Lanesboro, MN

So I've been in Minnesota for about 4 nights now visiting my friend Steph who works as a naturalist at an environmental education center (like Outdoor School pretty much). I took the Amtrak from Chicago up here, traveling through Wisconsin and such. Traveling by train isn't too bad, you get a fair amount of leg room and you can walk around when you please. I've heard that their dining car food is actually pretty decent, but I didn't try it out. I re-read some of my latest book that I finished entitled 'Stumbling on Happiness'. It is by a psych prof. at Harvard and it is all about how we look at the future, how we imagine it and our short comings that lead to us not being able to predict and choose what exactly will make us happy in the future. It was a pretty interesting read. Although a lot of it could be considered textbook info it is presented in a light way, and he is cracking jokes and such throughout the book.

But let's talk about Minnesota. So I am actually at Eagle Bluff Educational Learning Center. The big news is that we got at least 2 feet of snow over the last two days. When I got off the train it was snowing like I had never seen before. Crazy horizontal snow that damn near blinded ya if you looked at it. Because the weather was so bad Steph, Molly (steph's friend) and I decided not to drive back that night because it was just too dangerous. When we were driving there were times when we could only see maybe 6-10 feet in front of us. Add slippery, curvy roads and we're spending the night in the ditch. So Day's Inn it was. After playing some cards and getting some sleep we made it back to the homestead. A quick list of things we've done so far:
- went showshoeing, multiple times
- went x-country skiing
- did two high ropes courses. It's kinda like American Gladiators, but without the spandex.
- went into town when the roads were finally cleared (population of 248 or something) and went to dinner and the pub
- watched the big lebowski. my second time seeing it, I enjoyed it more this time.
- shoveled some snow
- met some really cool people

I even got to see a peregrine falcon today up close (they have a raptor room here). I've had lots of new experiences while here, which has been great. In addition to the above named things I also saw rivers that were completely frozen over (they were also in DC). I think that was the first time I've seen em actually frozen over. Well, I should go enjoy my last few hours here in grand ol' MN. Next I'm off to Colorado to visit my friend Monica that I studied abroad with in Italy a few years back.

And, I think it is worth noting that I just feel lucky. Not win the lottery lucky or win poker lucky (I did lose two bucks the other night playin hold em but on real good hands, i swear. the odds of losing out on a high card flush twice? pretty poor) but lucky to be having these new experiences, seeing different parts of America but most of all to have these friends that are willing to take me in, show me a good time and everything else. I just hope that I can repay the favor sometime in the near future. Adios amigos...

Like Find Champaign(- Urbana)

I'm now heading off to Lanesboro, MN. My time here in Illinois has been short but quite enjoyable. I stayed with my friend John that I know from ultimate frisbee. He's a grad student here studying educational psychology, and therefore a busy boy. But we were able to hang out a good amount and had just an awesome time. We shared about a million stories from our ultimate frisbee days and had a lot of laughs. We even managed to throw the disc around a little bit, which was nice because I hadn't thrown one in over 5 months probably. All the frisbee reminiscing made me remember how fun the comradery of a team could be and how fun the ultimate frisbee culture is. I'm thinking about joining a team when I get back to Portland, however I don't want to join in an effort to recreate the good times I had in Eugene and on our tournaments, because I think when your team is just college players you probably end up with more silly stories and shenanegans. In any case, I had a nice three nites here. I even went up the Sears tower in Chicago when I was waiting for my train. That was kinda neat but the visibility was kinda crappy. I still got some cool shots. So before I head out the door I'll let you know that there is something like a severe weather warning for the area of Minnesota that I am going to. If weather.gov is right I should be looking at a whole lot of snow coming down up there over the weekend. Should be interesting. My friend Steph has promised a whole slough (sp?) of things to do, one of which involves a magician. Be. Excited. BE BE EXCITED!

peace out

Snow flurries and Brazilian Steakhouse

The snow remains on the ground, for the most part here in D.C. We had a few more snow flurries today but the forecast shows the area warming up over the next few days. Not a whole lot of super exciting things have been happening I suppose. I've been getting my fair share of NCAA 2007 Football in and having a great time hanging with my friends. I went to a UO alumni bar to watch the Ducks basketball team self destruct in the second half the other night. My cousin Gabe was able to find some time to come too, so that was nice. The West Wing tour was really cool. When we first entered into the Wing we saw Press Secretary Tony Snow. And when I was in the Justice Department I saw the Attorney General walking in the hall. I got some good pictures on the White House grounds that I will hopefully post soon (hard not having a personal computer...). Most of them turned out fairly well with the snow on the grounds. So all in all good stuff has been happening.

