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The traditional espresso machine…

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imageLike a good Italian, I owned a Bialetti Moka Express that I bought in Italy. I say, “owned,” because like a good mother I gave my little espresso machine to my daughter when she went off to College.

Shopping for my new Bialetti felt like car shopping. You know what you want, but every store you go to doesn’t have the exact size, color, price, etc. It’s exhausting, but you are determined NOT to go home without the car, or in my case, the espresso machine.

My efforts were fruitless – no one had the Bialetti brand! I was frustrated and we know what happens when we get frustrated and tired.  YES, we make “wrong choices!” That is what happened to me.

I stumbled on an espresso machine called, “Forever.”  As I picked it up, every thing inside me was saying, “NO, you can’t do this!”  Keep shopping and find Bialetti, stick with Italian tradition, but laziness took over. I was done, no more shopping.

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My “Forever” brand coffee maker.

In my defense, I “did” examine this Forever brand. On the outside, it appeared to “look” like the Baletti Moka Express. I unscrewed it, so I could see how it felt. I admit, it felt inferior like a “generic brand,” but I convinced myself that generic could be good and this machine was cheaper!  Why buy a Mercedes when you can just as easily get around town in a Honda, right?  It seemed so logical.

The reviews on Amazon say the “Forever” brand is fantastic! I am here to say that it has never worked 100% AND worse look at the discoloration of the coffee machine. Every time I made coffee I cringed and wondered if I was getting aluminum poisoning. Amazon says this is made in China. The Bialetti is still made in Italy.

SO….I went out and bought the Bialetti!  Why did I wait so long?  I don’t know!

I am so happy. I looked up to Heaven as the cashier was ringing me up and said, “Ok, Nonina, do you see?? I’m buying the Bialetti and I will have some biscotti in memory of you to celebrate our Italian tradition! I REALLY miss you!”

P.S. Just so you know, you NEVER use soap to clean your espresso machine. My goodness, my grandmother really yelped when I tried to clean her Moka Express with soap… she didn’t speak English, but it was clear to me from her huge eyes, quick hand movements and loud Italian voice that I was about to “ruin” the espresso machine. Phew, she stopped me in the nick of time.

P.S.S By the way, it is with sadness that I tell you that Mr. Bialetti died in February, 2016. Here is the article from the New York Times, February 20, 2016.  At the end of the article it says that his children cremated him and put his ashes in a large model of the Moka Express. It sounds like the genie in the bottle, right. Even better, if you were to rub the espresso machine, you’d be able to discuss your three wishes with Mr. Bialetti over an espresso. Brilliant plan!

Swedish Pancakes

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imageToday I thought of my ex-father/n/law who is in heaven. He was 99 years old just shy of turning 100 when he passed away a few years ago!  He was from Germany and loved breakfast. His favorite place to go for pancakes was “The Original Pancake House.” We would often go every weekend after church. A family ritual for Opa. His favorite pancakes were the 49er pancakes. A nice memory.

Oh, and in case you are wondering HOW I ended up at The Swedish Club, it’s because I received an email from a Midwestern Meetup Group inviting fellow Midwesterners to come out and meet new people while enjoying some Swedish pancakes.

imageUnfortunately, due to tough parking, I was 30 minutes late. The line for being seated was so long that I was too shy to go through the line asking, “Are you a member of the Midwestern Meetup Group?”  It wasn’t going to happen. Maybe if I had had a megaphone and made a Midwestern joke, but I hadn’t been prepared for such a crowd.

Inside they had a small band with the members dressed in traditional Swedish costumes. It reminded me of being in Italy and Munich when the older generation gets up and they know all the ballroom dance steps. It was very nice and felt family oriented. Their traditional outfit style reminded me of pilgrims or the Amish. I wanted to take a picture to share with you, but I did not feel it was appropriate.

imageMore pancakes. I work with two Ukranian Technicians and their mother’s often make crepe style pancakes, but instead of making them sweet, they add chicken or a vegetable and roll it up. Last week one of them shared with me a chicken crepe. He told me when he was young his mother made a lot of dinner dishes using these thin pancakes.

So, here is to pancakes, memories of Opa, AND being open to new adventures!

