Monday, June 30, 2008

poker play

my roommates enjoy playing texas hold 'em. like many college kids, i went through a phase (about 2 years ago) where it became an obsession of mine. i then lost interest. as a way of bonding, and form of mutual communication, i decided to start playing at these sunday afternoon gatherings where a large serving of pasta is followed by some fresh gelato.

to be honest- the majority of these italian players are terrible. especially the women. they make little effort to hide any emotion when winning a hand, or dealt a bad one. if luck wasn't such a big factor, the little that i do remember about odds and what hands to press with, i would clean up at every sitting.

i still haven't done a bad job (with an average 8 to 10 players) i have finished 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and won once. i normally lose based on bad luck, not playing a bad hand (like when i was young and dumb). anyway, if you come to italy and are asked to play hold 'em (and have ANY knowledge of poker at all) take them up on it. show them how americans roll.

sushi II

i went to the (only) other sushi place in parma yesterday. their sticky rice is pretty badass (although they add a sesame seed coating to the outside of their rolls giving it a different flavor then i am accustomed). their spicy tuna was alright... a bit too much mayo and i think i tasted something like chives also mixed in, which was also a bit odd. their california roll was actually pretty legit. they use real crab and use avocado (one of my favorite ingredients in rolls). they were very fresh in flavor. so for the first time in the history of my sushi career california roll beat spicy tuna. crazy world.

this is england

a great movie, and i recommend it. a young teenager living in england, mid-80's, is taken in by a group of skinheads after being bullied at school. it epitomizes the loss of innocence. well written and directed. watch it.

saturday's run

the sun is a terrorist.

Friday, June 27, 2008

regardless

i'm going to have a great weekend. sip local fine wine, eat some parmigiana reggiano, and chill out in the italian countryside.

"I like to recharge my batteries, and shut down the engines, and get myself back to neutral. When the meal's over with, I will talk to you."

how the fuck

so i was checking my bank statement, and some motherfucker in brooklyn decided to use my digits on a spending spree. the only logical explanation i can come up with is someone had to have used my number off a receipt from one of those piece of shit corner stores that ALWAYS prints your card number on their (look next time, it's there on both copies... they always give you a bad look if you cross out your number, but do it anyway).

i have the ONLY copy of my card. i never shop on websites that are small business. i never give out my card number online, unless buying from a major site.... how the fuck does somebody get your card number? i haven't been in brooklyn for 2 months now!

how do they make purchases at rite-aid and a gas station and a fucking MTA machine WITHOUT MY CARD OR PIN???? can people seriously make cards that legit swipe now? can you fake a pin number??

thank god for my mom being able to call chase right now, otherwise my international bill would be well over 20 euros (yes, it costs about a euro a minute to call the states).

so if these $750+ worth of charges goes through, it then not only overdrafts my debit, but then will pull ALL of my money from my credit account to cover my debit (thanks auto-over draft).

fuck.

fuck you brooklyn person who i don't know, but i hope gets hit by a cab.

moral of the story: douche bags are everywhere - so keep an eye out and a fist ready.

a few great sites

my job right now is to research and find amazing websites. my job after that will be to redesign my employer's site. here are the ones i think are worth visiting:

portfolio of eric borst

mutabor

art streiber photography
- be sure to check out the 'now' section for hilarious pictures of rainn wilson (dwight on the office)

sawdust

these, of course, are not all the great sites i saw. there are many incredible web designers and animators out there. they dwarf my knowledge of what can be done with the internet. these links are just a few that were very unique, or minimal, in their design, and truly stuck out from the others (either by the work shown or through the actual site).

what a bad decision

was i thinking? rambo iv? REALLY??

bad. really really bad - so predictable, and excessively bloody, that it makes the first rambo look like a masterpiece of cinematography.

although it does make me curious to whether rocky vi was just as terrible...

