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Thursday Thirteen: 13 Things I've Seen While Riding My Bike

27/3/2014

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Picture
Ciao a tutti! Hi, everybody! It's that time again, so let's just jump right in, eh?

Thirteen Things I've Seen While Riding My Bike

In February, I became the proud owner of a brand-spankin' new bike, and I've been tooling about on the mixed-use paths here in Reggio a few times a week ever since. So far, I've put about 382km on the bike, and I hope to put even more on it before I leave for the US for the summer.
Happy me and my new bike
Isn't she a beauty? I'm smitten!
Along with the new bike came the usual necessary goodies, including a helmet, gloves, cycling shoes and socks. Naturally, I'm loving all of this.
My mother dubbed me
My mother saw this pic and dubbed me "Spartacutie". My mom totally "gets" me. Heh.
Anyway, let's get on with the list, shall we? Here we go!
1) Kitties! I see cats nearly every time I ride, since the paths I choose run alongside fields near people's homes. Of course, the kitties are out prowling around on their own.

2) Dogs/Puppies! There are loads of people out walking their dogs where I ride. Most of these folks are respectful and attentive with their pets, keeping them well under control so neither the dogs nor I manage to get in a tangle. There are a few owners, however, who don't seem to understand that someone's going to end up hurt, one of these days. ...sigh...

3) Pheasants! Where I live, pheasants are remarkably abundant - and they do seem to enjoy calling attention to themselves at awkward moments.

4) An enormous hare. I was treated to the sight of a hare (or was it a rodent of unusual size?) "racing" me on a ride last week.

5) Roadies. "Roadies" are what most folks might think of as stereotypical cyclists - non-professionals decked out head-to-toe in brightly colored kit on racing bikes. Once in a while, these riders (who are retirees, for the most part, since I ride in the morning) deviate from the road to shortcut through the paths to their destination.

6) An exhibitionist jogger in his late forties. I've seen this guy a couple of times, and the warmer the weather gets, the fewer clothes he bothers with. At this rate, it's getting pretty scary, as the last time I saw him he was down to a pair of super-skimpy jogging shorts and his shoes. That's it. Sure he's fairly easy on the eyes, but... Please, just stop.
Road sign for Due Maesta'
7) New places. While just about everywhere I've gone had to be a new place to me at some point, certain places stand out for me. The photo above, for example, was taken the first time I reached the end of this portion of the path. I was only a couple of miles from home, but I'd never gone there on my own before. The more confident I become, the farther I want to go.

8) A kestrel flew past me on one memorable ride about two weeks ago. I wished desperately I had my camera with me, but it was gone before I could stop, anyway.

9) Nice people. I've made a friend of sorts as a result of my riding on the same paths with some regularity. An older gentleman named Rino stopped me one morning to ask me if I knew where the path led to, or knew any other paths to take. Let's just say my attempts to answer gave my Italian (and a tiny bit of his English) a workout. Rino's the first person I see regularly who now stops to talk to me. In the same vein as Rino is a charming older couple who always say "Ciao" or "Buongiorno" as I pass them by. I see them nearly every time I go out, and our exchanges are very brief since I'm on the bike and they're power walking, but the smiles are genuine and welcoming every time we meet.

10) The conductor. I think of one person in particular this way - a young guy riding on the path towards the city center who gave me a nod as he passed, and then proceeded to ride hands-free up and over the bridge while gesturing as though he were conducting a symphony or attempting to fly.


11) Miniature horse! On one part of the path is a most squee-worthy miniature horse. I must get a photo of it one day soon.


Alas, not everything I see is wonderful...

12) Poo! Despite the availability of bags for doggy-doo, some people are still inclined to ignore their pet's, um, "leavings". As a result, some rides do result in a bit of sticky dodge 'em. So far, so good. *crosses fingers*

13) Poopers! This was the biggest surprise - and one of the most bizarre, so far: On one reasonably remote part of the path, I was "treated" to the sight of an elderly couple relieving themselves on opposite sides of the path itself. She behind a shrubbery, he in the field. In full view.

WTF????


Erm... Right. What has been seen cannot be unseen they say. To my sorrow, this seems to be true.






And so, there you go - a (regrettably photo-free) listing of the wonders of the world spotted from the saddle of my bike.














I'm sorry I might have left you with such an unpleasant vision with that last one.












Truly, I am sorry.


















Here, let me attempt to provide some sort of mind-bleach for you:
Picture
There - did that help?

