We set up our slide as well in case some of the kids were intimidated by the big one. 

Most of the kids at least gave the big slide a try.  Some liked it more than others.  Big K and blonde C had a good old time.  Little K only went down with Aunt Ro, A Lane wanted to try it, but said no after Cioci L had gotten changed to take her down and I think brunette C only made it down once or twice.  R Ren hung out at the slide most of the day, but only went down a few times by herself with the water going.  We had the same thing happen with our slide too.  She loves it dry, but hates the water sprinkling her in the face.

Even though it was pretty darn hot outside if you weren't wet.  Everyone had to watch the kids playing for a bit.

Dan, Aunt Ro, Cioci L and myself gave it a try as well!  It was so much fun!  After we ate some pizza it was back out to the slide where Dan and CC's Dad were in charge.  Mostly because it was only R Ren and blonde C playing on it by that point.

Do you think she was having fun???

The kids found their way over to the other toys we left outside and had a great time playing with those.

Then it was back inside to cool off and eat some cake.  I think this was R Ren's favorite part of the day!  She even snuck in a few finger swipes before the singing began.

When everyone started singing, I don't think she knew what to make of it!  She just sat there with this weird look on her face as if to say, I like it when people sing to me but there are an awful lot of people doing it right now. 

After cake we opened presents and were amazed at how giving people were!  Here is a picture of her trying out some of her new things. 

Even with all the stress of trying to get the yard and house together, it turned out to be a great day!

Three weeks prior to the party Dan and I got the silly idea to tile the downstairs.  Well, let's just say we bit off more that we could chew!  Thank God for Grandpa who came out a few times to help and Papa who was here non-stop helping!  By last Tuesday, Dan and I had decided that although the original plan was to have the party in the backyard, because we were working so hard on the house, we hadn't touched the backyard and we would move the party out front in our big driveway and not keep the slide overnight. 

The afternoon before, I got a call from the people we were renting the slide from saying they would need to drop the slide off that night so we would have it before the party since they might not make it out here on Saturday morning and didn't want to be late.  Great, now the plan changed again and we had to still finish the floor AND get the backyard in order.

The troops rallied again and Papa and Grandpa were on their way to help.  Then I got a call from Aunt Ro checking to see how everything was going.  She sensed the stress in my voice and said let me call you right back.  She got her husband to hang with her kids and said "I'm on my way!"

With all the help, we finally got the house and the backyard, not perfect, but better than we could've hoped for in such a short time.  The tile was down and grouted, the weeds were whacked, the grass was cut, the tools and extra tile were moved, the walls were painted, the favors were put together and the house was mostly cleaned thanks to their help!

I  learned a lot about asking for help this time around.  Normally, I'm a want-to-do-everything-myself kind of person and this year I learned I never would have got it all done myself.  Before I got to the party post, I had to give a HUGE thank you everyone who helped!  This party might not have happened if it wasn't for you!

Thank you Grandpa for helping a few times even though there's bigger fish to fry in you world right now, thank you Papa for being here so much helping that Ren now thinks you live here and as every car drives by she asks "Is Papa home now?", thanks you Nona for making the fruit dish and picking up the cake, thank you to the store for making the cake, thank you to Cioci C for listening to me vent and keeping me focused and motivated on finishing, thank you Cioci L for picking out and picking up the balloons, Thank you to Aunt Ro for dropping everything to help at crunch time, thank you to Papa John's for making the food and thank you to Angel's Jump Around for delivering the party entertainment!

The reason she stayed is because we're still in the middle of a major project at the house and we were going to be working in the middle of a big mess and we didn't want her to be there and possibly get hurt.  Sunday morning, the same as almost everyday since we started this project, my Dad came to help.  He has helped so much that we would be very behind if he wasn't as giving of his time as he is.

Sunday afternoon I made it back to my parents house and enjoyed the normal activities: eating, joking around, watching the girls play, swimming and some more eating.

Miss R has such a love for her baby dolls right now and is very intrigued by Baby C.  When asked if she wanted to hold her, she jumped at the chance!

The two imps were at it again all Sunday.  Right before I snapped this picture they were going to attempt to pour the water into the toy canteen.  Miss R picked up the water bottle, Miss A picked up the canteen and handed it to her "pour water in" was the next thing out of her mouth.  They were like that ALL day, it was cute.  Another time Miss A handed Miss R a bucket of blocks and they would then be dumped out and both would clean it up.  I can already tell that one is going to lie and the other will swear to it.  It was very cute to see how they shared and helped each other, we'll just have to watch out for them later!

