Calcio a Napoli

Ieri sono andata mia prima partita di calcio!

And even after being surrounded by Italian speakers for 3+ hours, my Italian skills still leave much to be desired. But hey, I was able to communicate enough with the pizza delievery guy when I got home to tell him I went to the game, and that I was disgusted that they blew their 2-0 lead to end in a tie.

Okay, maybe not all of that was spoken Italian but I'm pretty sure my comments regarding the score and my expression both on my face and the tone of my voice let him know how I felt about it. I think he was impressed because he told me that some game would be on the TV tonight starting at 730 and said I should come watch it in the pizzeria. I may start hanging out there once a week...it's so much fun. Like every game is a do or die situation. And everyone gets into the game. EVERYONE. I've mentioned how in the past I've noticed a slowing in food service because Napoli was playing- right?

At any rate, yesterday was one of those "hey, why not?" moments in action when earlier in the week my coworker had asked if I'd want to go go with to a game with his friends and family. Um soccer in Italy? Yes please! I mean, with opening day just over a week away and me an ocean (which may as well be forever away) I have a whole lot of sports enthusiasm to share, even after coaching the kids.

No, the stadium isn't new. It looks like it belongs in Naples with its cement construction, plastic backless seats covered in...well,  I really don't want to think about it...if there was a score board, it must have been on the overhang above our heads. Along the field advertisements of their corporate sponsors flashed but they were easily ignored while you watched the two squads run up and down the field. No jumbo-tron. Just a PA system blasting music and a guy talking in Italian. I'd call it a no frills stadium with limited concession stands selling only chips, crackers, and soda. Wait. I mean them and a bar, but the Italian variety- not American.

You tracking or did I just lose you in the shock that alcohol wasn't sold within the stadium? 
Talk about culture shock!

Our seats were in the "family- friendly section" meaning that we were surrounded by mainly sons and dads that all had their Napoli blue scarves, flags, shirts, and hats on. Don't read this wrong- they were still very much into the game: screaming at bad passes, sighing in agony over missed shots, booing the visiting team. I only mention this because up in la curva (the upper curves) were the crazy, fan waving, continually standing, ruckus generating fans. It was amazing. Like even more intense than my beloved SF Giants bringing the first World Series title home a few years back.

After the jeers from the visiting team (more about them in a minute), the announcer man read off the numbers of the Napoli team and the crowd would shout the players name. Talk about knowing your team! Luckily for me, I knew enough of the sports cheers to figure out the various chants and after I figured out that they weren't doing the Braves' tomahawk but rather throwing both hands up in cheer, I joined along. I did of course have to stop screaming in English because well, I pretty much already looked 100% American and didn't want to bring too much attention.

As for the Catania fans. Well, within minutes of entering the stadium I picked up on a "special section." Maybe because it was void of Napoli blue, and in its place were dark blue and red. Maybe it was due to the fact that a very wide section of stairs separated that section of seating from the surrounding two. Or maybe, just maybe it was the fact that both the upper deck and lower deck were completely inclosed in netting. Yes, netting. Although it was suggested that it's there to keep them from throwing things onto the field...I can't help but think it's to keep them safe from the home team's fans. Just in case though, there were a surplus of neon yellow attendants also in this section.

We had to wait until the second half for the first goal of the game, although Napoli had plenty of attempts. It worked out because after the half, they were shooting on our end of the field so we saw them up close. Of course after they took the 2-0 lead, Catania scored 1. And then as we were all really hoping we could see a clock they scored again, tying the game.

What's the point in playing if you're just going to tie at the end of it? Gimme more time on that clock! Gimme a shoot out! Gimme a penalty count per side and award the "nicer" team the win! Gimme something other than a stinkin' tie!

Seriously. For a sport that has such a huge following that work hours are arranged by game times, that players are talked about like family members, that everyone plays how is it that these fans can leave knowing that their team tied. Granted, they didn't lose, but they didn't win either. This honestly may be the one thing that prevents me from being a true soccer fan. I just can't wrap my head around it. I honestly think I'd rather take a loss than a tie. Yes, I know I'm competitive, ma no lo so! 

My First Onomastico!

So according to the incorrect spelling of my name (when will they understand it's K not C?), today is my onomastico! Of course I'm going to celebrate- I am in Italy!

Okay, I hear the wheels spinning in your heads- what is she talking about now?

Stop looking at each other while making "she's crazy looks" so I can fill you in. 
 
