Monthly Archives: September 2010

Bloggers Blogging about their Blogs and such.

Posted on September 30, 2010 | 4 Comments

☆But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.☆ Isaiah 40:31

I know this blogging business has gotten out of hand when bloggers blog about other blogs and we lose the focus of what this whole blogging business is about. That is sharing, learning and trying to make this world a better place through our words and through our examples.

My goodness that’s a lot of Bs in one sentence.

Since coming back home a few weeks ago and getting back to school, I feel like life has been a whirlwind of events, places, people and meetings. It’s okay. It’s fun when it’s not tiring.

The last English teacher to be given a good teaching contract from the government just received her nomination. She was born in 1954. So, maybe in ten more years time I can hope for the same. For now I’m thankful that I keep getting called back for what is the best I can possible hope for, which is an annual contract.

I don’t mind. The biggest challenge of having an annual contract is having to switch schools every year. That means new teacher’s lounges, new directions, new faces, new ways of doing things. I got lucky in a way. I was told that the school I’m working at is the best in my area. It’s true. It is good. What that also means is that there are quite a bit of standards set. Or, maybe I’m just imagining.

I’m cool like that. I like the kids. I like getting down to business and studying. Today we got a step further because I had the kids WRITE and I mean WRITE their hearts out. I’m just giving them time, space and the resources. They do the rest. I hope they enjoy it. I doubt it. They would probably rather be on facebook.

I am having a hard time keeping track of people. I started this blog a year ago with a few friends on my friend’s list. Maybe 100. Now I have 500. No, of course, they are not all true FRIENDS friends. They are people who I have met on facebook and from blogging.

But I have to say, some of them have actually because intricate part of my lives and for this I am truly thankful. They write things to me that encourage me to keep blogging ~ things like they like my blog. Well, thank you. :)

That doesn’t include people like my mom, dad, brother and sister who are paid readers. ;)

And, yes, of course, the students who write get extra credit and a plus in the grade register if they leave me a compliment. I’m JOKING. Although it wouldn’t hurt.

So with the help of my friends I’ve found my classes, I’m getting my books and most importantly I’m making headway with our sports’ foundation. We are getting our mural painted and have already got the base done, thanks to friends who love to contribute.

If you haven’t joined our little league fan club, please feel free to. It’s just for fun.

Hope this post finds you lucky and in love.

Julie

Minerbio Lupi little league baseball team, jbulie’s blog and readers: Promoting sports and academics while aiming towards excellence.

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It’s my ► blogging ► business. Or not?

Posted on September 18, 2010 | 2 Comments

I don’t know about you but I seem to get the most done around the house when I have to face actual WORK that I HAVE to do. Right now I’m avoiding filling out forms for school. I bet this is going to be a long post. Ha!

If you are new here, welcome. If you are a returning visitor, hello. Good to see you.

I live in a country that is completely disorganized in my opinion. When I was a kid my room was always a big mess. Nonetheless, I consider myself rather organized. If not, at least I have the will to be organized. Some of my good friends will say I am. Does that count?

For me it’s a non stop sorting first thing in the morning to go to bed process. Perhaps that is just life.

The challenge is trying to sift through the murk when I put myself into a culture that is so completely disorganized. At the same time, sometimes I’m awestruck at Italy’s ability to put out a dinner for 300 people without breaking a sweat.

I learned about the dinner thing while volunteering for community service. Not far from the town’s center, there’s a big tent like structure where the community organizes meals. One of the dinners I worked at was to promote sport.

We were talking about it during baseball practice. My arm shot straight up. Sign me up. Dinner in Italy? That’s a no brainer.

In the kitchen there were a lot of smiles, with jokes and laughter too. And sharing. Phenomenal fries. What I couldn’t get over was how relaxed everyone seemed. I had the impression it would be like Hell’s Kitchen, where it looks like the pans will literally catch on fire.

Here, there is one lady who has been working the bread baskets for many years. She’s really sweet too.

She had a firm grip, manicured nails and cuts straight down. I think each slice could have been measured with a tape measure, they were so perfect. She’d smile if she knew I wrote that. And then she’d humbly deny it.