Baby C was also cute as ever!  She was flashing all sorts of smiles!  I can't believe how big she has gotten already!  Soon they'll be three amigos against the parents!

Since I have two sisters, we decided when Cioci C got engaged (no use thinking about it before) that I would be her maid of honor, Cioci L would be mine and someday hopefully soon, Cioci C will be Cioci L's.  Confusing enough?  Well when it came to Godparents the circle went the opposite way.  Cioci C is Miss R's and Cioci L is Miss A's.  Since we were blessed with another is was now my turn!  I can't express how much it means to me!  I new it was a big deal when we decided to get Miss R baptised and cried during the baptism and was moved to tears once again during Baby C's!

Here is a picture of my gorgeous niece and Goddaughter. 

ice                    

Uncle J's brother is the Godfather for both their girls and here we are at the church.

The big girls were VERY well-behaved during the ceremony.  This was the first time Miss R was in church since her baptism (I know, shame, shame Mommy) and she behaved well enough that I just might be able to start taking her on a regular basis.  Afterwards, they were able to play a little in the aisle before heading back to Cioci C and Uncle J's for a nice party.

Here are the three angels.

Sometime Friday evening, Miss R and Nona were looking at some clouds.  Miss R told Nona she wanted to touch them. 

The next day, Nona got out the paper, crayons, glue and cotton balls and her and Miss R made some clouds so Miss R could touch.

I know my Mom is a very thoughtful person so this shouldn't have surprised me, but I just sat there, completely giddy,  watching them have a great time and watching Nona become an even bigger hero to Miss R.

Anche la domenica del 20 luglio passa sotto la pioggia e impedisce l'accesso all'alta quota. Il giro qui descritto è un'ottima alternativa di una giornata come ripiego a programmi falliti nel week end. Ovviamente il lunedì fa sempre bello, e mangiata la foglia me ne son preso uno di ferie!
La salita effettuata non rispecchia esattamente l'ottima relazione che consiglio e potete trovare su inalto.org. Causa alcune confusioni mentali il nostro percorso è stato il seguente:

Pila (1814m) - Lago Chamolè - Col Replan (2459m) - ravanata all'Alpe Comboè (2100m) - Becca di Nona (3142m, ma sì, perchè no, eravamo di strada!) - Bivacco Federigo Zullo (2987m) - M. Emilius (3559m) - Col des Trois Capucins - Rifugio Arbole (2496m) - Col Chamolè (2641m) - Lago Chamolè - Pila. Dislivello complessivo di salita: 2404m circa. Partiti alle 6h30' da Pila e ritornati dopo le 19h sfruttando una giornata fredda, ma fantastica.

Il pazzo coinvolto in quest'avventura è Ziano, che ha anzi proposto con sventurata leggerezza questo itinerario, senza prima venire autorizzato dalle proprie ginocchia. Ho provato a distoglierlo dall'attenzione dell'Emilius con dislivelli più contenuti, tipo la Punta Roncia al Moncenisio, ma non ne ha voluto sapere.

Si tratta di un giro molto lungo da fare in giornata, si cammina tutto il giorno, per di più la roccia dell'Emilius è pessima. La via ferrata inoltre assomiglia più a una via crucis: i cavi sono disposti in modo tale da esser sovente sotto i piedi, quindi si sale a schiena piegata. I pioli sono ottimi e abbondanti, i cavi sono presenti anche nei tratti più semplici, tali da render la tipologia di ferrata piuttosto facile, benchè lunga e assai faticosa. Solo nel tratto più pericoloso, l'attraversamento di un breve e ripido nevaio sospeso sotto la vetta, manca di ogni protezione. Una lacuna inspiegabile. Nonostante sia una salita in cresta, l'esposizione non è mai eccessiva e i tratti di parete risultano discontinui.

Consiglio infine questa salita non solo per il notevole panorama sulle montagne dell'intera Val d'Aosta, ma anche per la delicatezza dell'ambiente di bassa quota. Graziosi laghetti contornano verdeggianti pascoli impreziositi da una fioritura assai variegata. I prati brulicano di tutti i colori, da giallo dell'arnica al rosso delle nigritelle, passando al blu delle campanule e tante altre tonalità di gigli e orchidee. Un ambiente riposante e idilliaco, che aiuta a ripagare la grande fatica del lungo cammino.

