Super Bowl Update

I promise to finish the story of my 4-day trip to Rome by the end of the year. That's my goal!

Okay, so last time I checked in I had left the Vatican Museums and was making my way to Piazza San Pietro. On my way there I note that the clouds are coming in strong again. They are not storm clouds though. They are huge fluffy clouds. And they seem to be hella low in the sky. What is going on with these Italian clouds? They look like you could just reach out of the sky and grab them. Are we at a higher altitude than in New York? It doesn't feel like the air is thinner. Hmm.

Anyway Piazza San Pietro is beautiful and very crowded. When I arrive there is this really long line and I can't immediately tell to where it is leading. I then realize this is the line to get into St. Peter's Basilica. It's so long! It's stretching around the outer ring of the piazza! There's a moment when I'm entering the Piazza when I can cut most of the line and no one would notice. It's just little old me. Nobody would notice this one extra body in a sea of walking tours. But then maybe God would be angry with me for cutting the line to get into these religious locations? I mean, especially in the face of all the lucky breaks I've been catching at every turn on this trip. I decided to be good and go to the end of the line after taking a walk around the inside of the Piazza. There's an amazing amount to take in all around you. Beautiful fountains and statues abound. There was a huge area in front of the entrance to the Basilica that was set up for what I'm assuming would be a giant outdoor service on Sunday. It was all quite lovely, and I take a moment to appreciate how lucky I am to be able to make this trip and take all of it in.

Then I got on line to get into the Basilica. Aaaaaand I waited. But even though the line was very long it moved along at a pretty brisk pace. Free admission will do that for you. Most people took the time on line to put on layers of clothing since you have to be all respectable-like heading into the Basilica. No bare shoulders or flip flops up in here!

The Basilica is gorgeous. Really a total marvel of architecture and art. I'm not an expert on either of things so I don't really know what to say except everywhere you look is something awe-inspiring and creepy-beautiful in that way that's right in Catholicism's wheelhouse. The Pieta is there too and it's cool, but it's behind glass and lots of people crowd around it and you can't really get a good picture of it without throwing a couple elbows and that just didn't seem like the spirit of the occasion to me. The thing I dug most about the Basilica was the ceiling which was beautiful and seemed to go on forever. On the way to the top your eye caught on all these magnificent statues of angels and saints carved into the columns and other other architectural aspects of the building I can't readily identify. But I wandered around in there for a while. Mostly, people tried to take pictures of everything they saw, running around the place like they were inside the Chocolate Room inside Willy Wonka's Factory. But there was this one area that was reserved specifically for prayer and you couldn't take any pictures or talk while you were there. I enjoyed sitting in the quiet for a moment and saying a prayer for mom. It was a really sweet moment.

Eventually I wandered my way back to the front of the Basilica, took a few more pictures and heading back down to Piazza San Pietro and then headed out of Vatican City. Right outside of the piazza is tons of tourist trappy places to eat. I wasn't super-hungry after the Papal Pizza, but I was needing a gelati fix and everywhere I passed was price gouging my delicious treat. I would wait for the right Gelati Shop to come my way. There were still some very important sites to see on the day's agenda - including the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon and they were not exactly just up the block from Vatican City, but I wanted to take in as much of the city as possible so I skipped the return trip on the subway and travelled on foot back toward Ancient Rome with the Spanish Steps as my next big landmark to visit.

I passed by the Castel Sant'Angelo on my way back to the Tiber River. This place is supposed to be important in the Dan Brown book Angels and Demons or The Celestine Prophecy or whatever it is he writes. I've never read his books. Gosh what's the name of the really popular book he wrote... i know I can think of it.,, Davinci Code! That's it! Go me. Anyway this castle plays some part in one of those books, and it was lovely to look at from the outside, I just wasn't in the mood to see more art at that point. I wanted to walk outside! What was interesting about walking by the castle was the guy I bumped into. He was French and lost, so of course he asks me for directions cause I totally looked like I knew where I was going right? Totally a man on a mission.

Anyway he comes up to me all:

Frenchie (thick accent): Scussi, blah-blah-blah-French-Words-I-Don't-Know.
Me: (in appropriated Italian accent) Parla inglese?
Frenchie: (in perfect English) You speak English
Me: (in total New Yorker drawl) Yeah.

He goes on to tell me he's lost and can't figure out where we are on the map. This is one of the few times where I actually DO know where we are because we were halfway between the Ponte Sant'Angelo and the Ponte Umberto. He was very pleased to get some course correction. Then he asked me how things were in America, if people were happy and if the economy was good. I wasn't entirely sure how to answer that question. I mean, "no" wouldn't have been an entirely off the mark response, but it seemed a little too general at the same time. We walked together to the next bridge (at which point he wound up at the embassy where he was to rendezvous with his wife, and I continued along the river until I got to Ponte Cavour which I thought was a fair crossing point to be close to the Spanish Steps. It was interesting talking to someone for more than a few sentences who was not a food service person. It had almost been a whole day since I really had a conversation with anybody who was not bringing me pizza, or wine or gelati.

So I thought once I got over Ponte Cavour it would be smooth sailing and I'd fine the Spanish Steps. Wrong! While trying to head North East, I totally overshot The Steps and walked way out of my way to Piazza Del Popolo. This was not a disappointment, because Piazza Del Popolo was totally cool. It was a giant open space with the requisite obelisk and fountain at the center, but there was also some kind of sports fitness expo going on in the Piazza that day. So there was a lot of hustle and bustle. In the NE corner of the Piazza you can start going up these stairs and find yourself on what turns into the Viale Gabriela D'Annunzio. And you can climb for awhile and see a great view of Rome. It wasn't the Spanish Steps I was looking for, but it was beautiful. I came back down again though, and walked back on the Via Del Baubino. After consulting my map many times, I believed if I walked south on this road long enough I would hit the Spanish Steps, which I should say that by this point I started to mentally refer to them as the 39 Steps. It's a Hitchcock thing. I took a few more exasperating wrong turns and could not believe how a giant staircase carved into the side of a big hill can be so hard to locate. But then I made one right turn and there it was! It was such a crowded area! Just like Trevi Fountain the night before! I can't tell you happy I was to make it to the 39 steps after so many walking detours all throughout Rome. The one thing I wanted to before I began my ascent up the 39 Steps was a nice big strawberry gelati. Yum yum yum! But as I looked around, I swear I could not find one gelati stand around me. Even at rip-off prices! I become convinced that I need the gelati to walk up the 39 Steps. This is how I always envisioned it! Sitting high up on the steps looking out toward the setting sun while eating ice cream!