Thursday, June 26, 2008

kuler solved

any problems with developing a color scheme for a new project?
adobe has got you covered.

series reviews

these are the series that i got into over the past year, and some that i recently got caught up on:

flight of the concords
- incredibly funny.

dexter (1, 2)
- thank you anna kate for introducing me to this absurdly addictive show. both seasons one and two are great.

mad men
- disappointing at best... not worth watching for a clever line every 15 minutes. here, i'll summarize the whole series for you... secretaries used to be sluts, guys in advertising used to cheat a lot, annnnd people were, on average, very conservative in thought.

in treatment
- at the beginning this show was extremely addictive, but i found the story got weaker as the season progressed, and towards the end it became quite predictable.

entourage
- always entertaining and hilarious.

real time with bill maher
- although i sometimes disagree with his extreme liberalism, he at least isn't afraid to cross the line and make his guests uncomfortable. he does bring up many valid issues that are normally crossing my mind with current events too.

curb your enthusiasm
- larry david's awkward situations always crack me up.

weeds (seasons 1, 2, 3)
- well-written comedy.

real sports with bryant gumbel
- i'm not a huge sports fan (the sports i participate in aren't very tv friendly), but this show is the 60 minutes of sports, and i loved it. the stories they covered, regardless of the sport, always held my attention.

john adams
- started out really interesting and insightful, but got a bit dry towards the end.


i didn't have hbo until i was living in pratt dorms this past year, where it comes standard. it is the most addicting, and best written, set of channels that i have experienced.

running nyc

i really miss running up the east side... the west side highway... going over the brooklyn bridge and looping back on the manhattan... prospect park... central park... hitting the long training run from union square, up the west side, to the george washington bridge and back (the area above 125th street is incredible, especially in the summer).

anyway- here's a link to a map giving an overview of running paths in central park.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

incredible animation


check out this site done by Goodby for adobe licensing... it's pretty fucking cool.

italian anti-immigration

you might have thought i was kidding about italian's being a good bit more racist then the average american, but even the nyt is picking up on how the italians are dealing with their immigration issues.

trust me. people here are extremely proud of their italian heritage and HATE the idea that their culture might be watered down by foreigners.

check out the nyt slideshow of the recent burning of a romanian immigration camp.

hip-hop politics

really good discussion on hip-hop culture and politics.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

the dragon market

it's insane. china's 16% increase in fuel prices is causing inflation, which will effect china's rural poor the most. citizens are constantly losing 30% (on average) of their saving in the chinese stock market because of subsidies on gasoline. the two major providers of petro in china are being handed 22 billion a year because they can't sell gas at true cost. this effects the whole market as those two companies can makeup 16 to 22% of china's trading.

learn more here.

Monday, June 23, 2008

portfolio update


check out the stylings of anna kate's and my
new advertising campaign: brooklyn flow.

"Now can I get an encore, do you want more?
Cookin raw with the Brooklyn boy-
So for one last time I need y'all to roar."
....some other brooklyn flow for ya.

conditioned smell

as i was walking up the stair from our company's kitchen i was hit with the lingering scent of our air conditioning. my mind shot back to the memories of riding the packed rush hour subway last summer in nyc. sweaty and uncomfortable, praying that the car's one vent would be strong enough to aid in the slightest relief. fresh, with a hint of some cooling agent. stale, yet comforting,the breeze had such a distinct smell - it sometimes able to make its way through the dominating body oder of the passenger next to me. i guess sometimes the air here likes to mimic that of the great city of new york's underground flow.

sprained ankle?

read this. it goes in depth on proper, quick, recovery. the q&a actually has some new information i never knew about.

house party

here are some photos from our house party in tordenaso... 100+ people, many kegs, and a 20 kg stuffed pig- a great night.


funniest beer name ever.


my roommates slicin and dicin the pig. it was boneless. it was actually pig stuffed with pig. not joking.


quite 'lord of the flies'. someone drunkenly hung this next to our door on an old scale.