Onomastico (oh-no-mas-tico) is the day that you celebrate the saint's name day you are named after. This day is often celebrated in similar ways as a birthday but is often a bigger deal than birthdays. I mean, who really wants to celebrate getting a year older?

I first learned about this Italian tradition when touring Monte di Procida with Enzo. How? Well as we were driving around, he stopped to say hello to someone and we ended up giving the guy a ride a few blocks. In this short time, I learned that it was this guy's onomastico when Enzo was asking him about when drinks would be bought. Apparently it's tradition to go out and celebrate with your family and friends. Yeah, Italy is an incredibly social culture so the way this special day is celebrated really shouldn't be that big of surprise.

I used this link to track down my official day, since I was originally told it was 29 April and who wants to have it the day after her birthday? I mean, I already celebrate my birthday week! If you can't find your name, or variation, don't worry- 1 November is All Saint's Day so it's the catch all for those of you with a not so common name. (Hey Nina- you apparently live in the wrong country! Check out all those country listings over this way. Can you deal with Nino so I can celebrate you here in Italy?)

So although Italian birthdays may give way to Name Day, after much thought I'm not willing to give up my birthdays just yet. Although I thought I'd just stay 28 for a while, my 28th year has been whirlwind of excitement, adventure, change I think 29 is going to be just fine. This just may be a tradition I carry back to the states when those 30-something numbers keep increasing. Eh, I've got some time to ponder all of this, and right now I've got my onomastico to celebrate!

Rome Marathon in 30 Seconds

We arrived.
We had a blast at the Expo after meeting the group.
Our race was (once again) sponsored by Aleve.
We ran.
And ran a little more.
Munched on cookies along the course.
Took photo/prop me up on a rail breaks.
Lori singing and the promise of "bling" are the reasons my feet carried me over the finish line.
We crossed that finish line without one injury!
5:33:50something is a long time to be running, but well under the 7 hour time limit!

Even with the exhaustion and pain I'm feeling today, and the near certainty that I'll be -3 toe nails come summer time I'd do it again in a heart beat.

That is register, not run it- Paris 2013 is soon enough to run 26.2 miles! 

Ready, ready, ready to run?

Today's hot question at the office was "are you ready?"

Ready for what? Oh yeah...those 26.2 miles all around Rome. 

My training sort of fizzled out this week, but that doesn't undo the last 5 months of preparation for 5 hours (or hopefully less) of running on Sunday. I've done what I can to prep and will just have to rely on adrenaline, Lori, and my stubbornness to get through it.

One thing is for sure- ready or not that gun is going off Sunday morning and my feet will be taking one step in front of another until I cross that finish line. And you know what? It's going to be fabulous.

Really it is.

Stay tuned for the post race summary and I'm sure more pictures of Rome than you even thought possible!

Now Coaching for the Carney Park Storms...

...Coach Katie! Or you know Mrs. Katie that one of the boys shouted when I pulled up to get the equipment.

Today was the perfect day to kick off baseball- sun shinning the sky, the grass looking greener, the kick of to March Madness all were signs to get started with baseball!

Although I was a swimmer and water polo player growing up, I had one short season of softball. I don't think we did that well and I'm pretty sure I missed several games and practices on account of orientation for my summer exchange program to Japan. My brother actually still sings a song about my coach! She was...well...let's just say I'm trying to not be like she was because her memory still haunts me when I see a softball.  

With a somewhat limited skill set and lots of help from online tutorials, I'm proud to announce that the first practice of the Storms' 2012 season is in the record books AND everyone survived! Sure I probably have a few parents thinking "crap she's our coach?" but the 3 parents that helped me today rocked and I think we're going to have a great season with plenty of parent support.

So how did all of this happen?

Since soccer season my coworker has teased about coaching baseball, and only 2 weeks back did we commit to coaching the team his son is playing on. Well, through a twist of fate (or ships falling apart) I've been "promoted" to head coach due to his travel schedule. I also think he started to see how I get when talking baseball, and as the orange and black started to sparkle in my eyes he got a little scared... He is still going to be there when he can and our boss has also offered to help run drills so I think I'm in good shape as far as "adult supervision" goes. And that's for both me and the team of 8-year old boys!

We may not have the best team (yet) but like during soccer I'm going to set my competitive nature aside to watch these kids grow in their abilities and confidence in the game. As a baseball nut, I think if they walk away with an appreciation for the game (even in this ridiculous form where outs don't count and runs aren't counted- yeah right) my job is done. Granted, I want to see them win because you better believe that I'll be keeping score just like them.

