Sometimes it is really good to be so dense. I thought the clock went a way that we would lose an hour. We actually put it back and gained an hour...but I gained 2 since at 9:30 I thought it was 10:30 but it was 8:30 ...made me happy. :)

I love Antonio Banderas...don't laugh. I do. I even liked Zorro.

Anyways...(my new favorite word)...the movie Take The Lead is really good..if you like "Toni" and you like dancing. The movie is OK, the dancing is really good. And it is based on a true story about a man named Pierre Dulaine...I looked him up and his life story is like the character played by Antonio (he teaches the bad kids in the bad NYC public schools how to ballroom dance and he lifts their spirits and self esteem and his program catches on and on and on across America). Good guy. WE need people like that in the world.

I do not want to tell my daily happenings blow by blow but I feel compelled to let you know how things went on today.

I was told by a refrigeration guy that I need a new compressor for my frig. I was told to call Maytag. I called Maytag and they said an "emergency visit" could be done on Tuesday and I would be charged extra for it. I hesitantly agreed as my milk soured and my meats defrosted. My mom suggested I put perishables in a cooler with ice. I called 5 other places to find out no one works on Saturday and the one who did does not work on compressors.

I thought of an Italian man I had fix another refrigerator for me. I called a place that knew him. He called him and he called me back. He told me to plug the refrigerator back in...he was here in 1 hour, figured it was the starter and replaced it.

Can I tell you how devoted I am to older Italian men? They work with integrity and dignity and smile while doing it. We spent the 15 minutes of time that we unplugged the appliance to allow a rest before testing a second time talking about Italy and food and mutual friends. He plays soccer with my friend's husband.

I mentioned to him about an Italian man I knew slightly that many people knew well who was my good friend's father. They called him Gino. I showed him the prayer card I got from the wake. My friend's father was killed suddenly in a car accident on Monday. This refrigerator man slumped down like I hit him on the head with a big black frying pan. He was devastated to know that a good friend of his, mostly known to him by business (he brought his foreign truck to him to be fixed often)(and both being Italian had a connection only those like them understand) had died so tragically. He had no knowledge of it. He went on for the next hour telling me stories and praising Gino's character and physical strength and endurance like most people do about very close friends or family. He told me Gino spoke Italian in several dialects, has a sister in Italy who is a doctor, has a farm, loved to cook, had a zest for life and was in perfect health with a physical and mental body like a much younger man. I told him the viewing was packed with waiting lines over an hour long and with georgous flowers that could not shout loud enough the appreciation that was sent to the family for allowing them time with their dad, their grandpop and their brother.

He fixed my starter and my refrigerator hummed it's quiet hum once again.

I found that I was glad to talk about a man with such good character and loads of energy and vitality for life. I felt a message that included life is really what you make of it. Solve the problems and get on with the passion. This man had loads of passions that he spent his life working on including his family, friends, cooking and food, a farm, hunting, his mechanic shop...and I am sure many more.

I hope my friend can hear as many of these stories about her dad that she can tolerate. Everyone seems to have loved him. His life seemed to end too soon and unnecessarily but at least he LIVED when he LIVED..maybe that is what we all should do. LIVE and stop complaining about it.

"Who, if I cried out, would here me scream among the angels orders?"

Rilke said and wrote that...and I wonder what he had to scream about...????????????? Something to do with love...and then people wonder why I love the past...

my refrigerator is broken...another one, again! I bought it in December of 2004 (over $2000.00)

I've had to repair or replace every Maytag appliance I own (2 washer and 2 dryers and 2 refrigerators) in the past 5 years...also, my cell phone, which is a NExtel, NEVER EVER works right. I cannot even write what the cell phone bill was this month because I am still in shock. It seems as if my son has a girlfriend he doesn't want us to know about but is compelled to talk over 300 minutes a day. Vacuum cleaners are unreliable and do not have enough suction and break constantly. I've had Hoovers, Electrolux's and another one with the little old man trying to sell it...can't think of the name...that was the worst one.

My grandmother had her refrigerator for most of her married life. How can it be that a world so advanced and so modern is so ill equipped to handle regular life?

I had the computer guy here fixing this computer and now people get error messages when I email them. I cannot click on WRITE mail and write mail...it won't open, and my printer is broken. My faucets and the pipe in the sink in the laundry room are leaking, too. My bathroom shower in the basement needs to be ripped out and the pan needs to be replaced and redone. The tile will need to be redone. The light in my dining room is working today but when I have dinner company it goes off and on like a haunted house. Actually, I think this is a haunted life...

kicker is I cannot even get anyone to fix any of these things in a timely fashion...I am practically standing out in the street with money flapping like a fan and they just pass on by.

so RILKE, have you an angel to hear me roar?

so much for acceptance!

Couple hints about making bread pudding:

Make sure the pan you are going to use is smaller than another pan you have so that it will fit into it and you can fill it 1/2 way with water....

Best breads:
Italian or French Bread (if it is very thickly crusted...soak in milk to soften the crust)
Challah Bread with raisins
or Panetonne with raisins

I like to rip the bread in pieces not cut anything to be neat and proper.

Ingredients:
One large loaf bread
almost one whole stick of butter: I'd say 3/4 of a stick
3 cups of half and half
1/3 cup of bourbon or comparable type
2/3 cup sugar
4 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1- 2 tsp vanilla

OR you can omit the bourbon and increase the sugar to about a cup

Heat oven at 350 degrees

rip bread in pieces
put bread in pan
grab bits of butter and butter all pieces of bread well with fingers
mix milk, eggs, yolks and whiskey and sugar and vanilla
pour over buttered bread
push bread down to make sure it is soaked...all bread should be soaked and covered...if not, add some more milk.

let sit for a while (5 minutes to couple hours is ok)...

put pan in larger pan and fill larger pan half way with boiling water from kettle...this is easiest to do when already in oven so you don't have to carry heavy pan with boiling water thru the kitchen to burn you and the dog

bake until set about 45 minutes...it sometimes looks wet when done...almost like the eggs are runny but it is the melted glorious butter...it is done...take it out

whip some heavy cream with extra fine sugar (1/2 cup to quart of cream) and serve on top of pudding or serve with whiskey sauce or ice cream or just eat as is!!!!!!

Mangia!