Today,
ladies and gents, I am here to tell you all about this week’s theme. This post
will be one of the more wordy posts about our pictures since I was so excited
for it. Last October, I published a post entitled “Delicious Autumn”. In the
post, I mostly summed up that I love the season and got to pick the theme. Then
I showed you pictures. If you can’t tell, I am leading up to telling you about
another week of autumn photos. This year, however, I am giving you more than
just visuals. Last year we found some great pictures. I have saved albums on my
computer and highly enjoy going back to look at them. While the theme itself
has been repeated this year (as will more in the coming months, especially
October), none of the pictures were. We decided, upon starting this game over,
that we would not repeat any pictures even if we re-did a theme or three. This
works our great because I get to find more pictures and focus on some of the
cooler themes for a second time. So if you know anything about me at all, you
know that I was extremely excited about this week’s autumn theme. The concept
this time was to welcome autumn so each day I included a picture with the words
“welcome autumn” or at least “autumn/fall”. There were the typical pictures of
leaves as well. We did not go overboard with the foods or holidays this week
though. It was mostly interesting pictures of foliage. There were a few
pumpkins in there and I definitely got sent a harvest themed picture at least
once. Primarily, though, there were rivers, roads, and houses surrounded by
trees with foliage of various colors. It was definitely a beautiful week in
pictures.
Now you
may wonder what I am going to ramble on about that pertains to fall. I’m sure I
could find many things to talk about that have to do with this amazing season.
However, I am posting this today for a reason. Today is the first official day
of fall. Here in the north east, the seasons have begun to change and the
weather has been cooler. It has been great. Yet today it is official. Today, in
the Pagan religions, is Mabon. Some may call it the autumn equinox, or simply
just the first day of autumn. It is one of 2 days out of the year where the day
is equally as long as the night. It is a time of thankfulness and balance. In
earlier times, it was the end of the harvests. Now is the time of year when
preparations for the winter would begin. Thanks would be offered for the foods
that were left and the fields would become barren as the weather began to
change. In celebration of this day, there are many things a person could do.
Cleaning out your house to prepare for winter is one. Once the weather gets
colder, people spend more time indoors. A type of spring cleaning is always
recommended. Get rid of anything you don’t use, and any clutter in your space.
Emotionally, physically, and spiritually get rid of bad energy and prepare your
home so you can enjoy it more. Also, focus on the harvest itself. It is now
apple season as well as a great time to make wine. The gods of the vine or gods
of vegetation are the focus of this particular holiday. Bake a pie, make your
own wine, or simply enjoy a crisp bite of a fresh apple. As I mentioned, this
is a time of balance. The light is now equal to the dark, but the dark is also
becoming more prominent. The end of the year is considered darker. Autumn and
winter are represented by deep colors such as browns, oranges, reds, and dark
greens. While spring and summer are airy and light, autumn and winter are dense
and dark. This is not a bad thing at all. Without the darkness, one would not
know the light. Embrace the darkness to come. Decorate your home with the
foliage of the season. Place gourds, leaves, pumpkins, etc around to further
enhance the feeling of fall.
As
negative as some of that sounds, it is all truly a good thing. As I have said
many times, I love the fall. There are so many good foods and holidays. Who
doesn’t love Thanksgiving? Personally I prefer Halloween, but to each his own.
Whatever you like best, find a way to enjoy this season. Thanks to the changing
global climates, this season is never around like it used to be. So step
outside and take a deep breath. Enjoy the coolness (if it is cool in your area)
of the air. Grab an apple, carve a pumpkin, do something festive today. I found
a quote that sums up how I feel today, and is my favorite of the day (perhaps
even the week or month): “Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.” –William Cullen
Bryant
This is it, the moment when I will reveal to you the theme that is missing from my recap. Well, the first one at least. For one whole week, my aunt and I shared photos (that we found online) of all things ITALIAN! Some background for you: I have not one ounce of Italian in me, I am absolutely in love with everything about this country, and in NYC, the San Gennaro festival occurs every September. So clearly, I have been choosing themes that are relevant to current happenings. Therefore, the start of a massive festival/feast in Little Italy caused me to pick Italy as our theme. The festival lasts for about 11 days and happens every year. I believe it is a religious celebration but many people go for the fun, the booths, and most importantly the food. The food is where it's at. Now I personally love the festival but I also chose the theme because I absolutely adore all things Italian. I took the language in high school and remember almost none of it. I wish I spoke it fluently though because it is a beautiful one. I own DVDs of Italian films and have some Italian music in my library. My favorite part of the book Eat, Pray, Love was when she was in Italy (a fact that applies to the movie as well - the book is way better though). Under the Tuscan Sun is a favorite of mine as well. The country itself is beautiful, so I'm told. I've never had the pleasure of going but it is definitely on my bucket list. I am fully aware that it is just like any other place and has bad areas as well as good. I just don't care. And who can talk about Italy and not mention the food? It is all bellisima and molto deliziosa.