The big upcoming news is that tomorrow we are going to a Brazilian Steakhouse called Fogo de Chao. It is one of the restaurants where you are given a little token with a green side and a red side. When you place the token green side up on your table these gaucho chefs, carrying freshly roasted/grilled delicious meats on spears, will come to your table and offer what they have. I've been drooling over the website for days. They have it all: salmon, ribs, pork, chicken, all kinds of beef, lamb and more I am sure. I'm planning to fall into a food comma tomorrow. I also plan on this being a reallllyy long lunch. Tonight I dreaming of skewered meats...tomorrow it becomes a reality.

The Presidents Box, Snow Storm & Tours to come

Tonight I was lucky enough to attend 'Edward Scissorhands' the play at the Kennedy Center. My friends the Warrens, being well connected, were able to get tickets to watch the play in the President's Box! We all put on suits (me borrowing Nik's but still looking good) and headed to the theater. The President's Box has seating for 8 people, its own coat room and bath room and a readily stocked mini fridge, including mini champaigne, sodas, beer, M&Ms and a few other things. the M&Ms even came in a special box with the Presidents Seal on it! It was pretty cool. the box is actually made up of two rooms. One sitting room and then the balcony. There are a few pictures around the room of the President. And outside the entrance to the sitting room is a large President's Seal above the door. It was a very unique experience. I even got a few Presidential napkins as souveniers (ooooooooohhh.....). The play itself was pretty good to, even though there was no dialouge. It was all interpretive dance. After I accepted the fact that there would be no talking (about 10-15 mins in) I was able to enjoy it. It probably helped a good amount that I had taken a good number of dance classes in college. The set was really cool, and so were the costumes. A good production, overall.

And yes, I officially survived the Valentine's Day storm in D.C. I'd say we got around 4 inches or so on the 14th. I went trekking around the Mall and got some cool pictures of the monuments with a bit of snow. I didn't stay out too long because a) it was obviously pretty cold and b) I'm sure it wasn't treating my new Italian leather boots real well. I also went and visited the Portrait Gallery for the second time. The first time I went with my cousin Gabe and went through the second floor, which contains the Presidents Gallery (all portraits of Presidents) and an exhibit on the Cold War. This second visit I spent a bit of time in the Civil War area. I found one piece that I really liked, which doesn't happen to me too often. Usually I can appreciate pieces but I'd say they generally don't leave a real lasting impession. However, I found one portrait of John Brown the abolitionist. It was different from all the other portraits. First of all, I must say that I am pretty interested in John Brown as a historical figure and will probably read a biography on him after I finish my other two books (Stumbling on Happiness and Undercover Economist). He was painted with his usual beard and a bit of fire in his eyes. Now here are the parts I liked about it. His eyes were looking up to the left, like looking towards heaven. This should be notable because he believed that, more or less to my understand, he thought himself on a mission from God to abolish slavery. Also, instead of even lighting the light seemed to come from where he was looking, which I interpreted as another reference to his 'mission from God' belief. That got me all excited to read about the Kansas abolitionist, so a trip to Barnes & Noble or other bookstore is in the works soon.

Tomorrow I'll be taking a tour through the Justice Department, which is pretty special because they usually don't allow tours. Then Saturday I'll have a tour through the West Wing of the White House with the Warrens. Lots of good stuff coming up. It's been good times and fun so far and will surely only get better with the weekend. Then, after President's Day, I'll head off to Champaigne-Urbana, IL to visit my buddy John for a few nights. Then to the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

The District of Columbi-Yeah!

It is cold in D.C. Very cold. And yes, I made it back to the States in one piece. I've been in D.C. since Thursday with my cousin Gabe, who has shown me a good time. We went out to the bars a few times and had two really good dinners. One of the things I really missed in Italy was the ability to eat any type of food when I wanted. Sure, the Italians rock Italian food. This much is clear. However, one thing I love about being in America is the shear variety of good quality resaurant food. One night we went to an asian-south american fusion restaurant where I had a rice noodles with carnitas dish with some barbequed eel sushi. Washed it all down with a brazilian cocktail.

The night after that we had greek/persian tapas, which was awesome. And expensive, as tapas tends to be, however it was worth it. The sampling of so many dishes is the way to go. Fried eggplant with a garlic yogurt sauce, goat cheese wrapped in grape leaves and herbs, spiced lamb kebab, a moroccan style chicken, just to name a few (I think we had something like 13 mini plates between the three of us).

Besides posting only about food (which is seemingly the recurring theme in my blog and life lately...hmmmm...if only I could figure out a way to make this into a job...) it is really nice to see some familiar faces and be on familiar ground. It's great to travel and live in another country and have that experience but it's nice being back in the culture I grew up in.

