The one with mercato centrale

I recently visited Firenze, my favorite Italian city. The moment I stepped off the train at the San Maria Novella train station a smile took hold of my face, I instantly felt as though I was where I was supposed to be. I did; however, have to continuously remind myself to slow down as I walked through the city the first day. Life is so rushed normally, as Americans we go at a rapid pace & always have somewhere to be or something to be doing. I reminded myself several times that I had no agenda, & consciously slowed my step to the Italian lifestyle. Taking the time to take in & enjoy the city brought me much balance, I felt more aware, more alive, than I have in quite a while. One of my first stops walking around Firenze was my favorite spot: il mercato centrale. This is the central market, an indoor fresh market which I used to visit daily for my fresh fruit, produce, & bread.

It's within the area of San Lorenzo, & was constructed there as the Florentine population was growing in order to serve as the largest indoor fresh market. Sadly, as supermarkets made their way into Italian society, the use of the market declined; however, tourism as well as Florentines still living in the center have kept the market alive & active. The top section of the market was supposed to reflect that of a train station, there are huge windows lined with red metal & a green sky-lit roof; very sadly, the top portion of the market is currently being restored, but I look forward to the day I go back & it's open, beautiful as ever. The products here are so fresh, so delicious, it's nearly unbelievable: our American produce doesn't hold the slightest flame to it.

Walking through il mercato makes anyone hungry, the smell & look of all the fresh food is so inviting. Here are some pictures I took while strolling through.

I got dried fruit nearly daily when I visited, the Mele (apple) & Kiwi were my favorite!

As Americans, generally ignorant that our meat is part of what was a living animal, are generally scieved out at the display of whole or non-disguised animals. Pear & Pecorino Ravioli, absolutely Delicious!!

Sadly, the fruit vendor I used to go to was on the upper level & I consequently couldn't find him. While I lived in Florence, he would remember who I was, what I usually bought, & would throw in fruits I hadn't bought for me to try. One of my favorites was the little orange shown below. They're green on the outside during the fall, but turn orange during the winter. They're perfectly orange on the inside & slightly sour; they're my favorite orange in the world, & I was glad another vendor carried them.

The one for 9/11

As I was driving back from my weekend, a light shower came upon the drivers of I-95 out of nowhere. While peering through the fog & rain, I noticed that a full Rainbow had formed just to the left of where I was heading & it appeared to end directly in the road ahead of me. The first thing which came to my mind was what the Rainbow stands for. In the bible, God presented a Rainbow to Noah as his promise to never again desert mankind.

Genesis 9:11-13

¹¹ I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

¹² And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

I though it was somewhat fitting that there was a beautiful & subdued rainbow which I was lucky enough to see today, I hope others saw similar signs which spoke to them. It reminded me as I was grumbling about a little rain, how fortunate we are, & that even in our darkest of hours, there is still someone/something watching over us.

As I was driving & listening to the radio, the simplest mentions of September the 11Th would come on & I found myself at the verge of tears: upon that cliff where there is a giant knot in your throat pushing you into a pit of tears should you attempt to speak. The aspect of this which I found astounding, is that there are dozens of natural disasters, bombings, revolts, civil wars, peace crimes, etc which one could feel dismay over; yet, none of them touch me quite the way this does. It pushed me to ponder if as a country, we have a collective sense of sorrow over this day, on this day. It was as though pain & heartache was floating within the very air I was breathing.

There is undoubtedly a collective Memory which several generations of American's will share & pass on. Beyond anything else, I think the greatest respect we can pay is to Remember every man & women who lost their life that day, Remember every child left without a parent due to that day, Remember every man, woman, & child whose life has been changed because of that day in the greatest or smallest of ways, Remember to be grateful for all we do have.

The one where I'm 25

In the days leading up to my birthday which has now been nick-named "The Quarter", I've experienced degrees of motivation, excitement, utter fear, & even gratitude. Out of all of that, I present what I have extracted: The 25 things I've learned before turning 25

