We will always have Italy.

I am still there. Mentally, metaphorically, theoretically; but not literally. It didn't take long to fall in love with. It was easy to part with because I had to. But now, sitting back at home, in the states, all I can think about is that place.

Italy. People ask me how my trip was and I respond with an enumeration of typical words like fun, amazing and awesome. But they cannot do it justice. I took hundreds of pictures. Some of my friends took thousands. And even they will not do it justice.

Its authenticity almost gives you a feeling as if you have landed not just in another country, but on another planet. It puts America to shame when you take the time to realize how wasteful our economy is while you walk through the ruins of when Caesar reined, or step foot into the church built atop where Peter was believed to be crucified.

It also reminds you of how economically savvy they are when you see women in stiletto heals, decked out in a business suit, weaving in and out of traffic on a moped on their way to work with their briefcase strapped to the back. Or the endless row of Smart cars lined up along the streets you walk through that look like a riding tractor would barely fit driving through.

You look at churches (or duomos, as they call them in Italy) that took 600 years to build in the 14th century with little to no technological assistance. Today, because of technology, we can build things and blow them up quicker than it takes me to type this post. There is no such thing as artifacts unless its a dinosaur bone uncovered in the desert, and our definition of antiques are the silver spoons and oil lamps handed down to us from our grandparents, which eventually find there way to a storage bin in the attic until a garage sale takes place.

The pace of life they choose to set is relaxed enough to enjoy lunch and your glass of wine while looking out over the country side; yet it is still fast enough to get things done and make a living somehow, someway.

I can't even remember what I had for lunch yesterday.

Wine is a delicacy. It is their pride and joy. Red wine with lunch and dinner. White wine with cookies...at least that is what they say. I am more of a white wine drinker myself so I indulged in about 20 bottles of Pinot Grigio throughout the week for breakfast, lunch, dinner, with cookies or with friends.

We drove through the country side, between the mountains and the ocean, and squeezed down small alley-ways to get from one place to the next. We walked, and walked and walked and walked.... No wonder they can eat all those carbs and still remain thin. We rode on a boat across Lake Como, shopped all day in Milan, bought leather in Florence, wine in Tuscany and souvenirs everywhere we went. Oh, yeah, and we did play a little soccer here and there.

Essssssspresso

This may make me sound like a petty asshole but I cannot STAND when people order espresso and pronounce it "expresso." Expresso isn't even a word. Let me spell out the correct word for you E-S-P-R-E-S-S-O. It's like you start off saying the letter "S" and then before you say the letter "O" you throw the word "PRESS" in the middle. Put it together and you get ESPRESSO. WaLa, just like that you get esssssssspresso.

If you haven't figure it out yet, it really irritates me. I work in a coffee shop on Tuesday's and when people ask for that extra shot of eXpresso, I'm almost tempted to look at them quizzically and politely ask them what the fuck that is. And then I'll pretend to have an epiphany and that I've decoded their jibberish by saying to them: "Oh, what you meant to say was espresso."

I am more than obliged to fix everyone their drinks with a smile on my face and a chipper tone in my voice, but deep down inside I am boiling for a solid five seconds after I experience the mispronunciation. I appreciate all of my customers and love making them drinks so that they can get their coffee fix in for the day in order to help them survive the dreaded hours couped up inside a windowless classroom that looks more like a jail cell than a place for learning.

I pity them and am slightly tickled with joy at the thought that by making them that caramel latte or vanilla frio...or my fave is the lady that orders the large sugar-free vanilla cappuccino with soy milk and decaf espresso...but anyways, that by making them that drink, it will make their day a little better. Whatever makes the customer happy makes me happy. But please people when ordering, throw caution to the wind and think before you speak when making that special request for that extra shot of the jitters. Just remember, it's essssspresso.

Where have all the cartoons gone?

Saturday morning: I wake up around 9 a.m. and head into the living room to start a pot of coffee. I plop down on the couch, remote in hand and flick on the television set in search of an epic Saturday morning cartoon. After fixing myself a steamy mug of joe I settle back down and continue my channel surfing.

Soon to my dismay, after hitting all of the hot cartoon channels I realize that my best program of choice for the morning is either the Anime on Cartoon Network or SpongeBob on Nickelodeon (which is what I rest upon for the time being). My comfort zone has completely crumbled and a wave of panic washes over me. "Where have all of the cartoons gone?!" I exclaim.