Stay tuned for updates as our season kicks off on the 24th. I figure that with the time difference I'll be watching even less Giants' games this year so I'm going to give the Storms a seasons worth of effort, energy, and emotion. And with me on the mound, it's going to take just about everything I have!

Qui, là, e in ogni luogo...

Ciao tutti!

I'm warning you know, this is a "here, there, and everywhere" sort of post. I feel like I've been a little too quiet out here. Granted February was a rough month but with the sun shinning longer than the 8 hours I'm stuck underground, my body staying relatively germ free, and less time out there running (I <3 tappering)...there is just no reason to be so quiet.

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This week has been crazy as we move back into our (not so) "new and improved" office space. Somehow although I was on the list to move day 2, here we are coming up on day 4 and I just may finally make the cut. I'm in no hurry to move over there since who knows how long it will take to get my computer and phone up and running again, but by this afternoon I felt like I had almost been left behind. Then again that could be due to our shop of 6 was a mere 3 strong today so seeing another SSU member was pretty difficult to do. Then again, I think I got my miles in walking back and forth between my files and my computer or trying to track someone down. 

It's been fun though since everyone is in the same transition state (translation: not very productive as we move in and wait for IT) so I've been chatting with people I normally wouldn't have. Even though I heard the phrase "cruise director" said in my direction, I'd like to think that my interior decorating skills have helped ease the transition into an even smaller office space. Hey, if we're living in super close quarters we gotta stay on speaking terms.

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The ridiculous rental car was returned today but Ravi is still at the shop. Apparently they had him in traction for 2 days to get the frame back to normal...so it's slowing the whole process down. It's not like they didn't know that damage was there as they were the ones who pointed it out to me!

It's a whole insurance mess with $ rates stateside versus me living in Italy. Luckily I have a coworker who doesn't live too far away that can drive me to work the next 2 days. I'm really hoping that Ravi gets returned on Friday afternoon or else it's going to be an interesting weekend.

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Italian III is nearly over. In fact tomorrow we are going to be watching a movie. I have this feeling that I won't know much of what's going on if tonight at the pizzeria is any indication. I have moments where I feel like I can carry on a pretty decent conversation but then when I go try to practice in town I get overwhelmed and revert to gestures or my few key verbs. I know it's in there and I know it's all going to click one of these days. How? Well, I catch myself thinking in Italian. Well, I think it's Italian. I should start writing it down and seeing if it actually translates properly. Uffa! I actually have some homework assignments I need to get done.

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I decided to go for it- I will be coaching baseball. Right now I have a team of nine 8 year old boys and it's still coach pitch so it may somewhat resemble a ball game. My coworker will be co-coaching and we have a few of the same kids from soccer so it should be a fun time. Two of our other coworkers have also offered help running drills if we need it/if we go on travel so it's just going to be the SSU little league team! I figure if I survived coaching soccer, the game I knew nothing more than "no hands", I should be a pro this go around. Best part? The opening day is the weekend after the Rome Marathon, so it will be a perfect transition.

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Yep. We're in a little over a week before the main event....the Rome Marathon. I've officially reached the "just get me to the starting line and look for me about 5 hours later crossing the finish" point. With an attitude like this it really shouldn't be a surprise that I haven't been too faithful the last week on my mid week running. I'll get there. I'm just trying to prevent major stress on my germ exposed body because I'd like to have my full SB strength come race day.

Seriously though, I think I'm more excited about heading up with my training partner and her husband to spend the time in Rome since I really haven't done much of that since arriving in Italy. No doubt about it, a fabulous time will be had and come Sunday afternoon we will have traveled 26.2 miles  a piedi. 
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And finally, because you know it's not a true rambling session if he's not mentioned- Signore Nico. He still answers better to the crumpling of paper than to his name. He still gives me attitude when I walk through the door, even if it's clear he just woke up from a "nap." He still is obsessed with drowning his toys in water before running them to the couch to bury in the pillows. And his newest habit is to make sure I get up after the alarm goes off but rather than following, he curls up and goes back to sleep. And despite all his faults they are still out numbered by all the entertainment and joy he contributes to our household and I wouldn't trade him for anything.

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There you have it. Proofing it just now reminds me what happens when I do a continuous free write...sort of scary. My apologies for the run on sentences and all the other grammatical errors. (I left all my editors in Monterey!)