So I walk down the street thinking I'll have to come across a snack bar eventually. But there's nothing. I'm walking down what I believe to be Via Dei Condotti, and it was all these high end clothing stores. No gelati whatsoever! I kept going further and further away. My panic and desperation grew. It had taken me so long to get to the 39 steps and now I was willfully removing myself from their vicinity. I kept casting nervous glances over my shoulder as if I would turn around and find it was no longer in view. Lost to me forever! Finally -FINALLY! - I found a snack bar with gelati. I walked for almost 10 minutes away from the steps though, I'm not joking. I got myself a heaping serving of strawberry gelati and hurried back in the direction of the steps. I was hurrying because I was afraid I would eat it before I got back to the steps, and the whole point of my gelati quest was to have it while I was ascending the steps! So finally I make it back there and start climbing. I mean, it's not like it's thousands of steps that stretch into the sky, but it's still a really cool location. Some people seem to like to hang out on the steps of the post office at 34th St and 8th Ave in NYC and of course the Gossip Girls like to sit on the steps of the Met, but this is much better than those places. I climb about 2/3's of the way up and sit myself down on some unoccupied step and enjoy the view and people watch. It dawns on me that I haven't seen a lot of people fighting or complaining while I've been in Rome. People seem to be either very chill, or happy or lovey dovey. The gypsies of course are all dramatically shameful, but outside of them, things are a lot less stressful than in NYC. What's there secret? Is it all the gelati that gets consumed? Perhaps that is the secret lesson of the 39 Steps. Eat your gelati, enjoy the view and don't freak out so much. Having gained newfound perspective on my life, I finish off my cone, complete my ascent to the top of the Steps. Another dream fulfilled!

Atop the Spanish Steps there is a church called the Trinita dei Monti. Oh, I loved this church! It's kinda small and unassuming and it's another one where they expressly tell you that you cannot take pictures inside. It's a shame though, because here I found my favorite painting from the whole trip. It's Domenico Corvi's painting of the Archangel St. Michael. I can't find a reproduction of it anywhere. If you find it. please let me know. I could stare at it forever. I'm not really sure why. [Note: I just looked online again and I found one image of it, but it's got a copyright logo over it! boo! I must track this person down and get an unmarked version of this image. It's really my favorite.] So I bask in the glory of the painting for a while. Sit in the pews and say another prayer, and then exit the church and go back to the 39 Steps.

I am very pleased that, despite my lack of navigational prowess I was able to find my way to the 39 Steps. It was a very fulfilling experience and it filled me with confidence that before the day was through, I'd be able to find that other very elusive Italian Icon: The Pantheon!

Coming Soon! - Part Five, The Pantheon, Dinnertime, And the end to Saturday! (Finally!)

When I came to WMRA, nigh on to ten years ago (and who knew I'd be anywhere for ten years), we were officed in a hole. A beloved hole, but a hole nonetheless.

Management had windows; the rest of us were encased in cement blocks. I, personally, was housed in the satellite room, along with the equipment that captured our national programming and put it on the air. This equipment also regularly hummed, beeped, spoke (yes, spoke), and needed very cold temperatures. Needless to say, in the battle for temperature control of our shared space, the equipment won. I worked in my coat.

Four years ago we moved to 983 Reservoir Street, and, while already tremendously happy with my job, I became tremendously happy with my office. It is the one with all the clutter, and with a window that looks out on a scrub of woods in which live birds, squirrels, an obese groundhog, and foxes. My window faces north, making it the perfect light for African violets. And, best of all, it lets in natural light, which is so good for the soul.

983 Reservoir Street is a grand place to hang out and make radio. And it's also a very welcoming space, a perfect community center for the WMRA community of listeners. Its arrangement was configured (mostly by our engineer, Bill Fawcett) so that staff offices ring a kind of big square atrium-like central area that contains two on-air studios, a talk-show studio, and a couple of production studios.

This means we also have a big square of wide, white-walled hall.

A couple of years ago, All Things Considered host Terry Ward and artist Mia LaBerge got the brilliant idea to turn that hall into a gallery. They've just hung what I consider to be our most hopeful show, for it consists of the creations of students at Harrisonburg High School and Eastern Mennonite School.

I look at the work of these teenagers and somehow feel that this country will be alright; that our culture will not be engulfed by ignorance, anger, cynicism, and video-game addiction.

The opening is tonight, 5-7; and, yes, there will be food and music. I will be there interviewing students for this blog, and I want to underline what we've been saying on the air: You are most emphatically invited.

Hopeful art, good snacks and live music--what more could one want?

Against extremely long odds. Nikolay Davydenko won the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London today. This seems nearly impossible because the tournament only hosts the top 8 male players in the world, of which Davydenko is ranked 7th (he was seeded 6th as Andy Roddick was no. 6 but out with injury). Ahead of Nikolay in the rankings were FedEx, Rafa, Choker, Murray and DelPo, and behind him were Gonzo and Soderling.

Davydenko lost to Djokovic in their opening Group B match earlier this week, but then he beat Rafa and then Soderling to advance. In the semifinals, he finally got the better of Federer, who had beaten Davydenko in their previous 12 meetings.To say Fed should've had the mental edge in that match is a massive understatement. But Davydenko played really strong in the semifinals to beat Fed 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, and in the finals to beat DelPo 6-3, 6-4 ,and he deserved the year-end title. Perhaps it shouldn't come as so much of a shock, since Davydenko actually made it to the Final match last year too, but the guys ranked above him had been so strong coming in, it's impressive he was able to string together so many back to back victories. It's a good indicator that next season the players ranked 4-8 are gonna be putting a lot more pressure on the guys who'd previously been sitting pretty as 1-4.

Poor, Rafa. He didn't win a match all tournament. 0-3 in round robin play. Dude's tired. He needs to go home, scarf down some chocolate chip cookies (and don't act like I'm making it up. I happen to know he's fond of them) and then dive back into to training for next season. He's a little mentally and physically out of it right now. But he's still my guy. I'll always root for him above all others. Have a good off-season Rafa! I look forward to blogging about your winning aways come January 2010. Vamos!

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend, y'all. I hope everyone had a good time with family and friends and food. In the waning hours of this 4 day weekend, it's time to catch up on last week's SYTYCD before a new episode is soon upon this. This was an important week, because here's where we decide the Top 10 and who goes on the tour. And by "we" I ultimately mean the judges - but we tell them which 3 couples are up for elimination! Sure, there are two spots on the tour for an alternate guy and girl dancer, but the producers don't necessarily pick the last couple eliminated. I wouldn't be surprised if Nigel put one of the tappers back into the mix for the tour.

So Tuesday night, there are 6 couples and 2 hours of show, which initially made me cringe in fear at how much filler this would mean, but then beautiful Cat Deely let us know each couple would dance twice, reducing the filler to a minimum as we cram 12 dances into the show. Awesome.

The dancing this week was very good overall, with only 3 or 4 dances really not working for me. It seemed like the dancers recognized this would be the end of their initial partnerships and thusly gave it a little extra oomph behind the routines. Jakob and Ashleigh had another really strong week together in both routines. Legacy and Kathryn were also good in both dances. I'm giving the encore this week to Legacy and Kathryn for their Jazz routine, because I thought that was really sexy and fun.



Russell and Noelle, Ellenore and Ryan and Victor and Karen were stronger in one dance over the other. Mollee and Nathan didn't really connect with either dance. First, they had a weird hip hop routine about Alexander Bell creating the telephone. Meh. It didn't work. And they also did a can can routine from Tyce that Nigel accurately described as "twee."

Still, I was most worried for Karen and Victor who had both already lost two partners each and had just a horrible hip hop showing set to "Moving Mountains" by Usher, that had them literally acting as if they were moving mountains. Laurie Ann Gibson, what were you thinking? This bizarre routine was sloppy and low in energy and it really deserves this week's award as the Numfar Dance of Shame.

So Karen, Mollee and Ellenore were in the bottom for the girls and Victor, Nathan and Ryan were there for the guys. Apparently, I'm not a good judge of the solos, because I rarely see what the judges see, but they just love Mollee and Nathan and are content to punt their eventual ouster to a week when the voting public can shoulder all the blame. So it's goodbye to Karen and Victor, who were so close to the top 10, and yet so far.

