the crew flying the plane because then you are treated better than any Flag Officer. Then again, it does come at the cost of having to cuddle up with your coworkers to stay warm in the belly of C126 but it's a small price to pay and I like that coworker. A lot. Clearly if I was able to get over my need for personal space!

But the C9? That's pretty much the same as one of these regional flights that I'm currently waiting on. And I have in on the highest authority that some of their pilots are pretty phenomenal at what they do. I mean, on my last flight on a C9, our pilot not only avoided 85% of the nasty turbulence just so I could sleep, but also provided a fabulous lightning show out my window. Now, that's customer service!

And my final thought as my flight is about to start boarding...make sure you thank your pilots when you exit the plane. Seriously. They are doing a ton of stuff up there (all those switches really do something!) so if you have a smooth flight, easy landing, make great time it's probably because they're working over time to make your flight enjoyable. And if it's still a rough flight? They were doing what they could but the voices that tell them where to fly and what to do (voices in the radio) couldn't help them find a solution...and they dealt with the same flight you did.

Okay, now I'll answer you questions:

1. Yes. I am an international travel snob.
2. Yes, I am motivated to be SES again if I can get my own plane and can request who I want to fly it all the time.  And I'd get my own flag!!!
3. I'm currently in Munich, waiting for my flight to Brussels where I have the most fabulous guy waiting for me.

Flour Woes

Ready for my latest first world problem?

Back in December when my kitchen resembled the Keebler Elf Factory I somehow accumulated so much flour that even after all my holiday baking was done I still had over 20lbs! I think it's the "to get the type of baking ingredients I actually want it's a 40 minute one way drive and I can't recall if I already have some" syndrome.

You may have this syndrome if:

• You can't find space in your cabinet for that 4th box of brown sugar.
• In searching for cinnamon, you find 5 peppermint extracts, 2 ground cumin, and 3 ground gingers. Cinnamon? Nope, that's the one you were out of!
• You open your freezer and have just as many ice packs as bags of frozen peas. I don't even eat the things. I mean, up to this point I haven't.
• You routinely pick up common baking items just in case.

Yep. That's how I ended up with 20+ pounds of flour. You know it's bad when I'm purposely looking at recipes right now to see which ones require the most flour. Of course in the effort to use the flour, I'm having to ask for the ingredients I no longer carry in stock. Why don't I carry them? Um, I'm moving in 3ish months. 

My coworkers are being fabulous guinea pigs and I even had the CDRE stopping by my desk after the Valentine's Day heart and sugar explosion further confirming that I have a solid customer base should I ever open my bakery.

So today's 4 cup of flour adventure? Blueberry scones (goodbye frozen blueberries!) & chocolate chip cookies (bye-bye chocolate chips).  Stay tuned because in another month or so I have a feeling I'll start listing my pantry contents and be looking for creative menu ideas. (Or looking to see where I can donate my canned goods here in Naples!)

Video Update

How Goes It?

I love the fact that I've received so many emails from you all over the past few Facebook free weeks making sure that everything is okay and seeing what's up. I also have to smile when local friends have to take the time to fill me in on something since I didn't see the post or a coworker asks how I'm doing with not being able to post pictures from my adventures.

Of course if you know about my blog, you know that I'm actually getting better about posts again. It's amazing all the FB statuses I've wanted to post that have turned into blogs instead or (gasp) just was a fleeting thought in my mind.

So, how goes it?

Giving up Facebook has proven to not be that big of a challenge- until I want to see pictures of a recent adventure or they send me pesky emails saying I have lots of notifications. Like I had suspected, I actually get things done in the evenings too. It's amazing.

The job search is pressing on and although I've had a few nibbles on the resume, I'm holding out for the prize marlin. By the end of the month I hope to have more of an update and no dark circles under my eyes from restless nights while my future is in limbo. I've still got time...96 days are still on my current commitment and talks of extending a little past those double digits has already begun.

Neeks is still as adorable as ever. He's thrilled with each additional minute of daylight meaning he can go out on the patio.

