(7931,1,'2011-10-17 20:00:52','2011-10-18 03:00:52','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShame.  On.  Me.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies in the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt gets worse.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhat I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  That\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, did suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my cousin when he needs me.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nRhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  Another small miracle.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of epic proportions.  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning.  So even though Rome wasn\'t built in a day, I had only 1/2 a day to explore it.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-4','','','2011-10-17 20:00:52','2011-10-18 03:00:52','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7932,1,'2011-10-17 20:20:57','2011-10-18 03:20:57','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShame.  On.  Me.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies in the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt gets worse.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhat I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  That\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  Another small miracle.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions.  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore it.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from the hangover, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never seen anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval village al\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-5','','','2011-10-17 20:20:57','2011-10-18 03:20:57','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(7933,1,'2011-10-17 20:45:17','2011-10-18 03:45:17','','OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA','','inherit','open','open','','olympus-digital-camera-642','','','2011-10-17 20:45:17','2011-10-18 03:45:17','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7934,1,'2011-10-17 20:46:06','2011-10-18 03:46:06','','OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA','','inherit','open','open','','olympus-digital-camera-643','','','2011-10-17 20:46:06','2011-10-18 03:46:06','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7935,1,'2011-10-17 20:46:51','2011-10-18 03:46:51','','OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA','','inherit','open','open','','olympus-digital-camera-644','','','2011-10-17 20:46:51','2011-10-18 03:46:51','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7936,1,'2011-10-17 20:47:32','2011-10-18 03:47:32','','OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA','','inherit','open','open','','olympus-digital-camera-645','','','2011-10-17 20:47:32','2011-10-18 03:47:32','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200291.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7937,1,'2011-10-17 20:49:07','2011-10-18 03:49:07','','OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA','','inherit','open','open','','olympus-digital-camera-646','','','2011-10-17 20:49:07','2011-10-18 03:49:07','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7938,1,'2011-10-17 20:49:55','2011-10-18 03:49:55','','OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA','','inherit','open','open','','olympus-digital-camera-647','','','2011-10-17 20:49:55','2011-10-18 03:49:55','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7939,1,'2011-10-17 20:50:44','2011-10-18 03:50:44','','OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA','','inherit','open','open','','olympus-digital-camera-648','','','2011-10-17 20:50:44','2011-10-18 03:50:44','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7940,1,'2011-10-17 20:51:33','2011-10-18 03:51:33','','OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA','','inherit','open','open','','olympus-digital-camera-649','','','2011-10-17 20:51:33','2011-10-18 03:51:33','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7941,1,'2011-10-17 20:52:19','2011-10-18 03:52:19','','OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA','','inherit','open','open','','olympus-digital-camera-650','','','2011-10-17 20:52:19','2011-10-18 03:52:19','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7942,1,'2011-10-17 20:58:59','2011-10-18 03:58:59','','OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA','','inherit','open','open','','olympus-digital-camera-651','','','2011-10-17 20:58:59','2011-10-18 03:58:59','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7943,1,'2011-10-17 21:00:54','2011-10-18 04:00:54','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShame.  On.  Me.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies in the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt gets worse.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhat I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  That\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  Another small miracle.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions.  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore it.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from the hangover, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can visit through my photo portal.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe graffiti above is modern day Texas A &amp; M graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  When in Rome, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhen in Rome, my cousin and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  And since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n**********\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis concludes my Italian adventure.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-6','','','2011-10-17 21:00:54','2011-10-18 04:00:54','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(7944,1,'2011-10-17 21:01:54','2011-10-18 04:01:54','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShame.  On.  Me.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies in the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt gets worse.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhat I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  That\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAs fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #ff6600;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  Another small miracle.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions.  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore it.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from the hangover, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can visit through my photo portal.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe graffiti above is modern day Texas A &amp; M graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  When in Rome, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWhen in Rome, my cousin and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  And since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\n\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-7','','','2011-10-17 21:01:54','2011-10-18 04:01:54','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(7945,1,'2011-10-17 21:02:16','2011-10-18 04:02:16','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies in the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  That\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions.  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore it.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from the hangover, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day Texas A &amp; M graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  When in Rome, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen in Rome, my cousin and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  And since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-8','','','2011-10-17 21:02:16','2011-10-18 04:02:16','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(7946,1,'2011-10-17 21:03:28','2011-10-18 04:03:28','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies in the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  That\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions.  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore it.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from the hangover, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day Texas A &amp; M graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  When in Rome, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen in Rome, my cousin and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  And since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-9','','','2011-10-17 21:03:28','2011-10-18 04:03:28','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(7947,1,'2011-10-17 21:03:37','2011-10-18 04:03:37','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies in the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  That\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions.  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore it.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from the hangover, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day Texas A &amp; M graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  When in Rome, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen in Rome, my cousin and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  And since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-10','','','2011-10-17 21:03:37','2011-10-18 04:03:37','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(7948,1,'2011-10-17 21:38:10','2011-10-18 04:38:10','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShame.  On.  Me.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIt gets worse.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: medium;\"><strong>What I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  </strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThat\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>As fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  </strong></span>Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  That would suffice as hangover cure.  Another small miracle.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions!  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of a slice of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from my throbbing head and iffy stomach, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can cyber-visit through my photo portal.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe graffiti above is modern day <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Texas A &amp; M</span> graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  IN THE COLISEUM!!!  Where my cousin just so happened to be wearing his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAll of that sightseeing made us hungry.  Italians eat all the time, so why shouldn\'t we?  We stopped at a bar (translation:  sidewalk cafe in the States) for a light supper.  Bill and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\n\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-autosave','','','2011-10-17 21:38:10','2011-10-18 04:38:10','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(7949,1,'2011-10-17 21:04:44','2011-10-18 04:04:44','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhat I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  That\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAs fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions.  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore it.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from the hangover, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day Texas A &amp; M graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  When in Rome, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen in Rome, my cousin and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  And since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-11','','','2011-10-17 21:04:44','2011-10-18 04:04:44','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(7950,1,'2011-10-17 21:10:27','2011-10-18 04:10:27','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>What I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  </strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>As fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  </strong>Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions.  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of a slice of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from the hangover, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day Texas A &amp; M graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  When in Rome, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen in Rome, my cousin and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  And since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-12','','','2011-10-17 21:10:27','2011-10-18 04:10:27','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(7951,1,'2011-10-17 21:11:08','2011-10-18 04:11:08','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: medium;\"><strong>What I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>As fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  </strong></span>Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions.  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of a slice of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from the hangover, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day Texas A &amp; M graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  When in Rome, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen in Rome, my cousin and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  And since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-13','','','2011-10-17 21:11:08','2011-10-18 04:11:08','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(7952,1,'2011-10-17 21:13:58','2011-10-18 04:13:58','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: medium;\"><strong>What I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>As fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  </strong></span>Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions.  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of a slice of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from the hangover, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day Texas A &amp; M graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  When in Rome, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen in Rome, my cousin and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-14','','','2011-10-17 21:13:58','2011-10-18 04:13:58','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(7953,1,'2011-10-17 21:14:44','2011-10-18 04:14:44','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: medium;\"><strong>What I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>As fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  </strong></span>Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions.  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of a slice of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from the hangover, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day Texas A &amp; M graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  When in Rome, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen in Rome, my cousin and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-15','','','2011-10-17 21:14:44','2011-10-18 04:14:44','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(7954,1,'2011-10-17 21:15:25','2011-10-18 04:15:25','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: medium;\"><strong>What I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>As fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  </strong></span>Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions.  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of a slice of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from the hangover, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day Texas A &amp; M graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  When in Rome, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen in Rome, my cousin and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-16','','','2011-10-17 21:15:25','2011-10-18 04:15:25','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(7955,1,'2011-10-17 21:20:02','2011-10-18 04:20:02','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: medium;\"><strong>What I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>As fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  </strong></span>Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  That would suffice as hangover cure.  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions.  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of a slice of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from the hangover, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day Texas A &amp; M graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  When in Rome, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen in Rome, my cousin and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-17','','','2011-10-17 21:20:02','2011-10-18 04:20:02','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(7956,1,'2011-10-17 21:20:50','2011-10-18 04:20:50','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: medium;\"><strong>What I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>As fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  </strong></span>Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  That would suffice as hangover cure.  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions!  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of a slice of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from the hangover, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day Texas A &amp; M graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  When in Rome, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen in Rome, my cousin and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-18','','','2011-10-17 21:20:50','2011-10-18 04:20:50','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(7957,1,'2011-10-17 21:23:29','2011-10-18 04:23:29','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: medium;\"><strong>What I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>As fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  </strong></span>Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  That would suffice as hangover cure.  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions!  