Rome In Rome

We just got back from our vacation in Italy. That was amazing! Where do I begin...

Day 1, 2 - The Longest Day

The first leg of our flight is from Los Angeles International (LAX) to London Heathrow (LHR). 10+ hours of non-stop monotony... Or so I thought... We flew on a Air New Zealand 747. They had on-board entertainment and I got to watch The Bourne Ultimatum, Roman Holiday, Superbad Wassup gangstaz [flashes sign]... and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. We arrived at Heathrow at 10AM. We then had a 4 hour wait before proceeding to the second leg of our flight: London Heathrow to Munich Strauss (MUC). I was surprised by the cleanliness of the Munich Strauss airport. So modern and soooo clean. In Munich, we only waited 1 hour before the last leg of our flight: Munich Strauss to Rome Fiumicino (FCO).

We arrived in Rome at 9:30PM, and by 10PM, we were ready to find a train to the city. When we reached the train terminal, I was shocked to find everything closed! What kind of international airport closes train terminals at 10PM?! The only thing operational were automated ticketing machines. Man this sucks... Luckily, there was a man who helped stranded tourists like ourselves. He stood by the ticketing machine helping people choose the right options to get to Roma Termini. Many of the tourists returned the favor by tipping him a Euro.

Now comes another shocker. When we arrived at the Roma Termini, we found EVERYTHING closed!! Man this really sucks... At night, the area around the Termini is not the best. Graffiti and tagging everywhere. We asked a policeman to point us to our hotel, the Bettoja Nord Nuova Roma on Via G Amendola. He told us it was nearby. Great!... So we walked a couple of blocks according to his directions. After attempting to cross one intersection, we soon feared for our lives. Crossing the street is very dangerous. The cars don't seem to want to stop. And when they do stop, it's literally inches away from you! We somehow survived and eventually found the hotel. 23 hours after leaving LAX, the day has ended.

Day 3 - The Late Start

We woke up around 2PM. We finally got some much needed sleep. Sleep deprivation + jet lag = no fun... We went out for a walk to see what is around the neighborhood. We ate at a nearby pizzeria. Hmm... They don't put tomato sauce on the pizza... And tried some gelato. Good stuff.

Along the way, we had a small... argument. Something about her wanting to take lots of pictures and me not wanting to stand out like a typical tourist. But my argument was moot... Wearing sweats and sneakers already made us stand out. Typical American tourist... It turns out everyone is fashionable in Rome. Even the pan handlers... Man we suck... But an hour later, we made up and all was good again.

In the evening, we decided to walk to Trevi Fountain. According to a cheap map from the hotel, the fountain is nearby. Take Via del Vimenale to Via del Quattro Fontane. Make a left on Via del Tritone and look for the crowds. Simple. But they forgot to mention that many intersections do not have street signs! Man this sucks... A short walk that should have taken less than 3o minutes is turning into a nightmare of streets with no names, narrow sidewalks, and speeding cars. Will we survive the walk to Trevi?!

Semi-lost, we walked along Via del Quirinale and ended up in front of The Quirinale, the White House of Italy. Hmm... That explains all the guards with the assault rifles... With the help of a policeman, we found our way to Trevi and, later on, the Spanish Steps.

December

December is always good for me. It's the best time of the year. My birthday is in December. Joel's birthday is in December. So is Gladys' and Glissa's. There are so many birthdays and holidays during this month.

Do It Yourself Still

The house is still a mess. My wife and I got into an argument about how we could never invite people over because it is a mess. Truth be told, I don't mind having people visit, but I don't like having people stay overnight. She is worried that it will never be done, but I just keep telling her that I have everything under control... But she is right. It's been over a year. I've become lazy, complacent, and full of hubris among other things... I have not been able to accomplish much. I'm always planning but not doing. Let's face it, I need to get off my fat butt and start doing some real work...

Here's some pix of completed projects... The bathroom and laundry room.



This is the bathroom tile detail. The tiles were originally 13"x13" squares. I thought about laying them checkered, staggered, diagonal... but that looked ordinary to me, so I did my own design (low tech: pencil and graph paper)...


And here's the mirror and vanity...


The water heater detail. Polished copper looks nice...

Healthy In Pasadena

About a month ago, my wife and I started eating at Soup Plantation in Pasadena every Sunday. It's something we've decided to do as part of a healthy lifestyle. We both know that we can find cheaper foods elsewhere. We live in Alhambra where you can buy Asian dishes for two people for $4.00. That's like the price of one frappucino!! But we're adhering to Dean's advice: To paraphrase, "We're paying more now, but we're saving a lot more later." Dean Karnazes was refering to paying more for healthy foods now and then saving money later when you don't need to have a multiple bypass surgery. This is a pic of Dean, BTW.


I added Pasadena in the title because I just want to mention that I really like Pasadena. South of the 210 ^_^. The northern part is a bit scary at night... After eating at Soup Plantation, we walk to Grant Park where we sit on the grass, read devotions, and take naps. Imagine a warm lazy afternoon. Full stomach. Green grass. Blue skies. Soft breeze. My wife loves reading devotions. It helps us stay connected and focused.

Fat March

My wife and I have been watching Fat March, a show about a group of fat people walking from Boston to Washington DC. We like the show because it reminds us to work on our weight issues. My wife is certainly not fat, but like most women, she feels that she needs to look like the skinny models of the runway. In a way, this is good because I am reminded that I need to lose weight. I am definitely fat. I'm at least 30 lbs overweight. I think that qualifies as obese. Gone are the days when I can run marathons. That was before I got married. A marriage is a full-time commitment, and everything else must come second, including marathons.


She and I have started running around the track at CSULA. So far, we're running 3 miles for 2 or 3 (if we're lucky) times a week. The exercise is helping me a lot. I don't feel as tired, and I can walk up a long flight of stairs without losing my breath.

We've also been watching a show on Discovery Channel called The Truth About Foods. The show explains a lot of things about food and how they affect our physiology. Did you know that foods high in protein speed up the production of chemicals that signal to your brain that you're full. Did you know that aphrodisiacs don't really work. It's all in the mind (like a placebo effect). This is one of the most educational shows I've seen so far. The truth is that I don't watch a lot of TV. But when I do, it's mostly the The Military Channel or The Cartoon Network. Oh I wish Nick would already show the next chapter of Avatar.



While we're on the subject of cartoons, I just saw a trailer for the upcoming Ironman movie. Of all people, it's Robert Downey Jr. who landed the role of Tony Stark. From what I can tell, the movie will just go into the beginnings of Ironman - not the current Civil War storyline of the Marvel Universe. I can't wait to see it. I was never a big fan of Ironman until I saw him kick several heroes' butt in a baseball park. But he did cheat against Spiderman. I just love reading the new X-Men episodes and the artwork is sharp and crisp. Who'd ever thought Bobby Drake would become legendary. Why M-day? Illyana Rasputin? Damn, my thoughts are all jumbled... I'll have to devote a whole blog for comics. There's just too much to talk about...