I even got a kiss from it.  Then they guy scared the crap out of me by telling me not to pull away too quick or he'll follow.  There's just something about animals larger than me that makes me a little nervous so I slowly backed away after the picture.

As in most times I've been to Cricket, we got lawn seats.  We grabbed a great spot, hung out, drank some beers and watched the clouds roll in.  I remember saying that I thought it would be neat if it did rain a little to cool things off.  I definitely spoke too soon.  We got through the opening acts - which by the way Trailer Choir was REALLY cool!  I've never even heard of them before and they rocked! Actually, they rocked the beer gut  :)  Then Montgomery Gentry took the stage and got through about 2 or 3 songs and the heavens opened up.  And I'm not talking about a little sprinkle either!  It poured... and poured... and poured. 

These are the only pictures I took because I didn't want to bring my phone back out and get it wet.  It was really cool that most people, although everyone was soaked wound up staying.  Even the people with seats were soaked because the rain was coming in sideways at one point.

I don't know if it's the country crowd or the Arizona thing, but is was so nice to see everyone having a great time even though we were drenched.  In my mind I just kept thinking - what if this happened to a Barbara Streisand concert or something?  People would be going nuts!  Not that night.  We all just kept our hand over our beer while dancing in the rain.  We watched guys sliding down the hill and girls fake wrestling... it was good fun... good redneck fun!

Next time Toby - we'll be prepared!

Lucky for us she also brought us some blue claw crabs, just like we used to eat all the time in Jersey when Papa would go crabbing.  Miss R decided she didn't want to taste them, but had fun looking at them and telling us they were dirty because of the seasoning on them.

We enjoyed all of the normal 4th of July activities.  We BBQ'd, hung out with the family and went swimming.

Miss C even got to go for a dip in the pool.

After all the eating and swimming we wanted to take the girls to go see fireworks.  In my opinion, it is one of the best things about the holiday and we just couldn't miss it. 

Mr D, Uncle J, Cioci C and I took Miss R and Miss A up the street to watch the fireworks.  We just pulled off the side of the road and the girls climbed on top of our car to watch the show.  Towards the end of it, the girls were so tired from all the activities of the day that they could barely keep their eyes open.

They wound up getting to bed around 10:30 and of course were up bright and early the next morning.  Not wanting to wake everyone up, Cioci C and I quickly moved them out back where they got to play on the sand table and have a picnic breakfast.

Nona and Papa went and got a special treat for the big kids - we got a Wii!  We had a blast playing it.  I think Nona's plan backfired a little with how much we wound up playing it.  Friday we tested it out a bit, but come Saturday, it was on non-stop.  Miss R even tried to get into the action a little.  We all had a blast testing our fitness age and watching Nona play.

Every time Nona would play this was the reaction of the room!  We got some hilarious video of Nona and Papa boxing, but I think if I posted it up here I might get in some trouble  :)

On Sunday, we were banning by Nona from the Wii, so we quickly tested our fitness age again and then shut it off and went to walk around the mall.  After that it was back in the pool again.  Miss R was swimming and playing so nice!  She had so much fun spinning in circles, Jumping into the pool, swimming underwater like a 'mermaid' and being thrown back and forth between Mr and I.

Miss A enjoyed herself too swimming with her Dad and Papa.

While most of the family was out back swimming or watching, Nona was hanging out inside with Miss C. 

To cap off the wonderful weekend, we had an early birthday celebration for Aunt M.

 I'm sure this weekend would have been fun anyhow, but when we added Aunt M and the Wii to it, it was a blast!!!

Varsha Sabhnani, 46, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. She was convicted with her husband, Mahender Sabhnani, 51, in December 2007 on a 12-count federal indictment that included forced labor, conspiracy, involuntary servitude and harboring aliens. In other words human slavery.

The Sabhnani's of 205 Coachman Place East, Muttontown, Long Island were rich, in fact they were millionaires, who ran an international business distributing perfume. They were arrested in May 2007 by federal agents on charges of keeping two Indonesian women as slaves, since 2002, in their posh Long Island home.