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of a slice of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from my throbbing head and iffy stomach, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can cyber-visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day Texas A &amp; M graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  When in Rome, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen in Rome, my cousin and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-19','','','2011-10-17 21:23:29','2011-10-18 04:23:29','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-19/',0,'revision','',0),(7958,1,'2011-10-17 21:26:06','2011-10-18 04:26:06','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: medium;\"><strong>What I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>As fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  </strong></span>Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  That would suffice as hangover cure.  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions!  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of a slice of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from my throbbing head and iffy stomach, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can cyber-visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day <strong>Texas A &amp; M</strong> graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  IN THE COLISEUM!!!  That day, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-20','','','2011-10-17 21:26:06','2011-10-18 04:26:06','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-20/',0,'revision','',0),(7959,1,'2011-10-17 21:26:54','2011-10-18 04:26:54','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: medium;\"><strong>What I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>As fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  </strong></span>Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  That would suffice as hangover cure.  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions!  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of a slice of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from my throbbing head and iffy stomach, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can cyber-visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day <span style=\"color: #993366;\"><strong>Texas A &amp; M</strong></span> graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  IN THE COLISEUM!!!  That day, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-21','','','2011-10-17 21:26:54','2011-10-18 04:26:54','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-21/',0,'revision','',0),(7960,1,'2011-10-17 21:27:47','2011-10-18 04:27:47','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: medium;\"><strong>What I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>As fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  </strong></span>Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  That would suffice as hangover cure.  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions!  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of a slice of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from my throbbing head and iffy stomach, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can cyber-visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day <span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>Texas A &amp; M</strong></span> graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  IN THE COLISEUM!!!  That day, my cousin just so happened to wear his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-22','','','2011-10-17 21:27:47','2011-10-18 04:27:47','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-22/',0,'revision','',0),(7961,1,'2011-10-17 21:29:19','2011-10-18 04:29:19','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: medium;\"><strong>What I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>As fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  </strong></span>Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  That would suffice as hangover cure.  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions!  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of a slice of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from my throbbing head and iffy stomach, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can cyber-visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Texas A &amp; M</span> graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  IN THE COLISEUM!!!  Where my cousin just so happened to be wearing his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-23','','','2011-10-17 21:29:19','2011-10-18 04:29:19','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-23/',0,'revision','',0),(7962,1,'2011-10-17 21:38:19','2011-10-18 04:38:19','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: medium;\"><strong>What I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>As fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  </strong></span>Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  That would suffice as hangover cure.  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions!  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of a slice of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from my throbbing head and iffy stomach, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can cyber-visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Texas A &amp; M</span> graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  IN THE COLISEUM!!!  Where my cousin just so happened to be wearing his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAll of that sightseeing made us hungry.  Italians eat all the time, so why shouldn\'t we?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe stopped at a bar (translation:  sidewalk cafe in the States) for a light supper.  Bill and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-24','','','2011-10-17 21:38:19','2011-10-18 04:38:19','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-24/',0,'revision','',0),(7963,1,'2011-10-17 21:40:16','2011-10-18 04:40:16','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: medium;\"><strong>What I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>As fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  </strong></span>Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  That would suffice as hangover cure.  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions!  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of a slice of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from my throbbing head and iffy stomach, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can cyber-visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Texas A &amp; M</span> graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  IN THE COLISEUM!!!  Where my cousin just so happened to be wearing his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nA couple days of sightseeing packed into 1/2 a day made us hungry.  Italians eat all the time, so why shouldn\'t we?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe stopped at a bar (translation:  sidewalk cafe in the States) for a light supper.  Bill and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-25','','','2011-10-17 21:40:16','2011-10-18 04:40:16','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-25/',0,'revision','',0),(7964,1,'2011-10-17 21:40:29','2011-10-18 04:40:29','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7863\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9180115-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>I mentioned previously that I consumed a bit too much (half a bottle) of my new favorite wine on Night 358.  This wine is indeed fab, so if you ever come across it, then cin cin!  (That means \"drink half a bottle\" in Italian.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRocket scientist that I was that day, I also chose to celebrate my \"feel the fear and do it anyway\" bike moment with a mojito at lunch.  And a nightcap later that evening.  And I think I may have tasted someone\'s homemade beer.  I don\'t even like beer.  But I\'m a gracious guest.  I would rather take a few sips then insult someone\'s pride and joy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDid I mention that I really don\'t drink too much or too often?  I\'m that girl who always orders water.  It drives my friend, Sarah, nuts.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCombine the day\'s sloshfest with only a few hours sleep, and you have a woman who has no business boarding a bus headed for Rome.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7926\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You know you&#39;re hungover when...you&#39;re at an autogrill in Italy and the only thing you can even think about stomaching is Pringles.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7926\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200208-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShame.  On.  Me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am an embarrassment to all Foodies across the good ol\' U.S. of A.  I misrepresented our kind, and I am truly sorry for my actions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIt gets worse.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: medium;\"><strong>What I <em>really</em> wanted more than <em>anything</em> that day was Taco Bell.  </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s right.  I would have sacrificed an entire week\'s worth of cappuccinos for two Crunchy Taco Supremes (hold the tomato, please).\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHorrific, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>As fate would have it, I was SOL because tacos don\'t exist in Italia.  I believe they are banned.  </strong></span>Along with any other ethnic cuisine that isn\'t Italian.  Except for Pringles.  The CEO\'s grandmother more than likely hails from Italy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the longest, bumpiest, and most nauseating bus ride of my life, we arrived in Roma.  Upon exiting the bus, I kissed the ground.  (Not really.  I added that for dramatic effect.  My parents, however, <em>did</em> suffer through a nightmare of a plane trip once from Cancun.  After vacating the plane, the passengers actually kissed the ground before racing to the nearest restroom.  I suppose that I should be thankful for small miracles.  It can always be worse, my friends.  It can always be worse.)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy cousins and I discussed lunch.  Bill voted for McDonald\'s.  Apparently, a junk food demon possessed my body that day.  I heard myself uttering, \"I\'ll have McDonald\'s!\"  I don\'t even like McDonald\'s.  But I am a gracious cousin who supports my kin when he needs me.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Rhonda gasped.  I thought she might grab the nearest crucifix (we were a block away from the Vatican) and shout, \"Begone, vile junk food demon!!!!\"</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead, she put her foot down and insisted on a trattoria, God bless her.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI scoped out the menu.  \"GRILLED CHEESE!!!!!\"  That would suffice as hangover cure.  Another small miracle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill carefully studied every menu item as he always does.  \"FRENCH FRIES!!!!\"  A miracle of biblical proportions!  It must have been our close proximity to the Vatican.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTime passed.  And passed.  And passed.  Italians enjoy leisurely meals.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe waiter arrived with our lunch.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis is what grilled cheese in Rome looks like:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7927\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"You got it! It&#39;s a piece of cheese that is grilled.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7927\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200229-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBill immediately looked around for our waiter.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis time, it was I who gasped, \"NO!!!!\"\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am by no means going to insult an Italian because his grilled cheese is different than my grilled cheese.  I am not going to be one of <em>those</em> Americans.  I AM A GRACIOUS GUEST!!! Even when I\'m nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life and want to cry at this point.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nInstead of crying, I turned lemons into lemonade.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7930\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\" caption=\"Or, if you want me to be literal, I turned a piece of cheese that is grilled and a hunk of bread into an American grilled cheese sandwich.\"]<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7930\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200230-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWith a full belly, I was ready to conquer the Ancient World!  I had only the rest of the afternoon.  (I would leave for the airport at 3 a.m. the next morning!)  Rome wasn\'t built in a day, and I had only 1/2 a day to explore.  Not ideal, but neither is a lack of a Taco Bell nor a piece of cheese that is grilled slapped on top of a slice of bread.  When in Rome, you make do.  It\'s Roma!!!  It\'s magnificent!!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe descended upon Ancient Rome, and I stood transfixed.  I started to cry.  Not from my throbbing head and iffy stomach, but from a sense of awe that I had never experienced.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI am from a baby country.  Since I had never been outside of North America, I had never witnessed anything of such historical depth.  Sure, I had just seen medieval villages all over Tuscany, but those remains were <em>new</em> compared to these!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIf you\'ve never been you <em>must</em> go.  Please leave more than 1/2 a day.  In the meantime, you can cyber-visit through my photo portal.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7933\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200250-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7934\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200254-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7938\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200302-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7939\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200307-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7940\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200322-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7941\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200319-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7935\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200269-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7937\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200333-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou\'re probably wondering about the final photo.  Remember when I mentioned in Day 358\'s post that Italians graffiti <em>everything,</em> and I do mean <em>everything</em>?  I learned in the coliseum that Italians have been graffiti-ing since the beginning of time.  Yes, there\'s <em>ancient</em> graffiti depicting gladiators in the coliseum!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe graffiti above is modern day <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Texas A &amp; M</span> graffiti.  Not in Texas, but in Rome.  IN THE COLISEUM!!!  Where my cousin just so happened to be wearing his Texas A &amp; M shirt.  Oh, the oddities and surprises of life!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nA couple days of sightseeing packed into 1/2 a day made us hungry.  Italians eat all the time, so why shouldn\'t we?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWe stopped at a bar (translation:  sidewalk cafe in the States) for a light supper.  Bill and I decided to order french fries for a SECOND time that day at dinner, much to Rhonda\'s horror.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7942\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9200334-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThere was no ketchup to be found.  Italians eat their french fries with mayo.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  Since we are gracious guests, we ate our french fries with mayo, too.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 359:  When In Rome...Eat French Fries with Mayo! ','','inherit','open','open','','7878-revision-26','','','2011-10-17 21:40:29','2011-10-18 04:40:29','',7878,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/7878-revision-26/',0,'revision','',0),(7965,1,'2011-10-18 19:16:09','2011-10-19 02:16:09','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/\" target=\"_blank\">You already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359. </a></strong> Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/09/10/day-349-arrivederci/\" target=\"_blank\">On the KLM flight to Italy 11 days earlier, I didn\'t sleep a wink. </a></strong> Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although now that I think of it, I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I nodded off for another 2 hours.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong></span>  Since my earplugs were not a match for Public Health Enemy #1 and her child, I needed an alternative noise-cancellation method.  I perused the movies on KLM\'s nifty personal entertainment system.  I paused when I came across the Italian movie <strong><em><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332486/\" target=\"_blank\">Baciami Ancora</a></em></strong> (<em>Kiss Me Again</em>).  I really liked the thought of an Italian man kissing me again.  So I pumped up the volume and cinematically escaped back to Italia.  Sigh . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #4:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest <strong><a href=\"http://pappasitos.com/home/\" target=\"_blank\">Pappasito\'s</a></strong>.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">God</span> <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Bless</span> <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">America</span><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">!</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','publish','open','open','','day-360-small-miracles-continued','','\nhttp://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/','2011-10-18 19:16:09','2011-10-19 02:16:09','',0,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?p=7965',0,'post','',0),(7966,1,'2011-10-18 15:07:30','2011-10-18 22:07:30','I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.  