Taking the Leap…

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Years ago, someone introduced me to Grant Snider’s Blog, “Incidental Comics” where he had posted this comic on “Making the Leap.”

I was working in advertising sales when someone sent this comic to me. Sales is tough, and when we are afraid of rejection (customer saying, “No”) then we hold ourselves back. I shared this with my co-workers and we all smiled, this cartoon was right on point. What WAS holding us back?

We had to overcome our fear of customer rejection. Once we took the “leap,” we opened ourselves up to the “possibiltiy of a YES” and meeting new wonderful customers! AND in sales we have a joke that says, “One more “NO,” brings you closer to a “YES!” Anything in life that takes effort and takes us out of our comfort zone makes us pause and sometimes “over think” taking that leap of faith.

It is funny, isn’t it, that when we finally do take the leap we wonder WHY it took so long to get to that moment.

Whenever, I find myself questioning whether I can do something I think of this comic, review what stage I am at, and ask myself, “Are you ready to take the LEAP?”

How about you…. What goals/dreams (travel, writing, career change, buying a home, moving, starting a business, flying a plane, etc.) have YOU had on the back burner?

Maybe this is the year to take the LEAP!

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Creative Commons License:  Incidental Comics by Grant Snider is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

 

Amazon’s 1st Bookstore Opens

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imageAmazon opened its first bookstore last November 2015 in the Seattle area. For those of you who might not know this, Amazon’s headquarters is in Seattle. I am excited about this, because it means that bookstores will hopefully be making a “come back.”

Right now, this is their first bookstore, but from what I read in the Wall Street Journal they have plans to open more stores soon. Of couse, the employees at the Amazon Bookstore were saying this is the only store they have planned at this time.

The bookstore had a good selection of books, a nice layout for viewing the books and a great magazine collection. Oh, and I was pleasantly surprised to see they had a very large children’s section too.

They cleverly had some Kindles displayed on the book racks. As I don’t know much about the Kindle I gave it a try. I have mixed emotions on reading books “only” online. I miss the feel of a hardcover printed book, seeing the cover, turning the pages, etc. I know online reading is certainly great for traveling and at some point I will be a Kindle owner; but, for now, I am still holding out and reading the old fashioned way.

Judging from the amount of people in the bookstore they feel the same way. There were people of all ages in this store. It is very close to the University of Washington. I read so many other things online that having a “real printed book” feels like I have escaped from technology — I like that feeling!

Printed books still have their place in the world!  Hallelujah!

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To my Asian friends…

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imageTo my Asian friends, I’d like to say, “Happy Chinese New Year!” I wish you a healthy, happy and prosperous 2016!  I hope you receive a special red envelope too. Last year I had a friend who gave me a red envelope with a $1 inside and I do think it brought me luck. I smiled, because it was a gift I did not expect, so I felt included in the New Year’s celebration, which was wonderful! This year, at the suggestion of one of our Asian employees, our company went to a Chinese brunch to celebrate together. It was very nice — about 25 of us. A girlfriend of mine was invited for dumplings by her Asian yoga teacher.  So, thank you for including us in your celebration!

Here’s to a special 2016 for all of us!

Chinese Red Envelope

Chinese Red Envelope

 

Travel – 10.5 lb Backpack

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imageIf you are taking a trip around the world, can you travel with only a 10.5 lb backpack? Tynan can and in his Blog “The 2016 Gear Post,” he shares how he does it.

I still don’t know exactly who he is; however, I have learned that he loves to travel around the world, he likes cruises, enjoys tea, has published some books, bought an Island with some friends, is trying to date, and has gotten his backpack for world travel down to 10.5 lbs. YES, he has done it.

Another interesting fact, for the past seven years to simply his life, he has gotten his clothing down to one t-shirt, one dress shirt, one pair of pants, two pair of underwear, one pair of shorts and a few pairs of socks. Now that is simplifying life.

In addition to sharing a clothing review, he shares a technology review on some interesting products I had not heard about, i.e. computer, phone, chargers, etc. Sounds like companies give him products to use and then he reviews them.

If you look at his post and see the photo of everything in his backpack it is hard to believe it is only 10.5 lbs. He’s got some good quality stuff there. I like his ideas.