Next week we get to see new couples chosen at random. I'm curious to see who Mollee and Nathan randomly draw from the hat. They both read as so young and several of the dancers are almost 10 years older than they are. It should be interesting. I'll see you there!

We did some modest traveling to reach our family celebration of Thanksgiving. I enjoyed myself there almost as much as I enjoyed getting home again.

Home to me is marked by a constellation of house, yard, cat and neighbors.

In my opinion, neighbors are underrated these days as an enrichment of our lives. So, in honor of all my neighbors, current, past and future, today I'm posting an essay I wrote about five years ago. It celebrates the first neighbors we got to know when Charlie and I moved to the Valley.

It's called "The Sisters."

The sisters were way up in their eighties if they were a day. During the two years I lived one farm down from them, I passed Marjory and Elizabeth most mornings on my way to work—Marjory, driving the tractor; Elizabeth, riding shotgun—heading out to tend the sheep, or plow a field, or mend a fence.

I’ve always been drawn to happy, unconventional, un-helpless people. A month after becoming their neighbor, I told the sisters I was a journalist and asked if I could record their story. Elizabeth is deaf, so Marjory shouts, and she shouted at me they'd have to think about that.

Six weeks later, there was a fortissimo message on my answering machine: "This is Margery. If Martha still wants to hear our story, tell her to come on."

Margery wasn't a particularly good storyteller—she's not at all interested in the past—perhaps the only eighty-year-old I’ve ever met who isn’t. "The past is over!” she bellowed into my microphone. "Who wants to think about the past?"

But she did play an old recording of her and Elizabeth singing hymns, and she showed me a lot of old photographs—two dark-haired sisters smiling in pretty hats and flowery frocks, Elizabeth drop-dead gorgeous, Margery handsome and obviously nobody's fool.

It struck me that these were the photographs of women who could have gone anywhere, done anything that women were allowed to do in the mid-part of the last century; yet here they were, and here they obviously wanted to be. Even when talking into a microphone, they felt no need to explain or justify their odd course to the rest of us.

"Did you ever think about marrying?” I asked. They were—after all—of a generation of women that usually did.

Margery hooted. "Awe, fellows asked us, but we didn't pay ’em no mind. One came around a couple of years ago crying how his girlfriend had died, and he was all alone and wouldn't one of us marry him. Elizabeth told him to get a dog.”

I’ve moved a lot and had a lot of neighbors. Most of them have come and gone without leaving anything permanently useful inside me. But my life is richer and steadier for having lived for a while one farm over from Marjory and Elizabeth. I simply haven’t met many other women—many people, really—who are living as they truly wish to, without worrying at all about the sideways glances of the rest of us.

The only bumper sticker I’ve ever put on a vehicle is one my daughter, Lizzie, sent me years before I met the sisters. It read “Uppity Women Unite,” and when I slapped it on my truck’s bumper, I thought, “There! That’s who I am!”

After meeting Marjory and Elizabeth, however, I realized I am a mere wannabe in the uppity woman department. That bumper sticker would have really belonged on their tractor.

Well, this place is one of the most commonly mentioned and/or recommended places to visit by my readers and last night we were planning on going out and I was having a really hard time deciding where to go, so we thought, “why not?”

Well, honestly, on the way home, hubby and I discussed the fact that maybe all the people that recommend this place work there or something. We were not impressed (and if you have recommended it, and don’t work there, please let me know what you like). This place encompassed pretty much everything I don’t like about American-Italian food. Rich and bland and your choice of a tomato sauce, a cream sauce, or a mix of both.

My guess is the menu hasn’t changed since the restaurant opened –although there were a few specials, some of which sounded interesting, but at the recommendation of our waiter (who hadn’t tried several of the items on the menu unfortunately) we went with the Gamberi fra diavolo, or Diablo shrimp. These were 4 large shrimp in a very spicy tomato sauce. Now, the sauce had good flavor—there was lots of garlic and whole pieces of tomato and a fair amount of heat—too bad one of my bites included a big hunk of the hard end of the garlic clove, but what are you going to do? Well, actually the main thing to complain about here was the shrimp—they were completely overcooked and rubbery. Haven’t quite figured out why it is so hard for restaurants to cook shrimp properly (and I know it isn’t impossible because they do it at R Bistro and Oakley’s), but it seems like it is often the case. Ugh. Nothing worse than rubbery shrimp. The sauce was by far the standout and was better just sopped up with the bread.

Oh, the bread was one of the other better things served at Amalfi—they will bring you butter upon request (olive oil on the table). I am usually happy with olive oil, but this bread was so steaming hot, just seemed to call out for butter. The bread are nice sized rolls that had a nice flavor and were moist (and as I said, steaming on the insides) and fresh from the oven.

Unfortunately, things did not really improve from there. I ordered the Tortellini Michelangelo which was tortellini, onions, bacon, mushrooms and a creamy tomato sauce. I was hoping with the onions and bacon, this dish would be a little more exciting than the typical pasta dish in this town, but it was not. It was so one-dimensional. You could taste each ingredient—the crunch of the onions, the chewy dices of the bacon and the large slices of mushrooms, but that was it. There was no melding of the flavors into a unique dish. And it was all just rich. I sort of hoped the partial tomato sauce would bring out a bit of acidic kick, but, I got nothing.

Hubby ordered the veal Marsala and was really disappointed with it as well. Same kind of problems—there was nothing special about it and he felt like if there was Marsala wine in it, it was well hidden. The veal itself was nice and thin and decently cooked (i.e., not overcooked) but there was just nothing exciting about the flavor. I had a bit of it as well and agreed with his assessment. He also ordered one of the specials of the day, which was 4 cheese macaroni and cheese which was probably my favorite part of the entrée portion of the meal, I guess because it was a small portion of a rich dish, and if you are going for pure rich, why not go with mac and cheese (not to mention the combination of cheeses actually gave it a tiny bit of dimension). But still, for good mac and cheese, there are so many places in Indy to get better (as I sat there last night, I specifically mentioned Zest as one example to hubby, and it I am sure is much cheaper).

Which brings me to one of my other complaints about this place—it is pretty pricey for Italian. When you see the prices here and compare them to say, Mama Corolla’s, you can see why that place is jumping. Not that it is amazing either, but very comparable, and they have those artichoke fritters! We got out of Amalfi for almost exactly the same price we paid for Oakley’s last week. And Oakley’s was much better.

We also had dessert—the cannoli which was a cannoli shell filled with a sweetened ricotta cheese mixed with chocolate and sugar and drizzled over the top with chocolate sauce. You would think the cheese would have at least given this dish a bit of a tang, but you would be wrong. It was just rich, and flat, and pretty unmemorable.

Unfortunately, we had the misfortune to also have a server, while very nice, was a bit bumbling, and knew little about many menu items, and pretty much nothing about the wine list. And while many people have recommended this place, I find it is a love it or hate it kind of place, and I have several friends who have had similarly bad experiences to ours. But I would still love to hear from those of you who have recommended it to hear specifically what you like. As far as I can tell, the only thing I enjoyed was the room itself, which is quite warm and feels like you are in a nice restaurant. Other than that, I can’t really see a reason for a re-visit.