And perhaps my best news- I ran jogged for 30 seconds yesterday on a treadmill, without my knee brace! I'm 4 weeks past the last major pain and finally back to the gym at a semi regular interval.  

So that's your Wednesday evening Katie O. update.
Ciao tutti!

Oh Orvieto!

I went down, down, down, and the rings rose higher...

Okay, so maybe Johnny Cash rewrites don't really work when you're in Italy trekking down into the depths of Pozzo di San Patrizio, but when you start trekking down those 248 stairs spiraling downward 175feet below the surface you tell me what song comes to mind!

The well was absolutely amazing and looked just like the pictures said it would- a simple double helix pattern allowing easy up/down traffic.

And let me tell you, when there's just two of you in there? It's a tad creepy, especially when your talkative knees are crunching with each step down into the misty depths. 

The well was originally built after the Pope fled Rome after an attack against the Holy Roman Empire and ended up in Orvieto. His only fear of his destination was that the hill town would be besieged and be cut off from their water supply so he commissioned the well to be built in 1527. It apparently took 10 years to carve out of the stone descending basically down the hillside- no easy task! 

 

The rest of the city was beautiful as ever on what felt like spring morning as the sun shone brightly in the blue sky.  A walk through the community park provided stunning views off the hill's cliff into the valley below and the river changing its normal path as a result of the recent rain. 

With lungs full of fresh country air, the tunes of the songbirds fresh in our minds, and our bodies producing VitD we begrudgingly packed up the car and headed our drive back south. Sometimes a long weekend just isn't enough time with a fabulous friend, in a beautiful region, and lots of yummy wine.

Girls on a Mission

Bags packed.
Reservations made.
Flowers from my valentine(s) in a water bottle ready to make the trek.

Destination: Cortona.
Where is Cortona? Tuscany of course! I'm still not sure how I came across it and why it became one of my top "hill towns" to visit, but it did and I'm glad!

With both of our times in Italy drawing to a close, Jess (AKA Mom of Minions) decided we'd let the kids spend one last long weekend together while she and I headed north to wine country to ship back home. Okay, I really wanted to hit Pisa, but flooding took place instead so wine was a fabulous runner up option and hello, we're multitasking here! 

This morning we met up Stefano who spent the entire day driving us around the valley, taking us to wineries, and telling us the history of the region. I'm telling you- hiring a local to show you around is hands down the best way to explore places and if you're lucky, they do all the driving so you can sit back and enjoy the wine view.

Our first stop was Montepulciano, one of the Mideival and Renassance towns in the region, which is known primarily for its Vino Nobile. This wine made primarily of Sangiovese grapes is aged for 2 years in barrels, or longer if riserva. Despite traveling to this town when my parents were in town (yeah, you would have never known based on the lack of blog posts) seeing the town again, this time with blue sunny skies looked completely different! Our walk through the off season crowd was rather enjoyable too.

Cantina Città Sotterranea Ercolani was stop #1. Here I found my knight in not so shinny armor waiting for our arrival before touring the underground ancient city. How ancient? Well, there are two Etruscan tombs, medieval torture devices, and lots of stories from its past. Of course most the chambers now are used as barrel storage areas as the vino nobile ages to perfection, but it was a fun tour to check out before our wine sampling started mid morning. It was here we first learned what the glass green containers atop each barrel was. The simple 2 part glass container was designed by da Vinci to allow for easy wine access (samples/topping off) while still allowing a tight seal, provided by water, to allow for the air to escape the barrel, without letting any in. Air in a wine barrel? That's a whole lot of vinegar.

We tasted the vino nobile riserva from 2005 and 2006, along with the some other stuff that wasn't all that yummy. Of course pecorino cheese will always be the clear winner for yum factor, but I did walk away with a box full of red wines and a large bottle of Vin Santo, the best stuff ever to dip biscotti in.  