Friday, June 20, 2008

train for cycling

this is a great article on improving at cycling, even if it is a recreational pursuit.

unfortunately my road bike is currently at zack's, and i won't have it back until january. but, this is the first mention i've read that speaks of working from watts instead of cadence. good stuff.

i can't wait to be back in an area where i can really train for triathlon's again. that is one of the few benefits of central ohio... there's a lot of lap pools and country roads to get in some solid rides. not that i want to be back in ohio, but i do missing the multi-sport training. marathon workouts get a bit monotonous.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

repeat playlist

i can't stop listening...

Bloc Party - Song for Clay
Bloc Party - Hunting for Witches
Bloc Party - The Prayer
Gnarls Barkley - Going On
Gnarls Barkley - Blind Mary
Mobb Deep - Shook Ones
RJD2 - Final Frontier
Madonna/ Timberlake - 4 Minutes
Jay-Z - Fallin'
Moka Only - More Soup
The Strays - Geneva Code
Dave Matthews Band - Eh Hee
Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm
Snoop Dogg - Take It Back To '85
K-OS - Fly Paper
K-OS - Cat Diesel
Thom Yorke - Black Swan
Blood for Blood - Mother Dear
Blood for Blood - Ain't Like You
The Transplants - Not Today
GZA - Living In The World Today
Wu Tang Clan - Gravel Pit
Marilyn Manson - Are You the Rabbit?
Marilyn Manson - Great Big White World
Marilyn Manson - Tourniquet
Marilyn Manson - The Red Carpet Grave
De La Soul - Eye Know
Petey Pablo - What You Know About It
Talib Kweli - Broken Glass
The Hush Sound - Honey
We Are Scientists - Cash Cow
N.E.R.D. - Brain
Raised Fist - Sound of the Republic
Dilated Peoples - Love and War
Dilated Peoples - Work The Angles

random... yes. delicious? yes.

any accomplishments?

as far as afghanistan is concerned, it seems quite iffy whether we have made true progress. the taliban has once again regained momentum and is giving nato heaps of trouble in the south.

we have focused so much attention on iraq that we forgot the whole reason we started bombing shit in the middle east in the first place. maybe if afghanistan had an oil stash... was part of opec... then we might not have needed to divert our efforts to the west.

i guess there is little we can do. many cultures hate america. americans hate people who hate them. i don't think either side is going to benefit from further attempting to annihilate one another.

read more on the current state of afghanistan

pushups

10 pushups at the top of every minute for 1 hour.

you get 600 pushups done without over thinking it. the worst part is making sure to half pay attention to time.

zack was the one who told me about this workout a couple years ago. i never tried until i was consumed by boredom last night. it is great to do while watching tv.

good call

jessie sent me this ad. i like it, although the VO copy is a bit weak.



i think the copy should have related more to a person, opposed to 'every bird should get to fly.' if spending cash on giving less fortunate birds a new opportunity was someone's idea of how to spend their lottery winnings i think it'd make more sense.

that's just me though.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

not the solution

bush is now reversing his position on not allowing offshore drilling. this doesn't surprise me.

what blows my mind is that this administration still thinks the solution to the oil crisis is finding more places to suck dry instead of finding sustainable alternatives. we are just prolonging dealing with the oil prices going up as supply goes down. it is simple math that most people with a high school education knew would happen at some point. even basic supply and demand principles could be applied, which i think is covered in elementary school.

this plan would be a lot more effective if instead of investing a bunch of money into where the next temporary stash of oil is located, the government invests it into r&d for alternative energies. i don't get how finding a few more oil wells will cure the this world's unquenchable thirst for petroleum and the products it allows us to create. maybe it's this administration's short term plan of trying to change the public's extremely negative perception before the election rolls around.

then again, mccain backs this bill. so if he's elected we'll still be fucked for the next four and half years (including w's remainder).

the best part is that bush's daddy and bro have both signed legislation banning offshore drilling.

read the inspiration: nyt

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

salisiccia di suino

is the best italian sausage i have ever had... add a fresh-green mixed, oil and balsamic, salad (with some shredded oreggiano and black pepper), micca (the incredible regional bread of parma), and a glass of local pinto grigio- it makes for one hell of a dinner.... with dolce being strawberries and banana with cream, and a shot of disaronno.

try it sometime (when in parma?). it will blow your mind.