Amalfi Ristorante Italiano
1351 West 86th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46260
317/253.4034
www.amalfiristoranteitaliano.com

Today is Black Friday, the first day of the annual national shopping spree that historically shifts retailers' accounts from red ink to black. As good Americans, I guess we should all hope that this particular bit of history is doomed to repeat itself, since our economy is famously fueled by shopping. Consumer spending drives 70% of America's gross domestic product.

This morning's shopping forecast, however, is not great.

Nouriel Robini, professor of the Stern Business School at New York University and chair of Roubini Global Economics, writes a weekly column for Forbes. He had this rather grim assessment embedded in this week's column titled, "Will the World Go Shopping?"

A measure of weekly retail sales released by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs indicates that same-store sales flattened over the first three weeks of November, though compared to 2008, sales are up by a promising average pace of 2.9%. The National Retail Federation projects retail sales will fall 1% during this holiday season, compared to an average 3.4% annual gain in holiday sales over the past decade. After the sharp slide in 2008, a decline of "only" 1% or even a small positive gain in 2009 holiday sales may seem like a welcome number; however, accounting for the base effects of a dismal 2008 season, the underlying reality for retailers remains grim for this holiday season.

We shall know more tonight, of course. The ever-vigilant Washington Post reporters were out predawn this morning, scouring the malls to report that:

They came, they shopped and then, apparently, they went home to get some sleep.

The long lines of Black Friday shoppers that formed overnight at Washington-area malls, outlets and big-box stores had largely dissipated by daylight, with the savviest -- or craziest? -- bargain hunters temporarily sated, and most regular folks not quite ready to venture out.

Later on in the same article:

A strong showing on Black Friday can help solidify a retailer's image as a shopping destination or merely a drive-by and is seen as crucial to building momentum to last through December. . . The marathon recession has made retailers' performance this holiday season even more significant.. . .Many economists believe that without robust spending by shoppers during the holiday season--kicked off by Black Friday--the country's nascent recovery will peter out.

Remember our just-retired president, George W. Bush, exhorting us to go shopping after 9-11?

Oh dear me . . .

I don't know about you, but this day depresses me. As an old hippie (peace, love, and flower-chains for all!), I do hate to face the fact that out grand nation's economy is mostly powered by the acquisition of stuff. What does that say about us and our values?

I'm no economist and refuse to play one on this blog. Righting the world's fiscal ship is complex beyond measure, and I'm not going to spout any ill-informed suggestions for doing it. Besides, it's not the economics of shopping that bothers me, its the results of shopping. It's what the acquisition of yet more stuff does to our lives, our houses, our souls!

We're desperately aware of our need for a differently fueled automobile. Might we also--for the greater good of us all--need a differently-fueled economy?

It's time for another open house. Please enjoy these images from my home. Let's start with the front door. My sister painted our Grow pumpkin. Once you come inside you are greeted by Paris. I don't think he likes his pumpkin costume.

I usually am repelled by anything sappy, but not today. Today I will wallow unashamedly in that which on most other days I would consider bathetic. Today, I am officially, happily, unabashedly sappily thankful for, among many other things, my job.

I think I only became intentionally thankful on Thanksgiving Day in my forties. Before that, I was just too frenzied with cooking. (By the way, if you are so frenzied and need some last-minute help, the NY Times has Sam Sifton on on-line duty until 3 p.m.).

The things in my personal life for which I'm thankful are not appropriate blog fodder--let's just say that I'm a happy camper and leave it at that. But one of my greatest blasts of personal gratitude gets bestowed on my job at WMRA--the big rush and mush of the hectic, absorbing days I get to spend there making radio; the creative freedom I'm allowed; the good company of my very funny and fun colleagues; the chance to meet and get to know people in the WMRA community of listeners; the chance to work directly with NPR editors.

Being pretty sure a lot of my colleagues felt the same, yesterday I sent a note out asking them to let me know what each of them is personally grateful for re WMRA and/or public radio in general. Here's what I got back (you'll note that I'm not the only person who waxes sappy on the subject!).

From Scott Lowe, host, Weekend Edition Sunday:  "I have been very thankful for the enthusiasm and appreciation loyal WMRA listeners express to me whenever they find out I work here. WMRA members are more passionate about their choice than any others I have encountered in a 25-year career."

From Tom Graham, host, Virginia Insight: "I wake up every morning feeling grateful to be part of such a special public radio community. After many years, earlier in my career, of employment in profit-oriented, commercial television and radio news, it is such an honor to work for a non-profit whose overriding mission is public service. And I find myself giving thanks many times a day for the supportive listeners who make this type of dedication possible."

From Bob Leweke, host, Morning Edition, “In a world full of voices, I'm thankful for the unique, and constructive, voice that public radio provides in our democracy.”

From Tina Owens, host, Acoustic Cafe: "I am thankful that WMRA gives me the the opportunity to be a part of the local roots music community.  It is such a treat to spend each weekend presenting - and listening to - such wonderful acoustic music."

From Terry Ward, host, All Things Considered: "On WMRA, I will not be subjected to commercials with cheesy sound effects of Santa's belly laugh, as happens on certain ~other~ broadcast entities with increasing frequency from this date forward, til Xmas. For that, I am grateful."

From Matt Bingay, Program Director: "I am thankful for the fact that I work in an environment that encourages exploration, discovery, discussion and meaning. Before beginning my career in public radio, the world was small and trivial. Today, I see so much, and want to know so much more. Thank you NPR for helping me live outside of myself."

And finally, from Tom DuVal, General Manager: "Hmmm. It's easy to say I'm thankful for the thousands of listeners who support WMRA and WEMC financially. And James Madison University, and dozens of local businesses and organizations. And believe me, I most certainly am!

 "I think, though, at heart I'm most thankful for the many listeners who take the time to contact us with kudos and criticisms. They keep us honest and keep our spirits up.

"And I'm thankful every day for my professional and dedicated colleagues, here and at the national level, who dive into and complete the necessary work of keeping public radio coming out of the speakers all across the region."

Thought I'd leave you with one of my husband's, Charlie, photos (taken late last month) of where we live. For no other reason than to remind  myself and you of how beautiful it is here in WMRA Land.

Okay, I wanted to post about Penrose sausages (for cultural reasons--or at least Woodroof family cultural reasons), but got up this morning and realized my research was incomplete. So, I did what all reporters/bloggers do, trolled the newspapers for another subject.

I rejected last night's state dinner (everyone's talking about that), speculation on President Obama's upcoming announcement about Afghanistan troop levels (who am I to speculate about that?), and this weekend's Virginia/Virginia Tech football game (go Hoos!).

That left turkeys. After all, this is the day before Thanksgiving.

I found the picture posted above in The Los Angeles Times' "Top of the Ticket" blog. The blog contained a link to the Times story cut and pasted below.Yes, turkeys get presidential pardons every year. But this, my fellow WMRA listeners, is the back story of that pardon!

These turkeys won't be gobbled up!

Two Butterball turkeys will be pardoned by President Obama after months of pampering and grooming. And his declaration will get them one step closer to a ride in Disneyland's Thanksgiving Parade

By Jason Horowitz
November 25, 2009
Reporting from Washington

Last month, Walter "Gator" Pelletier, chairman of the National Turkey Federation and an executive at Butterball, approached Wes Pike, his go-to bird handler, with a secret mission: raising two well-mannered birds that wouldn't trash a room at the Willard hotel or go ballistic on President Obama during a pardoning ceremony in the White House Rose Garden today.