"No one would ever think that human beings were being brought into the United States and held for slave labor, and beaten, and tortured in a beautiful mansion right here in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods on Long Island," said federal prosecutor Demetri Jones

The case began to unfold when Samirah, one of the two women being held in the house, wandered away from the home and came across a Dunkin Donuts shop at 52 W. Jericho Tpke., Syosset, early Mother's Day morning. The manager, Adrian Mohammed, who initially thought she must be a homeless person, realized that something was wrong and called the cops. When the police arrived, Samirah led them back to the Sabhnani mansion, where Nona was found, cowering in a 3-by-3-foot closet under the stairwell leading to the basement. With the help of an interpreter they told the police their story of the horrible abuse they had suffered at the hands of their employers. The Sabhnanis were arrested and eventually released on $3.5 million bail.

The women were physically abused on a regular basis, with beatings administered by Varsha in one of the house bathrooms with Mahender looking on. Varsha Sabhnani liked to mix it up a little, dealing out beating with a wide variety of instruments. Rolling pins and broomsticks were her favorite, but she wasn’t above using bamboo canes in a pinch.

Varsha threw scalding water on Samirah at one point, cut the woman behind the ears with a paring knife another time, and forced the women to eat chili peppers until they vomited - then made them eat the vomit. The women were starved, given barely enough food to survive on. Eventually things got so bad for Samirah and Nona that they started hoarding food, keeping snacks that she was able to sneak out of the kitchen in a spot above a drop-ceiling panel.

These women were forced to work 21 hour days from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m. "seven days a week" according to prosecutors. When they were allowed to sleep, they had to sleep on 3-by-6 foot mats that were kept on the floor of one of the Sabhnanis two kitchens. If they slept late, they got a beating. Caught stealing food from the trashcan? That’s a beating. Looking master in the eye? Oh you can bet that’s a beating.

"In her arrogance, she treated Samirah and Enung as less than people," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Demetri Jones. "Justice for the victims: That's what the government is asking for."

"This did not happen in the 1800s," Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Lesko said during the trial. "This happened in the 21st century. This happened in Muttontown, New York."

Federal sentencing guidelines had recommended a range of 12 to 15 years in prison for Sabhnani, who was identified as the one who inflicted the abuse. In addition to prison, she will serve three years probation and pay a $25,000 fine.

Mahender Sabhnani, 51, who is free on bail while awaiting his own sentencing, wept as he watched his wife's punishment pronounced. He was charged with the same crimes because he allowed the conduct to take place and benefited from the work the women performed in his home, prosecutors said. He is expected to receive a much shorter prison term.

This past Sunday, we had a LOT of fun celebrating Father's Day.  It was a very busy day and well worth it!  After hanging around our house for a while and spending special time with Mr D, we then headed over to my parents house. 

On the way there, Mr D pulled over to let Miss R look at some cows.  This was very exciting to her!  Whenever we're driving around she's always yelling out horse or cow when she sees them and then asking for more when we drive past.  I find myself taking routes that I know have the most animals she can look at.   A bonus to this is, she's learning her left and right.  I'll always say look to your left or right and used to point so she knew which way to look, now I just say the direction and she knows!

At Nona and Papa's house, we had a yummy brunch and watched some golf.

Whenever the two girls get together, they just feed off each other.  They had a blast dancing, climbing up and down the stairs and screaming.  There was lots of excited, fun screaming!

My poor father, God bless him.  He first had three daughters and now has three granddaughters.  Talk about having the patience of a saint!

After hanging out with Papa for a while, we were then off to see Grandpa.

Not only was it Father's Day, but Uncle MO's birthday!  Aunt A made two delicious cakes and we had a double celebration!  I should mention here, that as soon as Miss R saw Grandma and Aunt A lighting the candles she got extremely excited and started screaming "birthday, birthday, birthday, cake, sing!."

We also had some fun giving Uncle MP a hard time.  He is such a sweet guy and such a good sport that it's too fun not too. 

Even with all the running around, it was still a wonderful, relaxing day.  I guess that's what being around family does! 

