Buon San Valentino

or Happy Valentine's Day, Italian style. Thank you Katia!

My evening started with my English class, where we discussed "pick up" as in going to the airport to pick someone up and then "pick up" as in the truck, and then "pick up" as in something that happens in a bar. An interesting way to start the evening.

The Stoic One and I have been to many black tie dinners over the years. Some on Valentine's Day, some at charity evens, some for New Year's. I can't imagine a black tie event being held in Umbertide. Instead we went to our local bar and joined others in our community of all ages, to listen to violin music and eat little snacks. We had a drink and chatted with our friends. So relaxing, intimate and genuine.

With our friends Joseph and Paul we discussed how our life here is different than our life in California. It is so hard to explain or quantify but we decided that it was more interesting here, more diverse, more inclusive. I said living in Italy is like being in an Indie movie while living in California was like living in a blockbuster movie. We agreed that it was a good metaphor for our life here. My sister Sarah is always telling me she wants to see only "mainstream" movies. I, on the other hand, have always preferred the quirkly, independent ones. I guess we are both in the right place, for the time being at least.