Another birthday prezzie

March 25, 2005 · Filed Under Me · Comment

Should I be embarrassed about this? I mean, I am now 40, that’s four whole decades old. So what does my other half get me? Well, er, shall I tell you? Oh Ok, enough dithering, I’ll just go and spit the toad out, as they would say in these parts and tell you. She got me a Playstation (PS2 - one of the new slim ones if you happen to know or want to know about these things).

I know that I should be too old for these things, but what can I say, I love it. I got the version with a driving game called Gran Turismo 4, I think, and it is dangerously addictive. I also got another game, but I’m not going to say what it is. I am forty after all and I do go a little red thinking about the fact that I have joined hordes of pimply Playstation owning teenagers. Better late than never!? Oops. Have to go. Got a spot to squeeze. Talk about returning to one’s youth. Can’t wait until the young one is old enough to play too. Got plenty of time for practice fortunately. Don’t want the little chap thinking his dad is an old duffer, now do we? A trendy duffer, maybe. Now where did I put that game pad, got to do a few laps of Laguna Seca after a touch of spot squeezing and before I head for bed. You know how it is, don’t you? Please say you do.

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The first exodus of 2005

March 25, 2005 · Filed Under Milan · Comment

The city was all but deserted this evening. It’s Easter weekend and this means a large exodus of people heading off for the house in the mountains, in the hope of finding the last traces of snow, or driving down to the house by the sea. In this case hoping that the weather may allow them to get down on to the beach or some such thing.

Easter is the first of the mass movements of the Milanese population out of Milan. From now on, lots of Italians will be leaving Milan for other nicer locations for the weekends. Then, once the schools close for the summer hols, wife and kids will escape to the cool of mountain or seaside second or rented homes. This, of course, creates many ’single’ men during the weeks of late June and all of July. They do say here that this ’separation’ creates a healthy climate for extra-marital affairs and this would not be a great surprise.

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Tags: Italian

The tartan army

March 25, 2005 · Filed Under Milan · Comment

There is obviously a match on in Milan this weekend, for I spied a kilted man at the supermarket this very evening. As you may imagine, men wearing kilts are not a common sight here in Milan. This particular patriot was stocking up on beer for the pre or post, and possibly during match celebrations or commiserations if the game does not go well for the haggis lovers.

Actually, I must admit to knowing about the match before having to wander along to the supermarket, as we had spotted two pasty faced looking individuals ambling down the street near us this afternoon. I turned to my other half and said, ‘Germans or Englishmen’ and she replied that they were probably Scottish seeing as there was a match on. It is amazing just how easy it is to spot northern types here. Not just the complexion, but also the facial features and clothes, which just seem so un-Italian. It’s odd, but that is how it is. In this respect I am also a ‘marked man’, even though I do a pretty good job at camouflaging my origins by dressing in a more or less Italian fashion. But as soon as I utter a few words, most Italians know I’m not from Italy.

As an aside, but related to football, the Italians refer to under 21 teams as ‘under ventuno’. This is a curious mix of English -under- and Italian -ventuno- Italian for ‘twenty one’, if you did not know.

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