Since what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  When you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles feel','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision','','','2011-10-18 15:07:30','2011-10-18 22:07:30','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7967,1,'2011-10-18 15:09:47','2011-10-18 22:09:47','I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  When you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles seem monumental.','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-2','','','2011-10-18 15:09:47','2011-10-18 22:09:47','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(7968,1,'2011-10-18 15:17:10','2011-10-18 22:17:10','I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  When you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles are that much more . . . miraculous.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 358.  Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSmall Miracle #1:  I don\'t slee','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-3','','','2011-10-18 15:17:10','2011-10-18 22:17:10','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(7969,1,'2011-10-18 15:18:10','2011-10-18 22:18:10','I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  When you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles are that much more . . . miraculous.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 358.  Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSmall Miracle #1:  I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Air Italia flight to Amsterdam.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-4','','','2011-10-18 15:18:10','2011-10-18 22:18:10','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(7970,1,'2011-10-18 15:28:10','2011-10-18 22:28:10','I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  When you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles are that much more . . . miraculous.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 358.  Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Small Miracle #1: </strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOn the flight to Italy, I didn\'t sleep a wink.  Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong> I once again sat in the aisle seat with NO ONE IN THE MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  I\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-5','','','2011-10-18 15:28:10','2011-10-18 22:28:10','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(7971,1,'2011-10-18 15:29:10','2011-10-18 22:29:10','I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  When you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles are that much more . . . miraculous.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 358.  Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Small Miracle #1: </strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOn the flight to Italy, I didn\'t sleep a wink.  Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong> I once again sat in the aisle seat with NO ONE IN THE MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-6','','','2011-10-18 15:29:10','2011-10-18 22:29:10','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(7972,1,'2011-10-18 15:33:10','2011-10-18 22:33:10','I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  When you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles seem monumental.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 358.  Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Small Miracle #1: </strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOn the flight to Italy, I didn\'t sleep a wink.  Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to  MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-7','','','2011-10-18 15:33:10','2011-10-18 22:33:10','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(7973,1,'2011-10-18 15:35:10','2011-10-18 22:35:10','I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  When you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles seem monumental.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 358.  Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Small Miracle #1: </strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOn the flight to Italy, I didn\'t sleep a wink.  Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSmall Miracle #3:  When I am sleep deprived, I don\'t think clearly.  So when I packed my carry on at the Rome hotel,\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-8','','','2011-10-18 15:35:10','2011-10-18 22:35:10','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(7974,1,'2011-10-18 15:36:29','0000-00-00 00:00:00','','Day 360:  The Lost Footage:  Olive Oil Angel ','','draft','open','open','','','','','2011-10-18 15:36:29','2011-10-18 22:36:29','',0,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?p=7974',0,'post','',0),(7975,1,'2011-10-18 15:36:14','2011-10-18 22:36:14','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','7974-revision','','','2011-10-18 15:36:14','2011-10-18 22:36:14','',7974,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7974-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7976,1,'2011-10-18 15:51:47','2011-10-18 22:51:47','I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  When you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles seem monumental.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 358.  Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Small Miracle #1: </strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOn the flight to Italy, I didn\'t sleep a wink.  Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest Pappasito\'s.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex.  God Bless America!  (Including Mexico!)\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-9','','','2011-10-18 15:51:47','2011-10-18 22:51:47','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(7977,1,'2011-10-18 15:52:09','2011-10-18 22:52:09','I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  When you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles seem monumental.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 358.  Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Small Miracle #1: </strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOn the flight to Italy, I didn\'t sleep a wink.  Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest Pappasito\'s.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  God Bless America!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-10','','','2011-10-18 15:52:09','2011-10-18 22:52:09','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(7978,1,'2011-10-18 16:12:37','2011-10-18 23:12:37','','plane','','inherit','open','open','','plane','','','2011-10-18 16:12:37','2011-10-18 23:12:37','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(7979,1,'2011-10-18 15:52:27','2011-10-18 22:52:27','I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  When you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles seem monumental.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 358.  Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Small Miracle #1: </strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOn the flight to Italy, I didn\'t sleep a wink.  Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest Pappasito\'s.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  God Bless America!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-11','','','2011-10-18 15:52:27','2011-10-18 22:52:27','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(7980,1,'2011-10-18 16:19:27','2011-10-18 23:19:27','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  When you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles seem monumental.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359.  Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOn the flight to Italy, I didn\'t sleep a wink.  Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest Pappasito\'s.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  God Bless America\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-12','','','2011-10-18 16:19:27','2011-10-18 23:19:27','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(7981,1,'2011-10-18 18:37:37','2011-10-19 01:37:37','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  And when you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles seem monumental.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359.  Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOn the flight to Italy, I didn\'t sleep a wink.  Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest Pappasito\'s.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  God Bless America!\n\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-13','','','2011-10-18 18:37:37','2011-10-19 01:37:37','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(7982,1,'2011-10-18 18:56:41','2011-10-19 01:56:41','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  And when you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles seem monumental.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/\" target=\"_blank\">You already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359. </a></strong> Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOn the flight to Italy 11 days earlier, I didn\'t sleep a wink.  Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong>  Since my earplugs were not a match for the Public Health Enemy #1 and her child, I needed an alternative noise-cancellation method.  I perused the movies on KLM\'s nifty personal entertainment system.  I paused when I came across the Italian movie <strong><em><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332486/\" target=\"_blank\">Baciami Ancora</a></em></strong> (<em>Kiss Me Again</em>).  I really like the thought of an Italian man kissing me again.  So I pumped up the volume and cinematically escaped back to Italy.  Sigh . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #4:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest <strong><a href=\"http://pappasitos.com/home/\" target=\"_blank\">Pappasito\'s</a></strong>.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  God Bless America!\n\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-14','','','2011-10-18 18:56:41','2011-10-19 01:56:41','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(7983,1,'2011-10-18 18:56:51','2011-10-19 01:56:51','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  And when you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles seem monumental.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/\" target=\"_blank\">You already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359. </a></strong> Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOn the flight to Italy 11 days earlier, I didn\'t sleep a wink.  Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong>  Since my earplugs were not a match for the Public Health Enemy #1 and her child, I needed an alternative noise-cancellation method.  I perused the movies on KLM\'s nifty personal entertainment system.  I paused when I came across the Italian movie <strong><em><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332486/\" target=\"_blank\">Baciami Ancora</a></em></strong> (<em>Kiss Me Again</em>).  I really like the thought of an Italian man kissing me again.  So I pumped up the volume and cinematically escaped back to Italy.  Sigh . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #4:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest <strong><a href=\"http://pappasitos.com/home/\" target=\"_blank\">Pappasito\'s</a></strong>.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  God Bless America!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-15','','','2011-10-18 18:56:51','2011-10-19 01:56:51','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(7987,1,'2011-10-18 19:04:26','2011-10-19 02:04:26','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/\" target=\"_blank\">You already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359. </a></strong> Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/09/10/day-349-arrivederci/\" target=\"_blank\">On the KLM flight to Italy 11 days earlier, I didn\'t sleep a wink. </a></strong> Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong></span>  Since my earplugs were not a match for the Public Health Enemy #1 and her child, I needed an alternative noise-cancellation method.  I perused the movies on KLM\'s nifty personal entertainment system.  I paused when I came across the Italian movie <strong><em><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332486/\" target=\"_blank\">Baciami Ancora</a></em></strong> (<em>Kiss Me Again</em>).  I really like the thought of an Italian man kissing me again.  So I pumped up the volume and cinematically escaped back to Italy.  Sigh . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #4:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest <strong><a href=\"http://pappasitos.com/home/\" target=\"_blank\">Pappasito\'s</a></strong>.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  God Bless America!\n\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-19','','','2011-10-18 19:04:26','2011-10-19 02:04:26','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-19/',0,'revision','',0),(7984,1,'2011-10-18 18:58:22','2011-10-19 01:58:22','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  And when you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles seem monumental.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/\" target=\"_blank\">You already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359. </a></strong> Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nOn the flight to Italy 11 days earlier, I didn\'t sleep a wink.  Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong></span>  Since my earplugs were not a match for the Public Health Enemy #1 and her child, I needed an alternative noise-cancellation method.  I perused the movies on KLM\'s nifty personal entertainment system.  I paused when I came across the Italian movie <strong><em><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332486/\" target=\"_blank\">Baciami Ancora</a></em></strong> (<em>Kiss Me Again</em>).  I really like the thought of an Italian man kissing me again.  So I pumped up the volume and cinematically escaped back to Italy.  Sigh . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #4:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest <strong><a href=\"http://pappasitos.com/home/\" target=\"_blank\">Pappasito\'s</a></strong>.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  God Bless America!\n\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-16','','','2011-10-18 18:58:22','2011-10-19 01:58:22','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(7986,1,'2011-10-18 19:02:24','2011-10-19 02:02:24','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/\" target=\"_blank\">You already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359. </a></strong> Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/09/10/day-349-arrivederci/\" target=\"_blank\">On the flight to Italy 11 days earlier, I didn\'t sleep a wink. </a></strong> Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong></span>  Since my earplugs were not a match for the Public Health Enemy #1 and her child, I needed an alternative noise-cancellation method.  I perused the movies on KLM\'s nifty personal entertainment system.  I paused when I came across the Italian movie <strong><em><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332486/\" target=\"_blank\">Baciami Ancora</a></em></strong> (<em>Kiss Me Again</em>).  I really like the thought of an Italian man kissing me again.  So I pumped up the volume and cinematically escaped back to Italy.  Sigh . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #4:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest <strong><a href=\"http://pappasitos.com/home/\" target=\"_blank\">Pappasito\'s</a></strong>.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  God Bless America!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-18','','','2011-10-18 19:02:24','2011-10-19 02:02:24','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-18/',0,'revision','',0),(7985,1,'2011-10-18 19:01:18','2011-10-19 02:01:18','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.  And when you are sardined into a plane on a transatlantic flight (KLM makes Southwest feel like a luxury liner!), small miracles seem monumental.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/\" target=\"_blank\">You already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359. </a></strong> Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/09/10/day-349-arrivederci/\" target=\"_blank\">On the flight to Italy 11 days earlier, I didn\'t sleep a wink. </a></strong> Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong></span>  Since my earplugs were not a match for the Public Health Enemy #1 and her child, I needed an alternative noise-cancellation method.  I perused the movies on KLM\'s nifty personal entertainment system.  I paused when I came across the Italian movie <strong><em><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332486/\" target=\"_blank\">Baciami Ancora</a></em></strong> (<em>Kiss Me Again</em>).  I really like the thought of an Italian man kissing me again.  So I pumped up the volume and cinematically escaped back to Italy.  Sigh . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #4:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest <strong><a href=\"http://pappasitos.com/home/\" target=\"_blank\">Pappasito\'s</a></strong>.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  God Bless America!\n\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-17','','','2011-10-18 19:01:18','2011-10-19 02:01:18','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-17/',0,'revision','',0),(7988,1,'2011-10-18 19:06:14','2011-10-19 02:06:14','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/\" target=\"_blank\">You already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359. </a></strong> Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/09/10/day-349-arrivederci/\" target=\"_blank\">On the KLM flight to Italy 11 days earlier, I didn\'t sleep a wink. </a></strong> Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong></span>  Since my earplugs were not a match for the Public Health Enemy #1 and her child, I needed an alternative noise-cancellation method.  I perused the movies on KLM\'s nifty personal entertainment system.  I paused when I came across the Italian movie <strong><em><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332486/\" target=\"_blank\">Baciami Ancora</a></em></strong> (<em>Kiss Me Again</em>).  I really liked the thought of an Italian man kissing me again.  So I pumped up the volume and cinematically escaped back to Italia.  Sigh . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #4:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest <strong><a href=\"http://pappasitos.com/home/\" target=\"_blank\">Pappasito\'s</a></strong>.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  God Bless America!