John Luther the British anti-hero

I am nothing else if not curious about how people like me (whatever that means) live in other parts of the world. It has driven most of my varied travel experiences. Even with this curiosity I have shied away from British television. I have quite a few British relatives who tell me about their tv shows and stars who make the switch to American television and film. I am often surprised to discover they are indeed in British.

That brings me to Idris Elba. I had no idea this good looking bloke was British. He exudes the swagger and roughness of the dreamboats of my Brooklyn youth. I was fairly shocked to know they grew that way in the United Kingdom. I didn't watch The Wire,, but I heard he was great. He was sensational on the American version of The Office. He had role in Last summer's Thor, and after he won at the Golden Globes I went ahead and bought the first, then later the second season of Luther on iTunes.

Watching Mr. Elba on Luther you find yourself on edge for most of the hour. It is quite difficult to figure out what he is going to say or do next. He broke a door into pieces in one of the early episodes and I was terrified. His character looms large and in charge of everything except his emotions, which is thrilling to watch. I am thrilled Ryan is no Luther, but I sure enjoy watching Idris strut his stuff round London.

Third time is a charm in Milan

Just back from my third trip to Milan. The first time I went I was an undergrad spending a semester abroad in Rome. It was one of the those wild adventures you have in your 20s.

My best friend Kris at the time and I would go to the train station and hop on the first train leaving. On our Milan trip we met these Turkish guys on the train. Kris had these amazing green eyes that always garnered lots of attention. Any who, theTurkish guys took us to one of the trendiest bars in town where we danced until dawn. The next morning we snuck a peak at Leonardo's Last Supper. This was before the extraordinary restoration project, and we just wanted to check the box that we saw it. We spent the rest of the day walking around looking for the fashion district. We never found it. I left thinking Milan was a much over hyped big city.

The second time I was in Milan Ryan and I decided to go at the last minute..without a plan..for about three hours. This was not a good idea, and we did not have much fun. Three hours is not enough time to see anything. We ended up in a crummy part of town at a bar that served great bacaro, which is heavy tapas. I left with the same mediocre impression of the city.

As they say, the third time is a charm. This time I planned things a lot better. I bought tickets for one of the trips the Army base organizes as part of its Outdoor Recreation program. The Army organizes the transportation, entry tickets and guided tours for Soldiers and civilians. We typically do not go on these trips because most of your time is not your own. They are well suited for those who enjoy traveling dependently. Ryan and I are not these kind of travelers, but in this instance the organized trip was ideal.

I bought the tickets months in advance, and they included the admission to the Last Supper. This was a big plus because arranging for tickets online for admission to the church where the Last Supper is can be a hassle. Since the restoration the Italians are meticulous about the viewing process. We also decided we would leave the group, and head to lunch on our own after the tour.

We picked Colline d' Oro. We love Asian food and it is almost nonexistent in Vicenza. Trip Advisor promised an experience not to be missed. Colline d' Oro lived up to the high expectations. And I finally discovered what all the the hype about fashion in Milan is about. People were impeccably stylish, but also La Rinascente in Milan was the most incredible department saw I have ever seen in my entire life. There was not enough time for me to handle my shopping business, but now I know exactly where to go next time.

Ryan would like me to mention the toddler who screamed as though a demon possessed him for most of the three hour ride..each way, but I won't because the memory causes me to shudder a little.

Rented an apartment in Rome

I am a big believer in setting goals at the beginning of the year. High on my list this year is to spend more time in Rome. I love it here. The first time I went to Rome was in January of 1993. Totally showing my age here. Whatever. I loved everything about the place from the moment I left the airport with those nuns who let let me hitch a ride with them.

I have never been able to let go of my longing to be there. Fortunately Ryan enjoys spending time in the eternal City as well. That's why we resolved to spend more time in Rome this year. We will not live in Italy forever. While we are here it is important to make the most of it. We may not live in Rome but, a three hour train ride is a lot closer and cheaper than an eight hour plane ride from JFK.

We took a day trip in early December last year, but it felt a little rushed. I did not get to shop AT ALL. We spent time with a few friends I have that live there, had dinner, walked around a bit and headed back to Vicenza. We have arranged to go for two nights next month with a couple I recently matched. At first we considered our go to place: Hotel Navona. We stayed there last summer. The location was perfect, but the room was lackluster. It will certainly do in a pinch.

