too many tabs!

I'm still not entirely sure what Italians do between 12:00 and 3:00, when stores and shops close for the afternoon. I do know that people eat a big lunch and hm, maybe they take naps? I was thinking that perhaps chores and errands are on the list but on Tuesday when I was out doing just that, everything was empty - I was the only one at the post office, the only one at the open-all-day! hair place and hmmm, wait, no the library was buzzing. The libary! We finally stopped in and oooh I'm glad we did. Now Hendrik and I both have library cards, and there are English books for the whole family, yay! It was beautiful in there, and I was kicking myself (again) that I didn't bring the camera. Vaulted ceilings - some stucco, some exposed brick - huge, heavy wooden doors, and people eating and drinking coffee and WINE in the cafeteria. Not that I would have taken a picture of strangers driving vino, but it's worth noting, no? We were the only ones in the little kiddie section (with English books - we took out three), and Hendrik LOVED... loved... pulling books off of the shelves. (Woops.) We were also the only ones at the Museum of Science and Nature (a rainy Tuesday morning activity) and then too, at Grom, the gelato place in the central piazza. The museum: it was small, but exciting (sometimes) for Hendrik. He did the scrunched up nose-breathing thing that usually means dog for the ibex, and in an aggressive way. Big dog with long horns? Maybe. He also liked the fish (plastic) and the assortment of stuffed birds. The gelato: I had pear and dark chocolate once again, and it was good - but not as good as the first time; on our next trip I'll try something new. But anyways, getting back to the closed all afternoon thing - the little grocery store here in Vela has an even more extended afternoon break: they are open from 9-12 and then again from 5-7, except on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, and of course they're closed on Sundays. In a way it's nice - free time in the afternoon to... eat and nap! But also a bit inconvenient for shoppers.

So let me think... there are so many things to write about I'm not totally sure where to start. The volleyball? The guys won their league game at home last Saturday (or Sunday?) and then also won their Champions League game in Belgrad on Wednesday - yaaaaay. They've been gone soooo much this month, but the light at the end of the tunnel (for me at least) is November; after the 5th, the league takes a break for Olympic qualification tournaments and the World Cup. Why that light might not be so bright for Steve is that a month without games means a tough training schedule with his all-about-business Bulgarian coach.

Sunday's home game

And news with me? Hendrik keeps me pretty busy BUT I have been finding time to run more often and read too. There's an amazing path along the Adige river that seems to go on forever, and I got a solid 10km in a few days ago - hopefully the same can happen tomorrow morning. Hendrik naps in the stroller, and I jog. I can't say that I've seen other moms out with jogging, so perhaps that's why I've had some strange comments. Or maybe Italians are just forthright? Well that we know.

good run?

beautiful scenery to keep me going!

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks has been amazing, and I'm addicted. Oh and they have Mme Ramotswe at the library! While someone was punching my data into the computer I noticed The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency sitting atop a pile of reserved libros. "OOH you have those books?" I asked her, and then continued on in shoddy Italian to inadequately explain how fabulous they are. And - as an aside - my mom has been raving about librarything.com, and I've been meaning to check it out for a while. I've also been meaning to pay some attention to the ... wait.. FIFTEEN tabs that are open in three different browser windows. For real?! They are:

• The Scuttlefish - a new found blog about all things ocean that I'm loving
• Wikipedia page on Trento... my lame effort to construct a blog about the history of Trento. It's coming, one day!
• Another somethin' or other about Trento
  
• Ericandles - my cousin Eric and his wife Les blog about their life with three wonderful children, and the video they posted on Sunday looks like a good one. The first two and a half minutes were solid, only 19 more to go!
• I brought home some nice pine cones from a walk up to the top of Doss Trento the other day, and was inspired to make a pine cone wreath. Right. Two pine cone craft pages open. (On www.recycle-eh.com)
  
• Second pine cone craft page.
• another crafty craft page - make your own leaf-wreath. Where do I think I'm going to find the time to do this?
• How to draw a Hen and her chicks - on the Crafty Crow (great website!). For when I have even more spare time to do creative things with our limited art supplies....
  
• more crafts
• last craft page - I swear. Little Train from Recycled Materials - again, from the Crafty Crow.
• "The Case Against Breastfeeding" - a very fiery and thought-provoking article published in The Atlantic. Some definite food for thought (hah!).
• Veteran's Week events page....
• "Bookbinding in the Digital Age" - an article about a man who started a new career as a bookbinder, learning in a small shop in Casablanca: "But when I get sick of all the information beaming at me through the computer and over the radio and tv, a book made of paper can be just the thing. It’s nice to handle something that is still unplugged." Amen.
• Milano City Marathon - April 15. Because I'm thinking about it.
• Young House Love

And there you go. I know there's more that I wanted to write about, but, well, I should go and tackle some of these tabs. Not the crafts, the tabs. And then it's time for my book. And bed. Ouf, I'd better go!