• You can be happy, you can be successful -- life is what YOU make it!
• We all have the ability to make people smile
• You choose how to allocate your time -- & with whom
• Family IS worth making time for -- it's not a given that they'll always be there
• There is nothing more worthwhile nor which brings more joy than laughter
• It doesn't matter what you believe in -- so long as you find something to believe in
• You'll never know the true impact you have upon another person
• You must be careful not to be too harsh, yet likewise to not be too soft -- this is a difficult balance which i have not yet mastered
• Love is worth the effort & the risk
• A façade is never the full story -- this is true both in architecture & people "Everything we hear is opinion not fact, everything we see is perspective not truth" Marcus Aurelius
• Age dictates neither wisdom nor maturity
• Make healthy lifestyle choices
• Invest in quality wardrobe pieces
• Never apologize for something which brings you sincere delight
• Take time to be disconnected -- to breath in fresh cut grass, crisp picked apples, the sea breeze, & rain in the air
• You cannot be part of a coherent couple if you cannot be healthy & content as yourself
• The little things are not as important as you think they are
• Impossible is only a word
• Never stop learning
• Make time to kiss passionately & hug slowly
• Don't rush through life, it will go by too fast as it is
• Submerse yourself in a culture entirely apart from your own -- it will remind you that although some people may seem strange to you, you seem strange to some people
• You're not alone, even when you think you are
• Exercise & take care of your body
• Gratitude is the greatest lesson I have learnt to date

The one with Cirque de Pump

Kobi Levi...it's really all I need to say, but just in case. It's nothing new, but these crazy, ingenious, beautiful shoes get me every time!!! He takes life, twists it a little, & gives you back Heels!!! A most gracious Thank You from the lovers of Pumps the world round!

A mallard.

Tucan

Puppies!!!

Mother & Daughter - Precious

"Shopping Trolly"

"Man-made" Looks amazing, I'd love to see how they feel

Things could get naughty with "Blow"

Or my ABSOLUTE fav, which I will be getting one day -- I promise this!

SLIDE.

The one with SugaRush

Today I discovered a brilliant little cupcake shop just down the road from my work! It's called SugaRush & they have entirely made my day! I went in on my break to find an assortment of very tasty looking cupcakes! After choosing the Red Velvet, they took one which was un-frosted, placed it in it's own Chinese-carry-out-style box, iced it fresh, & dashed on some fresh sprinkles! The package could not be beat in charm! The cupcake itself, even had a plaid cupcake wrapper -- cute!

Beyond their brilliant marketing & packaging techniques, SugaRush follows through with their promise of a delightful cupcake. The cake was moist & rich, the frosting slightly tangy, it was a delicious compliment. After my afternoon latte, it was a perfect treat & I'm truly glad I only had one cupcake on hand!! I can't wait to go back & share them with my friends -- get this, the "Cupcake Bar" is open until Midnight Saturdays! Such fun :)

Another simple comfort today, came in the form of first seeing DEV's video for "In the Dark". I've said it over & over, but this lady is under-appreciated. I truly enjoy her work & look forward to the day she sees a little more recognition -- hopefully it won't change her!

The one who saves the world

Interesting Point numero uno:

This video blows my mind in a not so good way...I still can't decide exactly how appalled I am with this video...the song is great: Save the World by Swedish House Mafia, but I'm terribly distracted by the plot of this video. More upsetting than anything else, is that it is truly spectacular filmography!

Interesting Point numero due:

There was a site up today to wish the President a Happy Birthday, my post to "sign the card" went as such:

"Mr. President,

I hope you have a wonderful birthday surrounded by your loved ones. I'm not sure if you are aware, but there is a small restaurant on Martha's Vineyard by the name of Sharkey's which has a drink named after you; the "Obamarita", it's actually quite delicious. They had a shirt for sale which read "I drank my Obamarita on the Baracks", it makes me laugh every time I think of it. George Orwell said, "At age 50, every man has the face he deserves", I hope you are able to see yourself in this light today, Happy Birthday!"

Interesting point numero tre:

Today was my parents 27th Wedding Anniversary. It brings me great joy to be able to celebrate such a wholesome occasion in our often broken world.

"Cin cin" to celebrations of all kind today!

The one with a dress

My Cousin (MM) has her Sweet16 coming up in just a few weeks & I ordered a dress for the occasion. I ordered the Ravon short convertible Dress in Cobalt blue, which I received last night. I spent hours with my cousin trying to figure out how to work this dress (came with NO instructions) & I wish I was joking when I say that I did get tangled up in it! The video below demonstrates how I'm actually going to need more assistance getting into my dress, than my cousin will need getting into her gown!

With that being said, & a lot of practice, I truly LOVE this dress! It can be twisted & wrapped into any combination my mind can come up with. I've now actually decided that I will go into the party with my favorite style, disappear to the bathroom at some point, & come back with a completely different style. It will thoroughly amuse me to see if A. anyone realizes B. anyone comments C. anyone is even marginally as amused as I am with the versatility & fun of this dress! We'll see ;)