Tag, I Am It! Seven Random Things About Myself

I have been tagged with a fun meme by Katerina Fiore of Olio di Oliva e Sogni di Vino (for those who don't speak Italian, that means Olive Oil and Dreams of Wine - great blog name, isn't it?)

I am to describe 7 random things about myself.

I am a Gemini, going in many directions at once, have always lead a very diverse life, and therefore find it very difficult to stick to 7 things.

* I love, love, love to be in Venice by myself. Venice, to me, is like a lover. You can roam the streets anonymously, getting lost in its sensuousness and beauty, devouring it as it devours you.

* Mountains speak to my soul. My favorite range is the Alps which I once flew over in a very small plane, alone with the pilot, in the dead of winter. The feeling of being so close to those majestic peaks was incomparable. I have camped and hiked alone in the Canadian Rockies and was awed at their splendor. I have traveled across and through the Himalayas, and the power and altitude of its peaks are overpoweringly beautiful. (And, yes, seeing Mt. Everest was one of the penultimate experiences of my life!)

* My first real job was on a pig and turkey farm. I'll leave that one at that.

* I studied for one semester at the oldest college in the Western Hemisphere - El Colegio de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, otherwise known as the University of Michoacan, in Mexico, founded in the 1590s.

* I just had a book dedicated to me. China by Herbert Paulzen, unfortunately is only published in Dutch. Herbert is one of the best known travel writers in the Netherlands and one of the most fascinating human beings I have ever met. We met in Kathmandu and traveled to Tibet together. I was moved to tears by his dedication.

* I like being around dying people. I have a difficult time putting into words this feeling, but when I am with a dying person, all pretenses are stripped away, and life is boiled down to what is really important.

* I am a yoga teacher and have done yoga, every day, for over 16 years. I am so grateful to have this practice in my life.

Okay, I'll stop myself there.

If you are reading this and would like to participate, consider yourself tagged. We would all love to read random things about each other, so play along!

Passionate Mondays and a Meme

Today I am passionate about books.

For Christmas I got exactly what I wanted - BOOKS! Yes, all books, with the exception of one
"Yoga Trance Dance" DVD. It seems that books are at the top of my wish list and have been for years. I love seeing piles of books around my house; it is somehow comforting. There are many books that I have owned for years but never read, but just looking at them brings me sense of pleasure and excitement.

Being that I have many friends, customers and blogging buddies interested in Italy, I wanted to share with all of you a list of some great books on Italy that I own:

TRAVEL

OSTERIA D'ITALIA by Slow Food Editore: there is now an English version available and I believe it is called OSTERIA OF ITALY. For me, it is one of the best restaurant guide books. It will lead you only to authentic Italian eateries.

EATING IN ITALY by Faith Willinger: I just got this one for Christmas and I'm sure I will treasure it as Faith has a great reputation in the Italian food and cooking world.

ONE HUNDRED AND ONE BEAUTIFUL TOWNS IN ITALY - FOOD & WINE by Paolo Lazarin: This looks like a nice coffee table book, with brilliant pictures, but the information is amazing and entertaining. It delves into each region of Italy and explores the wine and food traditions of various areas within each.

VENICE FOR PLEASURE by J.G. Links: Here I am showing my favoritism toward Venice. Yes, it's my favorite city on earth, and up until I read this book, I refused to use a guidebook to Venice, preferring to wander on my own and purposefully get lost among its mazes of alleys. This book changed me. I read it from cover to cover, marking pages, planning routes for myself and getting excited about discovering the hidden treasures of "La Serenisima". It worked! The last time I went, I used it as my guide and uncovered a Venice I hadn't known existed.

NOVELS & FUN READING

THE SIXTEEN PLEASURES by Robert Hellenga: This one has been out a while and has many fans. It is a historical novel (my favorite kind) about the young foreigners who came to Florence in 1966 to volunteer to save Florence's relics and art from ruin after the Arno flooded the city.

UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN & BELLA TUSCANY by Francis Mayes: Yes, everyone knows the first book, but has everyone read the second? I actually liked it more than the first. And, PLEASE, if you have only seen the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun", do yourself a favor and read the book to see what all the hype was really about. (Although the movie was kind of cute.)

THE RUBY RING by Diane Haeger: Another historical novel, this one about the famous painter Rafael and his lover. Set in 16th century Rome it is full of sumptuous details, loosely based on fact and full of love, politics and papal history.

BIRTH OF VENUS by Sarah Duvant: I loved this one! This historical novel is set in 15th century Florence is also overflowing with historical detail, as well as love, politics, art and betrayal. I particularly enjoyed it as the main female character was able to gain more personal freedom that most women had during that era.

COOKBOOKS

ITALIAN REGIONAL COOKING by Ada Boni: I'm not sure if this is even in print anymore, but I did see it in a used bookstore the other day. It is simply great reading! Ms. Boni did an extraordinary job of researching each region's food and wine traditions, including history about the origins of certain foods and styles of cooking. It was written in the 60s, and much has changed since then, but in reading about these regional traditions makes understanding their current traditions easier. I also believe that through a country, or in this case a region's, culinary traditions, one can learn a lot about the culture, and this book proves it. (Just checked on Amazon and there appears to be later versions of this book available, but I'm not sure how they differ from the original one.)