Each person is assigned to a station. My two friends and I were assigned to Service. But that is the biggest over statement of the year. What we did was stand near of the bread lady, waiting for the gorgeous plates of abundance to be served. They’d say “Table 22.” That was it. The plates magically appeared in front of us and we casually strolled it out to the proprietor.

Never once did anyone ask for anything out of the ordinary. Everyone sat, ate, talked with their families and friends and enjoyed themselves.

There were no tips nor did anyone expect them. I don’t even know if there were taxes. I don’t know. I didn’t even look. I just told the this cook I’d like to try the Spaghetti Scoglie. It came with a smile and in abundance.

What is on my mind today is the juxtaposition of living in a truly disorganized place contrasted with a perfectly smooth dinner for 300.I say truly disorganized because generally speaking nothing ever seems to work, stores are often closed and ‘No’ seems to be the most frequent answer I get. I’ve gotten used to it.

I’ve said in the past that living in Italy has made me a better person. It is true. I have learned what it means to be part of a community where people include you and become part of your life and vice versa.

Now to face my work. I’m filling in forms for school. My kids have after school care so I can come late if I need to pick them up late. Hey, Service in Italy! Maybe I’m wrong. I have been wrong in the past.

Continuing to learn.

I’ve been given double forms for two kids so it’s eight pages of phone number to call in case of an emergency. I’ll figure it out. I’m cool like that.

Hope this post finds you happy, lovely, learning and in love. Find the good. Find the positive. Peace. Out.

Julie

How about you? Do you consider yourself an organized person? How are the services where you live? Have you ever walked into a coffee shop and seen people doing nothing? Does the kitchen where you go to eat seem relaxed or under pressure? Do you participate in community events? If so, which? What about sports? Are your kids involved in sports? Have you noticed a difference between kids who are involved in community activities compared to those who are less involved?

Thanks for your visit. Thanks for you thoughts.

Julie

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Happy Simple Life ✩ I seem to have misplaced my social networking strategy. ✩

Posted on September 15, 2010 | 7 Comments

Hey guys. If you are new here, welcome. If you are one of my return visitors THANK you so much for following my blog. :) You guys ROCK. I have the best blog readers IN THE WORLD.

t h a n k  y o u  v e r y  m u c h {smile}

just a little bit of fun ~ it's okay you know.

It’s been quite a day here. All things are new and lovely. a car, a job, two new schools, bugs, a really big spider, card games, friends, a painted wall at our baseball field.

t h a n k  y o u  v e r y  m u c h {another smile}

I think the highlight of my day was seeing my two boys walking together to get their backpacks to come home from school. They have the same walk. Sometimes I would swear they are twins separated by three years. I loved hearing my elder son giving my younger son advice.

My little guy walked out of school declaring “We didn’t learn ANYTHING.” I think his high hopes were quickly let down. My big guy explained the rules of the game. “On the first day, you don’t learn all of the letters. On the first day, you just play. On the other days you’ll just learn one or two letters.”

I could have melted. They both have their lists of things to bring and it is LONG. It seems to never end.

{later}

I was greeted today by my kids after their school with hugs and kisses. I mean a lot of kisses. They told me they learned things and you could see that they truly had a good time. It’s such a relief as a mom to know your kids are happy. Later we played bball. I love my baseball games. I was born to be a baseball mom. I never miss a chance to cheer my team on. That is when I’m not distracted by my friends. ;)

My job is going well. Teaching in this country is competitive, hard. I love it with my soul. They say you have to rule with an iron glove. I just concentrate on being strong. I could tell you stories that even I don’t believe in regard to comments I’ve heard in passing. But I wont.

t h a n k  y o u  v e r y  m u c h {ha ha!}

Just a quick question for you. I’ve noticed that most of my commenters on my blog are either blog owners or paid relatives. Is that a hint? Just kidding. I’ve gotten the most AMAZING comments from my readers and a lot of times people write to me on facebook. The one I loved most recently was a funny girl who said how my blog made her think and moved her.