Monday, June 16, 2008

unicorn ad



AD: me
CW: ms. anna kate

pre-workout advice

take a double shot of espresso thirty minutes before your next workout.

it is a little habit that i have gotten into here... of course italian coffee is as strong as some low-grade cocaine anyway, but the burst of caffeine is the perfect stimulant to get you on your feet and ready to burn some major energy (no matter how beat you previously were).

eat something to cut the acidity if your stomach doesn't handle badass coffee well, otherwise you'll just feel sick for the duration of your workout.

running music

these are some recommended songs to kick onto your ipod for your next athletic pursuit:

Jedi Mind Tricks - On The Eve Of War (feat. Gza)

He Is Legend - I Am Hollywood

Cunninlynguists - War

Justice - Waters Of Nazareth

The HorrorPops - Crawl Straight Home

DJ Danger Mouse - Encore

Jay Z - Hola' Hovito

Raised Fist - Perfectly Broken

Friday, June 13, 2008

quality of life v. career ambition

italy has the quality. america allows for the ambition.

within the short time that i have spent in italy i have come to many conclusions. italians know how to enjoy life at a far greater level then americans. i know this observation is extremely subjective, but the caliber of even their everyday sandwich (panino) is to a point that the us will never reach.

americans care about, and demand, many things. exceptional food for a low price is not our top priority. my point being that americans want things fast so they can continue with their day, letting them accomplish more (even if it is to get more time in on their wii, which isn't really an accomplishment).

italians live slow. they savor the moment. they stop for pedestrians on their own free will (crazy i know coming from nyc). they are generally content with their jobs and living situations. this is an amazing perspective to experience in full, with a couple exceptions.

italians have the lowest average yearly salary in europe. how can that be when they are one of the major powers of the european union? people here can accept being happy with less.

what defines happiness and success? is it how good your slice of pizza was for lunch? is it enjoying where you work- not how fast you move up to corporate ladder? is it realizing how lucky you are to be living even an average existence?

where my ideology severely clashes with the italian way is their work environment. not so much how everyone functions in the office, because everyone here is so nice that it makes your teeth hurt (like sugar?). not being able to move up though is a major problem for me. it isn't a current problem, because i'm an intern, but as i look to the future and think, "could i really live my life in italy?" the answer is yes, BUT...

i would be miserable at my job. the youngest creative working in this office is over 30. it has nothing to do with where i work either. people take longer with school. there isn't the pressure to hurry up and spread their wings after they get out of high school. no one is forcing anything on anyone. one can take a job with less responsibility and then a few years later, maybe, apply to a job that is a little harder, better paying, and if not, no big deal.

it might just be the way i was raised, or that american ambition in me, but i would die. this process feels smothering to me. thus, the conflict.

there are far more restrictions in italy too. they are about twenty years behind american tv and advertising. i mean italian television is bad. i mean REALLY bad. think american idol mixed with a small town public access channel, and you've got their most popular show 'x factor'.

i can live life at a slower pace for the most part. i love the way people take time here to really enjoy time with friends and family, not just thinking about what they have to do next. the food, my god, the fucking food here. it alone is worth a trip to parma. but, is it enough to stay?

the world of advertising is fast paced. everything is changing constantly, whether it is being employed by what agency or keeping up with the current trends in pop culture. if one can't cut it they are quickly left behind.

my solution? don't have a sure one yet, but i'll keep thinking on it - leaning towards accepting italy for what it is, and finding a job back in nyc or the us.

new site

less 'new'... more of massively updated. there are many new things though.

check it:
- peeps
- logos
- buona sera
- ad store international
- italia photos


http://www.mattkoulermos.com/

i promise you'll like it (if you agree with me on most subjective topics).