\n\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-20','','','2011-10-18 19:06:14','2011-10-19 02:06:14','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-20/',0,'revision','',0),(7989,1,'2011-10-18 19:08:48','2011-10-19 02:08:48','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/\" target=\"_blank\">You already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359. </a></strong> Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/09/10/day-349-arrivederci/\" target=\"_blank\">On the KLM flight to Italy 11 days earlier, I didn\'t sleep a wink. </a></strong> Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although now that I think of it I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong></span>  Since my earplugs were not a match for the Public Health Enemy #1 and her child, I needed an alternative noise-cancellation method.  I perused the movies on KLM\'s nifty personal entertainment system.  I paused when I came across the Italian movie <strong><em><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332486/\" target=\"_blank\">Baciami Ancora</a></em></strong> (<em>Kiss Me Again</em>).  I really liked the thought of an Italian man kissing me again.  So I pumped up the volume and cinematically escaped back to Italia.  Sigh . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #4:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest <strong><a href=\"http://pappasitos.com/home/\" target=\"_blank\">Pappasito\'s</a></strong>.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  God Bless America!\n\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-21','','','2011-10-18 19:08:48','2011-10-19 02:08:48','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-21/',0,'revision','',0),(7991,1,'2011-10-18 19:10:47','2011-10-19 02:10:47','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/\" target=\"_blank\">You already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359. </a></strong> Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/09/10/day-349-arrivederci/\" target=\"_blank\">On the KLM flight to Italy 11 days earlier, I didn\'t sleep a wink. </a></strong> Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although now that I think of it, I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong></span>  Since my earplugs were not a match for Public Health Enemy #1 and her child, I needed an alternative noise-cancellation method.  I perused the movies on KLM\'s nifty personal entertainment system.  I paused when I came across the Italian movie <strong><em><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332486/\" target=\"_blank\">Baciami Ancora</a></em></strong> (<em>Kiss Me Again</em>).  I really liked the thought of an Italian man kissing me again.  So I pumped up the volume and cinematically escaped back to Italia.  Sigh . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #4:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest <strong><a href=\"http://pappasitos.com/home/\" target=\"_blank\">Pappasito\'s</a></strong>.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  God Bless America!\n\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-23','','','2011-10-18 19:10:47','2011-10-19 02:10:47','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-23/',0,'revision','',0),(7990,1,'2011-10-18 19:08:58','2011-10-19 02:08:58','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/\" target=\"_blank\">You already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359. </a></strong> Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/09/10/day-349-arrivederci/\" target=\"_blank\">On the KLM flight to Italy 11 days earlier, I didn\'t sleep a wink. </a></strong> Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although now that I think of it, I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I slept another 2 hours.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong></span>  Since my earplugs were not a match for the Public Health Enemy #1 and her child, I needed an alternative noise-cancellation method.  I perused the movies on KLM\'s nifty personal entertainment system.  I paused when I came across the Italian movie <strong><em><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332486/\" target=\"_blank\">Baciami Ancora</a></em></strong> (<em>Kiss Me Again</em>).  I really liked the thought of an Italian man kissing me again.  So I pumped up the volume and cinematically escaped back to Italia.  Sigh . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #4:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest <strong><a href=\"http://pappasitos.com/home/\" target=\"_blank\">Pappasito\'s</a></strong>.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  God Bless America!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-22','','','2011-10-18 19:08:58','2011-10-19 02:08:58','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-22/',0,'revision','',0),(7992,1,'2011-10-18 19:13:15','2011-10-19 02:13:15','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/\" target=\"_blank\">You already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359. </a></strong> Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/09/10/day-349-arrivederci/\" target=\"_blank\">On the KLM flight to Italy 11 days earlier, I didn\'t sleep a wink. </a></strong> Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although now that I think of it, I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I nodded off for another 2 hours.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong></span>  Since my earplugs were not a match for Public Health Enemy #1 and her child, I needed an alternative noise-cancellation method.  I perused the movies on KLM\'s nifty personal entertainment system.  I paused when I came across the Italian movie <strong><em><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332486/\" target=\"_blank\">Baciami Ancora</a></em></strong> (<em>Kiss Me Again</em>).  I really liked the thought of an Italian man kissing me again.  So I pumped up the volume and cinematically escaped back to Italia.  Sigh . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #4:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest <strong><a href=\"http://pappasitos.com/home/\" target=\"_blank\">Pappasito\'s</a></strong>.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  God Bless America!\n\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-24','','','2011-10-18 19:13:15','2011-10-19 02:13:15','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-24/',0,'revision','',0),(7993,1,'2011-10-18 19:13:53','2011-10-19 02:13:53','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/\" target=\"_blank\">You already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359. </a></strong> Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/09/10/day-349-arrivederci/\" target=\"_blank\">On the KLM flight to Italy 11 days earlier, I didn\'t sleep a wink. </a></strong> Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although now that I think of it, I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I nodded off for another 2 hours.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong></span>  Since my earplugs were not a match for Public Health Enemy #1 and her child, I needed an alternative noise-cancellation method.  I perused the movies on KLM\'s nifty personal entertainment system.  I paused when I came across the Italian movie <strong><em><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332486/\" target=\"_blank\">Baciami Ancora</a></em></strong> (<em>Kiss Me Again</em>).  I really liked the thought of an Italian man kissing me again.  So I pumped up the volume and cinematically escaped back to Italia.  Sigh . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #4:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest <strong><a href=\"http://pappasitos.com/home/\" target=\"_blank\">Pappasito\'s</a></strong>.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBecause this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">God</span> <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Bless</span> <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">America</span><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">!</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-25','','','2011-10-18 19:13:53','2011-10-19 02:13:53','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-25/',0,'revision','',0),(7994,1,'2011-10-18 19:14:46','2011-10-19 02:14:46','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/\" target=\"_blank\">You already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359. </a></strong> Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/09/10/day-349-arrivederci/\" target=\"_blank\">On the KLM flight to Italy 11 days earlier, I didn\'t sleep a wink. </a></strong> Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although now that I think of it, I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I nodded off for another 2 hours.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong></span>  Since my earplugs were not a match for Public Health Enemy #1 and her child, I needed an alternative noise-cancellation method.  I perused the movies on KLM\'s nifty personal entertainment system.  I paused when I came across the Italian movie <strong><em><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332486/\" target=\"_blank\">Baciami Ancora</a></em></strong> (<em>Kiss Me Again</em>).  I really liked the thought of an Italian man kissing me again.  So I pumped up the volume and cinematically escaped back to Italia.  Sigh . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #4:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest <strong><a href=\"http://pappasitos.com/home/\" target=\"_blank\">Pappasito\'s</a></strong>.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">God</span> <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Bless</span> <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">America</span><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">!</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-26','','','2011-10-18 19:14:46','2011-10-19 02:14:46','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-26/',0,'revision','',0),(7995,1,'2011-10-18 19:15:16','2011-10-19 02:15:16','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/\" target=\"_blank\">You already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359. </a></strong> Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/09/10/day-349-arrivederci/\" target=\"_blank\">On the KLM flight to Italy 11 days earlier, I didn\'t sleep a wink. </a></strong> Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although now that I think of it, I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I nodded off for another 2 hours.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong></span>  Since my earplugs were not a match for Public Health Enemy #1 and her child, I needed an alternative noise-cancellation method.  I perused the movies on KLM\'s nifty personal entertainment system.  I paused when I came across the Italian movie <strong><em><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332486/\" target=\"_blank\">Baciami Ancora</a></em></strong> (<em>Kiss Me Again</em>).  I really liked the thought of an Italian man kissing me again.  So I pumped up the volume and cinematically escaped back to Italia.  Sigh . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #4:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest <strong><a href=\"http://pappasitos.com/home/\" target=\"_blank\">Pappasito\'s</a></strong>.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">God</span> <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Bless</span> <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">America</span><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">!</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-27','','','2011-10-18 19:15:16','2011-10-19 02:15:16','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-27/',0,'revision','',0),(7996,1,'2011-10-18 19:16:00','2011-10-19 02:16:00','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-7978 alignleft\" title=\"plane\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/plane-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" /></a>I thanked heaven for small miracles on Day 359.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSince what we put out into the universe expands, the small miracles continued on Day 360.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/17/day-359-when-in-rome-eat-french-fries-with-mayo/\" target=\"_blank\">You already heard me drone on about my physical state on Day 359. </a></strong> Too much wine and too little sleep took its toll.  What I needed was a night of hibernation.  What I received was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call for a red-eye flight.  Fantastic.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\">Small Miracle #1: </span></strong> I don\'t sleep on planes.  Ever.  Except for Day 360 when I blessedly slept for the entire 2.5 hour Alitalia flight to Amsterdam.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/09/10/day-349-arrivederci/\" target=\"_blank\">On the KLM flight to Italy 11 days earlier, I didn\'t sleep a wink. </a></strong> Because a KLM plane is a sardine can with wings, I partially shared my seat with the woman next to me.  Fun times!  On the return flight home . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #2: </strong></span> I once again sat in the aisle seat next to AN EMPTY MIDDLE SEAT!!!  When they secured the plane for takeoff, and I realized that no one would spill into my space, I thought I heard angels singing.  Although now that I think of it, I may have been hallucinating from sleep deprivation.  I nodded off for another 2 hours.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nUntil a toddler\'s blood-curdling screams penetrated my ear plugs and jolted me back to my sardine reality.  His mother\'s hacking cough EVERY FIVE MINUTES was far worse.  I wanted to ask her if she ever heard of a miraculous concoction called \"cough medicine\", but I refrained.  Instead I chose to focus on puppy dogs, rainbows, and an empty middle seat next to me.  I sprawled my leg into the middle seat space <em>just because I could.</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #3:</strong></span>  Since my earplugs were not a match for Public Health Enemy #1 and her child, I needed an alternative noise-cancellation method.  I perused the movies on KLM\'s nifty personal entertainment system.  I paused when I came across the Italian movie <strong><em><a href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332486/\" target=\"_blank\">Baciami Ancora</a></em></strong> (<em>Kiss Me Again</em>).  I really liked the thought of an Italian man kissing me again.  So I pumped up the volume and cinematically escaped back to Italia.  Sigh . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #800080;\"><strong>Small Miracle #4:</strong></span>  Arriving in my hub city of Houston, I was swooped up by Mom and Dad who whisked me away to the nearest <strong><a href=\"http://pappasitos.com/home/\" target=\"_blank\">Pappasito\'s</a></strong>.  Because this girl was STILL craving some serious Tex-Mex.  <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">God</span> <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Bless</span> <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">America</span><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">!</span></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 360:  Small Miracles Continued','','inherit','open','open','','7965-revision-28','','','2011-10-18 19:16:00','2011-10-19 02:16:00','',7965,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7965-revision-28/',0,'revision','',0),(7997,1,'2011-10-20 20:56:38','2011-10-21 03:56:38','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P91500892.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8010\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P91500892-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>What do families do when one of the clan arrives home from a Big Trip?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large; color: #008000;\"><strong>Family Foto Fest!!! </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nFor my family, they caught a glimpse into my Italian adventure.  For me, I was given the opportunity to relive the wonder of Italia before I anticlimactically crashed into The Real World.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAlthough...as fate would have it...my Real World has been more like a Fairytale since I\'ve been back.  My only complaint is that I\'m not directly under the Tuscan sun right now.  Sigh . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy family was able to look at each and every photo from Italia, and now you can, too!  I can\'t weigh down the blog page with them all, so I\'ve uploaded them to Picasa.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI haven\'t found the time since I\'ve been back to sort through the good, the bad, and the blurry.  Please excuse my digital mess.  At least it will be more of an authentic Family Foto Fest experience for you!  After all, you are like my extended family!  Awwwww....  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nVisit Italia with me at <strong><a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/latebloomer915\" target=\"_blank\">www.picasweb.google.com/latebloomer915.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 361:  Family Foto Fest','','publish','open','open','','day-361-family-foto-fest','','','2011-10-21 07:31:32','2011-10-21 14:31:32','',0,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?p=7997',0,'post','',3),(7998,1,'2011-10-18 19:21:54','2011-10-19 02:21:54','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','7997-revision','','','2011-10-18 19:21:54','2011-10-19 02:21:54','',7997,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7997-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(7999,1,'2011-10-18 19:22:42','2011-10-19 02:22:42','','Day 361:  Family Photo Share and . . . .','','inherit','open','open','','7997-revision-2','','','2011-10-18 19:22:42','2011-10-19 02:22:42','',7997,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7997-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(8000,1,'2011-10-18 19:23:01','2011-10-19 02:23:01','Add a gallery here!  :-)  Great solution!','Day 361:  Family Photo Share and . . . .','','inherit','open','open','','7997-revision-3','','','2011-10-18 19:23:01','2011-10-19 02:23:01','',7997,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/7997-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(8001,1,'2011-10-23 19:29:54','2011-10-24 02:29:54','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong><em>Editor\'s Note:  This is a guest post from Mary-Alice D. aka Mom. </em></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8019\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>Hello everyone,  I am Michelle\'s mom, Mary-Alice.  Michelle asked me to be a guest blogger for today.     