Why am I taking up a whole post to tell you about this theme? Well, I'll tell you. I can not gush about all things Italian enough. I will post many pictures below to give you a visual but I figured I would also tell you a bit about the country/culture which I love so much. I am not going to save the best for last. I am going to jump right into the food. Can you imagine life without pizza? It has become such an American staple and yet it is not American at all. We have, as is usual, Americanized it for sure. Yet it is a concept purely Italian. There is an establishment in Manhattan that sells authentic Italian pizza.
You can only buy a whole pie and the line is generally down the block, but it is absolutely worth the wait and the cost. They use fresh mozzarella cheese and tomatoes on every pie and I swear there were basil leaves melted under the cheese. It is absolutely mouth wateringly delicious. It is a New York pie, to be sure, but it is the first pizza in the city and was created by an Italian immigrant. It is the closest thing you are going to get to the original anywhere in the city. Then, there is a restaurant on the lower east side that makes their pasta from scratch daily. Who, other than an Italian, would do that? The Italians eat pasta like Americans eat fast food. The spice palate of the Italians is just so delectable. Often you will find fresh herbs; basil, oregano, parsley, and garlic. God, the garlic. And the cheese! The French are big on cheese and bread, but the Italians don't hold back in that arena either. There are so many dishes and foods that should be mentioned but there just isn't enough time. I will, however, not end this post without talking about gelato and tiramisu. An ice cream that is softer and smoother than anything you've ever had. It just melts on your tongue. And who can say no to coffee and rum baked into layers of moist cakes and velvety creams? Thank whatever god you believe in for the Italians and their contributions to the culinary world. I know my stomach is grateful every day.
While Italian food is delightful, it is not the only reason to love Italy. The country itself is rich with history. A visit to the country and one can see sights such as the leaning tower of Pisa, the Colosseum of Rome, the Vatican, or the Sistine chapel. Italy was the birthplace of an entire era; the renaissance. In fact, the renaissance is believed to have begun in Florence. Many changes rippled through all of Europe during this time but it is most notably a time of great artists. Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello (all the turtles! HA) were among the many artists that worked during this period. They created many masterpieces that are still admired to this day. The renaissance wrought a great deal of change to the entire world. The primary area affected at the time was of course Europe but think of where we would be today without the influences of Galileo, Da Vinci, or Copernicus.
The entire way we viewed the universe would be different. Also, while the renaissance was a time of scientific revolution, Italy still holds within its borders the most influential spot to the Catholic religion. The Vatican city is where the leader of the entire Catholic church resides. All major decisions are made at the Vatican and all priests ultimately report to the cardinals in Italy (well, after God of course). Every major country can claim some contribution to the way we live. Mostly this is because America is a melting pot of cultures, but throughout history decisions were made everywhere that carried influence around the world. Things would be different if Hitler never ruled Germany or if the Spanish didn't invade America. Italy, at least in my opinion, has had the most influence of them all. The things/people/ideas that came out of that country have had an impact on every other area. On top of all that, the country is full of beauty.
