Colosseum & Roman Forum

At the bottom of the pic you can see the line.

When visiting Rome of course you want to see everything there is to see.  However the long lines might deter you from entering, or they may make you miss something that you also wanted to see.  Here is a quick tip that can save you from hours standing on line.

The Colosseum and the Roman Forum are right next to each other.  The line of the Colosseum is normally wrapped around the colonnade and out in the blistering sun.  However the entrance to the forum seems to be a little less crazy.  Go and buy your ticket at the Forum!  The tickets are good for two days and include the Forum, Palatine Hill and the Colosseum.







The only thing that is a little confusing is how to use that pre-purchased ticket to by pass the line at the Colosseum.  The line you see is to buy the tickets.  Take your ticket and walk on the left side of the line. This is where the pre-purchased and Roma Ticket holders go.

You completely skip the line and get to enjoy the ruins without ruining your day.

Back to School

So I am back from Italy and have much to share, but all that is on my mind is SCHOOL.  

What most people don't know is teachers are just as nervous as the children.  We start thinking about classroom set-up, supplies and the kids in the first week in August.  No matter when we can start setting up, we never feel that there is enough time.  There is always some sort of work that is done over the summer and we start almost from scratch every year.

We don't say I have work tomorrow, we say I have school tomorrow.  Therefore we suffer from the first day jitters every year.  Imagine having new co-workers (parents) and clients (the students) every year, and you might begin to see where the stress comes from.

So. . . . .If you know a teacher offer to give them a hand in anyway you can.  It will be appreciated as more than you can imagine.

Italia

I'll be traveling in Italy collecting lots of stuff to review.  So until then watch Monster Squad.

Monster Squad

The love affair with Monster Squad is over 20 years old.  This much beloved movie has been watched by my family more times than we can count, well that was until it was taped over.  My Grandfather taped a copy off of cable and it accidently was destroyed.  From that moment on we searched for over a decade for a new copy.  Even Farmer Wade got in on helping find it, that meant most of the East Coast was covered in this search.  Library sales, garage sales and video rental sales were all searched.  You may wonder why not just buy a new copy.  The short of it is the rights to the movie were in legal limbo.  So the only available copies were VHS released once in 1988.

I know what your thinking why care so much for a silly horror (not even close)/comedy.  It is a piece of my childhood which of course holds a special place, but it is brilliant in a campy way.  My family still quotes the film. Monster Squad is as if the Little Rascals meet monsters who are trying to take over the world. The original Preview can be seen at this link.

Sean who is the leader of the monster squad ( a group of kids who love monsters)  gets Van Helsing's diary from a garage sale. Unfortunately, the diary is in German, so he goes to "Scary German Guy's" house to have it translated.  During the translation the squad finds out that there needs to be a balance between good and evil.  That balance is controlled by an all  goodencompassing  amulet.  Of course the monsters lead by Dracula want the amulet so that they can have the world ruled by evil.

The rest of the movie is how the children of the monster squad save the world from Dracula, Wolfman, Mummy, Gilman (creature from the black lagoon look alike), Frankenstein and of course EVIL.  I won't ruin it for you but you have to see it.  It is hysterically funny and I promise you will want to have a copy of your own, which is so much easier now.  The film was re-released for its 20th anniversary in 2007.  We literally raced to the store and did a dance in the parking lot.

"Wolfman's got NARDS!"

J2 Jewelry

I am in love with J2 Jewelry, I have purchased two necklaces for myself and one as a gift.  I was playing on Etsy one day when I can across a honeycomb necklace.  I thought about it and searched for it months later.  The honey omb necklace was being made by J2 Jewelry.  I only wear silver and almost all of the products are silver.  Items are made to order and can be customized.

Here are the items that I have ordered:

Podling

The podling is about the size of a dime and sits in the perfect spot on your neck.  It is wonderfully sparkling on the inside and gives a little hint  fun.

Button

The button is just as tiny but with amazing detail.  It has been cast from an antique button the artist found.

Honeycomb

The necklace that started it all is the honeycomb.  It is big enough to make an impact and intrigues others to look at the intricate details.

Every time I have ordered I have received the jewelry in 3 days.  They come in a cute little box with an adorable handmade tag.  The artist always writes a little note that gives you a connection J2 and their jewelry.

Please check out her home page on Etsy and look at these wonderful little treasures.J2 Jewelry

The Poisoner's Handbook

Summer is the time for book reading for most people, especially me.  The Poisoner's Handbook by Pulitzer Prize winning Deborah Blum is amazing on so many fronts.  Now the title may sound scary, it is about poison, but not about how to use it.  It is how to catch those people who do use poison, the old fashioned way.  Forensics as we know them have only really been around since prohibition and this is their story.

Modern forensics owe a lot to two men from New York, first chief medical examiner Charles Norris and Alexander Gettler, toxicologist.  Before Norris medical examiners could be anyone doctors, funeral directors, musicians.  There was no standard until Norris sunk his own money into the examiner's office as well as Bellevue hospital.  This dynamic team solved so many murders and accidents because of their desire to continue against all odds.

The chapters are set up by poison. Each chapter shows how Norris and Gettler managed to find a definitive way to prove the specific poison caused the death.  It also contains the fight against city hall for keeping the office running.  Even Laguardia took away their clocks to save money.

If you love the history of Prohibition, this is the book for you.  It maps the rise of rail liquor in New York City and the results of drinking this liquor.  During prohibition there were more alcohol related deaths than before its inception.  Norris & Gettler found a way to prove prohibition was killing us and that stiff drinks were making us stiffs.

If you like history, forensics, prohibition or New York pick up this unassuming book.

Nasty Bits & Medium Raw

For years my family and I have been huge fans of Anthony Bourdain.  We have watched every episode of a Cook's Tour and No Reservations, and even have it on our instant play when we feel the urge for some snarky banter.  Our addiction all started with a book called, Kitchen Confidential, you may have heard of it.

Kitchen Confidential hurled Bourdain from chef to writer/tv personality.  Nasty Bits is everything that didn't make it into No Reservations as well as some background on what has happened since he became a celebrity.  His voice is unmistakable in his writing, you can actually hear his voice while you read it.  Nasty Bits also contains an addendum to perviously written works, which lend a little more clarity to what we already know.

Medium Raw is Bourdain's newest book, and it does not fail to please.  He explains why he loves some chefs and can't stand others.  He has even changed his view on Rocco and Emeril.  Bourdain also explains how his life has changed since his daughter and all the traveling.

If you love Bourdain you have to read these books and gain greater insight into the man we love to watch eat God knows what in places we would all love to see.