Pike, 54, accepted the challenge. From Butterball pens in Goldsboro, N.C., he picked 22 15-week-old toms from a flock of 52,000 poults and moved them to a safe barn across the road. There, the 4-pound birds were hand-fed corn, soybeans and a mix of grains and vitamins. The birds walked on a fresh bed of kiln-dried pine shavings and gobbled and clucked freely with humans, to better prepare them for the members of the first family, administration officials and reporters at the ceremony.

They listened to a constant loop of music provided by Disney ("more new-age Disney rock," Pike said) to acclimate them to the noises the lucky two would encounter as grand marshals riding a Thanksgiving Day float at Disneyland.

The now-40-pound broad-breasted white turkeys will fly first class on a United aircraft and live out their days in Frontierland's Big Thunder Ranch. (With life spans lasting usually a few months, Thanksgiving turkeys are bred for breast meat, not longevity.)

Sherrie Rosenblatt, communications director of the National Turkey Federation, said that Pike looked for the "most regal" birds. "A turkey," she said, "that knows when to strut and when to be calm, to gobble at all the right points."

Pike selected the two standouts about five weeks ago. The 20 others, he said, crossed the road "back into the general population."

Pelletier, Pike and their associates named the White House bird Courage, and its alternate Carolina. The breeders believed Courage paid tribute to the U.S. soldiers fighting overseas, many of whom were trained in North Carolina.

Both birds will be at the ceremony -- and neither will be eaten -- but Courage is to receive the official pardon.

About 9 a.m. Tuesday, Pike loaded his family and turkeys into a van and headed for Washington.

In the garage of the Willard hotel, Pike helped bellhops load the turkeys, white pails of feed and two bags of wood chips onto brass luggage carts. Pike and the rest of the turkeys' entourage escorted the birds to room 326, a deluxe.

After all the excitement of the trip, the turkeys seemed rather languid in their hotel room, and Courage's waddle looked a little pale.

"He'll color up," Pike said. Rosenblatt decided it was time for everyone to leave the birds and their handlers in peace.

"It's time for their nap," she said.

Horowitz writes for the Washington Post.

Thank you, Mr. Horowitz. Thank you Los Angeles Times. Yes, I've completely cribbed a copyrighted story, but only because it was really good. Sometimes a reporter/blogger has to eat humble pie and admit she couldn't have written a story any better herself.

A couple weekends ago, on a rainy afternoon, I decided to make up one of those how well do you know so-and-so quizzes on Facebook. For some unknown reason, I decided to make it almost impossible to get the right answers. What was I thinking? Did I want my friends to feel intimidated into not taking it, or just feel bad once they were done? I don't know. I went back and made an easier quiz, so people had a fair shot at a passing grade. If you failed the easy quiz and answered that I like Stargate over Star Trek, that's on your head. You don't know me! Anyway, here are the answers to the Impossible Quiz along with explanations of the right answers.

1) We'll start easy: Who's Owen's Favorite Tennis Player of All Time?
a) Andre Agassi
b) Roger Federer
c) Rafael Nadal (correct)
d) Martina Hingis
e) Jimmy Connors

This is a dead give away. I am in no way quiet about my love for Rafa. I like all the other players on this list just fine. Connors and Aggie especially. But Rafa's my guy. Plus I reference him later on in the quiz so it should be a no-brainier.

2) Which of these sounds does Owen hate the most?
a) the whip crack sound of the subway breaking system
b) the cries of a spoiled child mid-tantrum
c) the banshee wail of a school bus engine (correct)
d) armpit fart noises
e) pulse-pounding bass on a car stereo

And on Question 2 I'm already making it hella difficult for everyone. In truth, I hate ALL these things, so now it's really just a matter of gaging which one i hate the MOST. The sound of a school bus engine for some reason just fills me with dread. I was always late for the bus as a kid and hearing the wail of the bus as it charged down the street and I raced after it, just left a psychological scar. Every time I see a school bus now, I'm relieved I never have to ride in one again.

3) What's Owen's Favorite Color?
a) Pepsi Blue!
b) Superman Blue! (correct)
c) Tennis Court Blue!
d) Royal Blue!
e) Green.

This is me being silly, since the first four options are essentially the same color. I like superheroes the best, so that gets the nod here.

4) Owen's Drink of Choice?
a) Red Wine
b) Root Beer
c) Chocolate Coquito
d) Milkshake (correct)
e) Grape Juice

I love milkshakes and I drink them as often as possible. They are unhealthy, but delicious. Thank goodness I spend most of my year running insane distances so I burn off all the excess calories. I like all those other drinks as well, but milk-based beverages are my favorite. I drink 4 or 5 glasses of milk a day.

5) In Owen's fantasy where he & Rafa Nadal are friends, what's his fav part?
a) when Owen saves Rafa from a psycho fan's attack
b) when they lounge around & eat choc.chip cookies (correct)
c) when Owen and Rafa's mom cook Rafa pasta dinner
d) when Owen travels with Rafa to all the Grand Slams
e) when Rafa thanks O in his US Open victory speech

These are all components of my extended Rafa-as-BFF fantasy world, but rather than wanting to have sex with him, I ultimately just want to sit in lounge chairs on the beach at sunset and share a plate of chocolate chip cookies and milk. Oh, I can see it so perfectly in my head! If only...

6) What was Owen's first Broadway Musical Experience?
a) Cats
b) Phantom of The Opera
c) Les Miserables
d) Into The Woods (correct)
e) Rent

I went to see Into The Woods in 4th grade twice. once with my family and once on a school field trip. I recall that Gorbachev was in town and it made traffic very difficult. We sang "You better not shout, You better not cry! 'Cause he's a Commie and he'll shoot you in the eye! Gorbachev is coming to town!" It was Christmas season, after all. I love Into The Woods. I've never seen Cats or Phantom. Les Mis I saw in High School and Rent I saw in college.

7) What's Owen's Favorite Video Game Series?
a) Final Fantasy (correct)
b) Kingdom Hearts
c) The Legend Of Zelda
d) The Sims
e) Grand Theft Auto

This is another toughie, because I really really enjoy Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2, and Link from Zelda is one of my all-time favorite characters, but in terms of hours played, neither of those come close to my investment in the Final Fantasy series. I'm sure I spent hundreds of hours playing the original NES game. and there are currently eleven other 12 main games in the series, of which I've played through... 8 of them? Final Fantasy IV, VII, IX and XII are my favorites. I've been waiting achingly for XIII to come out on the PS3. Square Enix says it will come to the US in the first half of 2010, but I've been burned by their release date promises before...

8) What Nitestar Character Did Owen Most Hate Playing During His Tenure there?
a) Michael in the Lo Show (parents ignored him)
b) Nelson in the Junior High Show (bullied)
c) Joshua in the Junior High Show (HIV+)
d) The gay date-raped kid in the IPV Show (Marcus?)
e) Sean in the High School Show (chlamydia) (correct)


This is more of a niche question, but hands down, it's Sean. I had to play him all the time and I never really liked him. My distaste for him only grew as the seasons past and by the end of the third season, Sean's problem wasn't so much chlamydia as it was self-loathing. I had the loveliest of scene partners throughout my tenure, but if I never have to fake whisper in a library scene again, it will be too soon.