Intérprete: Nona
Título: Nadie Como Yo
Año: 2001
Tipo: LP

Tracklist:

1. B-Girl
2. De Vuelta
3. Maestros De Ceremonia (con Nach Scratch)
4. Nadie Como Yo
5. Borikua Estoke (con Agresion)
6. Cada Noche
7. Matando El Tiempo
8. ¿Qué Esta Pasando?
9. Veneno (Intro)
10. Steelo
11. Dándole Fuerte
12. Hasta La Vista

Intérprete: Nona
Título: Tira Los Dados
Año: 1998
Tipo: Maxi/EP

Tracklist:

1. Introduccion (Jugadora)
2. Tira Los Dados
3. Doble Filo
4. Jugadora (Instrumental)

Miss R was very excited to see that Miss A, Baby C, along with Cioci C had arrived!  The two imps had a lot of fun and even weaseled their way into having juice and cheetos for lunch!

They also had a mini bounce house there and Miss R had some fun with that. 

Unfortunately it was pretty hot so most of the time we spent in the shade under a tree, but the girls did get Nona and Papa to take them for a walk.

Then Miss R entertained everyone by blowing bubbles.  I think she actually drank some of them too.  She would get the wand right up against her mouth when she was blowing them and at one point a bubble just came out of her mouth.

After it started getting really hot, we went over to Arizona Mills so Miss R could see the fish at Rainforest Cafe.  We walked around, cooled off and then went home to relax!  Even with the heat, it was a very fun day.

Proprio il francese, come in una sorta di regolamento dei conti col destino, ha dato il via alla vittoria romanista, poi consolidata dal gol di Perrotta nella ripresa prima che Pele' provasse a riaprire una partita giocata bene dall'Inter soprattutto nei secondi 45'. Alla fine pero' la banda Mancini si e' dovuta inchinare alla Roma e a un finale che sembrava scritto gia' dall'inizio.

Dal 1980 non si giocava la finale unica e l'ultima edizione la vinse la Roma, con l'Inter campione d'Italia. Nella stagione successiva i giallorossi fecero subito il bis e proprio da allora mancava questo uno-due ravvicinato. Erano i tempi di Dino Viola, di un presidente che in quasi dieci anni avrebbe vinto piu' di tutti i suoi predecessori dalla fondazione del club. Quell'era fini' nel giugno del 1991 con la vittoria della Coppa Italia, alzata dalla moglie di Viola (morto cinque mesi prima) e dal nuovo proprietario Ciarrapico.

Dall'altra parte la Sampdoria fresca campione d'Italia di Roberto Mancini, che all'epoca era ancora calciatore. Diciassette anni dopo, mentre il Mancio da allenatore ha fatto incetta di scudetti (tre) e coppe Italia (quattro) ed e' di nuovo fresco campione d'Italia, il film si ripete. Un altro grande e importante pezzo della storia della Roma si avvia verso l'epilogo e di mezzo c'e' sempre la Coppa Italia. Franco Sensi sali' sul ponte di comando della societa' nel maggio del 1993 e a giugno vide il Torino alzare il trofeo nazionale all'Olimpico.

Dopo quindici anni l'era Sensi, gloriosa come quella Viola, sembra volgere al termine e lo fa mettendo un altro trofeo in bacheca ai danni dell'Inter, un'altra Coppa Italia dopo quella dell'anno scorso e la Supercoppa di agosto. Se il futuro della Roma sara' nelle mani di George Soros, l'eventuale eredita' che ricevera' il magnate americano sara' di quelle pesanti. Nell'attesa degli sviluppi societari la Roma si gode questo altro trofeo, il terzo della gestione Spalletti.

Il tecnico toscano per "la bella" con l'Inter recupera Doni, Mexes e Juan ma tiene fuori a sorpresa Panucci e Mancini preferendogli Cassetti e Giuly. Mancini si copre, schiera Zanetti davanti alla difesa e l'unica punta Suazo davanti a Balotelli, Stankovic, Vieira e Cesar. Il presidente della Repubblica, Giorgio Napolitano, "affiancato" in tribuna dal presidente del Coni, Petrucci, e da quello della Figc, Abete, resta perplesso dinanzi ai fischi dell'Olimpico (ai giocatori dell'Inter) mentre la banda dei Carabinieri suona l'inno nazionale (peraltro cantato all'inizio da tutto lo stadio).