My Brazilian "gay boyfriend" Jeremy was visiting with us from New York. As travel stories go it was a strange coincidence that the owner of the 500 year old palazzo that is the hotel was a former lover a Brazilian novella star. It made for interesting dinner conversation. My friend Carlos suggested the hotel to us. He also suggested a Bed & Breakfast that is directly above his Argentine restaurant Baires. Both options are pricey, especially for a weekend getaway.

Then I discovered this site. I made a few phone calls, sent a few emails and within a few hours I had a deal on the table. I have never traveled this way, but when traveling with another couple it is much more cost efficient.

Sometimes a hastily planned trip comes together beautifully

Traveling more is on the top of my 2012 goals. Last year's list included so many farfetched destinations that it was impossible to succeed without going somewhere every weekend. Unfortunately my work schedule does not allow for exotic travel destinations every weekend. This year I revised my goals to plan more trips instead. Plan is the important word here.

It is always best to get started early when planning a trip, but sometimes even a hastily planned trip comes together beautifully. Last week while on the phone with a former colleague I decided it might be fun to go to Spain for the long weekend. I looked up prices on my new favorite website, vueling.com, and they were reasonable. Ryan was into the idea, but not completely sold. At home in front of the computer with a glass of wine we finally booked our tickets. We took a time out to watch an episode or two of The Walking Dead, then tried to find a hotel.

I should mention that we are not hotel people. We are foodie people. That means we don't care about hotel amenities such as jacuzzis, spas and views. We care that it is close to restaurants. After a few glasses of wine we settled on Hotel Avinyo. At 118 euros for two nights the price was right, and the location was perfect. It was down the street from everything but, the room was a lot like a box. We didn't care though. We wanted to see the city. If the room was too comfy we would have trouble getting out of there.

The first order of business was food. The seafood in Barcelona is abundant. We strolled through La Boqueria amazed at the quantity of fresh seafood there. It was my favorite part of the trip.

We spent most of our time walking around exploring the city which is vibrant and full of charm. Ryan loved all of the modern architecture, and when we stumbled into a Mexican restaurant at the end of our first night he laughed out loud at the mariachi band that appeared out of nowhere. As if that wasn't surreal enough, one of the patrons who resembled Julio Iglesias stood up and belted out a magnificent Spanish ballad. His voice bellowed throughout the space without a microphone. His wife beamed at him from their table. We wondered if he did this every Friday night.

The next day was dedicated to shopping. Again the prices did not disappoint. The cost of living in Barcelona is a great deal less than it is in Vicenza. I bought a few basics, but nothing to blog about.

Our next stop was the Sagrada Familia. I could see progress since the last time I saw it in 1999, but it is not scheduled to be completed until It is scheduled 2025. Can't wait to see it when it is finally finished.

We spent a fair portion of the day planning to eat at the Mexican place we were in the night before, but it was not meant to be. They were at capacity. We ended up at a little wine bar with amazing Spanish tapas, guacamole and salsa.

After dinner we walked around looking for a bar for a night cap, but with so many choices it is very hard to decide. Finally just after midnight we decided to call it a night. We had an early flight in the morning. We had a fabulous time in Barcelona and look forward to planning other trips to Spain.

Bella, Edward, Jacob and french fries at lunch

I had lunch at the food court on post last week. Charlie's has these grilled sub meals that come with a drink and a side of fries. Italians have no respect for french fries at all. They make sure to put your french fires in the bag first. By the time your sandwich is ready your fries have been sitting in the bag for five minutes so they are nice and cold. The very opposite of how I like them. More on the morays of fast food Italian style in a later post.

While I was waiting in line for my lukewarm fries, a burly soldier holding his young daughter's hand caught my attention. She looked about 11 years old. She was chatting with him about nothing in particular, but I honed in on their conversation for two reasons. The first because I did not want to think about how confusing it would be for the Italians who work at Charlie's if I asked for my fries to go in the bag last. They don't like change back there. The second reason the father and daughter caught my attention was because a big guy like him in uniform holding his daughter's hand is beyond cute. That's why I heard her ask him: "Daddy, do you like Twilight?" She immediately had all of my attention. Time stood still for a few seconds as looked up at the soldier. He smiled brightly and nodded yes. She asked if would take her to see the new movie when it comes out next week. Again he nodded and smiled yes. I exhaled deeply. I was holding my breath in fear that he might say no in which case I would step in and offer to take her next week when I go to see it for the second time.

