by David | Aug 23, 2007 | travel
As you may know, I was nervous about the fullness of my passport, and my fears where confirmed with one heartless stamp at the Italian border. So, upon return from Italy, I had less than three weeks to get my business visa for India, which meant getting a new passport...
by David | Aug 22, 2007 | working
It was 3:30pm and we needed the chocolate. It was inevitable, really. Confused? Read the backstory, such as it is, here.
by David | Aug 19, 2007 | culture, eating, travel
Those last couple of posts seemed kinda eggheaded, so here’s Pizzeria al Puffo in Muggia. “Pizza a taglio” is “pizza by the slice” but I have no explanation for ether the smurf or the wheelbarrow. Right here in Cambridge, there’s a...
by David | Aug 19, 2007 | culture, photo, travel
This dramatic statue in Ferrara depicts Girolamo Savonarola, a fiery reformist Dominican priest of the 15th century. Still somewhat controversial today, Savonarola organized the “Bonfires of the Vanities” in which Florentines burned their books, fancy...
by David | Aug 16, 2007 | culture, photo, reading & writing, travel
The Italian word of the moment is campanilismo. Translated by BabelFish as “parochialism,” campanilismo refers to local pride or patriotism, sometimes very local. If you ask somebody where she’s from and she says “Boston” or “New...
by David | Aug 16, 2007 | photo, travel
I was talking to a colleague about Italy and he described a sense of unreality visiting there, how every street looks like a movie set and every vista like a postcard, and how it takes a honking car or beeping cell phone to break the spell and re-locate your head in...
by David | Aug 15, 2007 | photo, technology
I got the film back from Italy and fell in love with the grain all over again. I think it happens every time I get back a batch of vacation film, see also here. Can your digital camera do this? Yes, I know the highlights are blown out and the shadows are gone....
by David | Aug 15, 2007 | media, technology
Google Blogs Alert for: citrusy canard Google Alert – citrusy canard By David(David) Not that I should be at all suprised, but Google has found and delivered the citrusy canard I planted. If Google alerts me about this, maybe I can create an endless loop by...
by David | Aug 15, 2007 | media, technology
Google Blogs Alert for: citrusy canard I sought what I sook and found what I hid By David(David) Not that I should be at all suprised, but Google has found and delivered the citrusy canard I planted. If Google alerts me about this, maybe I can create an endless loop...
by David | Aug 15, 2007 | media, technology
Not that I should be at all surprised, but Google has found and delivered the citrusy canard I planted. If Google alerts me about this, maybe I can create an endless loop by blogging that, too.
by David | Aug 13, 2007 | culture, economics
This weekend in Massachusetts, there was a state-wide sale: 5% off everything in the store! Except clothes, cars, and anything over $2,500. It’s an event known as the Tax-Free weekend, and it seems to be quite a big deal. But I’m not sure why. Five percent...
by David | Aug 12, 2007 | media, technology, working
I’m going back to work tomorrow after a two-week vacation, during which – uncharacteristically – I read work email just twice, once at the beginning, just briefly, and again today, much more thoroughly to prepare for re-entry tomorrow. Here’s a...