La partita propone inizialmente una Roma frenetica e un'Inter attendista. Il primo tiro in porta e' di Stankovic (13') al quale replicano subito Giuly (15') e Perrotta (17'), quest'ultimo stoppato dall'ex compagno Chivu. Al 24' Maxwell se ne va in slalom e obbliga Doni a sfoderare uno dei suoi migliori interventi per evitare lo 0-1. Non puo' nulla, invece, Toldo sulla girata al volo di Mexes sotto la traversa al 36'.

Sull'onda dell'entusiasmo la Roma parte forte anche nella ripresa, che si apre con Pele' in campo al posto di Stankovic. Dopo nemmeno 1' Toldo para una conclusione di Perrotta che al 9', al termine di un'azione viziata da un fallo di Cassetti su Cesar, non lascia scampo al portiere e fa 2-0 dopo uno scambio con Vucinic. Se Perrotta si conferma bestia nera per l'Inter, dall'altra parte Pele' si conferma specialista in gol fantastici all'Olimpico.

Dopo quello alla Lazio in semifinale, il giovane portoghese di ripete con la Roma: Doni e' immobile di fronte alla sua sassata dai 25 metri che al 15' riapre la partita. Il portiere brasiliano e' fermo anche quando Burdisso, 4' piu' tardi, di testa centra il palo. E' l'ultimo vero brivido che prova Doni, tutti gli altri sono per l'Olimpico che assiste con trepidazione al passaggio della Coppa Italia dalle mani del presidente della Repubblica, Giorgio Napolitano, a quelle di Francesco Totti, capitano non giocatore. Volano in cielo coriandoli tricolori e parte la festa.

ROMA (4-2-3-1): Doni 6,5; Cassetti 6, Juan 6,5, Mexes 7, Tonetto 6; De Rossi 6,5, Pizarro 6,5; Giuly 5,5 (21' st Cicinho sv), Aquilani 6,5 (46' st Panucci sv), Perrotta 7 (28' st Brighi sv); Vucinic 6,5. A disp. Curci, Antunes, Mancini, Esposito. All. Spalletti 6,5

INTER (4-1-4-1): Toldo 6; Maicon 6, Burdisso 5,5, Chivu 6, Maxwell 6,5; J. Zanetti 6 (45' st Crespo sv); Balotelli 5,5, Vieira 5,5, Stankovic 5,5 (1' st Pele' 6,5), Cesar 5 (17' st Jimenez sv); Suazo 5. A disp. Julio Cesar, Fatic, Maniche, Solari. All. Mancini 5,5

Arbitro: Morganti di Ascoli Piceno 5,5

Marcatori: 36' pt Mexes (R), 9' st Perrotta (R), 15' st Pele' (I)

Note: ammoniti Perrotta, Vieira, Vucinic, Burdisso, Pele'. Recupero 1' pt, 6' st. Spettatori 45 mila circa.

IL PRESIDENTE DELLA REPUBBLICA

Allo stadio Olimpico per assistere alla finale di Coppa Italia fra Roma ed Inter, con i giallorossi in vantaggio grazie ad un gol di Philippe Mexes, Giorgio Napolitano si è detto felice per "il confronto molto amichevole in campo" e per il comportamento "dei tifosi", per quello che secondo il Presidente della Repubblica è un "bel segnale per tutto il calcio italiano". Contrariato per l'espressione "stadio blindato", in riferimento alle ingenti misure di sicurezza attuate all'Olimpico per prevenire eventuali incidenti, Napolitano ha ricordato che "le forze dell'ordine debbono prendere le misure necessarie per garantire i cittadini".
A Napolitano è piaciuto il gol di Mexes. "Non sono in grado di fare un paragone, ma è stato un bellissimo gol", ha detto il Presidente.

"Ma l'Inter non è un avversario facile, la Roma deve essere orgogliosa di questo vantaggio". Napolitano compirà gli anni il prossimo 29 giugno, quando a Vienna sarà in programma la finale di Euro 2008: "Sarò vicino all'Italia se arriverà fino in finale. Io sono un tifoso dell'Italia e tutto quello che contribuisce al prestigio del paese mi impegna e coinvolge, così come è stato per la finale dei Mondiali di Berlino. Purtroppo non ho molto tempo per venire allo stadio e non mi identifico in nessuna squadra".

