Thank God January is almost over. It's my least favorite month. January is long and cold and doesn't even have the decency to be followed by Spring. This year has been a bad one too. Cold and gray. No redeeming qualities like bright blue skies over pristine white snow, not even a HOLIDAY! Anywho... Elena is my yoga instructor and she's just what a yoga instructor should be. She's calm and calming. She's very knowledgable having trained for years in the far east. She is a lovely, gentle woman. Her classes are very informative, as much theory as practice. But there is one minor issue. We begin each session with a quiet moment and a prayer for someone to whom we would like to dedicate our "energy". Fine, whatever. BUT THEN. Every week, no exceptions, she chooses a person or persons, (admittedly in dire need of our prayers), and she goes into horrid detail about what they suffered, which I gotta say, sorta spoils the moment! Instead of saying, "Let's send our prayers to the people of Ukraine", she'll say, "to the poor torn and bloodied bodies of the children crushed under the bombed school on Tuesday." or "to the three women raped, beaten and left for dead in an Afghan field" or "to the young people tortured and brutally killed for protesting in Iran." Man, what a downer. Sort of makes practicing yoga in the war, safe comfort of our home seem a little decadent. Last Thursday, my market with MIL day, I had to wait a while at our favorite vegetable stand as evidently I was there at "prime-time". While waiting and chatting, a man beside me mentioned my accent and asked where I was from. When I said The States, he said he had a relative in New York. Well EVERY Italian has a relative in New York so I wasn't particularly interested but out of courtesy said, "Oh yes?". He said "Yes, Giuliani." "Giuliani? THE Giuliani?" "Yes, he's my father's cousin." I told him I wouldn't spread that around. Who woulda thunk it! Of course the term "cousin" here is used rather loosely. May very well be a cousin 5 times removed. Over the past few years I've done some translating and given pronounciation help to my neighbor Diego, the B film actor. His wife, who is a children's performer, has also had me read aloud and translate some books in English. This morning I spent and hour doing the audio for an online ad for a hypnotist, a friend. The ad is both in English and Italian and he wanted the Italian to have a strong English or American accent. I may be offended but I haven't decided yet. xxoo me