Italy, as I said, has its bad parts just like the rest of the world. But I'd rather be in a bad area of Rome than a bad area of the Bronx. At least in Italy it's still beautiful and you can hear the musical language, even if it is curses. This is the opinion of a foreigner and thus probably isn't shared with people who actually live there, but that's ok. I have seen so many pictures of Italian countrysides and cities and canals. Even what is believably dirty water in the Venice canals is appealing to me. The rolling hills of Tuscany, the glorious ruins of Rome, etc. I am enthralled by them all. Having never been to Italy though, I must say that the most beautiful thing about the country to me has to be the language. It is one of the five romance languages and while similar to Spanish and Portuguese it has a beauty all its own. Here in America, we say hello so simply. There are ways to shorten it; hey, hi, yo, what's up, etc. In Italian you say buongiorno or ciao. They say sogni dolci instead of sweet dreams. Obviously things are lost in translation and reading random words in a blog post can not accurately convey how exquisite this language truly is. If you ever want to know the true beauty of the language, watch a movie in Italian. My personal favorite is La Vita E Bella, or Life is Beautiful. It is available in English but it really does lose something. Another good one is Cinema Paradiso. Both can be purchased easily and have subtitles so you can actually understand what is happening. I also think the little Italian that is spoken, and rather Americanized, in movies where people travel to Italy is adorable.
Clearly, I could go on forever. I will stop gushing my love of Italian all over you though. I just can't get enough of this wonderful country. It's history, culture, cuisine and language are extraordinary. So you can see why I chose to do a week of photos of Italy and why I had to use an entire post to tell you all about it. I will say goodbye, or to be cute, Ciao Bella!!!
So I have yet again neglected my blogging duties... I have just started reading a new book (I am literally like 2 pages in) and immediately loved a line/concept in what I have read. The narrator mentions how he moved to New York in the late 90's to be a writer at a time when magazines were everywhere and writers actually got paid to write. What intrigued me was he said how his mind ponders things deeply and moves too slow for blogging or tweeting... I do not want to plagiarize the book, but that is the gist of the paragraph I read. It made me smile because I can totally relate to that idea. I started this blog because, in my endless search for direction in life, I considered becoming a writer for a brief time and believed that a blog would be a good way to hone my writing abilities. Yet I have often been unable to come up with something meaningful to say. If you have been reading my posts, you will notice a lack of consistency each month. Also, I resort to writing about my picture game for most of the time. Do not get me wrong, my life is really so uneventful that the picture game is the best source of material for me. To be honest, I enjoy the game as well and am often intrigued by the things I learn about each theme when I do further research for these posts. So they may seem silly, but I enjoy writing them. But still, this is truly a blog often filled with superfluous content. I have long since given up the idea of being a writer, but still like writing the posts so I have no intention of stopping the blog anytime soon. This book, though, has made me fell less terrible about my failure to post regularly.
The point of this particular post is to catch you up on the themes I have missed. I have not posted in a month so there are technically 4 themes that I should tell you about. I'm not going to give you details and pictures on all of them though. I will tell you about the first two then mention the last two. My reasoning is simple. Last week's theme is one I love a great deal and want to devote an entire post to telling you why I love it. This week's theme has just begun and so I am on schedule to reveal it. It is theme, however, that also deserves its own post. In fact, I have mentioned it in previous posts and have probably devoted whole posts to it last year. I cannot help repeating myself sometimes. There are just some things I love in life that come around more than once and feel the need to share my love of them. And so, to begin...
The first theme I missed was a tribute to summer. We actually used this theme once before when we played last year. I chose it again because it was almost September and thus summer was ending. We used it as one last tribute to the beauty of beaches, pools, hot days, and cool foods. I won't show you a ton of pictures because you can just go find the old post and look at those. I will say that I did not repeat a single picture and while I hate summer I love the pictures I came up with. I love to swim and I definitely love the beach so finding pictures of summer was a breeze. Following our tribute to summer, I chose back to school as our theme. In my home area that week was the week all the kids went back to school. I have been out of school for a while but I miss it horribly. So I thought it would be fun to post pictures that reminded me of school. Plus, it was a quirky theme and posed interesting challenges. I will share a few of the pictures from these two themes so you can get an idea of what we came up with. The other two themes are ones you will just have to tune in to find out. On the plus side, this means I will post a bunch of times this week. On the down side (maybe) you will have to come back to satisfy your curiosity. I will tell you one is a country and one is a season. If you know me or have a brain you can probably figure out one if not both of them. If not, you will just have to return and find out. Until then, stay well...