A Day in Caserta

I'm lucky to work in an office where my coworkers actually want to hang out after our "mandatory 40 hours a week." Of course depending on who I'm hanging out with greatly varies the activity we're doing: shoe shopping, coaching, dinning out, trekking through France, wine tastings, sipping coffee, sight seeing. Regardless of the activity though, it's always fun to see how they act outside of our "fixin' ships" roles and I love hearing the stories they have to tell me. 

During a send off department lunch on Friday for other 1/2 of the financial department for 3, yes 3, months my boss invited me to join him and his wife on their Saturday Caserta adventure. So, I accepted the invite. The plan was to hit the Caserta market and then the Royal Palace before doing some shopping at either a different supermarket up that way or stopping by one of the usuals. Sounded like a great plan and it was executed...but this is Italy so maybe not quite as advertised!

Once I met up with them this morning it was mandatory café time. (Sign #1 we're going native.) We then headed north about 20 miles to Caserta. We successfully found the Saturday market that had just about anything you were looking for: shoes, purses, clothes, fabric, produce, fish, cheese, bread, candy, kitchen gadgets. Then again, it also had a lot of stuff you probably didn't need like used shoes for 1E a pair. We walked the rows and rows of booths. After much debate about a lemon tree I left without it but that's because I know I can find one a little closer to home. Leaving with fresh artichokes- apparently it's artichoke season around here, blood oranges, melanzane, my boss and his wife left with an oregano plant, dried spices, and a pair of fabulously discounted (unused) pair of boots for her. My boss later explained to me that he only has 2 pairs of shoes. Is that even possible?!

As we walked back to the car (right, left, right, left) we apparently missed one of our right turns. Walking through the streets we began seeing businesses rather than the neighborhoods we had originally meandered through. Totally worth it through in my opinion because it's not every day you get to see something as amusing as this. (Eyes have been blocked to protect the identity!)

Our next stop was the Royal Palace of Caserta. Well, it was once Catherine the GPS unit got us there. She was taking us some crazy route and finally realized what we were doing...as we were parking. It was refreshing to realize that I'm not the only one that has power struggles with my GPS.

Since they had already been to the gardens we took the tour of the apartments. That is after another café. Hey, this palace is really a palace and we needed the energy to walk through room after room. Alright, so now it's time for your Southern Italy history lesson. Today's information is brought to you from a few of the tour books I received as departure gifts- so thank you once again!

Caserta was built in the middle of the 18th century by King Charles III (Bourbon King) decided to create a new center of administration. He lifted the name from the nearby city Caserta Vecchia, the medieval village which I visited last summer. This plan was heavily influenced by the need to move the power away from Palazzo Reale as it was rather vulnerable by sea and the British had threatened to attack. Once the threat passed, the plans for the building turned into more of a palace, with Versailles as a model and building began in 1742. Problem was, when Charles III returned to Spain in 1759 to become King, construction slowed. By this time, they spent more time working on the gardens. The palace by stats: 1,200 rooms, the biblioteca contains over 10,000 volumes, the nativity scene has 1,200 figures hand crafted from the 18th century and dressed in clothes made by the queen and her ladies in waiting.

 As we walked through the rooms, I found myself wanting to lay on the floor to really take in the magnificent murals and intricate molding on the ceiling. Granted, there was so much gold oozing off most walls it was icky but then again, some of those other rooms had beautiful colors and flowers painted all over.

The clouds and sun created beautiful shadows and natural lighting for some of the rooms. Granted, some of the teal, green, or red rooms really shouldn't have been viewed in bright light but it was fun. Shoot, I even got some decorating ideas for my house...like a canopy bed with a crown holding it all up. Just kidding. That would ruin the view from my window!

One whole room was dedicated to that nativity scene with all 1,200 figurines. It looks a little chaotic but I guess it was a little chaotic the night Jesus was born. This side was the more traditional scene, but as you walked around you began to see families around tables, livestock, water buffaloes, exotic travelers with camels and monkeys. It hands down was the most intricate one I've seen and most of the chapels have amazing ones. In addition to the main one in this room, figures of different sizes were also on display along the perimeter of the room.

I've got to say...I don't think I can call my house  a castle anymore after seeing a real one. But I think I'm okay with that because heating/cooling that place has got to be a nightmare! Plus there were way too many nooks and rooms that Nico would get locked in and it would be days before I could find him. Then again, that garden would be amazing to run around in...