The movie premiered last night in Italy. I went with an Italian friend in Verona. The movie comes out in English on the base next week. I could not wait that long so I watched it dubbed in Italian last week. I am not ashamed to admit that I loved the movie so much that it made me cry. It's that good if you love the books. I imagine it is a very strange experience watching without having read the books. The movie was made for Stephanie Meyers' vast legion of fans, and it is more accessible to adults than the previous installments of the series. It deals with a complex issues such as sex, intense romantic and platonic love, motherhood, abortion and of course life and death. All this set against the backdrop of a host of supernatural characters. It will be a sad day at the end of part II. All will be resolved and we will never see or heae of Bella and Edward again. A sad day indeed.

Find your own cure

I'm not one for holistic medicine. If I'm in pain give me an Aleve. I don't believe in herbs, teas and natural remedies. My entire childhood was plagued with food allergies. My parents stuffed me with supplements and teas from the the South American bush in hopes of a homeopathic cure. None of it worked for me. Eventually I out grew some of my allergies. I had to learn how to manage the others.

All that being said I began running hard core three years ago. Not for any particular reason...Well perhaps there was a particular reason. I was looking for something physical to throw myself into. I was fresh off of a break up, and nothing frees the mind of dark memories like intense physical activity. I was running from my past. I'm all about mind over matter. Even when my body begged me to stop I pushed it beyond its limits. I achieved my goals, but at a t price. I strained my hip muscle, badly.

My visit to my primary care physician got me a referral to a sports orthopedist who suspected me of being a closet anorexic running herself to death. Fortunately for me he believed me when I said I was naturally thin, and loved to eat. He prescribed an analgesic and gave me a prescription to see a physical therapist. I hate physical therapy. It hurts, and that guy reduced me to tears. He didn't say I would never run again, but almost. I eased up on the running. I worked out. I stretched. I went to physical therapy twice. I cried. I fell in love. I got married. I interviewed Arianna Huffington. I quit my awesome job. I moved to Italy. I suffered though, because the pain did not go away through any of it.

Then I became obsessed with my hair. I spent a lot of time reading about haircare and came across two supplements that have changed my life: Silica and MSM. Since I began taking these over the summer the pain has subsided and my hair looks awesome. Why didn't any of doctors I saw tell me about natural supplements that could help me? The truth is I might not have been ready to hear that message or perhaps they wanted me to keep coming to see them. Through my own research I found a natural cure for my joint and muscle pain. I wonder what else Mother Nature has in store for me...

Not on my watch you don't

The Army, like most large organizations, loves its acronyms. I learn a new one almost everyday. My most recent favorite is BLUF:Bottom Line Up Front. I use that one every chance I get, which just is not often enough. Last week my boss asked me to review our JSOP, Joint Standard Operating Procedures, document. It's 48 pages detailing how we collaborate with the other agencies on the installation. The very first section defined domestic violence as any use of force or threat of use of force between members of the opposite sex who are married, were married, have a child in common or living together for 30 consecutive days or more. The paragraph continued for another few sentences, but all I could focus on was the phrase about members of the opposite sex. These guys obviously did not get the memo about DADT being over. I promptly removed the offending phrase about members of the opposite sex. This discrimination will not continue on my watch. Same sex couples who are in crisis have the right to all the services mixed couples receive.

I called Jerry's attention to this immediately. I had serious doubts about him when I heard he an older, white gentleman who spent all of his life in a small town in Arkansas accepted the position as the Family Advocacy Program Manager. I was prepared for all manner of culturally and racially insensitive comments. I wish I could say my preparation was unwarranted. He did say things that made me and other women I work with uncomfortable. Perhaps it was my preparation or the combination of how much I love my job and refusal to quit, but I was determined to make it work.

So when he he told my female colleague to hush and asked me about my religion during his first week on the job I was worried but, undeterred. Eventually he and I came to an understanding about each other. He may have some preconceived ideas about black people, women, homosexuality and interracial marriage, but through exposure he's learning more about human nature and the importance of doing the right thing even if we do things differently around here.

He agreed with my decision to remove the phrase about couples of the opposite sex. He was said he was shocked to see it in there, I don't think that's true as it one of the first you lines in the document and I assume he has read at least the first few pages. Nevertheless, he agreed to my changes and at the end of the day I made a significant change to standard operating procedure in the Army. Today was a very good day.