The Oscars that really count – and that you want to read about

While everybody is getting ready for the Oscar night, I have decided to do something different this year.

Since I am not in Hollywood, but in Toronto, there is snow and wind outside. My red carpet will be inside… and it will be green (sorry, it wasn’t worth me buying a red one just to write a post on my blog! Wait a minute, I could have said I have a red one… nobody will know it anyway! Well, next time).

I picked just the perfect dress for this special night: it’s an apron…. so that I can make dinner at the same time! Genius!

Lots of newspapers and magazines are here ready for me: I have Metro -  from this morning on the subway – and Active, that has been on the table waiting for me for few days, and of course Vogue.

I have been also been practicing on my jokes overtime for lack of confidence, thanks to somebody who always tells me I am not funny! Of course I am!

Ok, lights go off and the music announces the beginning of the night! Here’s my awards.

• Actor in a Leading Role —-> my father. For the acting part I can certainly remember all the times he was acting like if everything was ok, like if he was ok. But nothing was. This is what good parents do: the sacrifice themselves for their kids’ happiness, and raise them with as much serenity as possible. For the leading role part… I don’t even need to explain this.
• Worst Actress in a Leading Role —-> that would be me. No acting skills at all. My face always says it all, I don’t even need to talk.  But I consider it a pretty good quality.
• Actress in a Supporting Role —-> a bitch! A real actress. The only thing she was supporting was her own wallet stepping on other people faces, feelings and ruin families. It will all come back to you girl, it will all come back.
• Animated Feature Film —-> few years ago I went to see Wall-E with a guy I was just starting to date. When we arriving at the theatre he told me: “Do you know what this is?” “No, what?’ “This is the first of many movies we are going to watch together!”. I smiled but in my head I tought “I am not that into you, I don’t even know if there will be another movie”. Well, I loved Wall-E…. and we are married now.
• Art Direction —->I loved a Raphael Mazzucco exposithion that I saw a while ago. Loved it.
• Costume Design —-> Lot’s of nominations here, but I have to really follow my feelings…. Madeline Gardner for making the best wedding gown ever, MINE!!!! (Shit! I should have worn it for tonight!!! This could have been the perfect occasion, and the man that I married could not have said anything to change my mind! Great, too late now!)
• Directing —-> I am a believer. Don’t ask me what I believe in, but I do believe. This is what matters. Does this mean this Oscar is going to my God gene?
• Documentary Feature —-> Lots of good documentaries this year, experiences that taught me a lot…. but the Oscar goes to my meeting with the Dalai Lama. Priceless.
• Documentary Short Subject —-> the history of cosmetics
• Film Editing —-> money. Because even if the story makes the movies and money doesn’t give you happiness, a good film editing make everything looks much better!
• Foreign Language Film —-> Learning English is still an adventure for me
• Makeup —-> the one that doesn’t kill you
• Music (Original Song) —-> Super Mario’s background music…. even if when we play I have to be Luigi because somebody else HAS to be Mario! Then the music gets stuck in my head for days.
• Short Film (Live Action) —-> My first few month of running, getting ready for my first 10k race. Live action baby!
• Sound Mixing —->my stomach, when I’m hungry!
• Visual Effects —->the lake in front of my house, and its power to remind me how lucky I am
• Writing (Original Screenplay) —-> the post that I am the most proud of: Italian food stereotypes, no grazie! published also by CNN website Eatocracy!
• Best Picture —->I have to give this to my husband, to write every day new and happy pages to our life together (I have to do this after what I wrote for the Animated Feature Film!!! Ooops!) .

Have a good night everybody!

When nobody knows who is blogging

I don’t know about you, but I do not blog for the people I know. That’s why sometimes I wish my blog was anonymous.

I guess it depends the reasons that drives you to blog. This is mine.

I realized it was a mistake to start linking my post to Facebook because if I think about it, there is no other connection between me and my blog.

I don’t really talk about it, so people around me don’t necessarily know I have a blog.
This is because I honestly prefer getting feedback from people I don’t know, because I’m sure they will be honest and critical. (I just celebrated my 1000 comment! Thanks everybody!)

However, the fact that it’s clear who the blog’s author is, doesn’t give me all the freedom that I wish I had.

Life sometimes goes past imagination. I know for a fact that, if I were able to write everything I want, without repercussion, not only would I have much more readers/comments/tweets/happiness/shares/likes/emails, but I could actually write with no restriction about myself, the world around me, and simply life!

Am I a bad person if I wish to write the truth? If something happens why can’t I write about it? If my boss’s affair with the new intern or that loser who trys exclusively to pick up underaged girls (these are just examples)  has some kind of impact on my life, why can’t I write about it? With respect I mean, without saying who they are, but just telling stories about life.

Does this make me a bad person?

Why could writing a story – with no names, just a story – become a good chance to get fired, or fight with family members?

I’m not the one who does those things! I’m not the one who has a bad conscience! I just want to be free to take one’s cue from life around me.