School's...out......for...Matthew....

So here I am at the school and it's the last day. What can I say? It is a shame that people couldn't get their stuff together so I could stay the full time I had expected here in Italy. But, everything happens for a reason, I am sure. I always tend to look for that silver lining on the cloud. It will be great to visit friends during my trip across the country. I've also added Minnesota to my itinerary, in addition to Illinois, D.C. and Colorado. If you are out there somewhere in America and reading this it's not too late to be added to the list and be graced with my presence!

My colleages (the school teachers) gave me a going away present. So now I have my own little Biletti (the brand) device to make italian espresso at home! That's a good thing because I've defintely gotten used to it. Yesterday I went to Verona with the other Matt from U of O and I had about three espressos. Didn't phase me too much either. And I've defintely gotten used to having one after lunch. It really is a nice way to close the meal, with the taste of a creamy espresso lingering in your mouth.

With time running low here in Italy I'm feeling the crunch. I still haven't seen The Last Supper, which is in Milan. You can't just go and see it though, you have to make a reservation first in advance. But seeing as I am just one person I think they could accomodate me on short notice, so hopefully I'll call Monday and try to work it out. And of course I haven't been to Venice. I know, I know, shame on me. Two times in Italy and no times in Venice is pratically sacrilegious. The way I view it though is like this: I'll catch it next time. I'll have something new to experience when I come back, which will hopefully be in about two years and with my family.

I like to use 'I'll catch it next time' as my excuse. I like how it looks forward to having another experience, focuses on the positive. Even when you don't know if or when you'll be in that certain place again its nice to think about it this way. You can tell yourself, 'Ok, I've had a taste, I know that I like it and now I'll be ready for my next dish in the future'.

It has also been good for me to have seen/lived in the Northern part of Italy, too. Now I have seen or at least passed through the three main parts of Italy: north, central and south. I guess the next step would be to live in the South, seeing as I've lived in the north and the center for about three months each. I would also like to start studying another language. I have always wanted to speak three languages well enough. I don't know which other language I would choose, however. This may sound silly, but maybe Portugese. I know, I know, how useful would that be, right? Well, I just don't really care to study spanish again at this point. My comprehension of it is actually pretty good, seeing as I studied a bit in high school and the fact that Itailan and Spanish are in the same language family. For whatever reason I've been intrigued by Portugal (and Brazil would be pretty cool to visit, too). Who knows if I'll pick it up. It will be hard enough trying to keep up my Italian in Portland. I've got books and CDs, but it is the speaking with other people that will be difficult. I do believe there are a couple of speaking groups (actually I'm sure of it) in Portland where people get together and chat in Italian. I'll just have to do a little bit of research when the time nears.

So what are some of the habits I'll be taking with me back to the States? Well...

- drinking Italian coffee, which I explained earlier I am now addicted to
- trying to be more fashionable. I do think that a lot of successful fashion stems from how you wear a certain piece of clothing. I think as long as you can wear something without being self conscious of it then you can be fashionable. However, I don't think I'll be taking back the trend of wearing light pink corduroy pants. I'll pass on that one...
- keeping up Hashing in Portland (so Italian, I know...)
- a more relaxed outlook on life. I think this is actually harder to find in a city like Milan because it is so big and industrial. It still exists a little bit, but certainly not as much as in the south. It was one of the habits I tried to replicate the last time I came back from Italy two years ago and I'll be aiming to keep a nice relaxed outlook on things again.
- an appreciation for food and it's role. I've already went off on a diatribe on this earlier so I'll spare you all the redo.
- an appreciation for a life dependent on public transportation. It will be nice to be back in America and have a car. Especially my beautiful little '96 forest green Dodge 'The PickleWagon' Carovan.

Ok, so this is just a short list of some things that just popped in my head. Sometimes it's hard to realize some of the things you appreciate and habits you want to continue until you leave the country and you are back in your mother culture. Oh, I just remembered one thing that Italy has defintely got us beat on. Tipping. Or, should I say, lack thereof. Instead, at restaurants you pay a cover charge, usually 1-2 € per head. This can also include the bread that they bring to your table. You are required or expected to tip on top of that. This system is so much nicer than what we do in America. Even if you get terrible or even mediocreservice in a restuarant, and we know that has happened to all of us, people usually still tip. It is no longer a 'tip'. It is socially required, basically. This is coming from someone who works as a waiter and bartender. Look, I love tipping. It is a great boost to my wallet, but I always try to work my ass off to earn it. If I do a poor job serving you, don't leave me a tip. I don't expect it. Even if I do an ok job and you don't want to tip I'm not gonna hold it against you. I won't do things to your food nice time you come in. I won't put Clear Eyes in your water or anything like that. It is your choice and I respect that. Ok, I feel another rant coming on, so I think I'll pull back the reigns a bit as to not bore you. Let me just also add that the fact that the government says they have the right to tax tips is ridiculous and it is even more ridiculous that certain states pre-factor tipping into wages (i.e. I believe in Idaho they do this, so a waiters hourly wage is some like $4 because they are expected to earn X in tips...this is a disgusting practice). I guess these two things just go to show the fact that tipping is no longer a choice but a social expectation in America.