So what better way to keep the magic of Tuscany simmering than to simmer a big pot of Tuscan Bean Soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home from Italy via Houston.  We had kept the grandpup, Bella, here with us while her mom was biking her way through the magic of Tuscany.  Michelle had to fly here to pick up little Bella and also spend a few days with her family.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe arrived here and was going to spend a few days with us which was a very good thing since she had a massive headache from her head colliding with the pavement in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  She needed rest and some good nourishing food.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>She told me she had tasted the best bean soup in the world in Tuscany.  Would I please make a pot of it, Momma Mia?</strong>  </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe might have said Momma Mia to add to the entire Tuscan experience.   She didn\'t yet have the exact recipe for it but Fabio 1 was working on getting it for her.  Instead she had a little cookbook that she purchased while there and surely there was a bean soup in it that we could use.  So, we opened her book, perused the recipes and found one.  A quick trip to Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck to purchase all the fresh ingredients and we were ready to cook.  We even bought several loaves of their very best Chiabatta bread to have with the luscious soup and some expensive aged Parmesan Cheese to grate on top of the soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI chopped, sautéed, simmered and made the biggest honking pot of Tuscan Bean Soup on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  The rest of the family was invited over  to eat dinner that night.  Michelle\'s younger sister, Jennie,  the World\'s Best Son-In-Law, World\'s Most Precious Granddaughter and World\'s Most Precious Grandson arrived with great anticipation and tummies waiting to be filled and partake of this Tuscan feast!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nGreat bowls of steaming soup were ladled out and set before the eager diners and then it happened.  It was not magical and it was basically tasteless!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Now I make the Portuguese version of this soup.  Portuguese babies are weaned from their mother\'s milk (mine were bottle fed) on Portuguese Bean Soup which is heaven in a bowl!  What went wrong? </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell I scanned the ingredients and I did put everything in that pot that the recipe called for.  However, there was nothing in that recipe to give it the flavor that would roll across the taste buds and make us groan with pleasure.  It was a huge disappointment!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle and I were discussing how tasteless this soup actually was and World\'s Most Precious  Grandson who I might add now towers over me overheard us.  He said, \"Nana, I didn\'t want to say anything to hurt your feelings but it really didn\'t have any taste.\"   I told him thank you for sparing my feelings but all I did was follow the recipe.  I consider myself a good cook and it really bothered me that this was such an abysmal failure!  I vowed to try and fix this soup and make it yummy.  I would go to work on it again in a day or two by adding a few magic ingredients to the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home the next day leaving me in tears because I knew I would miss her and Bella terribly.  The next time I will see them will be Christmas.  I was also very worried about her massive headache.  I wanted her to go to urgent care here but she said no and that she would see a doctor at home if she continued to feel so miserable.  We just chalked it up to a really bad case of jet lag!  Little did we know that she had suffered a concussion!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>The day after Michelle left for home I vowed to fix that soup. </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI needed to doctor it up and make it taste good.  I got out the leftover soup, poured it into my soup pot and brought it to a simmer.  I stirred in a big blob of Better  Than Boullon Chicken Base.  I opened my pantry closet up to see what else I had in there that I could add to the pot to make it speak to our taste buds.  Eureka!!!  I had a package of precooked bacon.  According to my grandson, everything tastes better with bacon.  Did you know you can even find chocolate bars with bacon!  I pulled out several slices and cut them up into bite size pieces and threw that in the pot.  It smelled divine simmering away.  I served up two bowls one for me and one for World\'s Best Husband aka Saint Larry to many of our friends and family members.  We sat down lifted the spoons to our lips and then it happened..........Magic in a bowl of hot steaming Tuscan Bean Soup......with a Portuguese twist!  Buon Appetito!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHere is the recipe for the soup which I have changed to make a much tastier version of it. Please note that when I made it I had to double it to feed the crowd at my house.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Tuscan Bean and Escarole Soup (Fajioli &amp; Scarole)</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Cannellini Beans and Escarole</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n3 large escarole heads (about 2.5 lbs.)\r\n\r\n2 cans (15 oz. each) Cannellini Beans\r\n\r\n60 ounces chicken stock (use Swanson lower sodium)\r\n\r\n2 - 3 tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Chicken Base (It can be found by the bullion in the soup aisle)\r\n\r\n1 large stalk celery chopped in small pieces\r\n\r\n1 large carrot chopped fine\r\n\r\n1 medium onion chopped fine\r\n\r\n3 large garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)\r\n\r\n1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried red Pepperoncini flakes (red pepper flakes)\r\n\r\nsalt and pepper (added to your bowl of soup)\r\n\r\n1 entire package of the precooked bacon slices cut up into bite sized pieces.  (since it is already cooked just cut them up and put in the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn a large soup pot saute\' the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until a nice golden color.  Then add the chicken stock to this and the cut up bacon.  While that is coming to a boil clean and chop up your carrot and celery.  Add that to the pot.  Let simmer one hour.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDrain and rinse your beans and add to the pot.  Simmer for 45 minutes.   When that has cooked take a potato masher or an immersion blender and puree right in the pot a small amount of the beans to make the broth a little thicker.  Don\'t puree it all just about a third or a little more.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the meantime clean your escarole by removing the outer leaves and discarding.  Wash and rinse well.  Chop up the escarole.  This looks like a tremendous amount of Escarole but believe me it will boil down to nothing.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the beans have simmered in the broth for 45 minutes and you have done the pureeing put in the escarole.  Cover and cook approx 15 - 20 minutes or until tender.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLadle into soup bowls drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt and pepper to your taste.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nServe with a nice artisan bread and a dipping oil* or bread and butter (real butter).    Don\'t ruin the experience by using margarine.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>*Dipping oil:</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSlice 3 to 4 cloves garlic\r\n\r\n1/2  tsp sea salt\r\n\r\n1 tsp. fresh ground coarse pepper\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried basil\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried rosemary\r\n\r\n1/2 cup good Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPour the olive oil in a saute\' pan.  Add the salt, ground pepper and herbs and garlic.  Saute\' until the garlic turns a nice golden color.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.  Remove the garlic and pour into a dish to serve with bread.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n**********\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle, this is a link to a picture of the Better Than Bullion Chicken Base that I used:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 362:  Can The Magic Of Tuscany Be Re-Created In A Pot Of Bean Soup?','','publish','open','open','','day-362-can-the-magic-of-tuscany-be-re-created-in-a-pot-of-bean-soup','','','2011-10-23 20:27:39','2011-10-24 03:27:39','',0,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?p=8001',0,'post','',10),(8002,1,'2011-10-18 19:33:21','2011-10-19 02:33:21','','Day 362:  ','','inherit','open','open','','8001-revision','','','2011-10-18 19:33:21','2011-10-19 02:33:21','',8001,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/8001-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(8003,1,'2011-10-18 19:34:59','2011-10-19 02:34:59','<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: x-large;\"><strong>This is a guest post from Mary-Alice aka Mom</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI have been asked to be a guest blogger for Michelle.  So what better way to keep the magic of Tuscany simmering than to simmer a big pot of Tuscan Bean Soup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle flew home from Italy via Houston.  We had kept the grandpup, Bella, here with us while her mom was biking her way through the magic of Tuscany.  Michelle had to fly here to pick up little Bella and also spend a few days with her family.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe arrived here and was going to spend a few days with us which was a very good thing since she had a massive headache from her head colliding with the pavement in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  She needed rest and some good nourishing food.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe told me she had tasted the best bean soup in the world in Tuscany.  Would I please make a pot of it, Momma Mia.  She might have said Momma Mia to add to the entire Tuscan experience.   She didn\'t yet have the exact recipe for it but Fabio 1 was working on getting it for her.  Instead she had a little cookbook that she purchased while there and surely there was a bean soup in it that we could use.  So, we opened her book, perused the recipes and found one.  A quick trip to Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck to purchase all the fresh ingredients and we were ready to cook.  We even bought several loaves of their very best Chiabatta bread to have with the luscious soup and some expensive aged Parmesan Cheese to grate on top of the soup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI chopped, sautéed, simmered and made the biggest honking pot of Tuscan Bean Soup on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  The rest of the family was invited over  to eat dinner that night.  Michelle\'s younger sister, Jennie,  the World\'s Best Son-In-Law, World\'s Most Precious Granddaughter and World\'s Most Precious Grandson arrived with great anticipation and tummies waiting to be filled and partake of this Tuscan feast!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nGreat bowls of steaming soup were ladled out and set before the eager diners and then it happened.  It was not magical and it was basically tasteless!  Now I make the Portuguese version of this soup.  Portuguese babies are weaned from their mother\'s milk (mine were bottle fed) on Portuguese Bean Soup which is heaven in a bowl!  What went wrong?  Well I scanned the ingredients and I did put everything in that pot that the recipe called for.  However, there was nothing in that recipe to give it the flavor that would roll across the taste buds and make us groan with pleasure.  It was a huge disappointment!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle and I were discussing how tasteless this soup actually was and World\'s Most Precious  Grandson who I might add now towers over me overheard us.  He said, \"Nana, I didn\'t want to say anything to hurt your feelings but it really didn\'t have any taste.\"   I told him thank you for sparing my feelings but all I did was follow the recipe.  I consider myself a good cook and it really bothered me that this was such an abysmal failure!  I vowed to try and fix this soup and make it yummy.  I would go to work on it again in a day or two by adding a few magic ingredients to the pot.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle flew home the next day leaving me in tears because I knew I would miss her and Bella terribly.  The next time I will see them will be Christmas.  I was also very worried about her massive headache.  I wanted her to go to urgent care here but she said no and that she would see a doctor at home if she continued to feel so miserable.  We just chalked it up to a really bad case of jet lag!  Little did we know that she had suffered a concussion!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe day after Michelle left for home  I vowed to fix that soup.  I needed to doctor it up and make it taste good.  I got out the leftover soup, poured it into my soup pot and brought it to a simmer.  I stirred in a big blob of Better  Than Boullon Chicken Base.  I opened my pantry closet up to see what else I had in there that I could add to the pot to make it speak to our taste buds.  Eureka!!!  I had a package of precooked bacon in there.  I pulled out several slices and cut them up into bite size pieces and threw that in the pot.  It smelled divine simmering away.  I served up two bowls one for me and one for World\'s Best Husband know as Saint Larry to many of our friends and family members.  We sat down lifted the spoons to our lips and then it happened..........Magic in a bowl of hot steaming Tuscan Bean Soup......with a Portuguese twist!  Buon Appetito!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHere is the recipe for the soup which I have changed to make a much tastier version of it. Please note that when I made it I had to double it to feed the crowd at my house.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nTuscan Bean and Escarole Soup (Fajioli &amp; Scarole)\n\nCannellini  Beans and Escarole\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIngredients:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n3 large escarole heads (about 2.5 lbs.)\n\n2 cans (15 oz. each) Cannellini Beans\n\n60 ounces chicken stock (use Swanson lower sodium)\n\n2 - 3 tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Chicken Base (It can be found by the bullion in the soup aisle)\n\n1 large stalk celery chopped in small pieces\n\n1 large carrot chopped fine\n\n1 medium onion chopped fine\n\n3 large garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)\n\n1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\n\n1 tsp dried red Pepperoncini flakes (red pepper flakes)\n\nsalt and pepper (added to your bowl of soup)\n\n1 entire package of the precooked bacon slices cut up into bite sized pieces.  (since it is already cooked just cut them up and put in the pot.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn a large soup pot saute\' the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until a nice golden color.  Then add the chicken stock to this and the cut up bacon.  While that is coming to a boil clean and chop up your carrot and celery.  Add that to the pot.  Let simmer one hour.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nDrain and rinse your beans and add to the pot.  Simmer for 45 minutes.   When that has cooked take a potato masher or an immersion blender and puree right in the pot a small amount of the beans to make the broth a little thicker.  Don\'t puree it all just about a third or a little more.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn the meantime clean your escarole by removing the outer leaves and discarding.  Wash and rinse well.  Chop up the escarole.  This looks like a tremendous amount of Escarole but believe me it will boil down to nothing.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAfter the beans have simmered in the broth for 45 minutes and you have done the pureeing put in the escarole.  Cover and cook approx 15 - 20 minutes or until tender.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nLadle into soup bowls drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt and pepper to your taste.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nServe with a nice artisan bread and a dipping oil* or bread and butter (real butter).    Don\'t ruin the experience by using margarine.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*Dipping oil:\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSlice 3 to 4 cloves garlic\n\n1/2  tsp sea salt\n\n1 tsp. fresh ground coarse pepper\n\n1 tsp dried basil\n\n1 tsp dried rosemary\n\n1/2 cup good Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPour the olive oil in a saute\' pan.  Add the salt, ground pepper and herbs and garlic.  Saute\' until the garlic turns a nice golden color.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.  Remove the garlic and pour into a dish to serve with bread.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle, this is a link to a picture of the Better Than Bullion Chicken Base that I used:\n\n&nbsp;\n\nhttp://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg','Day 362:  Can The Magic Of Tuscany Be Re-Created In A Pot Of Bean Soup?','','inherit','open','open','','8001-revision-2','','','2011-10-18 19:34:59','2011-10-19 02:34:59','',8001,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/8001-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(8004,1,'2011-10-18 19:35:03','2011-10-19 02:35:03','<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: x-large;\"><strong>This is a guest post from Mary-Alice aka Mom</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have been asked to be a guest blogger for Michelle.  So what better way to keep the magic of Tuscany simmering than to simmer a big pot of Tuscan Bean Soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home from Italy via Houston.  We had kept the grandpup, Bella, here with us while her mom was biking her way through the magic of Tuscany.  Michelle had to fly here to pick up little Bella and also spend a few days with her family.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe arrived here and was going to spend a few days with us which was a very good thing since she had a massive headache from her head colliding with the pavement in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  She needed rest and some good nourishing food.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe told me she had tasted the best bean soup in the world in Tuscany.  Would I please make a pot of it, Momma Mia.  