TheCalabrias.com

Paolo had his ear tube implants and adenoidectomy procedures done yesterday.

I must say, it wasn’t easy for me to go ahead with the surgery. I knew they were simple, outpatient procedures; but they have also been, in many cases, over prescribed for this very reason. So, not feeling 100% at ease with our initial decision, I asked the ENT doctor to postpone it for a couple of weeks to give us time to re-evaluate all the options and make sure he *really* needed them.

After much reading and conferencing, I felt comfortable enough to go ahead with it. It all went very well! And I can now breathe a sigh of relief; and hopefully Paolo will breath a bit easier, sleep better, and have less frequent ear infections.

Time will tell.

I watched the documentary “FOOD, INC.” the other day. Twice. First during lunch break — which made me lose my appetite, and later that evening with Ashley — which kept my mind completely restless and prevented me from ever getting any “deep sleep”.

No, I’m NOT trying to stop you from watching it. Quite the contrary. I highly recommend that you do.

It simply confirmed how much of a “visual” person I am…You read about GMOs (genetically modified organisms); it is no secrete that most live stock are raised with much steroids and antibiotics; and reports of animal mistreatment in the food industry is certainly not uncommon. So, you are aware of it all…but, man, what a difference it makes to see live footage of how the “guts of the food industry beast” really works.

Can we possibly be a little less greedy, please?  Can we throw away the profit myopic lenses and stop masquerading “efficiency and productivity” to justify (and  hide) the blatant disrespect for it all?  Quite amazing, and yet so not surprising! It really did upset me!

In case you are wondering, NO, we are not becoming vegetarian.  But we will certainly be taking a larger dosage of vitamin O. We will expand our “organic grocery list” from just fruits, vegetables and dairy projects to “as-much-as-possible”; we will especially include meats to the list. And we will do our part to support our local “O” farmers.

Bon Appetit!

Our thoughts and prayers go to Haiti! It is no secret they needed much help prior to the recent earthquake. I cannot even image the anguish they are living at the moment.

Here is one of many ways to help them:

https://donate.wfp.org/supporter/donatenow.do?n=gbss&dfdbid=1044253

(Chose Haiti on the “Would you like this gift to be earmarked for a specific use?” pull-down menu)

Happy New Year! Feliz Ano Novo!!

Great expectations and plans for 2010…On top of the list is to bring the family down to the “deep south” for a much needed extended Brazilian vacation. No firmed itinerary yet, but I would love to bring the kids to Manus and visit the Amazon Forest; stop in Recife for a relaxing stay at Porto de Galinhas; and visit Ana & family & friends in Minas. I also would love to go to Fernando de Noronha, but I’m afraid we will run out of time (and certainly $$$ by then).

As for the new year resolution, in addition to the usual “lose weight” and “get more active”, I will put some real effort into “reactivating” some old friendships.

Cheers!!

Just finished watching the “Avatar” movie in 3D with Lorenzo (boy’s night)…we both loved it!

I must say I was a bit concerned about watching a 160 min movie in 3D. I thought I might get a bit queasy, or worse, a massive headache. It was actually quite fantastic.

Lorenzo and I give a resounding A+.

Roger and Beverly drove up on the 25th to visit for a couple of days. We all love when they come, and we all wish we could see them more often.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

We shared another wonderful Christmas Eve with Family & Friends last night. Very cozy and relaxing! Great food, a nice fire, and, of course, fantastic company.

You are all so caring and generous. Thank you for all the gifts, cards, and warmth. We are so lucky to have you in our lives.

Much Love, The Calabria’s

As most of you know, Ashley and I took a very quick trip to Brazil this past October.

Ashely attended the IFLA Conference in Rio, while I went along for the ride. I was able to leave a couple of days early and go to Recife first to see Mom and Dad and Nando. I had not seen them for quite a while, and it was great to spend time with them and find everyone in great spirits and in great health.

After a few great days in Recife, I met Ashley in Rio for the conference. While there we were very pleasantly surprised by And & Luis and Clavio & Monica who flew in to meet us. (Thank you guys!) We really enjoyed seeing them, and we had a fabulous Dinner at Gera in Ipanema.

We are planning to go back next summer; this time, hopefully, for about a month. We can’t wait!

I’ve uploaded the photos into the Brasil 2009 set on  flickr:

• Recife – Boa Viagem
• Rio de Janeiro
  • Floresta da Tijuca
  • Copacabana
  • Corcovado
  • Parque do Flamengo
  • Sitio do Burle Marx

While in Rio, I took one morning to walk from Humaita’ to the Jardim Botanico to take pictures of the graffiti.  They are quite amazing…check it out:

• Graffiti @ Rio set.

Take care everyone!

Now that work is slowing down due to the Holidays (and everyone is taking vacation), I will try to catch up uploading our family photos into Flickr.  Here are the first sets:

1. Lorenzo and Chloe Wall Climbing
2. Summer 2009:
   • St. Simons Island
   • Hammock Beach
   • St. Augustine
3. Atlanta Zoo

We are a bit late this year, but we finally set up our Christmas Tree.  I wonder how long it is going to take for Paolo to “clear” the bottom half of the tree.  We love the holiday season!