9) Owen's college a capella group was called:
a) The New Group
b) Desperate Measures
c) The Spirits
d) Quasimodal (correct)
e) Cardinal Sinners

Quasi! The oldest co-ed a capella group at Wes. The New Group was the other co-ed a capella group. Desperate Measures was a comedy a capella group. The Spirits are the all-male group and the Sinners are the all female group. Go Wes! I love my Quasis.

10) What is Owen's Favorite Pizza Topping?
a) sausage
b) pineapple (correct)
c) black olive
d) pepperoni
e) chocolate

I love pineapple pizza. My freshman year roommate at Wes didn't get along, but he did introduce me to the joys of pineapple pizza and for that I will be able forever grateful.

11) What High School show did Owen quit out of dissatisfaction with his role?
a) Music Man
b) Guys & Dolls
c) 42nd Street
d) Pirates of Penzance
e) West Side Story (correct)

I was like, Pepe, or something. I wasn't feeling it. I'd been in the chorus of West Side Story the summer before, and didn't feel like spending another 5 months in the chorus. It was big drama at the time, as all things are in high school. But all these years later, I'm still glad I didn't do it.

12) Owen loves lions. His Favorite Fictional Lion Character Is:
a) Aslan (correct)
b) King Moonracer
c) Gado the Lion
d) Braveheart Lion
e) Lion-O

These are all worthy lions, but Aslan is the king. He's pretty much literally JESUS!


13) Which of these has never been a proper nickname for Owen:
a) Owen The Man
b) Orko (correct)
c) Oboe
d) O-Zone
e) O-Face


OTM and O-Zone are from college, Oboe is from elementary school and O-Face came around in my mid-20's. Orko, while a cool name that starts with O, has never been a nickname.

14) Owen's least favorite food?
a) mushrooms (fungus!)
b) eggplant (gross!)
c) cotton candy (hatefully sweet!)
d) asparagus (vile weed!) (correct)
e) liver (stinky!)


Asparagus might not be the worst food on the planet, but I certainly hate it the most. The smell the consistency, the taste - i think it's all just awful. If you like it, please by all means have all that you want. Have seconds and take my portion! But please don't expect to me to it if you serve it to me. Not gonna happen.

15) Owen's Favorite Theme Park Ride?
a) El Toro
b) The Haunted Mansion
c) Loch Ness Monster
d) Space Mountain
e) Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (correct)

Another trick question in a series of tricky trick questions! El Toro is now my favorite rollercoaster but my favorite THEME PARK RIDE overall is Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. I just love it. They no longer have it in Disney World (which is why I hold a vendetta against the Winne The Pooh ride which replaced it) but it still exists in Disneyland and when i went to visit LA last summer I took a day trip to Disneyland specifically so I could go on it. It was worth it. I love it.

So there you have it. 15 questions. 15 answers. 15 somewhat-convoluted explanations. Advanced knowledge of O.

This was sent out to NPR stations yesterday.

After 30 years of waking up at 1:05 a.m. to anchor the top of the hour newscast during Morning Edition, Carl Kasell has decided the time has come to sleep in. He will leave his newscast post at the end of this year... but happily for all of us he isn't going far. Carl will continue to be the Official Judge and Scorekeeper for Wait Wait.. Don't Tell Me!, the show that turned him from a newsman into a rock star! Carl will also continue his travels to stations around the country on NPR's behalf.

Carl has raised more than a generation of listeners with his calm and authoritative newscast and has been the first voice many people heard each day. He also has been a teacher and role model for NPR newscasters... not only because of his skill and experience, but also because of his kindness, integrity, and professionalism.

Carl has walked into the newscast booth tens of thousands of times during his tenure. He was there the day that Iranian students took over the American Embassy in 1979... he was there when the Berlin wall fell in 1989 and he was there again when two jetliners slammed into the World Trade Towers in 2001. And he’s been there every week since.

Carl first walked through the doors of NPR in 1975 as a part-time newscaster ... and was on the air in November 1979 at the inception of Morning Edition. In 1995, he hosted Early Morning Edition, which eventually led to Morning Edition’s early start time of 5 a.m. eastern. Carl is a proud member of the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame and a recipient of several major broadcast awards, including a Peabody which he shares with Morning Edition and another he shares with Wait Wait.

Please join us in congratulating Carl for his tremendous service. His last newscast will be on Wednesday, December 30^th

Carl. Kasell was born on April 2, 1934.  I lifted these further tidbits from Wikipedia.

       A native of  Goldsboro, North Carolina, Kasell was a student of drama in high school, where one of his mentors was Andy Griffith, then a high school drama instructor. Although Griffith urged Kasell to pursue a career in theatre, Kasell took to radio at an early age as well. During his time at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill he helped launch local radio station WUNC with fellow student Charles Kuralt.
      He worked as an announcer and DJ at a radio station in Goldsboro before moving to the Washington, DC, area in 1965. He advanced to the position of news director at WAVA in Arlington, Virginia. As news director in Virginia, he hired Katie Couric as an intern one summer.

I've only one personal thing to add: Carl Kasell, only semi-retiring at 75, is my role model!

You go, guy!

When last I left off, I had gone to bed after my first day in Rome, eager for my next full day in the city and also a bit nervous about the not-so-good weather forecast I was facing. I was holding out hope that weather forecasters would be as clueless in Europe as they sometimes are in the States. I woke up at 7am and looked out my hotel window to witness a terrific lightning storm. My heart sank a little because I knew the rain was coming, but it was still pretty cool how the lightning was lighting up the clouds. I took a shower and got my things in order for my day. I figured even if it was raining I could still take a trip to the Colosseo, since there are things to see inside where it wouldn't be raining. I also had the Vatican Museums scheduled at noon and it wouldn't matter what the weather was like while I was inside either. I DID have several other outdoor locations on my list for the day, but we'd cross that ponte when we came to it.

In the meantime, as the lightning brought thunder and the thunder brought rain, I spent some time watching CNN International and doing word searches. I love word searches! Crosswords make me feel a bit intellectually insecure, and Sudoku gives me a headache if I'm trying anything more complicated than beginner level, but I always love a good word search. I picked up a book of "Superb Word-Find Puzzles" which featured 123 Word Find Puzzles before I left NYC in case I needed something on the plane or to occupy down time in my room. This was just such a time. There were a lot of fun categories like Long Running TV Shows and Types of Cookies. My favorite was a word find involving important characters from the comic strip For Better Or For Worse which I used to love reading in Newsday when I was a kid. So I did several word searches and that killed an hour or two as it rained outside.

And then, around 9am, something interesting happened. The rain stopped. I went to my window to assess the sky and there was actually a break in the clouds. And there was bright blue sky within that break! I was going to get a window of sunshine just as the Colosseo was opening! Now, if there had been a doubt up until this point that my mom was watching over me during this trip, we can pretty much put that doubt to rest from here until the end of my trip. My good luck up until this point only improves from here on out. I grabbed my stuff and headed outside. My plan at this point was to go to the Colosseo for an hour or so, go get some pastry for breakfast after that at a cafe recommended in my travel guide and then take the metro over to Vatican City.