Ciao for now!
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Thursday Thirteen: Books to Film

13/3/2014

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Ciao a tutti! Hi, everybody! I'm back for another Thursday Thirteen, where I'm sharing some of my favorite book-to-film adaptations. Most of these are films I saw after I'd read the book, a few I read after seeing the film, and only one is a film where I haven't read the book at all.

It's worth noting that some adaptations were quite faithful to the source material and others weren't. In fact, one of my picks was actually "disowned" by the author, in that he asked they change the names of the characters and of the film itself because he didn't think the screenplay could do it justice. Do you know which film/book it is?

(
I'll share the answer at the end of the post.)

If you have a little time to kill (heh, that's a little book-to-film humor for ya), I hope you'll have a look at these clips - I've tried to find the best quality version for each one, but some are too old to have a good trailer available on YouTube.

And so, now, please allow me to share with you

Thirteen Books-to-Film I Love!

1) First off, a Stephen King classic! (To be fair, I could have done nearly the whole list using only Stephen King stories, but I thought better of it.)
2) Next, a film which I still watch compulsively whenever I find it on TV. It truly had a profound effect on me at an impressionable age. I've been a fan of John Irving ever since. (Fun fact - Irving has a cameo as the wrestling referee in the film.)
3) I saw this film the day it was first released in theaters, and I'm not embarrassed to admit I still get chills when I watch the trailer. Michael Crichton created a classic which endures, in my humble opinion.
4) This film just might qualify as an addiction for me. I've watched it so many times I have literally lost track of my viewings. I have the DVD in the US. I have the DVD in Italy. If I come in at any point of the film on TV, I have to watch it all the way to the end. Irvine Welsh's characters really came to life in this film, and now I can't read their stories without picturing these actors in the roles.
5) I saw this with a friend of the family - she vowed never to go to a film with me again. I took that as a sign of the quality of the film as opposed to the quality of my company. *ahem* A genuinely creepy novel made into a supremely disturbing film. Another Stephen King classic.
6) To be fair, it might not be the best film on this list, but I really enjoyed it anyway. I admit I wasn't disappointed in the transition of this book to the big screen, but it would have been impossible to make a film as good as the source material.
7) It's the '80s in a nutshell; a slimy, scary, spectacularly twisted nutshell. Casting Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in this adaptation of Brett Easton Ellis' novel was a stroke of genius, as he gave the character all the nuances necessary to elevate the shallow go-getter to someone we start rooting for in spite of ourselves.
8) Another John Irving adaptation - this time of his novel A Widow For One Year - this film actually only depicts (approximately) the first third of the book. I had read the book long before seeing the film, but that doesn't make the story any less compelling.
9) Another film I compulsively watch is Fight Club, based on Chuck Palahniuk's novel. I don't know what it is about the film, but once I start watching it, I'm compelled to see it through to the end. Surprisingly, I haven't read the novel yet, but I have read a few of his other works. (I really need to add it to my TBR pile.)
10) Yet another John Irving adaptation (he even has a cameo as the stationmaster!), The Cider House Rules won two Academy Awards, for Best Adapted Screenplay and for Best Supporting Actor (Michael Caine).
11) Another brilliant film, based on the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name. Stark, bleak and utterly without hope, it features Javier Bardem's chilling portrayal of a hitman on a mission. Tommy Lee Jones is also a wonder to watch; his final scene is particularly memorable to me, love it or hate it.
12) This film, an adaptation of Stephen King's novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, came along at precisely the right moment of my life. I'd already enjoyed the story (it was originally published in King's collection, Different Seasons), but the line "Get busy living, or get busy dying" hit home with me in a most unexpected way. An all-time favorite film.
13) As crazy as it sounds, Watership Down is one of the most important films I ever saw, if only for the effect it had on me. After becoming (essentially) obsessed with the movie, I sought out the book, and I can say it truly did change my life. I even wrote about it!




Well, I hope you've enjoyed these trailers. If you guessed that Simon Birch was the film "disowned" by John Irving (it was nominally based on his heartbreaking masterpiece A Prayer for Owen Meany), you guessed correctly! Well done!









And now, I hope you'll indulge me just one last time.


















No, it's not a trailer...
























But I hope you'll agree...






















This is one actor who's worth the price of admission!

Picture
Italian actor, Raoul Bova.
Ciao for now!
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Guest Post: Thoughts on the Bike

4/3/2014

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Today I'm pleased to share a link to a guest post I've written for the lovely and talented Dan Holloway, as part of his series on creativity and extreme sports. I'd be thrilled if you would drop by, read and comment.
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    Kimberly Menozzi

    Author. Happily Married. Survivor of life with two deranged kitties.

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