Honestly? Where are the Doug Funny and Patty Mayonnaise love stories? The Tommy Pickles and Chuckie Finster dynamic duo adventures? Rockos Modern Life or Hey Arnold! ??? How could I not mention Talespin or Rescue Rangers...I still get the theme song stuck in my head every now and then. And Duck Tales! I loved watching those ducks swim their way through all those coins...Pinky and the Brain wasn't too bad, but not one of my favorite choices. Regardless, it was still a much better cartoon than the ones they have now.

I've heard rumors flutter around about how you can still watch basically all the shows I just mentioned on a special digital cable Nickelodeon channel of some sort. Problem is I'm in college and can only afford basic cable that doesn't even include the history channel. Thank goodness I'm 21 and had the privilege of experiencing and watching the shows then, as opposed to what I would have to settle on now.

These days kids are extremely deprived of the good life when it comes to Saturday morning. It's the one time that I truly believe that kids really do have it rough. Granted they do have some choices but they are slim-pickens....There are only so many SpongeBob episodes I can take before his high pitched, bubbly giggle forces me to either mute the TV or just turn it off completely.

After becoming extremely distraught over the fact that my Saturday morning lineup was not going to go as planned, I decided there was no longer a use in even trying to pretend to enjoy a mediocre episode of animated entertainment. I merely turned the television off, dumped out my coffee and went back to bed. There is just no use in waking in the a.m. on Saturday ever again, unless the cartoon industry makes a major U-turn and brings back the good stuff.

Until then...

New balance

"You were in a relationship with running, a love/hate relationship. Running kicks you out of a warm cozy bed and into a cold hard world. Running calls you at all hours of the night. Running gets you up at the crack of dawn and keeps you at practice long after play has left the building. Everyday with running is a question of your commitment and running is not afraid to ask. Yes, my friend, it is a complex and torrid affair; it is a constant balance, a balance between joy and pain, work and play. A balance between love and hate. Everything we do is geared towards tipping the balance. This is the new balance."
-Love/hate. the new balance ad campaign.

I absolutely love this commercial. Not many commercials are necessarily memorable the first time I view them, but this one was an exception. It really draws a connection with an athlete - the target audience of the ad. Not many ads do that anymore, try to draw in an audience with some deep connection to the product.

It's pure genius. New Balance offers a product that appeals to athletes. They excel in running shoes, and despite the good feeling after those endorphins start pumping during and after a run, it is an utter pain in the ass sometimes to roll out of bed at 5 or 6 a.m. to exercise. To push your muscles and keep your body motivated to go just a little further than yesterday. NB nails it dead on the head: it creates a balance. You may hate it for a moment, but you will love it the next. It creates a state of euphoria.

Running truly defines your commitment, to more than just exercise. If you are committed to something like waking up at the crack of dawn to go for a jog in order to stay fit and keep a healthy body and physique, you will find yourself committed to more things during your day and excelling in more than just the distance you ran that day. It's a balance...between love and hate. Pure genius, utter inspiration.

Favre packs it in

On Tuesday, March 3, Favre - at age 38- announced that he is packing it in and retiring from the NFL. The announcement also came one day after Randy Moss re-signed with the New England Patriots. Although the Packers weren't begging Moss to come play for them, Favre publicly was encouraging him to do so last season.

Brett Favre has completed more passes than any quarterback in NFL history. Ironically, his last throw of his career was an interception that would ultimately cost the Packers the game and a trip to Super Bowl XLII.

Although the Packers lost in the NFC Championship game this season, Favre at least has one NFL Super Bowl victory under his belt from 1997. And although he ended his career with an interception, he still had a resurgence of a year, and took his team into the post-season, as well as broke Dan Marino's touchdown and pass completion records. He also passed John Elway's record for most career victories by a starting quarterback (nbcsports.com).

His reason for retiring is that he is simply worn out, mentally and physically. And who could blame him? Since joining the Packers and becoming the starting quarterback in 1992, Favre has started every single game, making him the record holder in the NFL for 253 consecutive (regular season) starts at QB.

I have to be honest, despite being from Pittsburgh and an avid Steeler fan, I always had a soft side for Favre.; ever since he and the Packers were brought to my attention in my middle school days when my favorite show was Step-By-Step. My favoritism was heightened when I read an article in my SI for Kids magazine about Favre and he admitted to being afraid of the dark and snakes. I can relate.

But seriously, he has certainly left his mark in NFL history, and will be remembered for quite sometime. And although I'm sure he feels he has made the right decision in hanging up the cleats, I can about guarantee come next fall when he is watching the games he is going to have a strong sense of regret. Who knows, maybe he'll pull a Michael Jordan, change his mind and, come preseason, want to rejoin the team. I have a feeling the Packer's would have a hard time turning him down.