SCONTRI

Un gruppo di tifosi a volto coperto hanno attaccato i sostenitori dell'Inter in fila per entrare nel settore dello stadio Olimpico loro destinato. Lancio di bottiglie, petardi e alcuni fumogeni hanno causato l'intervento delle forze dell'ordine. I Carabinieri sono in assetto antisommossa. Prima dell'aggressione ai tifosi interisti a mezz'ora dal fischio d'inizio delle finale di Coppa Italia tra Roma e Inter, l'afflusso dei tifosi allo stadio Olimpico procedeva tranquillo. Al momento le forze dell'ordine, presenti in modo massiccio, attorno all'impianto romano non segnalano incidenti. Continua anche l'arrivo dei pullman degli Inter Club provenienti da tutta Italia che, in alcuni casi, sono stati accolti da cori di scherno dei tifosi giallorossi. L'area dell'Olimpico e' controllata anche dall'alto: un elicottero della Polizia di Stato e' in volo da piu' di un'ora per monitorare la zona.

Menarik atau tidak, bagiku itu numbor dua. Yang penting dapat membaca artikel anwar dan juga Nurul Izzah walau ia hanya memuatkan 3 halaman. Kadang kala pelik juga tentang penerbitan Anwar dan Nurul Izzah di halaman depan. Mana ada pihak yang berani berbuat demikian.

Tapi yang pasti, artikel tersebut tidak memuatkan cerita politik. Hanya bicara hati seorang bapa! Bagi yang belum mendapatkan majalah tersebut, kepantasan untuk membeli itu harus. Bimbang ianya habis!

La Martona era molt feliç: encara no s'havia diplomat en Educació Infantil i el seu promés, en Rai, ja li havia proposat casar-se.

Havia començat a sortir amb el Rai als 13 anys, als 18 s'havien fet el primer petó i sempre, sempre havien mantingut encesa la flama del amor com el primer dia, cuidant els detallets, fent-se regalets sorpresa per no caure en la monotonia, o trucant-se 10 cops al dia.

I ara, amb la boda, ella fins i tot havia deixat d'anar a classe, no podia pensar en res més i, total, de que li serviria una Diplomatura quan estigués tot el dia a casa cuidant els fills, que de ben segur no trigarien en arribar? En Rai s'acabava de llicenciar en Ingenyeria Industrial, una carrera de debó, i ja s'encarregaria ell de portar els diners a la família. Ho tenia tot calculat al milímetre.

Però de sobte, sense previ avís, la desgràcia va arribar a la seva vida....

Era un bonic i encisador capvespre del més de Maig i res feia presagiar la tragédia que estava a punt de succeïr. La Martona anava tota feliç caminant pel Gran Parc, ensimismada llegint el catàleg que li havien donat a la Agència, pensant en els detalls del seu viatge de noces a Eurodisney, on coneixerien per fí al Mickey i la Minnie, i no va prestar cap atenció a aquell fatídic cartell, on es podia llegir perfectament:

"Prohibit trepitjar la gespa"

Quan s'en va adonar ja era massa tard: els seus peuets calçats amb unes sabatetes de xarol rosa estaven esclafant la verda herba, acabada de regar.  La Martona va llençar el catàleg amb totes les seves forces i començà a correr esporuguida cap a la sortida del Gran Parc, mentre les llàgrimes de culpa afloraven tremoloses als seus ulls, apagant aquell etern somriure que sempre havia il·luminat el seu rostre.

Es sentia bruta, pecadora, com una vulgar criminal. Com havia pogut? Segurament l'hauria vist mitj barri i no dubtarien en assenyalar-la pel carrer com si fos una meuca qualsevol. Amb quina cara es presentaria ara al casament? Com li explicaria aixó al Papà? I al Rai?

 Així doncs va decidir posar punt i final a tanta agonia i sofriment: havia arribat el moment d'acabar amb aquella punyent fal·làcia en que s'havia convertit la seva vida. Sense pensar-ho dos cops es va tapar el nas amb una ma mentre amb totes les seves forçes tancava la boca, esperant  que la Mort se l'edugués cap al més enllà on els angelets, de ben segur, compendrien que el seu final tràgic era la única sortida que li havia deixat el destí. 

 PD: La fotografia que encapçla el post es titula "Little princess" i és del fotògraf especialista en arqueologia Aykan Özener, mentre que la imatge que tanca el relat es diu "Death" i és obra de Cezary Galaj.