Well, I agree with Tynan, the lighter the better. It’s easier on the back and shoulders and now with carry on space getting smaller on planes and checked in bags at 50 lbs and often the checked baggage gets lost, life is a lot easier if you just have it ALL in your backpack. However, I am not sure that I can get to 10.5 lbs yet, but as Rick Steve, TV travel host states in many of his books and shows, “If you need something you can always buy it at your destination.”

So, who is up for the 2016 Challenge of traveling on a 10-14 day trip, somewhere in the world, with a 10.5 lb backpack and sharing if it worked.

You will have to be rugged! Tynan says he brings his clothes in the shower, so he can clean them and ladies there will be no extra room for fancy shoes, hair spray, fashion accessories, etc. Time to be a tomboy!

I can already see my Italian mother with her accent saying, “What has happened to you, why are you dressed like that? Where is your scarf, earrings and lipstick? Go home and change…” THAT was a famous line of hers, “Go home and change.”

Mom – It’s 2016!

Thank you, 60 Minutes!

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Sarah Porter founded Miss Porter’s School.

I learned at a young age how the universe can change the course of our life in an instant.

For me, 60 Minutes changed my life. One minute I was attending High School in Indiana and the next minute I was at Miss Porter’s School (boarding school) in Connecticut.

Years ago, my parents were watching 60 Minutes when a segment on girl’s boarding schools came on. My father called to me to come watch the show. When it was over, he asked if I would like to go to boarding school. My answer was an excited, “YES.”

My parents did not attend College. They really valued education. They were self taught devouring books and watching all sorts of educational shows. Opera and classical music were big in our house. They wanted to offer their children the education they did not receive.

Attending Miss Porter’s School changed my life. Our claim to fame was that Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis graduated from MPS, but more than that, the school instilled in us the powerful feeling that “girls” are here “to make a difference” in the world “no matter what we do!”

Last week the Universe was at work AGAIN. I am new to Seattle and trying to make friends. You can imagine my surprise when I saw an email from an Ancient of MPS asking if fellow Washington Ancients would be interested in getting together.

Wow – what a pleasant surprise! Suddenly, we were exchanging emails, hoping we weren’t the most Ancient in the group, i.e. Class of ’67, ’04, ’85, ’72, etc. It was fun!

So, all I can say is “believe” in change, “believe” in miracles, keep your eyes and ears open and be ready to take advantage of special “unexpected” opportunities that come to you. They say, “LUCK is when OPPORTUNITY meets PREPARATION!” Which means we create our own luck in life.

For me, I say, “Thank you, 60 Minutes” for opening the doors for me to study out East.

Nerds Unite!

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Visit The Nerdy Book Club at www.nerdybookclub.wordpress.com

Whenever I think of the word “nerd,” I smile. While I was not a computer nerd I did feel like I was a book nerd.

When I was young, to be called a “nerd” was equivalent to being called an “outcast.” If you weren’t popular and partying with the cheerleaders/football players you were boring. For sure, I fell into the boring category.

Whose fault was that?  My Mom’s!  Yep, it was her doing. When we were young my mother was constantly reading. My Mom would pack us into the car and off to the library we went.

In the beginning we resisted going! The typical, “NOT THE LIBRARY AGAIN,” we would say. I think when she was homesick for Italy, books were her escape and also her way of learning English better.

As children (there were four of us), we would whine about listening to her stories, but in her cute Italian accent she would say, “It is MY DUTY as you mother to teach you!”

Arghhh… “Duty, who gave her this duty,” we thought!

She was smart in making us FEEL she HAD to do it (laughing).

She wouldn’t pay attention, instead she would say, “You will like this, tonight I am reading you from “Greek Mythology.””

She liked “Alexander the Great,” “Marco Polo,” and “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” it was always something adventurous.

I remember when lightning would strike over Lake Michigan and we were afraid, she would say, “Zeus must be very angry tonight, he is throwing thunderbolts down from the sky.”

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Of course, she would have us captivated with her story telling, her Italian accent added charm. Like it or not, we were hooked!

When she would close the chapter, we would beg her to keep reading.