Thursday, June 12, 2008

unicorns in italy


i'm not kidding.

"'Unicorn' Deer Found in Italy
By MARTA FALCONI, AP

A deer born in Italy with a single horn in the middle of its head has inspired comparisons to the mythical unicorn. "This is fantasy becoming reality," said Gilberto Tozzi, director of the Center of Natural Sciences in Prato, Italy."

story:
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/unicorn-deer-found-in-italy/20080611173709990001

let it burn



a new study has found that putting ice directly on a burn can actually cause more damage. although it may offer temporary relief, it has now been discovered that the extreme cooling can cause frostbite.

the story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/health/10real.html?ref=health

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

steak tip

yesterday i had one of those breakthrough runs where i felt like i could have finished a whole marathon at pace... what caused this endorphin inducing run?

my previous night's meal. steak.

i forgot the best secret to having an amazing workout the next day was eating some red meat. i do not mean an excessive 12 to 16 ouncer, but 6 to 8. i completely forgot about protein loading. i used this trick the day before every major event during the two previous years, but not having competed in anything major since last year's Hamptons Marathon, I forgot about this beautiful trick.

if you want to try this here is what i recommend to eat 18 - 24 hours before your major workout:
- 6 to 10 ounces of steak
- mixed green salad
- carbs and/or starches (i recommend some fresh bread or mashed potatoes)
- glass of red wine
- fresh fruit for dessert

the more ounces of meat that you consume, the more time you should give for your body to process the meat. you don't want this large meal to still be weighing you down when you actually go to do your workout.

try it. i swear it works.

smoothbeats

by far, still the best iTunes radio channel.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

un idiota

when a person doesn't speak another culture's language where they are trying to live and function, they must feel like a retarded puppy.

i certainly do.

untrained to social expectations and role sets, even with the visual aid of the speaker's body language and facial expressions, it is near impossible to uncover the meaning of many conversations. they can list off twenty things that need to be done, and i normally end up figuring out what the first item was by the time they hit the last.

the only salvation lies in catching the occasional cognate or phrase remembered from the 'beginner's italian: disk 1.' but, normally i end up just awkwardly smiling, stuttering 'no capisco (i don't understand)' or unknowingly cocking my head with the look of 'what the fuck are you talking about?'

i try my best to hide my stupidity, but no matter how i try to mask my american-ness, it seeps through, whether in my pronunciation or how i vocalize the pauses in my speech (no one here goes 'umm,' they all go 'ehhh' or 'aaah').

i'm not sure in the end who is more frustrated by my lack of the italian language... me or the girl i am trying to order my panino from.

it stings when i be

...in debt.

it would have to suck to be hillary clinton right now. not only did she have to give up on her presidential bid, but now she's in debt... not just in debt, but owes more money then any previous losing candidate. ever.

she currently owes around $20 million.

that's a lot of money. even for a top politician. i guess i wouldn't have wanted to drop out either knowing i had to foot that bill if i lost. fuck that shit.

nick koulermos- i wish you the best in you future political (and, i guess this means, financial) endeavors.

the full story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/us/politics/10clinton.html

i might break you

my advice: stay away.

since my arrival in italy i have broken:
a macbook
ipod shuffle
2 omega watches
beard clippers
designer sunglasses
and of course many hearts (jk).

i don't know how all this bad shit happened... maybe to balance out that i am in a place that is inches from being paradise (the 'inches' part is that the don't speak english).

i swear i'm not normally the personification of bad luck.

