Monday, February 11, 2008

Another weekend wrap up... Dancing at a Jazz concert?


So what was I up to all weekend? Friday night I had a celebratory dinner with some coworkers. It was mainly an excuse to get together and eat at one of my favorite restaurants "La Locanda te le Spilusi" or just "Lu Spilusi" for us. This place is famous for an appetizer that never ends. This appetizer is a mix of seasonal vegetables and seafood. Some things don't change but others do. The rule of thumb for this restaurant is the larger your group the better. That way when someone doesn't like one particular dish of the appetizer then there is more for everyone else. Theoretically with enough people you have different tastes and everyone can pig out on their favorites. After the appetizer you decide what to order next. I usually can manage a half a pizza on a good night.
After stuffing myself it meant a slow start Saturday morning then a little shopping and light lunch. Dinner was at a friend's house, which is a small apartment, but with a terrace to die for. The terrace encircled the whole apartment and in one area she had giant cacti. Sure, she has a great apartment but she works for my archenemy Alitalia. I tried to not let her profession affect my opinion of her.
After dinner we were going to head to a Jazz concert that was supposed to be "really good." It was 13 euro to get in so it better be good, I thought. Well when we arrived I assumed we made a mistake with the directions. We were at a hotel in the middle of nowhere. There was a huge tent with heaters and big band playing 70s and 80s music. We went to a scene that I would call a huge wedding reception. Despite being midnight there were kids dancing with 30 somethings like myself. There were much older people very nicely dressed which reminded me, I wonder who drove that Masserati I almost side swiped in the parking lot? There was the stage area a big wooden dance floor, and small bar and then tons of collapsible tables and chairs. Like I said it seemed to be wedding reception but it wasn't. A few of my friends and I sat down to access the fact that things weren't as we thought. Usually I need a drink or two before on go on the dance but after about 20 minutes I decided to just go with the flow and went out and danced. I haven't danced like that since....the last wedding reception that I went to. Enough of that you get the point.
The next morning I felt really useful. I assisted Ivan as he installed a very complex light fixture in the bathroom of my neighbor. Word of my handiness is getting around so we may be called on to do more projects. He is very precise and has the local knowledge and I'm engineer so it's assumed I know something about everything mechanical. That afternoon I decided to relax after all that hard work and watch some good rugby action (Italy vs. England in the 6 Nations Tournament). That evening my neighbor made dinner for us as thanks for finally getting the light installed. It seems the saga of the light fixture started long before I started hanging out with them.
So there you have a brief listing of what I did with some gaping holes that I don't care to fill in for you. Sorry.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jeff is back in the fast lane!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great weekend Jeff! Glad things are going well.

Anonymous said...

Buon San Valentino!

'A Tuscan view.....from Umbria' said...

Just stopped by to spread the love and wish you happy valentines day. I love a good wedding reception, boozing, dancing and making eyes at the best man. Sounds like you're having a great time down there in Puglia.

RTD in Italia said...

Well was there any Jazz at this impromtu wedding??

Jeff Gromen said...

Fiamma,
Yes life is back in the fast lane..

Lo,
Yep things are good but what's up over there?

from umbria,
It really was strange. I never saw the movie but I think this like the movie wedding crashers.

Chris,
No the music was strictly 70s and 80s rock. I heard more than one song from the original Blues Brothers movie.

Jeff

Nellie said...

JUST NEW TO YOUR BLOG ITS VERY FUNNY, IN ITALY ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN AND ANYTHING YOU DO COULD LEAD TO A HOME COOKED MEAL.
i TOO HATE AItalia,EVER SINCE I GOT LEFT BEHIND WITH 10 OTHER PEOPLE IN Palermo AIRPORT BECAUSE THEY CLOSED THE LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT CAUSE IT WAS COFFEE TIME.We were in the line with our suitcases ready to board with tickets in hand.Sorry I vented, just their title makes me crazy.