As soon as we got there my ever-thoughtful parents wanted my opinion on something.  They wanted to know what I thought of this sand and water table they wanted to get for the girls to keep in their yard.  It's funny that they always make fun of me for spoiling Miss R, but they do a good job themselves.  I guess that's what grandparents are for though!  The one they were looking at was the same one I have so I told them it can be a bit messy, but I really like it.  That's all I had to say and we were off to the store to get it.  The girls really did enjoy the table!  Miss A was doing her favorite splashing thing and by the end of the day Miss R was joining in "Miss A Style" and wound up dumping a whole bucket of water on Cioci L.

Cioci L liked it so much she said that her and Mr R would have to get one for their house so they can play in it.  It's cool how being around kids brings out the kid in you and you can just get down and dirty and play with them.

Again Miss R was wearing her favorite hat, the only one that stays on all day long unless I take it off.  I'm kicking myself for not buy two right now in case something happens to this one.

Then we got ready for our first real swim of the year.  Nona had bought these cute little life vest like things for the girls to wear and it was really pretty funny seeing the girls walk around like the stay-puft marshmallow man.

Both the girls did really good for not being in the water for a couple months.  Miss R enjoyed kicking and floating by herself for a while, but still clung on to me with the death grip a few times.  Not bad compared to last year though, I think the attempt at swim lessons really messed her up.  Miss A on the other hand was having the time of her life jumping off the top step to Mrs C.

After and exhausting, fun-filled day we settled in for some coffee and cake, but not before Miss R found Bella's bee toy that she loves so much.  I guess I'll be going to Petco to get her one (or two)!        

Thanks Nona for being the best Mom and Nona anyone could ever ask for.  And thank you Dad for making a delicious dinner!

It started out as just having them put their feet in the water and kick.  Yes, they are in their clothes, not bathing suits, because silly us thought they would just sit on the side and kick the water and not get into it.

Here they are with their bodyguards watching Tayber go for a swim.  The bodyguard roles are being played by Papa and Ms L.  Extras on the set were GG, Mr J with Baby C, birthday boy Mr R and dogs Bella and Tulah.  (Mr D was sick and had to leave early and miss out on the fun)

And here's the rest of my group, the paparazzi (Ms C and Nona) waiting on some great photo opportunities.

By the end of the afternoon they were drenched and crying because they didn't want to get out!

Miss A REALLY enjoys slashing!  It was hilarious how she got so into it!

Isn't is funny how  you change becoming a parent.  Change to where what used to be your world is now owned by your children.  And how it affects not only you, but the people around you.  And how a whole family has a fun afternoon enjoying the antics and play of two adorable girls.

Me dispuse a bajar todo lo que pude de ellos, imaginense los meses que me tarde con conexion de 56 kb y que el internet no era tan pro como ahorita jajaja. Poco a poco supe más del grupo hasta que me decepcioné sabiendo que en el 97 se habian separado y en el 98 su guitarrista había muerto. Llegue tarde a la fiesta.

Aún así su música siempre sigió siendo de mi agrado, pero mientras me hacia más hacia afuera del lado manga ñoño comence a escucharlos menos y menos, hasta que el año pasado me enteré que se iban a reunir de nuevo y me emocioné pero no paso a mayores, y hace 2 días leleando por aqui me encontré con los conciertos que acababan de dar a finales de marzo en el Tokyo Dome; 3 fechas seguidas y repletas, era espectacular.

Click por aqui, click por allá y terminé en un titular de una página que decia "X Japan in Paris/July and New York-Madison Square Garden/Sept 13". Inmediantemente puse su música en el winamp y voilá fue un gancho directo, todavía me se las letras y aunque muchas son en japones recuerdo las traducciones. Jamás jamás jamás pensé que pudiera suceder ese concierto así que mi decisión esta tomada, reiterando mi amor hacia la costa este.

New York nos volveremos a ver en Septiembre al lado de X, no puedo pedir nada más glam que eso.

       

       

They have been to absolute best role models as well.  While I admit I do think it's naive to say you're the best at anything because there is always room for improvement, they come in damn close. 

They have always been supportive to all of us kids, yet strict to teach us lessons.  They have taught us fairness and generosity and countless other life lessons.  Most of all have always shown us unconditional love.  I hope I can be as wonderful to my daughter as they have been to theirs.