Monday, June 9, 2008

sushi mind-fuck

last week was a roller coaster. kinda.

okay. it began terrible- ended fucking incredible.

it started with me missing all things american (food, music, people, mostly the language). so, i began my quest to bring a bit of home to parma. i made the 'day changer' hamburger and some bbq chicken, but there was one culinary delight i was still missing- sushi.

i began looking on an online italian yellow pages for places to eat sushi in parma.

there are two.

so on friday i tried out the first one: shibuya. i went after a long day at the office and a decent workout. of course, having not eaten sushi in the past six weeks, fucking craving anything remotely similar to what i get in nyc.

i walk into shibuya at 7:15pm. i am the only customer in there other then a girl picking up her take-out. in america at least 3/4s of the restaurant would filled at this point.... but i guess italians feel that anything before 9pm is for old people (and american fatties).

the whole staff is japanese. they greet me in italian.

not only is this the weirdest entrance i have ever had in a sushi joint, but, instead of speaking japanese (with a side of broken english), they all spoke perfect italian.

as i begin to look over the menu i start to realize that coming alone might not have been the wisest choice (no one wanted to go because it was 'too early' to eat sushi... when the fuck is it ever too early to eat sushi??). all the rolls were in italian. after i fumbled through ordering a sapporo, the young woman began questioning me with what i wanted. i had desperately searched for cognates- of course, no such luck.

i fessed up. i don't speak much italian, do you speak english (some of the few italian phrases i do know)?

lucky for me the head chef spoke a decent amount of english. he ran through a couple of the rolls for me.

the japanese beer arrived just as i was beginning to realize that this asian restaurant was playing some classic italian music. the odd observations continued as i looked over at the bar to see what else but an espresso machine.

my first plates of sushi arrived. although they were good, i was a bit disappointed. the average 'roll' in america comes with six pieces... welp here, it's three.

so after five rolls and my sapporo i was very content. the waitress came over and asked me if i would like a caffe. at this point i just wanted to say, 'really? don't you fuckers drink tea?' i mean who REALLY drinks an espresso after eating the tasty delights of japan? there are not too many other types of food that i think there could be more of a flavor clash.

regardless, i kindly said no thank you (in italian), and went to the cashier to pay. at this point i had a smile from ear to ear. the whole situation was just too funny. the staff was of course smiling back because how often do they get to watch an american stuff his face with plate after plate of sushi.

i finished up the evening with a delicious gelato on the way back to my car (i know i was just whining about mixing of the cultures... but, if you've had italian ice cream, you understand why i couldn't resist).

to give the short version: first sushi experience in italy - no where close to nyc sushi but a great reminder of the things i enjoy so much in life.

Friday, June 6, 2008

peepin'

anna kate, my favorite copywriter, and i are working on a new portfolio campaign for Peeps. i am quite excited about it. you should be too because it will be one of the new additions on my site next week!

http://www.mattkoulermos.com/

up tempo

after getting a bit burnt out these past couple weeks on training for the columbus marathon, i started looking into new ways to improve upon my current training method. i realized that the reason i was getting so frustrated, and plateauing, was because i was trying to push my pace too hard during my longer runs (currently at 1:30 to 2:00 hours).

this is compounding on the fact that i have no real way of measuring distance because of the quick elevation changes (google pedometer doesn't calculate them for you outside the usa). my frustration of not knowing how fast i was going, or how far, led me to trying to do 'mile to kilometer' conversions, which, when pace is factored in, become extremely confusing.

so i simplified it. in order to qualify for boston '09 i have to run 3:10 or under. this means a 7:15 mile pace, or running 13.32 kilometers an hour. i have struggled to keep this pace for more then three miles at a time.

the solution? tempo training.

tempo training is running a certain pace for a determined period of time, with a recovery, then repeated multiple times.

yesterday i tried the workout on a treadmill as following (and loved it):

5 min warm-up

3 min at pace (13.5 kilometes an hour)
1 min recovery (11 km)
repeat the set x10

5 min cool-down

this adds up to a perfectly packaged :50 min run that has allowed me to not only let my body start to adjusting to the pace i will need to preform at in october, but also focus on pace timing (which is essential during an endurance event).


