beach vacation

I'm not much for dedicated beach vacations. Generally I prefer vacations with lots of things to do and see. Lying around for several days? No thanks. I think the last beach vacation I took was in college a couple decades ago, when I went with some friends to Jamaica. (And had a great time, I might add.)

Maybe it was the long winter this year, or just that I needed to relax, but suddenly the prospect of doing very little except looking over some water under a hot sun sounded great. So I booked a trip to Isla Mujeres, Mexico, in April, and it turned out to be just what I wanted--pretty beaches, laid-back so I could relax, but with enough to do over about five days so I didn't get bored.

Although it's just a 20-minute ferry ride from Cancun, Isla Mujeres is still an antidote to Cancun's spring break, party-til-you-drop mentality. Although development does seem to be picking up, it still resembles a small Mexican village in many ways, down to the occasional chicken picking its way through the streets.

I went by myself and had a great time. Snorkeling was perhaps my favorite part. I used my swimming goggles to check out the fish hanging out near some rocky bits by the hotel beach, and also went on a group outing to snorkel around an underwater installation of sculptures that is part of the Museo Subacuatico de Arte. Having all these fish flit around so close to me was a wild experience! The group on the tour was terrific--two women from Australia whose parents were from Spain, so they chatted in those raspy Spanish accents with one of the tour guides, who also happened to be originally from Spain; their boyfriends; and a mother/daughter from Minnesota.

I stayed the perfect amount of time--any longer and I would have been fried to a crisp. I'm not all that fair, but that sun was powerful and very hard to avoid, especially since I was out and about riding a rented bike, going to lunch in the town, etc. And since I was by myself, getting sunblock on my back was a challenge! I got pretty red in places, but no major damage, luckily. I don't think I could live in such a climate, but it is really a treat to be able to visit.

lunch is served

I recently got the OK to work at home once a week, and I couldn't have picked a better day this week than today--it's sunny and really warm, finally--about 80 degrees! Spring has been sooo slow to start here--even at the end of April the trees barely had buds--so this is most welcome. Too bad it's supposed to cool off a little for the weekend . . .

Working from home means a yummier lunch than frozen Trader Joe's meals (they're good, but still frozen meals) or the Corner Bakery. I've been eating a lot of vegetables at home. Asparagus of course are in season right now. I usually just broil them with some olive oil and salt, although there are some more really delicious ways to prepare them here. A poached egg adds some protein . . . and I've really been into this capocollo and Calabrese salami lately. A tiny drop of red wine, and I feel so European eating on my newly flower- and plant-filled balcony.

Think I'll sneak out later for a quick bike ride and/or a swim at the pool--if only the outdoor pools were open!

chiuso per vacanze

I'm off for vacation for a few days--not Italy though, nor France. It's somewhere closer that I've never been before, but it's not completely unfamiliar. I'll be back soon with some photos and hopefully some good stories!

Italy videos

I just realized I never posted any of the short videos I took during my trip to Italy last spring.

Here's a taste of the peace and quiet in Parco Maremma.

Also in the park--an animal or insect was making a very loud, strange, slightly alarming noise.

And finally . . . there were a lot of foxes running around, including a pair that at first I thought were a couple dogs owned by the people walking ahead of me. I wasn't quick enough to get them but I did spot this guy a little later.

Sounds of Italy

Oh no! Thanks to Just Another American in Paris I think I just found yet another way to procrastinate on the Internet. She posted about the Freesound Project, a site on which you can search for ambient noises and other sounds from all over the world. I haven't found too many great files for Italy, but here are a few worth a listen:

• a street performer playing the accordion somewhere in Italy
• birds singing (and a bee buzzing) in Tuscany
• church bells and street noises in Venice
• a street market in Montevarchi, Tuscany
• the sound of the sea in Livorno
• a typical exchange in a caffe

 Sigh. I want to be there!

&@$%!!!

OK, so this has nothing to do with Italy, but this was the sight that greeted me outside today. My car up on a cement block and two whole wheels missing. Apparently early 80s cars are popular amongst the gangsta set for pimping out, and Honda Fit wheels are--well, a perfect fit. I found out today (after ranting on Facebook--thank God for being able to rant on Facebook!) that the same thing happened to a friend with a Fit a year ago, only they took all four wheels. There's a pretty decent police presence in my neighborhood, so they must have been really fast. And in a hurry--they left two lug nuts behind. So I've got that to make me feel better.

I have insurance, but it'll still cost me $250 (on top of shelling out $260 for a traffic ticket this past week), and of course it's a huge hassle. I will be buying a set of locking lug nuts tomorrow.

In the big picture I know this is not a big problem, especially since I have the money to handle it, but it still rankles, of course. Luckily a friend offered to buy me a drink. Alcohol--the solution to, and cause of, life's problems.

la neve

Wednesday morning, February 2, 2011, around the corner from where I live.

It's not very Italy-like around here with all the snow, unless you're talking about the Valle d'Aosta or perhaps the Alto Adige (but we don't have any mountains around here, except for the ones the snowplows have made at every corner). I had hoped we'd sneak past winter this year without a big snowstorm, but old man winter packed a wallop last week. Not sure of the totals, but I bet it was at least 18 inches. 

Chicagoans are old hands at dealing with snow and we've got the equipment for it, but the storm still caused a lot of chaos, especially on Lake Shore Drive, where some drivers were stuck for several hours and even all night when the snow started piling up around them. Firefighters finally had to rescue them and the cars were stuck there for at least a day or so while the cleanup went on. But really, any Chicagoan worth his or her rock salt knows to avoid LSD in rainstorms, much less a major, major blizzard that was forecast for days ahead of time.

The cleanup continues, as does an old Chicago tradition of saving the parking space you shoveled out while freeing your car with patio furniture, milk crates, or maybe some faux-architectural garden decor.

Bet the ancient Greeks never imagined their architecture would inspire so many creative applications.

I opted not to "dibs," as the practice is known, because I think it's tacky. A lot of people are doing it, but fortunately I haven't had much trouble finding an open space in the neighborhood when I get home.