Stop #2 in Montepulciano was hands down our most favorite place of the day. With a name like Gattavecchi (which was the founding family's name) there's potential. Pair that with the fact that this winery was originally set up by monks, and connected to the church? Oh and did I mention the bellissima vista and the old lady who greeted us who had been working there since she was 20? Yep. This place was amazing. A quick tour through the rebuilt cellar (bombed during the war) revealed more huge barrels and an Etruscan cellar. Back upstairs we were met by one of the owner's sons who explained to us in detail the wines, flavors, and process- he had to with the size of pours being given to us!

We both fell in love with the rosso  and bought them out of one of the labels! I guess walking out with 5 boxes will do that to their stock? Everyone is happy though- they have more room for the new stuff and we get discounts. We also tasted their new vino nobile before it was to be introduced to the press later this week. At first sip, it was bleh but once we tried "what it will age into" the flavors began to make more sense. And the additional pecrino cheese and bruschetta drizzled with fresh pressed olive oil? Yum. Yum. Yum.  Purchases made, business card collected, car weighed down by another 7+ boxes of wine??? Time to head over to Pienza for a tour and pranzo. 

Pienza, famous for being the birth place of Pope Pius II was rebuilt as a Renaissance town after he became Pope. The tiny town had only a few streets, but the view was stunning along Via dell’Amore, Via della Fortuna, & Via del Bacio. Totally filing those places away to sneak off one day with a special someone to enjoy the sun soaked country side. Lunch was a yummy ravioli with sage and butter, and somehow we managed to make room in our bellies for more food. Absolutely beautiful, tiny hill town, complete with cheese shops!

Somehow between the sun streaming in on me through the back seat window, some winding roads, & several cap naps, we made it to an abbey near Montalcino- Abbey of Sant' Antimo. The wind blowing through the olive trees, birds chirping and briliants greens made it difficult to shake my food/wine induced slumber, the I wanted to breathe in that fresh air so badly! And I did. And I enjoyed every bit of that air expanding through my bronchial airways encouraging all that Naples crud to leave. Yep. Near coughing attack, but I think my lungs are much happier again.

Our final stop was a winery in Montalcino- La Potazzine Gortelli. La potazzine translates to mean a local small birdbut it's also commonly used as a term of endearment for children. In this case, the owners 2 daughters have been called le potazzine by their nana and the name of the winery was found. This stop was undoubltly on a different business plan. The owner held many hectarces of loand and distributes his wine world wide. The estste was heautiful, and decorated for visiters. in a formal tasting room we sampled wines that were okay. Based on the price tag, they should have been fabulous but as we kept telling ourselves throughout the day- buy what you like! And well, at 48E a bottle? That label just wasn't so adorable anymore and the contents of the  bottle only so-so. Yeah, this famous Brunello wine? Non me piace! 

So over all? TripAdvisor rocks again in helping me figure out this latest adventure. The day was long, but we got what we wanted- cases of wine for wine shipment time and saw many cities along the way! As for food and wine? Ugh. Sono pieno fino a quando lo facciamo anche domani!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Okay, so here I am again another Single Awareness Day but you know what? Like so many years before I'm having the time of my life because I have simply amazing friends. This year, Jess and the Minions headed up our way a few days early to the weekend so Jess got looped into helping me make my semi-annual sugar cookie coated in more sugar tradition.

Just like a few years back as I sat at the Van Buren apartment's kitchen table with GWB, Jess and I were laughing so hard as we decorated the hearts this evening. By about 10 decorated cookies into it I finally decided that each cookie on that table represented our hearts at various times of our lives.

Okay, maybe some like "Prison Break" was more of a cry from her to me to let her get to bed as the clock struck 11 but um I think most of us have witnessed a relationship where a clean escape was the best bet?

My personal favorite creation, minus Nico's cookie to my coworker's daughter (see top right corner in picture), was the pink heart with a white stripe through it. I think in what most therapist call a "break through" I realized that it is the same sign as the "do not enter" out here for cars. Ooops. Oh well. It's probably best that some people don't enter my heart- right? Or the fact that we don't really observe traffic signs here in Southern Italy...