She might have said Momma Mia to add to the entire Tuscan experience.   She didn\'t yet have the exact recipe for it but Fabio 1 was working on getting it for her.  Instead she had a little cookbook that she purchased while there and surely there was a bean soup in it that we could use.  So, we opened her book, perused the recipes and found one.  A quick trip to Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck to purchase all the fresh ingredients and we were ready to cook.  We even bought several loaves of their very best Chiabatta bread to have with the luscious soup and some expensive aged Parmesan Cheese to grate on top of the soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI chopped, sautéed, simmered and made the biggest honking pot of Tuscan Bean Soup on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  The rest of the family was invited over  to eat dinner that night.  Michelle\'s younger sister, Jennie,  the World\'s Best Son-In-Law, World\'s Most Precious Granddaughter and World\'s Most Precious Grandson arrived with great anticipation and tummies waiting to be filled and partake of this Tuscan feast!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nGreat bowls of steaming soup were ladled out and set before the eager diners and then it happened.  It was not magical and it was basically tasteless!  Now I make the Portuguese version of this soup.  Portuguese babies are weaned from their mother\'s milk (mine were bottle fed) on Portuguese Bean Soup which is heaven in a bowl!  What went wrong?  Well I scanned the ingredients and I did put everything in that pot that the recipe called for.  However, there was nothing in that recipe to give it the flavor that would roll across the taste buds and make us groan with pleasure.  It was a huge disappointment!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle and I were discussing how tasteless this soup actually was and World\'s Most Precious  Grandson who I might add now towers over me overheard us.  He said, \"Nana, I didn\'t want to say anything to hurt your feelings but it really didn\'t have any taste.\"   I told him thank you for sparing my feelings but all I did was follow the recipe.  I consider myself a good cook and it really bothered me that this was such an abysmal failure!  I vowed to try and fix this soup and make it yummy.  I would go to work on it again in a day or two by adding a few magic ingredients to the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home the next day leaving me in tears because I knew I would miss her and Bella terribly.  The next time I will see them will be Christmas.  I was also very worried about her massive headache.  I wanted her to go to urgent care here but she said no and that she would see a doctor at home if she continued to feel so miserable.  We just chalked it up to a really bad case of jet lag!  Little did we know that she had suffered a concussion!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe day after Michelle left for home  I vowed to fix that soup.  I needed to doctor it up and make it taste good.  I got out the leftover soup, poured it into my soup pot and brought it to a simmer.  I stirred in a big blob of Better  Than Boullon Chicken Base.  I opened my pantry closet up to see what else I had in there that I could add to the pot to make it speak to our taste buds.  Eureka!!!  I had a package of precooked bacon in there.  I pulled out several slices and cut them up into bite size pieces and threw that in the pot.  It smelled divine simmering away.  I served up two bowls one for me and one for World\'s Best Husband know as Saint Larry to many of our friends and family members.  We sat down lifted the spoons to our lips and then it happened..........Magic in a bowl of hot steaming Tuscan Bean Soup......with a Portuguese twist!  Buon Appetito!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHere is the recipe for the soup which I have changed to make a much tastier version of it. Please note that when I made it I had to double it to feed the crowd at my house.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTuscan Bean and Escarole Soup (Fajioli &amp; Scarole)\r\n\r\nCannellini  Beans and Escarole\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n3 large escarole heads (about 2.5 lbs.)\r\n\r\n2 cans (15 oz. each) Cannellini Beans\r\n\r\n60 ounces chicken stock (use Swanson lower sodium)\r\n\r\n2 - 3 tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Chicken Base (It can be found by the bullion in the soup aisle)\r\n\r\n1 large stalk celery chopped in small pieces\r\n\r\n1 large carrot chopped fine\r\n\r\n1 medium onion chopped fine\r\n\r\n3 large garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)\r\n\r\n1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried red Pepperoncini flakes (red pepper flakes)\r\n\r\nsalt and pepper (added to your bowl of soup)\r\n\r\n1 entire package of the precooked bacon slices cut up into bite sized pieces.  (since it is already cooked just cut them up and put in the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn a large soup pot saute\' the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until a nice golden color.  Then add the chicken stock to this and the cut up bacon.  While that is coming to a boil clean and chop up your carrot and celery.  Add that to the pot.  Let simmer one hour.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDrain and rinse your beans and add to the pot.  Simmer for 45 minutes.   When that has cooked take a potato masher or an immersion blender and puree right in the pot a small amount of the beans to make the broth a little thicker.  Don\'t puree it all just about a third or a little more.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the meantime clean your escarole by removing the outer leaves and discarding.  Wash and rinse well.  Chop up the escarole.  This looks like a tremendous amount of Escarole but believe me it will boil down to nothing.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the beans have simmered in the broth for 45 minutes and you have done the pureeing put in the escarole.  Cover and cook approx 15 - 20 minutes or until tender.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLadle into soup bowls drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt and pepper to your taste.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nServe with a nice artisan bread and a dipping oil* or bread and butter (real butter).    Don\'t ruin the experience by using margarine.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*Dipping oil:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSlice 3 to 4 cloves garlic\r\n\r\n1/2  tsp sea salt\r\n\r\n1 tsp. fresh ground coarse pepper\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried basil\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried rosemary\r\n\r\n1/2 cup good Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPour the olive oil in a saute\' pan.  Add the salt, ground pepper and herbs and garlic.  Saute\' until the garlic turns a nice golden color.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.  Remove the garlic and pour into a dish to serve with bread.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle, this is a link to a picture of the Better Than Bullion Chicken Base that I used:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nhttp://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg','Day 362:  Can The Magic Of Tuscany Be Re-Created In A Pot Of Bean Soup?','','inherit','open','open','','8001-revision-3','','','2011-10-18 19:35:03','2011-10-19 02:35:03','',8001,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/8001-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(8005,1,'2011-10-18 19:35:50','2011-10-19 02:35:50','<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: x-large;\"><strong>This is a guest post from Mary-Alice D. aka Mom</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI have been asked to be a guest blogger for Michelle.  So what better way to keep the magic of Tuscany simmering than to simmer a big pot of Tuscan Bean Soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home from Italy via Houston.  We had kept the grandpup, Bella, here with us while her mom was biking her way through the magic of Tuscany.  Michelle had to fly here to pick up little Bella and also spend a few days with her family.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe arrived here and was going to spend a few days with us which was a very good thing since she had a massive headache from her head colliding with the pavement in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  She needed rest and some good nourishing food.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe told me she had tasted the best bean soup in the world in Tuscany.  Would I please make a pot of it, Momma Mia.  She might have said Momma Mia to add to the entire Tuscan experience.   She didn\'t yet have the exact recipe for it but Fabio 1 was working on getting it for her.  Instead she had a little cookbook that she purchased while there and surely there was a bean soup in it that we could use.  So, we opened her book, perused the recipes and found one.  A quick trip to Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck to purchase all the fresh ingredients and we were ready to cook.  We even bought several loaves of their very best Chiabatta bread to have with the luscious soup and some expensive aged Parmesan Cheese to grate on top of the soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI chopped, sautéed, simmered and made the biggest honking pot of Tuscan Bean Soup on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  The rest of the family was invited over  to eat dinner that night.  Michelle\'s younger sister, Jennie,  the World\'s Best Son-In-Law, World\'s Most Precious Granddaughter and World\'s Most Precious Grandson arrived with great anticipation and tummies waiting to be filled and partake of this Tuscan feast!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nGreat bowls of steaming soup were ladled out and set before the eager diners and then it happened.  It was not magical and it was basically tasteless!  Now I make the Portuguese version of this soup.  Portuguese babies are weaned from their mother\'s milk (mine were bottle fed) on Portuguese Bean Soup which is heaven in a bowl!  What went wrong?  Well I scanned the ingredients and I did put everything in that pot that the recipe called for.  However, there was nothing in that recipe to give it the flavor that would roll across the taste buds and make us groan with pleasure.  It was a huge disappointment!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle and I were discussing how tasteless this soup actually was and World\'s Most Precious  Grandson who I might add now towers over me overheard us.  He said, \"Nana, I didn\'t want to say anything to hurt your feelings but it really didn\'t have any taste.\"   I told him thank you for sparing my feelings but all I did was follow the recipe.  I consider myself a good cook and it really bothered me that this was such an abysmal failure!  I vowed to try and fix this soup and make it yummy.  I would go to work on it again in a day or two by adding a few magic ingredients to the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home the next day leaving me in tears because I knew I would miss her and Bella terribly.  The next time I will see them will be Christmas.  I was also very worried about her massive headache.  I wanted her to go to urgent care here but she said no and that she would see a doctor at home if she continued to feel so miserable.  We just chalked it up to a really bad case of jet lag!  Little did we know that she had suffered a concussion!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe day after Michelle left for home  I vowed to fix that soup.  I needed to doctor it up and make it taste good.  I got out the leftover soup, poured it into my soup pot and brought it to a simmer.  I stirred in a big blob of Better  Than Boullon Chicken Base.  I opened my pantry closet up to see what else I had in there that I could add to the pot to make it speak to our taste buds.  Eureka!!!  I had a package of precooked bacon in there.  I pulled out several slices and cut them up into bite size pieces and threw that in the pot.  It smelled divine simmering away.  I served up two bowls one for me and one for World\'s Best Husband know as Saint Larry to many of our friends and family members.  We sat down lifted the spoons to our lips and then it happened..........Magic in a bowl of hot steaming Tuscan Bean Soup......with a Portuguese twist!  Buon Appetito!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHere is the recipe for the soup which I have changed to make a much tastier version of it. Please note that when I made it I had to double it to feed the crowd at my house.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTuscan Bean and Escarole Soup (Fajioli &amp; Scarole)\r\n\r\nCannellini  Beans and Escarole\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n3 large escarole heads (about 2.5 lbs.)\r\n\r\n2 cans (15 oz. each) Cannellini Beans\r\n\r\n60 ounces chicken stock (use Swanson lower sodium)\r\n\r\n2 - 3 tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Chicken Base (It can be found by the bullion in the soup aisle)\r\n\r\n1 large stalk celery chopped in small pieces\r\n\r\n1 large carrot chopped fine\r\n\r\n1 medium onion chopped fine\r\n\r\n3 large garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)\r\n\r\n1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried red Pepperoncini flakes (red pepper flakes)\r\n\r\nsalt and pepper (added to your bowl of soup)\r\n\r\n1 entire package of the precooked bacon slices cut up into bite sized pieces.  (since it is already cooked just cut them up and put in the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn a large soup pot saute\' the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until a nice golden color.  Then add the chicken stock to this and the cut up bacon.  While that is coming to a boil clean and chop up your carrot and celery.  Add that to the pot.  Let simmer one hour.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDrain and rinse your beans and add to the pot.  Simmer for 45 minutes.   When that has cooked take a potato masher or an immersion blender and puree right in the pot a small amount of the beans to make the broth a little thicker.  Don\'t puree it all just about a third or a little more.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the meantime clean your escarole by removing the outer leaves and discarding.  Wash and rinse well.  Chop up the escarole.  This looks like a tremendous amount of Escarole but believe me it will boil down to nothing.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the beans have simmered in the broth for 45 minutes and you have done the pureeing put in the escarole.  Cover and cook approx 15 - 20 minutes or until tender.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLadle into soup bowls drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt and pepper to your taste.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nServe with a nice artisan bread and a dipping oil* or bread and butter (real butter).    Don\'t ruin the experience by using margarine.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*Dipping oil:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSlice 3 to 4 cloves garlic\r\n\r\n1/2  tsp sea salt\r\n\r\n1 tsp. fresh ground coarse pepper\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried basil\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried rosemary\r\n\r\n1/2 cup good Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPour the olive oil in a saute\' pan.  Add the salt, ground pepper and herbs and garlic.  Saute\' until the garlic turns a nice golden color.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.  Remove the garlic and pour into a dish to serve with bread.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle, this is a link to a picture of the Better Than Bullion Chicken Base that I used:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nhttp://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg','Day 362:  Can The Magic Of Tuscany Be Re-Created In A Pot Of Bean Soup?','','inherit','open','open','','8001-revision-4','','','2011-10-18 19:35:50','2011-10-19 02:35:50','',8001,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/18/8001-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(8006,1,'2011-10-19 19:15:47','2011-10-20 02:15:47','What do families do when one of the clan arrives home from a Big Trip?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Foto Fest!!! </strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nFor my family, they caught a glimpse into my Italian adventure.  For the me, I was given the opportunity to relive the wonder of Italia before I anticlimactically crashed into The Real World.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAlthough...as fate would have it...my Real World has been more like a Fairytale since I\'ve been back.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy family was able to see all of the photos from Italia.  I can\'t capture them here on this blog page, so I\'ve uploaded them to\n\n&nbsp;','Day 361:  Family Foto Fest','','inherit','open','open','','7997-revision-4','','','2011-10-19 19:15:47','2011-10-20 02:15:47','',7997,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/19/7997-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(8007,1,'2011-10-19 21:25:37','2011-10-20 04:25:37','What do families do when one of the clan arrives home from a Big Trip?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Foto Fest!!! </strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nFor my family, they caught a glimpse into my Italian adventure.  For the me, I was given the opportunity to relive the wonder of Italia before I anticlimactically crashed into The Real World.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAlthough...as fate would have it...my Real World has been more like a Fairytale since I\'ve been back.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy family was able to see all of the photos from Italia.  I can\'t capture them here on this blog page, so I\'ve uploaded them to\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/LateBloomer915/ItaliaFirenze1\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>https://picasaweb.google.com/LateBloomer915/ItaliaFirenze1</strong></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 361:  Family Foto Fest','','inherit','open','open','','7997-revision-5','','','2011-10-19 21:25:37','2011-10-20 04:25:37','',7997,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/19/7997-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(8008,1,'2011-10-20 19:38:35','2011-10-21 02:38:35','What do families do when one of the clan arrives home from a Big Trip?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: large; color: #008000;\"><strong>Foto Fest!!! </strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nFor my family, they caught a glimpse into my Italian adventure.  