Ok, done. For now. Let's thank 'Stream of Consciousness' writing for that little rant. Ciao a tutti!

A trip to Colico, more reflections, a two and a half hour lunch...

First, today is a double posting, so make sure you don't miss the one right below this one.

On Saturday I took a trip up to a little town called Colico, which is settled between the Alps and kinda near Lake Como. I went up with an American friend who is doing this program in Brescia, about an hour east of Milan. It was really the first time I had hung out with an American in Italy. It was especially nice to talk with someone who is having a familiar experience. We could share frustrations, different experiences, different insights and just have a good chat. Before we get into some of those things I'll recount a bit of our adventure.

We visited his Italian friend in this town of Colico. When we got there Saturday night she was busy with some group activity (like Scouts) so we settled in at her house with her parents and sister and then we went to dinner. What Italian place did we go to? That's right, a Mexican Steakhouse. Where, of course, we all ate pizza. After that we went out into the town 'think population of Gladstone' but a little more concentrated and a walkable city center. There we went to a couple of bars, had some drinks and waited until Matt's friend arrived (yes, my American friend doing the same program in Italy as me is also named Matt).

The next day was when we had a three hour lunch in some very traditional restuarant. A rustic restuarant, that is, with a couple of fireplaces going, windows with views of the Alps and in some small little podunk town and full of locals (most people were speaking at least in dialect to an extent). Here's a quick recap of the menu:
- appetizers: varied cured meats, salame, prosciutto, typical meat of the area, plus mushrooms in some sort of mustard sauce and marinated little onions.
- first course: gnochetti (little gnocchi) with a delicious cheese and butter sauce with sage and cracked black pepper
- secound course: Pork ribs and sausage cooked on a flat rock which is typical of the area (like a pizza stone). A lot of that. Plus potatoes prepared the same way. And on top of that polenta, which is the northern italian stick to your ribs dish if there ever was one.
- then: Two types of cheese, one similar to grana (like a crumbly parmesan) and one white one, kinda like a cheddar.
- dessert: Specialty cake of the region, plus cookies.
- Add in a liter of wine, a liter of water and three coffees split between us, we were about to die and go to culinary heaven.

How much did it run us? For this marathon, authentic lunch we payed 52€ total. So with the weak dollar conversion I would guess that would be something like 68$. Which I think is a great deal for all the food we got, didn't have to leave a tip, got wine and made a real experience out of it. Which leads me to my next and principal observation of this post...

This type of thing does not happen in America, especially not in a restaurant. Could you imagine a) having a lunch like this and then b) being able to enjoy it to its fullest, have good conversation and not once be hasseled by a waiter? It is great! We never once felt like they wanted us to leave or to open up the table. We stayed there the longest by far and there was never that feeling. Eating together like that was something to be enjoyed. We didn't worry about when the next dish would come. It came when it came. We didn't feel like we were 'wasting time' while there at all. When was the last time you had lunch or dinner in a restaurant like this? It wasn't just a lunch to eat great traditional food but to experience the people around you, too. We talked about all sorts of things, from politics to old drinking stories. Sometimes in America I think we forget that food can have this effect. It acts as a bridge or a catalyst to human interaction. It is the ultimate excuse to get people together and spend time with the people you care about. Everyone needs to eat, right? Well let's try to make an experience out of it then. Let's not just eat to live, but let's live to eat. Let's not look at food as something that only feeds the body but can feed the mind and soul through getting people together in situations like this. Let's live to have those experiences where we share good food with good people and don't worry about where we have to be or what we have to do later tonight. Let's step back from the hecticness of life and say to ourselves 'We deserve more time like this. More time with our friends and family and good food and good conversation.' Leave the dishes on the table and let's chat some more. We'll clean them when we're ready.

That being said, I'd be more than happy to cook all of you (seriously, anyone reading this ol' rag) a big ol' Italian dinner when I get back (not too far away...in Oregon in late Feb.). We'll eat good food, but more importantly we will spend time together and appreciate the friendships that we have. I'll start preparing the menu...