Hmmm. Alright, well it's after midnight and my kitchen is still a mess, the most amazing almond no bake truffles are still minus their chocolate outer coating, I have to be out my door for work in 6 hours, and um yeah, I'm not packed for my get-a-way weekend with Jess up in Tuscany BUT I just wanted to share once again (not because Hallmark is reminding me, but I don't think that I've said it recently), that I love each and every one of y'all.

No way could living here in Italy without the love, support, and contact from you locals and those who live slightly calmer lives in fresh air would ever EVER be possible for me.

Weekend in Review

Whenever my work day ends at 1800 on a Friday evening...you know some crisis hit just seconds before my normal quitting time. In all honesty, I was only a tad faster than a tortoise getting into the office that morning and when combined with raw sewage spilling out onto one of the decks in the office building, the evacuation didn't allow me to sit at my desk until 9 am. So after some math, I really did not sit at my desk for all that long, but it's just extremely frustrating when issues hit regarding travel so late in the day. Took me back to NPS days...

Luckily I have some of the most fabulous coworkers EVER. Despite the Freaky Friday feeling when I was the one staying late when they got out of there closer to my normal time, we all met up to decompress and laugh away the stress from the week; like friends will do and only coworkers really can when we've all be exposed to the same stuff. All. Week.

And when that's not enough? You're so thankful that the wine tour you signed up for weeks before falls on that weekend, and the large group you were anticipating turns into primarily a group of your friends. 

On what started to be a rainy Naples Saturday, the whole 8 of us headed up north towards Benevento on a standard 50 person bus. Yep. Lots of room for wine. And moving between seats as the clouds lift, rain stops, and the sun appears shinning its warm rays down on the green ground.

Trip #2 up to the OCONE winery was just as good as the first time last May. Actually, this time was better as our small group was able to tour learn more about the winery! Our small group quickly took on that of a family appearance as we moved the tables together to make our "head table" to dine at over our ridiculous number of wine tastings. Our tour guide, Aldo, who happens to be a walking encyclopedia once again walked us through the Neapolitan Toast several times so we could kick off the tasting with a proper spumante toast:

(As you raise your glass up)

Aiza aiza aiza 

 (As you lower your glass down)
Acala acala acala

(As you clink glasses with everyone)
Accosta accosta accosta 

(Everyone raises and holds their glass)
Alla saluta vosta! 

SALUTA!

And how can you not be in a good mood after a toast with friends? Or sampling all those wines? It was a perfect way to spend the afternoon- buoni cibi, buoni vini, buoni amici! All the boxes that had "KO" scribbled on them didn't hurt either to start getting my wine shipment to resemble a decent collection. And? With the exception of a few bottles from this place, these are "every day" wines which means when I'm missing Italia? Hit the wine stash, raise a glass, and teach my new friends the Neapolitan toast. 

Our time with Signore Domenco and his sons was far too short, but the wine and food coma was coming on strong so we didn't fight it too much as we loaded back onto our bus and made the drive back to Naples. Plus the final event of my day- tapas, paella, and karaoke! Yeah, no pictures or videos from that fun night, but rest assured- it was the perfect way to end my day!

Sneak Peak of Photo Shoot

Uh huh. I guess Nico really isn't on board with COA #4. The little monster was not having our annual Valentine's Day photo shoot today. Not. One. Bit. 

Maybe the President's Day shoot will go better?

February: Disconnecting to Reconnect

It's February which means my Facebook account has been suspended for the first time since creating it back as an undergrad.

I know-me! The hopeful Mrs. Facebook!

So why this decision?



Well several reasons but I think most of them fall under the general category of "I'm sick of not really communicating with people." I'll be the first to admit that I've fallen into the "text, not call", "I'll send you a message on Facebook", and feeling like I'm keeping up with friends via posts and pictures.

So this month's goal is to reconnect with friends one on one, through Skype/FaceTime, emails, & calls.

The bonus of this goal?

• My lock-down profile doesn't even exist for potential employers!
• Getting bitten by the jealous bug won't happen (yeah, while you're drooling over picture from my last trip, I'm dying over that trips to Target or other events in your life). 
• I'll have a lot more time to work on my blog and resume.