Well. I also made one of my best friends cry. Sorry about that. I just want to let you know that your comments are important to me. As a blog writer, we work for comments but not all the time. Sometimes we are happy to know you are reading and hopefully smiling.

Hope this post finds you happy, lovely and in love. Smile. Believe in yourself. Have integrity. Forgive someone. Practice random acts of kindness.

L’unica che si riesce a rendere l’italiano cool. :) RM

Julie

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Freshly pressed blog copy ~ back from my third vacation.

Posted on September 4, 2010 | 6 Comments

I’m back from my three vacations this summer, one to the seaside, one to the mountains, and one in a gorgeous city, Assisi.

I got a call last night from one of my favorite friends. She told me she loves my blog, she’s proud of me and she said, Julie, I bet you are going to get a book deal. I had to laugh. I had the phone on one ear and a paint brush in one hand as I was touching up paint on my hallway. I think the paint started to drip. I asked her if she had been paid to make the phone call. I’m ready for my book deal. Ha ha ha.

I don’t hear the doorbell ringing, or see any publishers sending email. Here, hold on let me check. No, nothin’, echo. Ding. Hold on, let me check again. Nope. Zilch. Notta.

Just because I write does not mean I’m going to get a book deal. One of my dear friends and blog followers sent me the movie ‘Julie & Julia’. She knew that in Italy I never get the chance to see films that are current or in English. I sometimes do. We don’t have services like Netflix. I have a local DVD rental place but the price are high and I just can’t fathom popping out to pick up a film and drop it off. Sometimes I do for the kids.

That was so not the point I was trying to make with this post. The point is that my lovely blog visitors and readers encourage me to write. It’s a sweet sweet thing for them to do. I do it for a million reasons. Maybe for the compliments, maybe for the creativity, maybe for the connections with my blog readers. I think I mostly blog because it’s fun. I have to have a little laugh with myself.

I don’t know about you but sometimes I go and I blog surf. I just get lost with the amount of blogs there are out there. Every blogger has a list of blogs they read and I just want to read all of them. I just want to know everything about everything but I don’t, so I read.

Is there any harm in that? Well, yes. To be honest. I have lost my sense of balance between work and play, although I am working at re establishing that. I’m trying to spend less time on the computer and more time outdoors.

Vacations

I’ve had three: one to the mountains, one to the seaside, and one to the city, all three with my family. I feel so blessed. I feel so lucky. I dreamt of this moment as a child. I believe that everything we currently have in our lives we once envisioned. That’s the power of positive thinking.

Some people say affirmations. Some people pray, go to church, sing, whatever it is. I like to write. But I love to be with my family and my students. I’m a social person. Maybe that’s why I find myself spending far too much time on facebook. One of my most special memories is of my family playing ping pong. My eldest son collided with a chair. My youngest son did an impression of a little baby playing like a champion that had us rolling.

My third vacation

We spent our third week of our vacation in Assisi. What a beautiful city. I almost want to call it a town because it is so quaint. What really stuck out to me was the beautiful clean pink and white stone walls with the pots bursting forth with colorful flowers. Sure I got some pictures, but it’s so much more alive when you walk past them. I asked the elderly lady who was standing in front of her flowers what how she did it, meaning, how she managed to get all of her flowers so beautiful.

She told me that it was passion. She said, she woke up and first think in the morning, she took care of them. They glowed. It’s sowing the seeds of our passion as we take steps to becoming better people, sharing our lives, reading learning, and growing.

I also met up with a friend of mine who moved to Italy near or around the time I did. She runs a little inn. It’s quite romantic. She and I are traveling down the same paths of life. Boy did we have a laugh or two or three. Jams. We need to get her fruit in a jar and get it to America. Seriously, guys, I wish you could taste her cherry peach jam paistries. Or the figs with the cut out pastry stars and hearts. It was THAT good. Add that to laughter, great air, friendships and the sound of children’s laughter. Well, I think you get the point.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my random thoughts on life. You comments are always appreciated. Hope this post finds you lovely and in love.

God bless.

Julie

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