Go where your heart takes you

I've been brushing up on my italiano by reading "Va' dove ti porta il cuore" by Susanno Tamaro. This consists of reading each sentence out loud, and then translating it into English, to my best ability. I typically need to look up one word every 2-3 sentences which isn't terribile. Of course, in more than an hour I've read about 6 pages, but who's counting? My mouth needs the exercise, too. Italian words seem rounder: to say cuore or heart, say "coo" like you are a pigeon. Then say "oar" like it's the sexiest word to roll off your lips. Then add a nonchalant "ay" with a slight roll of the r from "oar" and put them all together and remember it's just one word in a whole sentence like that. Gentle, sensual, unconcerned = italia. Would that those elements make their way into our very souls on the trip. I've had my fill of harsh and anxious on this side of the pond.

Another good mouth exercise is singing with my lovely ladies the Sweet Adelines of the Blue Ridge. If you get public TV and live in Virginia and have very little to do with your time, you may enjoy our show, Java Jive, in which we wore these lovely antennae while singing about a poor ugly bug who had no one to love:



When I joined in November I was on an artist's date, Julia Cameron's way of telling you to go spend some quality time with yourself, and found a posting about the Skyline Harmony rehearsal. They were singing xmas carols and were the most welcoming and quirky collection of ladies I've met..ever. In almost a literal sense I owe my life to these women. It's almost too cute the way we end rehearsals in a circle, holding hands and singing songs about friendship and fellowship. When I burst into tears the other week no one blinked but dear gregarious G came over right after and gave me an enormous hug. Then every one else proceeded to tell me all the times that our circle of love ending made them cry. Ah, estrogen and musical fellowship. It doesn't get any better than that!