this will be my new workout schedule:

monday: general lift (40 - 50 minutes)

tuesday: moderate pace/ distance run (40 - 80 minutes)

wednesday: upper body/ core lift (30 - 50 minutes)

thursday: tempo training (50 - 70 minutes)

friday: general lift (40 - 50 minutes)

saturday: long run, moderate/ slow pace (90 - 150 minutes)

sunday: recovery day

if this improved schedule does not help improve my over all pacing- i'm not sure what will.


must do workouts:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-255-12022-0,00.html

coming SOON

there will be a semi-major site update coming on my portfolio site!
- new campaigns to replace the old
- NEW fancy-pants menus
- NEWER websites to be added
- NEWEST photos to be put into the 'italia' photo section

so look out end of next week.
my update is coming.

http://www.mattkoulermos.com/
(for the current, and still sexy, version)

Thursday, June 5, 2008

peace out

disregard my previous post, because on saturday hillary is leaving the race!

i think this is a very good decision and will help bring the party together. finally.

read more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/us/politics/05dems.html?hp

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

be gone

hillary needs to accept that she has lost. the longer she drags out this (finished) primary race, the more she hurts the democrats. i don't want her as a vice president nominee. why? because getting a black man nominated will be hard enough for the rednecks of america to accept- never mind a black man AND a woman.... that would just explode their little inbred minds.

if obama is thinking the way i am about his running mate he will pick a white guy who has a lot of pull with the blue collar middle class. ex: JOHN EDWARDS

a funny insight to why you shouldn't have sympathy for hillary's loss:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/06/feel-no-pity.html

naples pictures





italian.... again.....

no matter how good the food is here, i have to say i'm a bit tired of tomatoes, fine cheese, and pork. they are all of the finest quality here, but if there is one thing the average italian town does not have it is diversity in their culinary offerings.

i haven't had mexican, chinese, japanese, or even french food in a month... no hot dogs... one hamburger (the day changer).... chicken, my normal staple, is almost impossible to find on a menu. i know i must sound like the most spoiled douche bag right now for complaining about having only the best italian food in the world to eat, but i have to say i miss sushi a lot.

sad spending

a new study shows that mothers, with children under the age of 15, spend more on fast food daily then, "...on books, music, movies and video games combined, according to a report by the NPD Group."


more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/business/02drill.html?ref=fitnessandnutrition

naples and the south

southern italy is basically mexico with a couple of high end shops scattered throughout.

the trash problem is a bit ridiculous, but mostly effects the areas outside of naples, leaving the city to remain quite beautiful.

in southern italy all aspects of business and development are run by the kamora (the equivalent of sicily's mafia). it is a bit sad that this crime organization is the main reason for lack of progress in the area. their power and control is essential to the success of any local business because they prevent major chains from coming in and establishing themselves. although this may sound like a good thing, this part of italy is now at least thirty years behind the rest of the world. even the most high end retailers (generally fashion) are housed in buildings that look run down. there doesn't seem to be any end in sight for this stranglehold on the economy- mostly because the citizens are not motivated to make a major change (as told to me by my friend Sal).

anyway- a guy was murdered down the street from us by the kamora for some reason unknown to me.

mozzarella


buffalo mozzarella is amazing. anyone who heads to this part of italy should try it. true mozzarella is so different then anything sold in the us. the cheese is about the size of a baseball, but the inside its soft and squishy like a sponge. when the fork cuts through it milk trickles out. it is really really good.

the day changer

yesterday i was sitting around, a bit home sick, and decided to go on a quest.

i had not had a burger since i left america, and needed to make a badass all-out cheese burger.

it took me an hour to find a grocery store with all the supplies i needed, BUT i crafted a masterpiece.

this juice sangwhich completely changed the mood of the day.

nothing can beat the occasional beastly hamburger.