For the me, I was given the opportunity to relive the wonder of Italia before I anticlimactically crashed into The Real World.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAlthough...as fate would have it...my Real World has been more like a Fairytale since I\'ve been back.  My only complaint is that I\'m not directly under the Tuscan sun right now.  Sigh . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy family was able to see all of the photos from Italia.  I can\'t weigh down the blog page with them all, so I\'ve uploaded them to Picasa.  I haven\'t found the time since I\'ve been back to sort through the good, the bad, and the blurry, so please excuse my mess.  At least it will be more of an authentic Family Foto Fest experience for you!  After all, you are like my extended family!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"https://picasaweb.google.com/LateBloomer915/ItaliaFirenze1\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>https://picasaweb.google.com/LateBloomer915/ItaliaFirenze1</strong></a>\n\n&nbsp;','Day 361:  Family Foto Fest','','inherit','open','open','','7997-revision-6','','','2011-10-20 19:38:35','2011-10-21 02:38:35','',7997,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/20/7997-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(8009,1,'2011-10-20 20:33:23','2011-10-21 03:33:23','','OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA','','inherit','open','open','','olympus-digital-camera-652','','','2011-10-20 20:33:23','2011-10-21 03:33:23','',7997,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P91500891.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8010,1,'2011-10-20 20:34:23','2011-10-21 03:34:23','','OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA','','inherit','open','open','','olympus-digital-camera-653','','','2011-10-20 20:34:23','2011-10-21 03:34:23','',7997,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P91500892.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8011,1,'2011-10-20 19:53:41','2011-10-21 02:53:41','What do families do when one of the clan arrives home from a Big Trip?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: large; color: #008000;\"><strong>Family Foto Fest!!! </strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nFor my family, they caught a glimpse into my Italian adventure.  For the me, I was given the opportunity to relive the wonder of Italia before I anticlimactically crashed into The Real World.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAlthough...as fate would have it...my Real World has been more like a Fairytale since I\'ve been back.  My only complaint is that I\'m not directly under the Tuscan sun right now.  Sigh . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy family was able to see all of the photos from Italia.  I can\'t weigh down the blog page with them all, so I\'ve uploaded them to Picasa.  I haven\'t found the time since I\'ve been back to sort through the good, the bad, and the blurry.  Please excuse my digital mess.  At least it will be more of an authentic Family Foto Fest experience for you!  After all, you are like my extended family!  Awwwww....  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\nVisit Italia with me at <strong><a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/latebloomer915\" target=\"_blank\">www.picasweb.google.com/latebloomer915.</a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>\n</strong>\n\n&nbsp;','Day 361:  Family Foto Fest','','inherit','open','open','','7997-revision-7','','','2011-10-20 19:53:41','2011-10-21 02:53:41','',7997,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/20/7997-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(8013,1,'2011-10-20 20:36:45','2011-10-21 03:36:45','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P91500892.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8010\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P91500892-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>What do families do when one of the clan arrives home from a Big Trip?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: large; color: #008000;\"><strong>Family Foto Fest!!! </strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nFor my family, they caught a glimpse into my Italian adventure.  For the me, I was given the opportunity to relive the wonder of Italia before I anticlimactically crashed into The Real World.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAlthough...as fate would have it...my Real World has been more like a Fairytale since I\'ve been back.  My only complaint is that I\'m not directly under the Tuscan sun right now.  Sigh . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy family was able to every last photos from Italia.  I can\'t weigh down the blog page with them all, so I\'ve uploaded them to Picasa.  I haven\'t found the time since I\'ve been back to sort through the good, the bad, and the blurry.  Please excuse my digital mess.  At least it will be more of an authentic Family Foto Fest experience for you!  After all, you are like my extended family!  Awwwww....  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\nVisit Italia with me at <strong><a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/latebloomer915\" target=\"_blank\">www.picasweb.google.com/latebloomer915.</a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;','Day 361:  Family Foto Fest','','inherit','open','open','','7997-revision-9','','','2011-10-20 20:36:45','2011-10-21 03:36:45','',7997,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/20/7997-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(8012,1,'2011-10-20 20:35:06','2011-10-21 03:35:06','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P91500892.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8010\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P91500892-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>What do families do when one of the clan arrives home from a Big Trip?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large; color: #008000;\"><strong>Family Foto Fest!!! </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nFor my family, they caught a glimpse into my Italian adventure.  For the me, I was given the opportunity to relive the wonder of Italia before I anticlimactically crashed into The Real World.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAlthough...as fate would have it...my Real World has been more like a Fairytale since I\'ve been back.  My only complaint is that I\'m not directly under the Tuscan sun right now.  Sigh . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy family was able to see all of the photos from Italia.  I can\'t weigh down the blog page with them all, so I\'ve uploaded them to Picasa.  I haven\'t found the time since I\'ve been back to sort through the good, the bad, and the blurry.  Please excuse my digital mess.  At least it will be more of an authentic Family Foto Fest experience for you!  After all, you are like my extended family!  Awwwww....  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nVisit Italia with me at <strong><a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/latebloomer915\" target=\"_blank\">www.picasweb.google.com/latebloomer915.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 361:  Family Foto Fest','','inherit','open','open','','7997-revision-8','','','2011-10-20 20:35:06','2011-10-21 03:35:06','',7997,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/20/7997-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(8014,1,'2011-10-20 20:37:06','2011-10-21 03:37:06','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P91500892.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8010\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P91500892-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>What do families do when one of the clan arrives home from a Big Trip?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large; color: #008000;\"><strong>Family Foto Fest!!! </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nFor my family, they caught a glimpse into my Italian adventure.  For the me, I was given the opportunity to relive the wonder of Italia before I anticlimactically crashed into The Real World.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAlthough...as fate would have it...my Real World has been more like a Fairytale since I\'ve been back.  My only complaint is that I\'m not directly under the Tuscan sun right now.  Sigh . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy family was able to each and every photo from Italia, and now you can, too!  I can\'t weigh down the blog page with them all, so I\'ve uploaded them to Picasa.  I haven\'t found the time since I\'ve been back to sort through the good, the bad, and the blurry.  Please excuse my digital mess.  At least it will be more of an authentic Family Foto Fest experience for you!  After all, you are like my extended family!  Awwwww....  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nVisit Italia with me at <strong><a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/latebloomer915\" target=\"_blank\">www.picasweb.google.com/latebloomer915.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 361:  Family Foto Fest','','inherit','open','open','','7997-revision-10','','','2011-10-20 20:37:06','2011-10-21 03:37:06','',7997,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/20/7997-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(8015,1,'2011-10-20 20:38:48','2011-10-21 03:38:48','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P91500892.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8010\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P91500892-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>What do families do when one of the clan arrives home from a Big Trip?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: large; color: #008000;\"><strong>Family Foto Fest!!! </strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nFor my family, they caught a glimpse into my Italian adventure.  For the me, I was given the opportunity to relive the wonder of Italia before I anticlimactically crashed into The Real World.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAlthough...as fate would have it...my Real World has been more like a Fairytale since I\'ve been back.  My only complaint is that I\'m not directly under the Tuscan sun right now.  Sigh . . . .\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy family was able to each and every photo from Italia, and now you can, too!  I can\'t weigh down the blog page with them all, so I\'ve uploaded them to Picasa.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI haven\'t found the time since I\'ve been back to sort through the good, the bad, and the blurry.  Please excuse my digital mess.  At least it will be more of an authentic Family Foto Fest experience for you!  After all, you are like my extended family!  Awwwww....  :-D\n\n&nbsp;\n\nVisit Italia with me at <strong><a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/latebloomer915\" target=\"_blank\">www.picasweb.google.com/latebloomer915.</a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;','Day 361:  Family Foto Fest','','inherit','open','open','','7997-revision-11','','','2011-10-20 20:38:48','2011-10-21 03:38:48','',7997,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/20/7997-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(8016,1,'2011-10-20 20:56:38','2011-10-21 03:56:38','<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P91500892.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8010\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P91500892-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>What do families do when one of the clan arrives home from a Big Trip?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: large; color: #008000;\"><strong>Family Foto Fest!!! </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nFor my family, they caught a glimpse into my Italian adventure.  For the me, I was given the opportunity to relive the wonder of Italia before I anticlimactically crashed into The Real World.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAlthough...as fate would have it...my Real World has been more like a Fairytale since I\'ve been back.  My only complaint is that I\'m not directly under the Tuscan sun right now.  Sigh . . . .\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy family was able to each and every photo from Italia, and now you can, too!  I can\'t weigh down the blog page with them all, so I\'ve uploaded them to Picasa.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI haven\'t found the time since I\'ve been back to sort through the good, the bad, and the blurry.  Please excuse my digital mess.  At least it will be more of an authentic Family Foto Fest experience for you!  After all, you are like my extended family!  Awwwww....  :-D\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nVisit Italia with me at <strong><a href=\"http://picasaweb.google.com/latebloomer915\" target=\"_blank\">www.picasweb.google.com/latebloomer915.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 361:  Family Foto Fest','','inherit','open','open','','7997-revision-12','','','2011-10-20 20:56:38','2011-10-21 03:56:38','',7997,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/20/7997-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(8018,1,'2011-10-23 19:16:20','2011-10-24 02:16:20','<strong><em>Editor\'s Note:  This is a guest post Mary-Alice D. aka Mom. </em></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHello everyone,  I am Michelle\'s mom, Mary-Alice.  Michelle asked me to be a guest blogger for today.     So what better way to keep the magic of Tuscany simmering than to simmer a big pot of Tuscan Bean Soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home from Italy via Houston.  We had kept the grandpup, Bella, here with us while her mom was biking her way through the magic of Tuscany.  Michelle had to fly here to pick up little Bella and also spend a few days with her family.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe arrived here and was going to spend a few days with us which was a very good thing since she had a massive headache from her head colliding with the pavement in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  She needed rest and some good nourishing food.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe told me she had tasted the best bean soup in the world in Tuscany.  Would I please make a pot of it, Momma Mia.  She might have said Momma Mia to add to the entire Tuscan experience.   She didn\'t yet have the exact recipe for it but Fabio 1 was working on getting it for her.  Instead she had a little cookbook that she purchased while there and surely there was a bean soup in it that we could use.  So, we opened her book, perused the recipes and found one.  A quick trip to Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck to purchase all the fresh ingredients and we were ready to cook.  We even bought several loaves of their very best Chiabatta bread to have with the luscious soup and some expensive aged Parmesan Cheese to grate on top of the soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI chopped, sautéed, simmered and made the biggest honking pot of Tuscan Bean Soup on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  The rest of the family was invited over  to eat dinner that night.  Michelle\'s younger sister, Jennie,  the World\'s Best Son-In-Law, World\'s Most Precious Granddaughter and World\'s Most Precious Grandson arrived with great anticipation and tummies waiting to be filled and partake of this Tuscan feast!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nGreat bowls of steaming soup were ladled out and set before the eager diners and then it happened.  It was not magical and it was basically tasteless!  Now I make the Portuguese version of this soup.  Portuguese babies are weaned from their mother\'s milk (mine were bottle fed) on Portuguese Bean Soup which is heaven in a bowl!  What went wrong?  Well I scanned the ingredients and I did put everything in that pot that the recipe called for.  However, there was nothing in that recipe to give it the flavor that would roll across the taste buds and make us groan with pleasure.  It was a huge disappointment!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle and I were discussing how tasteless this soup actually was and World\'s Most Precious  Grandson who I might add now towers over me overheard us.  He said, \"Nana, I didn\'t want to say anything to hurt your feelings but it really didn\'t have any taste.\"   I told him thank you for sparing my feelings but all I did was follow the recipe.  I consider myself a good cook and it really bothered me that this was such an abysmal failure!  I vowed to try and fix this soup and make it yummy.  I would go to work on it again in a day or two by adding a few magic ingredients to the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home the next day leaving me in tears because I knew I would miss her and Bella terribly.  The next time I will see them will be Christmas.  I was also very worried about her massive headache.  I wanted her to go to urgent care here but she said no and that she would see a doctor at home if she continued to feel so miserable.  We just chalked it up to a really bad case of jet lag!  Little did we know that she had suffered a concussion!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe day after Michelle left for home  I vowed to fix that soup.  I needed to doctor it up and make it taste good.  I got out the leftover soup, poured it into my soup pot and brought it to a simmer.  I stirred in a big blob of Better  Than Boullon Chicken Base.  I opened my pantry closet up to see what else I had in there that I could add to the pot to make it speak to our taste buds.  Eureka!!!  I had a package of precooked bacon.  According to my grandson, everything tastes better with bacon.  Did you know you can even find chocolate bars with bacon!  I pulled out several slices and cut them up into bite size pieces and threw that in the pot.  It smelled divine simmering away.  I served up two bowls one for me and one for World\'s Best Husband aka Saint Larry to many of our friends and family members.  We sat down lifted the spoons to our lips and then it happened..........Magic in a bowl of hot steaming Tuscan Bean Soup......with a Portuguese twist!  Buon Appetito!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHere is the recipe for the soup which I have changed to make a much tastier version of it. Please note that when I made it I had to double it to feed the crowd at my house.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Tuscan Bean and Escarole Soup (Fajioli &amp; Scarole)</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Cannellini Beans and Escarole</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n3 large escarole heads (about 2.5 lbs.)