She would say, “And these are the children who didn’t want to listen in the first place. NO, no more until tomorrow.”  That was her revenge on us!

In Middle School I didn’t want to get off the bus, because she had me reading “The Egyptian” and “The Roman.”  I had to finish the Chapter.

So, it was with great excitement that I came across The Nerdy Book Club Blog site. What a clever name – I love it!

If you are a teacher or you need a gift for a child, visit their website. They just reviewed the BEST books of 2015 in different categories/age ranges.

It’s wonderful!

So, when I say, “NERDS UNITE!,” it’s with GREAT PRIDE that I say this!

A New Year – 2016

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The Start of the Race. Photo from www.Pixabay.com.

We are “officially” into 2016 and that means reviewing our “bucket list” and breaking it down into four quarters.

Why four quarters?  Well, if you think about it, life is like a relay race. In a relay race there are four runners. Similarly, in a year there are four quarters/chances to bring home the Gold and accomplish great things.

Last year, when I decided to make the big move to Seattle I used the four quarter strategy to set my plans in motion. Was it easy?  NO, but every time fear would set in, I would tell myself, “Stick with the plan!!”

My father owned his own business, so we saw him go through the ups and downs of the economy, etc. He taught his four kids that we were the only ones who could “make things happen.” His favorite phrase was “no one serves you anything on a silver platter.”

This year I have new goals. What are they you are wondering?  Well, I can’t reveal them. It’s like wishing on a lucky star, you have to keep the wish to yourself and wait for it to come true.

Goals are like that. If you share your goals with others they usually “laugh” and say, “Where did you come up with that idea?  It will never happen, are you crazy?”

So this time, I got smart! When I decided to move to Seattle, I didn’t tell anyone, I just focused on making it happen. Oh, I wanted to tell people, because I wanted them to be happy for me, but I could not “risk” the negative comments.

I have learned that most people fear change, but their biggest fear is what family and friends will think. They need that approval. The key to success is to “not” need outside approval. Instead, follow your passion, follow your dreams, and with determination let your gut instincts lead you to success.

The worst thing that will happen is you fall down and have a to get back up. Just like riding a bike, you KNOW you will do it, you just don’t know how many times you will have to fall before you finally ride like a pro.

So, here’s to coming up with a FOUR QUARTER plan for 2016!

Be determined, keep reviewing and adjusting it, and when a bit of doubt sets in, REMEMBER to tell yourself, “It CAN be done!  STICK WITH THE PLAN.”

I’ll see YOU at the Finish Line on December 31, 2016!

And remember…   GO FOR THE GOLD!

Notre Dame University’s NEW Organ 2016

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Notre Dame University’s Admin Building – view of the Golden Dome.

Next year Notre Dame University (ND), South Bend, IN will have a NEW organ in their church the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

My friend Dave, who went to ND, has been keeping me up to date on the news. See his Blog: Life In A Word where he gives details on the new organ.

I, along with his wife, attended Saint Mary’s College (sister school) across the street, so we know this church quite well. He was a Domer and we were SMC Chicks!

This is quite an undertaking by ND. The sound quality of the current Holtkamp organ had declined. Thanks to a very generous donation by Wayne and Diana Murdy a new organ was commissioned.

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Photo of the Basilica of the Sacret Heart church at ND taken by Julie Delio located on Flickr.com.

I am thrilled to say that the new organ is being built “right here” in the Seattle area by Paul Fritts and Company Organ Builders. They have extensive experience building intricate organs for the U.S. and Europe.

This new organ will be four stories high, so right now ND is renovating the church for the arrival of the new organ next summer.

The organ will make its debut Christmas 2016 at ND.

More good news… Paul Fritts & Company will be hosting an Open House Spring 2016 for us to see this amazing instrument. Six craftsman have been hard at work these past few years.

View the YouTube video, “Making the New Basilica Organ” to learn what goes into making this work of art.

I admit that when I was young, listening to an organ was like eating peas — I DIDN’T LIKE THEM!   As the years progressed my palet changed, I now eat peas and appreciate the sound of different organs.

AND at four stories high, there will be some incredble sounds coming out of this organ.

Stay tuned!