The clouds continued to dissipate as I got to the Colosseo gates. most of the tour groups don't assemble outside until 10am, so I didn't have to wait at all and went right in. I race up the stairs to get to the first viewing location inside the Colosseo. I walk out into the arena, and to me, it's just beautiful. There was something about the stone having the feel of the just ended rain, and there only being a dozen or so other people walking around, but I just had the best experience staring down at the exposed passageways that exist under the arena floor. I felt very connected to... something. I don't even know what it was. History? That sounds so lame. There were several things I experienced in Rome that I really responded to on a deep level and the Colosseo was probably the strongest of those connections. I took time to walk around and take lots of pictures and admired the views, before going inside the museum sections and reading about the history of the Colosseo and all the statues and artifacts that are housed there. I was like a pig in mud. I was so excited to be there. i went back into the arena and the sky looked better and better. There were still huge clouds in the sky, but they weren't rain clouds. It was gonna be a good weather day after all! The only down side to this was that the rainy weather clothes I had picked out for today were once again gonna be too warm for me. Luckily my backpack was almost completely empty so I quickly shoved my coat in there.

Having enjoyed the Colosseo so much, I knew I was gonna have to get a memento in the gift shop. There were many options, books, models, roman soldier helmets, action figure sets (tempting) but I ultimately settled on a smallish-sized snow globe with the Colosseo inside. I tried to pay for it with my Visa card but apparently I was supposed to tell the credit card company I was planning to go abroad, and failing to do so my CC was put on hold. Perhaps if they had looked at my other charges leading up to the trip, they'd have noticed I kept purchasing Rome-related things? For my trip to ROME? But whatever. Suffice to say visa was not everywhere I wanted to be. Amex would have to get my business this weekend. Sucks for you, Visa! But in the case of the Colosseo snow globe, I actually wound up just paying cash.

I walked around the Colosseo again, getting as high and as low as I could. I wanted to make sure I got to walk around everywhere I could. By this time the tours started to come through and things were getting more crowded, so it was time to say ciao to the Colosseo and get some breakfast. I was sad to go, but I'd seen what there was to be seen and I could walk by it as many times as I went back and forth from my hotel. I decided to grab breakfast at the Bottega Del Caffe which my guide book told me was on Via Cavor not far from the Colosseo. I couldn't find it though. I walked and walked done Via Cavour and it was just not there. Or at least it didn't have a big sign outside that I could see. And I was so hungry!! I passed several other snack bar options but they were not what I was looking for. I wanted a nice cafe with pastries where I could sit outside. Was this so much to ask? I wound up walking all the way to the next metro stop which is called Cavour (for obvious reasons). I figured since I was at the metro I should just go up to Vatican City now and find a place to get food outside the Museums. I'd gone so far uphill that I actually had to walk down a long flight of stairs to get to the tunnel entrance to the metro below. And what was right outside the metro entrance? A lovely cafe with pastries and drinks and outdoor eating area just like I'd wanted! Oh, good fortune smiles again.

I got myself a delicious chocolate croissant and plopped down at a table for a little bit. The croissant was the only thing I bought during my entire time in Rome whose price wasn't an even euro or end with a .50 cent piece. I almost wasn't sure if they had other change in the money system until i got a 20 cent coin as change. But once I got my fill of the cafe experience, it was into the metro and off to Vatican City. I very much liked the metro system in Rome, though I used it only one a day and walked the rest of the time. There are only 2 lines and they crisscross each other like an X across the city so it's almost impossible to get confused as to where you're heading. I went from the B Line to the A Line and then got out at the Ottaviano stop to walk a few blocks to the Vatican Museums. (Note: There are plans to make a C line through Ancient Rome but during the construction they have encountered new previously unknown ancient stuff and have had to halt development until they can figure out what it is that's down there!).

The streets were getting super crowded as I got up to the outer walls of the Vatican. The day got even warmer and sunnier as I made my way closer (oh look! A gypsy with NO ARMS! He is summarily ignored by everyone else.) and I was thinking I might have to ditch my sweater, but that would leave me in only my t-shirt and I felt like I had to be more presentable at the Big V. The line to get into the Vatican for people with no pre-purchased tickets was ENORMOUS. I couldn't believe how far it stretched by late morning when i got there. Luckily, I had bought my ticket online earlier in the week. Why more people don't do this, I don't know. Maybe they aren't aware it's an option? Please, if you go to Vatican City, do yourselves a favor and buy your admission ticket online beforehand. I must have saved myself two hours of waiting by circumventing the non-ticket holders line and going right in with the tour groups and ticket holders.

After you get inside there's this giant spirally staircase or escalators that take you up to the museums. I was the only one to walk up the spiral path. Seriously EVERYONE else took the escalators. Their loss. That spiral walkway was cool. Once you get up top, you can rent one of those little individual radios for a walking tour. I recommend doing that. It's a good way of figuring out what your favorite pieces are but you don't have to join an actual tour with a bunch of people you don't know with a guide who may or may not know what the hell they're talking about. Plus it really isn't that expensive and the information it provides is both thorough and interesting. Vatican Museums were... just OKAY for me. It seems blasphemous to say that, not just because it's the Vatican, but because the artistic riches within it's walls are just astounding. It's an embarrassment of riches, one might say. And that's part of the problem. It's a little embarrassing. The Catholic Rebelliousness kicks in , and my brain starts wondering if all this is right. It's not just amazing religious artifacts and masterpieces that they hold, but tons of Greek sculpture, Egyptian art and artifacts, and much much much more from civilizations throughout the world. I spent hours looking it over and could've spent days more - and that's just the stuff they happen to have on display. That doesn't even scratch the surface of all that's stored deep inside that compound. But does much of it really BELONG there? The audio guide made it seem like the Popes throughout the centuries just had these things "brought back" to the Vatican once they were discovered. What I can't help but say to myself in my head is, "you mean they just took it." Who knows if these artifacts would have survived in their original locations in different countries, but it's hard to escape the fact that Popes really hoarded this stuff. It's just a little weird to me. But the beauty cannot be denied and it's easy to get swept up in it. There's a real mummy in the Egyptian rooms that's all sorts of awesome. It's easy to miss the Egyptian wing as you press on toward The Sistine Chapel, but it's worth a diversion. One word of note: don't completely exit the Egyptian section anywhere other than from where you initially got in, one exist leaves you almost back at the starting point, and they won't let you back in, and you'll want to kick yourself for having to walk through some of those early rooms for a second time, especially if it's really really crowded while you're there (which it most likely will be).

My time in the Raphael rooms, made me realize I'm not really a huge fresco fan, either. The eyes in the paintings scare me and the faces always seem to express anger or confusion. They are not my thing. For that reason, the Sistine Chapel was a little anti-climactic for me. It's one of those things that I'm glad I can say I saw with my own two eyes, but it was not even in the top 5 works of art I saw throughout my trip that I responded to most viscerally. In fact, the art hanging in the Pinacoteca was really the highlight for me during my time in the Vatican Museums. Works like Rafael's Transfiguration and Caravaggio's Deposition just got me from head down to my heart, to my stomach and to my balls. They had power that just jumped off the wall and almost body slam you. I loved that wing of the museum.

After I was done touring around the museums, I decided to get some lunch, since I was starving and had not had a substantive meal. The Vatican Museums had a very lovely cafeteria where I got probably the best slice of pizza I'd have my whole trip - no kidding. It was topped with sausage and artichoke and it was fantastic. I was not expecting such a treat from the cafeteria, especially at a reasonable price. Had they promoted it as "The Holy Pizza of God" I would not have been able to argue much against the marketing.