If you read a story about somebody cheating on his wife, you do not think: “OMG! This is my sister writing about our friend”! You just read it and maybe see some of your own experiences in it.

I just wish my blog was anonymous, to talk about me and the world around me, to say things that everybody knows and everybody talks about…. behind everybody’s back!

That would be fun! Am I horrible?

Handmade Italian pasta recipe

This is the authentic basic recipe for handmade egg pasta from Italy

If you have time it’s really worthy to make handmade pasta, especially for special occasions. It’s also perfect to spend a fun day with the whole family, getting involved kids in making a great and healthy meal. Make sure to have some volunteer to clean up afterwards!

INGREDIENTS:

300 gr all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
3 eggs
a pinch of salt

Sift the flour on the work surface forming it into volcano shaped mound with a well in the centre. Break the eggs into this and add the salt. With hands incorporate the eggs into the flour, gradually drawing the flour into the egg until it forms a coarse paste. Add a little more flour if the mixture seems too soft or sticky. With a spatula scrape together all the dough.

Clean you hands and the work surface, and lightly dust it with flour again. Knead the dough with palms of your hands, giving it lots of power. Work the dough for 10-15 minutes until the consistency is smooth and elastic. Wrap the dough in cling film or foil and leave it to rest for about 30 minutes.

Lightly flour the work surface again and a rolling pin. Gently roll out the rested dough, rotating in by quarter turns, to obtain a round sheet of pasta with a thickness of 2-3 mm. Cut the sheet into noodles or use to make lasagne or stuffed pasta.

You could also shape it to make different kind of pasta like farfalle, or cut it in simple and irregular rectangle, called maltagliati.

Dress with your favorite sauce, homemade of course!

Buon appetito!

Read more Italian recipes here

And the doctors says: “You have to quit running”

Damn doctor! Good think I understood it was just a nightmare few moments before open my eyes, when I felt that sharp pain in my legs. “Great! – I thought – Another day where my body fails me miserably”.

I have been running for about three months now, toward my goal of taking part (I mean finishing) of my first 10k race this summer.

Everything went great so far – with normal lack of motivation, and ever reaching my first running high, which scared me quite a bit – and I am (was) approaching my first 50 minutes run.

Then, pain. I mean…. PAIN!

“Shin splints” my husband told me about two months ago. It didn’t really mean anything for me, and since it wasn’t too bad I did not pay too much attention to it. I thought it was normal since I have never run before, and it was just my body trying to adjust.

I ran through it, only two or three times I took a day off, keeping running pretty much every other day.

But the pain, I mean PAIN – I have to pay respect to it – got more persistent. It decided to stay with me even during my days off, and  during the night, until it got everything I had.

It has been a week now without running, and the pain didn’t stop. I have hard time even walking and going down the stairs is a torture!

I try the ice, messages. I don’t know what else to do.

I am afraid I won’t be able to run the way I want to and I’m praying that rest will be the best medicine.

Also, since I’m not that trained, I think that when I will start running again I will have to start almost from the begin. All my hard work, all my sweat, all my energy and motivation…… I can’t believe it!

I’m commit to this, and I thought it was all in my hands. I thought I was going to be the key of my own success, and now…..

I have never thought I was going to miss running like this, especially since I’m running on the treadmill, due weather condition (Canadian winter).

What do I do?

Do you have the God gene?

When we say “I have it in the DNA” and we really mean it.

Image via Wikipedia

Apparently there is a gene  that predispose a person toward religion.  Or at least this is what “somebody” told me.

“Are you serious?”
“Yes, of course! I read it on Reddit!”
“Please! Do you understand Reddit is not God?”
“Well, maybe I have the Reddit gene!”

Anyway, he got me curious, and I went to look it up.
According to Wikipedia,:

“The God gene hypothes is proposes that human beings inherit a set of genes that predisposes them towards spiritual or mystic experiences (…) According to this hypothesis, the God gene (VMAT2) is a physiological arrangement that produces the sensations associated, by some, with mystic experiences, including the presence of God or others, or more specifically spirituality as a state of mind (i.e. it does not encode or cause belief in God itself in spite of the “God gene” moniker)”

I’m confuse. Plus, it’s really hard for me to believe there is a connection between DNA and religion.
In fact I truly believe they are opposite.

Also, if this hypothesis were true, it would means we don’t really have possibility of choice. Like we can not pick our hair or eyes color, our skin tone or high, we wouldn’t be able to open ourselves to God in the same way somebody else does. All because of our genes!

Basically you could be a dyed blond, a sun tan salon addicted or a fake religious for the rest of your life. Hey, it’s not me, that’s what your DNA says!

Wow, that’s sad!

Even more sad if you think that everything that is genetic can be modified, or this is what science is working for.
Also, the worst conflicts have been, are and will be labeled with some kind of religious reason, which makes all this God gene thing pretty scary!

Well, if God exists, will he really put the faith on him in a little gene?