MARCELLA HAZAN: If you don't own a Marcella Hazan cookbook, and you want to learn to cook (more) Italian food, by all means buy one. To me, she is the "go to" expert for Italian food. Her recipes are classic, as are her cooking methods. I recommend THE ESSENTIALS OF ITALIAN CLASSIC COOKING or MARCELLA'S ITALIAN KITCHEN.

Staying with our book theme, Scarlett over at From the Shores of Introspect and Retrospect tagged me with this meme months and months ago. I did not forget about it, but just hadn't gotten around to it. Since it is a book meme, it fits nicely with the rest of this post.

"By the Book"

1. Total number of books owned: Oh gosh, I never would count something like that, but they are in every room of my house and I am always running out of space in which to put them, so I suppose hundreds...but never enough!

2. Last book bought: IMAGINE A WOMAN IN LOVE WITH HERSELF by Patricia Lynn Reilly. I just started it, and it looks highly inspirational. Oh, and I almost always buy used books.

3. Last book read: I have always had multiple books going at once - I think it's a Gemini thing. These are the books I have going right now-

The book above.

THREE CUPS OF TEA by Greg Mortensen and David Oliver Relin - I can't recommend this one enough! The true story of a mountain climber who devotes his life to building schools for the needy in Pakistan and Afghanistan. I can't put it down for its inspiration, story and intrigue.

THINK & GROW RICH by Napolean Hill - I like to call this "The Original Secret". First published in 1937 it is a fascinating and inspiring book about how to achieve and/or get what you want. It is not some light-hearted, self-help book like THE SECRET, but a detailed and well-researched book about how our minds work and how to make our minds work for us.

FIRE by Anais Nin - I have been a fan of hers since college and recently decided to delve more deeply into her life. This is her "unexpurgated diary" of 1934-1937. I have been a "journaler" for all my life, so reading this kind of stream of consciousness life story appeals to me. Of course, being Anais Nin, it is filled with explicit sexual detail.

THOUGHTS IN SOLITUDE by Thomas Merton - Merton, a contemplative Christian monk, has a simple, direct writing style that I love. He has written many books all of them coming from what he has learned from years of solitude, about our mind and our spirits work. While I am not a Christian, his beliefs and discoveries are very much aligned with the great spiritual traditions of the world.

WEST WITH THE NIGHT by Berel Markham - a classic that I can't believe I hadn't read before. Extremely beautiful writing about a life well-lived. Berel Markham was an independent spirit and a pilot in Africa.

I warned you, I am a Gemini! Could those books be more different? I really am reading all of them at once, too.

4. Five books that mean a lot to me:

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI by Paramahansa Yogananda

AVATAR by Jean Adriel (about Meher Baba)

Any book of Rumi's poetry

THE GLASS BEAD GAME by Herman Hesse

SIDDARTHA by Herman Hesse

Now it is my turn to tag. I tag Maryann at Finding La Dolce Vita, Tina at Pecorino e Miele, Erin at The Olive Notes, Susan at The Well Seasoned Cook, and Katie at Thyme For Cooking.

Have a passionate Monday!

A Christmas Meme

I have been tagged. You know, I love that image of "being tagged". It reminds me of the tag game we played as children. It was full of that feeling of running and thinking "please don't catch me", while secretly wanting to be caught and always laughing when it happened. So, for me, being tagged is full of happiness.

This tag was from the one and only Her Grace Lady Wanderlust Scarlett the Indefensible of Eschaton End, otherwise known as Scarlett from From the Shores of Introspect and Retrospect. She created this festive Christmas Meme in which I am supposed to share 12 of my favorite Christmas things (memories, traditions, songs, foods, etc...)

Here goes...

1. Decorations. I love making the house look festive with lights, candles and decorations. I especially love the Swedish decorations.







2. The meals. I love planning the meals because coming together with family and friends over food and wine holds so much fun and meaning to me. My father's family is Swedish, so we normally do a smorgasbord on Christmas.


3. Giving. It feels so good!


4. The idea of birth and renewal. Whether you celebrate the season as Christ's birthday or the older pagan traditions of the winter solstice and the beginning of days growing longer - a new year, both have the hopeful sense of new beginnings and the birth of hope. (For me this is especially needed as I have been surrounded by a lot of sickness and death this year.)
   
5. Chestnuts.




6. Silly Christmas traditions like reindeer antlers on our dogs.





7. My stocking - the same one I've had since I was a little girl, with a "J" stitched into the trim. It's very worn out and grungy looking, but I can't get rid of it!







8. Panettone.







9. Baking.







10. Seeing a child's eyes light up at the sight of presents. Can there be anything better?
    
11. Snow & beach. I love snow at Christmas, but unfortunately don't have any. My dad and I would often go to the beach on Christmas Eve or Day...and I think I will do that again this year.


12. Memories. Especially this year, remembering all those wonderful memories that my sweet mother created out of our holidays. I miss you mom!
    

Now, I get to tag others, of course. No obligations, as the season is a busy one, but it seems like a celebratory meme to participate in, doesn't it?

Chris at Mele Cotte, Robin at My Melange, Katie at Olio di Oliva e Sognni di Vino, Valerie at 2 Baci in a Pinon Tree, and Chloe at Beauty in the Breakdown.