Exiting the Museums, you encounter another steep spiral walkway, but going down was much more harrowing than going up. There are signs of caution all over the place. I already have a weird fascination with throwing myself down the stairs (I don't have a death wish, or an injury wish, tumbling down Jack and Jill style honestly just seems faster and more effortless than walking) and the odd pull of the spiral was very hard to resist, but I made it all the way down without making a spectacle of myself. Bidding the Museums adieu, I stepped back out into the sun, stripped off the sweater for the rest of the now almost-too-hot afternoon weather and went off to explore the rest of Vatican City!

Next Time - Part 4: A trip through St. Peter's Basilica! Walking Forever! The Spanish Steps! The Pantheon! And much more gelato!

Four days from now all of us will give at least a passing thought to the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock in 1620. To be welcomed by this land's prior residents. Whom Europeans would shortly (in historical time) displace.

I think one of my ancestors was among those getting off the Mayflower. I say I think because it was not something my family ever made a big deal of. But as I like following the grand story that is history (and just in case my family's down-played myth was true), I once paid a visit to Plymouth, just to see what this famous rock looked like.

Not much, I decided.

I was to dig up bigger rocks putting in gardens on Charlie's and my 11.5 acres of land along Buffalo Ridge in Amherst County. And it's this land I want to write about, on this, the first working day of the short working week in which we celebrate Thanksgiving.

Charlie and I bought those 11.5 acres nigh onto two decades ago. They were down a rutted logging road, surrounded by thousands of acres of logging forest; home to bears, wild turkeys, deer, and very few other people. Having very little money ourselves, we lived on that land for the next six years in a couple of trailers. The first one was an ancient repo bought at a bank auction; the second was so comparatively palatial, we nicknamed it "The Palace."

But enough about Charlie and me. It's something simple that happened the day after we bought that land I want to write about; something that made me personally experience land ownership in a more complicated--and so more accurate--way.

It was around this time of year, actually. Charlie was off from work that day, so he took a lawn chair out to sit for a while on our 11.5 acres. He wanted to get to know it, to decide exactly where we should position our ancient repo. He sat his lawn chair down on a likely spot, idly reached his hand down and picked up the first rock he touched.

It was an arrowhead.

We were, of course, by no means the first to live on those 11.5 acres; just the first in a few decades, which in the context of history is a big fat nothing. That day, when Charlie showed me the arrowhead he'd found, I realized deep in my gut for the first time how people have moved other people--and peoples--around. And that we Americans, for all our national pride, are but a sentence in the larger story of our land.

On this Monday, back when I was in elementary school, we routinely made Pilgrim hats out of construction paper and congratulated ourselves mightily for being Americans. Now I realize that back then I had no idea what "being American" meant.

Even today, as glad as I am to be one, I'm still not quite sure what being American means. Whenever I think of that arrowhead, however, I do hope it means more than being able to push people around.

Wow. There is hope after all. We had another great meal at Oakley’s the other night. Restores my faith. I know it hasn’t been that long since we have been there and I reviewed it, but it was hubby’s birthday and his choice and this is where he wanted to go. And I am really really glad he did.

It took me awhile to figure out what exactly I wanted to order because I was trying to make sure I didn’t order something I had ordered and reviewed in the past and my tendency is to go for the shellfish items on the appetizers. Both the scallops and the lobster waffle sounded good, but I am pretty sure I have had both before. So I decided to go with a salad and a starter for my meal and save room for dessert.

I had the Spinach salad with roasted fingerlings, radish, bacon streusel, lavosh, almonds onions, and mustard sherry vinaigrette. This was really good. I love roasted fingerlings in a salad, particularly when they are properly cooked which these were, and there was a dusting of the almonds and crumbles of the bacon streusel on the bottom of the plate and the lavosh (a type of cracker) was shaped into a circle and the salad was inside it. Nice presentation and nice flavors. The dressing had a sharp zip from the mustard and I really enjoyed it (and the fact that the salad was dressed properly).

Hubby had the butternut squash gnocchi with mascarpone, sage, pecans and crispy pancetta. These were out of this world. Truly outstanding. The gnocchi were super light and all the other things melded into a sauce that just was a delight. I didn’t order it myself because I tend to find pasta dishes, whatever course they are, are often too big and filling, but I thought this was just the right portion and I could have eaten the whole thing myself. Really good.

For my main, I had a starter-- the crab risotto cakes with butternut maple puree, pumpkin seed pesto and goat cheese fondue. I was questioning whether to order them because I was sort of imagining them to be like crab cakes made with risotto with some crab mixed in (which in crab cakes I always find to be in short supply). But when I asked our server about them, she said the crab was actually on top of the risotto cakes and I was sold. SO glad I ordered them. They were so good. There were two of the risotto cakes and they were properly tender with a crispy outer shell and topped with lump crab meet which was drizzled with the goat cheese fondue and set over the butternut maple puree and pesto. Wow. A unique and delicious flavor combination. I wish I had some right now. So, there were only two of them, but they were rich and actually quite filling I thought, and I even gave hubby a couple of bites (it was his birthday after all). I would so get these again.

Hubby had the beef short ribs because he has had them before at Oakley’s and really enjoyed them. This time was no exception—they were served with Portobello puree potato mash, and a blue cheese tater tot. He was really really happy with his choice and proclaimed he had out ordered me and was happy about it. I disagree, but a salad I guess isn’t inherently as exciting…

We also had the chocolate brownie cake with cashew caramel corn and caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. I have had it several times before (or some variation of it) and have always enjoyed it. This time was no exception.

So all in all, what a fabulous meal. And I am not sure if things are more exciting on the menu or what, but it seems like in the last two visits I have had to Oakley’s, things have just stepped up a bit. I have always liked the place, but now, it is rocketing up there to one of my favorites. And I like the feel of this place—it is not overly fussy, but you feel like you are in a nice dining room. The service is professional and our server really new the menu and what she was talking about. The balance is there and this may just be one of Indy’s best restaurants right now.

Oakley’s Bistro
1464 W 86th St
Indianapolis, IN 46260
(317) 824-1231
www.oakleysbistro.com

Let me make this clear at the top: I'm on e-mail lists created by those across the political spectrum. I don't advocate for either party; what I do advocate for is informed advocacy.

Timothy Jost is a nationally recognized health care expert who's probably familiar to you from his appearances on NPR and on WMRA's Virginia Insight. He is as informed a person on the subject of health care reform as one is likely to come into contact with.

Professor Jost recently wrote a summary of HR 3962, the Affordable Health Care for Americans Act, on the Health Affairs blog. Earlier, he wrote several posts in the same journal on the Senate Bill. If you wish to be an informed contributor to our current reform discussion and haven't read up on what you're talking about, those links are for you!

All that said, at 7:58 this Saturday morning, I got the following e-mail that had been sent from Jost to Lowell Fulk (Chair, Rockingham County Democratic Committee) to Harvey Yoder (of the Family Life Resource Center, who creates "Centerpiece" for WEMC Public Radio). It seems to indicate that those against the current Congressional bills for health care reform are much more active than those who are for them. For what it's worth, and with Professor Jost's permission, I thought I'd pass his e-mail along.