\r\n\r\n2 cans (15 oz. each) Cannellini Beans\r\n\r\n60 ounces chicken stock (use Swanson lower sodium)\r\n\r\n2 - 3 tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Chicken Base (It can be found by the bullion in the soup aisle)\r\n\r\n1 large stalk celery chopped in small pieces\r\n\r\n1 large carrot chopped fine\r\n\r\n1 medium onion chopped fine\r\n\r\n3 large garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)\r\n\r\n1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried red Pepperoncini flakes (red pepper flakes)\r\n\r\nsalt and pepper (added to your bowl of soup)\r\n\r\n1 entire package of the precooked bacon slices cut up into bite sized pieces.  (since it is already cooked just cut them up and put in the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn a large soup pot saute\' the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until a nice golden color.  Then add the chicken stock to this and the cut up bacon.  While that is coming to a boil clean and chop up your carrot and celery.  Add that to the pot.  Let simmer one hour.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDrain and rinse your beans and add to the pot.  Simmer for 45 minutes.   When that has cooked take a potato masher or an immersion blender and puree right in the pot a small amount of the beans to make the broth a little thicker.  Don\'t puree it all just about a third or a little more.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the meantime clean your escarole by removing the outer leaves and discarding.  Wash and rinse well.  Chop up the escarole.  This looks like a tremendous amount of Escarole but believe me it will boil down to nothing.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the beans have simmered in the broth for 45 minutes and you have done the pureeing put in the escarole.  Cover and cook approx 15 - 20 minutes or until tender.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLadle into soup bowls drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt and pepper to your taste.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nServe with a nice artisan bread and a dipping oil* or bread and butter (real butter).    Don\'t ruin the experience by using margarine.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n*Dipping oil:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSlice 3 to 4 cloves garlic\r\n\r\n1/2  tsp sea salt\r\n\r\n1 tsp. fresh ground coarse pepper\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried basil\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried rosemary\r\n\r\n1/2 cup good Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPour the olive oil in a saute\' pan.  Add the salt, ground pepper and herbs and garlic.  Saute\' until the garlic turns a nice golden color.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.  Remove the garlic and pour into a dish to serve with bread.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n**********\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle, this is a link to a picture of the Better Than Bullion Chicken Base that I used:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nhttp://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg','Day 362:  Can The Magic Of Tuscany Be Re-Created In A Pot Of Bean Soup?','','inherit','open','open','','8001-revision-6','','','2011-10-23 19:16:20','2011-10-24 02:16:20','',8001,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/23/8001-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(8019,1,'2011-10-23 19:18:44','2011-10-24 02:18:44','','OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA','','inherit','open','open','','olympus-digital-camera-654','','','2011-10-23 19:18:44','2011-10-24 02:18:44','',8001,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(8020,1,'2011-10-23 19:19:08','2011-10-24 02:19:08','<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong><em>Editor\'s Note:  This is a guest post Mary-Alice D. aka Mom. </em></strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8019\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>Hello everyone,  I am Michelle\'s mom, Mary-Alice.  Michelle asked me to be a guest blogger for today.     So what better way to keep the magic of Tuscany simmering than to simmer a big pot of Tuscan Bean Soup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle flew home from Italy via Houston.  We had kept the grandpup, Bella, here with us while her mom was biking her way through the magic of Tuscany.  Michelle had to fly here to pick up little Bella and also spend a few days with her family.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe arrived here and was going to spend a few days with us which was a very good thing since she had a massive headache from her head colliding with the pavement in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  She needed rest and some good nourishing food.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe told me she had tasted the best bean soup in the world in Tuscany.  Would I please make a pot of it, Momma Mia.  She might have said Momma Mia to add to the entire Tuscan experience.   She didn\'t yet have the exact recipe for it but Fabio 1 was working on getting it for her.  Instead she had a little cookbook that she purchased while there and surely there was a bean soup in it that we could use.  So, we opened her book, perused the recipes and found one.  A quick trip to Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck to purchase all the fresh ingredients and we were ready to cook.  We even bought several loaves of their very best Chiabatta bread to have with the luscious soup and some expensive aged Parmesan Cheese to grate on top of the soup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI chopped, sautéed, simmered and made the biggest honking pot of Tuscan Bean Soup on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  The rest of the family was invited over  to eat dinner that night.  Michelle\'s younger sister, Jennie,  the World\'s Best Son-In-Law, World\'s Most Precious Granddaughter and World\'s Most Precious Grandson arrived with great anticipation and tummies waiting to be filled and partake of this Tuscan feast!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nGreat bowls of steaming soup were ladled out and set before the eager diners and then it happened.  It was not magical and it was basically tasteless!  Now I make the Portuguese version of this soup.  Portuguese babies are weaned from their mother\'s milk (mine were bottle fed) on Portuguese Bean Soup which is heaven in a bowl!  What went wrong?  Well I scanned the ingredients and I did put everything in that pot that the recipe called for.  However, there was nothing in that recipe to give it the flavor that would roll across the taste buds and make us groan with pleasure.  It was a huge disappointment!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle and I were discussing how tasteless this soup actually was and World\'s Most Precious  Grandson who I might add now towers over me overheard us.  He said, \"Nana, I didn\'t want to say anything to hurt your feelings but it really didn\'t have any taste.\"   I told him thank you for sparing my feelings but all I did was follow the recipe.  I consider myself a good cook and it really bothered me that this was such an abysmal failure!  I vowed to try and fix this soup and make it yummy.  I would go to work on it again in a day or two by adding a few magic ingredients to the pot.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle flew home the next day leaving me in tears because I knew I would miss her and Bella terribly.  The next time I will see them will be Christmas.  I was also very worried about her massive headache.  I wanted her to go to urgent care here but she said no and that she would see a doctor at home if she continued to feel so miserable.  We just chalked it up to a really bad case of jet lag!  Little did we know that she had suffered a concussion!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe day after Michelle left for home  I vowed to fix that soup.  I needed to doctor it up and make it taste good.  I got out the leftover soup, poured it into my soup pot and brought it to a simmer.  I stirred in a big blob of Better  Than Boullon Chicken Base.  I opened my pantry closet up to see what else I had in there that I could add to the pot to make it speak to our taste buds.  Eureka!!!  I had a package of precooked bacon.  According to my grandson, everything tastes better with bacon.  Did you know you can even find chocolate bars with bacon!  I pulled out several slices and cut them up into bite size pieces and threw that in the pot.  It smelled divine simmering away.  I served up two bowls one for me and one for World\'s Best Husband aka Saint Larry to many of our friends and family members.  We sat down lifted the spoons to our lips and then it happened..........Magic in a bowl of hot steaming Tuscan Bean Soup......with a Portuguese twist!  Buon Appetito!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHere is the recipe for the soup which I have changed to make a much tastier version of it. Please note that when I made it I had to double it to feed the crowd at my house.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Tuscan Bean and Escarole Soup (Fajioli &amp; Scarole)</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Cannellini Beans and Escarole</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIngredients:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n3 large escarole heads (about 2.5 lbs.)\n\n2 cans (15 oz. each) Cannellini Beans\n\n60 ounces chicken stock (use Swanson lower sodium)\n\n2 - 3 tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Chicken Base (It can be found by the bullion in the soup aisle)\n\n1 large stalk celery chopped in small pieces\n\n1 large carrot chopped fine\n\n1 medium onion chopped fine\n\n3 large garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)\n\n1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\n\n1 tsp dried red Pepperoncini flakes (red pepper flakes)\n\nsalt and pepper (added to your bowl of soup)\n\n1 entire package of the precooked bacon slices cut up into bite sized pieces.  (since it is already cooked just cut them up and put in the pot.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn a large soup pot saute\' the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until a nice golden color.  Then add the chicken stock to this and the cut up bacon.  While that is coming to a boil clean and chop up your carrot and celery.  Add that to the pot.  Let simmer one hour.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nDrain and rinse your beans and add to the pot.  Simmer for 45 minutes.   When that has cooked take a potato masher or an immersion blender and puree right in the pot a small amount of the beans to make the broth a little thicker.  Don\'t puree it all just about a third or a little more.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn the meantime clean your escarole by removing the outer leaves and discarding.  Wash and rinse well.  Chop up the escarole.  This looks like a tremendous amount of Escarole but believe me it will boil down to nothing.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAfter the beans have simmered in the broth for 45 minutes and you have done the pureeing put in the escarole.  Cover and cook approx 15 - 20 minutes or until tender.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nLadle into soup bowls drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt and pepper to your taste.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nServe with a nice artisan bread and a dipping oil* or bread and butter (real butter).    Don\'t ruin the experience by using margarine.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n*Dipping oil:\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSlice 3 to 4 cloves garlic\n\n1/2  tsp sea salt\n\n1 tsp. fresh ground coarse pepper\n\n1 tsp dried basil\n\n1 tsp dried rosemary\n\n1/2 cup good Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPour the olive oil in a saute\' pan.  Add the salt, ground pepper and herbs and garlic.  Saute\' until the garlic turns a nice golden color.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.  Remove the garlic and pour into a dish to serve with bread.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n**********\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle, this is a link to a picture of the Better Than Bullion Chicken Base that I used:\n\n&nbsp;\n\nhttp://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg','Day 362:  Can The Magic Of Tuscany Be Re-Created In A Pot Of Bean Soup?','','inherit','open','open','','8001-revision-7','','','2011-10-23 19:19:08','2011-10-24 02:19:08','',8001,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/23/8001-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(8021,1,'2011-10-23 19:23:08','2011-10-24 02:23:08','<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong><em>Editor\'s Note:  This is a guest post Mary-Alice D. aka Mom. </em></strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8019\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>Hello everyone,  I am Michelle\'s mom, Mary-Alice.  Michelle asked me to be a guest blogger for today.     So what better way to keep the magic of Tuscany simmering than to simmer a big pot of Tuscan Bean Soup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle flew home from Italy via Houston.  We had kept the grandpup, Bella, here with us while her mom was biking her way through the magic of Tuscany.  Michelle had to fly here to pick up little Bella and also spend a few days with her family.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe arrived here and was going to spend a few days with us which was a very good thing since she had a massive headache from her head colliding with the pavement in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  She needed rest and some good nourishing food.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>She told me she had tasted the best bean soup in the world in Tuscany.  Would I please make a pot of it, Momma Mia?</strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe might have said Momma Mia to add to the entire Tuscan experience.   She didn\'t yet have the exact recipe for it but Fabio 1 was working on getting it for her.  Instead she had a little cookbook that she purchased while there and surely there was a bean soup in it that we could use.  So, we opened her book, perused the recipes and found one.  A quick trip to Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck to purchase all the fresh ingredients and we were ready to cook.  We even bought several loaves of their very best Chiabatta bread to have with the luscious soup and some expensive aged Parmesan Cheese to grate on top of the soup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI chopped, sautéed, simmered and made the biggest honking pot of Tuscan Bean Soup on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  The rest of the family was invited over  to eat dinner that night.  Michelle\'s younger sister, Jennie,  the World\'s Best Son-In-Law, World\'s Most Precious Granddaughter and World\'s Most Precious Grandson arrived with great anticipation and tummies waiting to be filled and partake of this Tuscan feast!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nGreat bowls of steaming soup were ladled out and set before the eager diners and then it happened.  It was not magical and it was basically tasteless!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>Now I make the Portuguese version of this soup.  Portuguese babies are weaned from their mother\'s milk (mine were bottle fed) on Portuguese Bean Soup which is heaven in a bowl!  What went wrong? </strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWell I scanned the ingredients and I did put everything in that pot that the recipe called for.  However, there was nothing in that recipe to give it the flavor that would roll across the taste buds and make us groan with pleasure.  It was a huge disappointment!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle and I were discussing how tasteless this soup actually was and World\'s Most Precious  Grandson who I might add now towers over me overheard us.  He said, \"Nana, I didn\'t want to say anything to hurt your feelings but it really didn\'t have any taste.\"   I told him thank you for sparing my feelings but all I did was follow the recipe.  I consider myself a good cook and it really bothered me that this was such an abysmal failure!  I vowed to try and fix this soup and make it yummy.  I would go to work on it again in a day or two by adding a few magic ingredients to the pot.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle flew home the next day leaving me in tears because I knew I would miss her and Bella terribly.  The next time I will see them will be Christmas.  I was also very worried about her massive headache.  I wanted her to go to urgent care here but she said no and that she would see a doctor at home if she continued to feel so miserable.  We just chalked it up to a really bad case of jet lag!  Little did we know that she had suffered a concussion!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>The day after Michelle left for home  I vowed to fix that soup. </strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI needed to doctor it up and make it taste good.  I got out the leftover soup, poured it into my soup pot and brought it to a simmer.  I stirred in a big blob of Better  Than Boullon Chicken Base.  I opened my pantry closet up to see what else I had in there that I could add to the pot to make it speak to our taste buds.  Eureka!!!  I had a package of precooked bacon.  According to my grandson, everything tastes better with bacon.  Did you know you can even find chocolate bars with bacon!  I pulled out several slices and cut them up into bite size pieces and threw that in the pot.  It smelled divine simmering away.  I served up two bowls one for me and one for World\'s Best Husband aka Saint Larry to many of our friends and family members.  We sat down lifted the spoons to our lips and then it happened..........Magic in a bowl of hot steaming Tuscan Bean Soup......with a Portuguese twist!  Buon Appetito!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHere is the recipe for the soup which I have changed to make a much tastier version of it. Please note that when I made it I had to double it to feed the crowd at my house.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Tuscan Bean and Escarole Soup (Fajioli &amp; Scarole)</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Cannellini Beans and Escarole</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIngredients:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n3 large escarole heads (about 2.5 lbs.)\n\n2 cans (15 oz. each) Cannellini Beans\n\n60 ounces chicken stock (use Swanson lower sodium)\n\n2 - 3 tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Chicken Base (It can be found by the bullion in the soup aisle)\n\n1 large stalk celery chopped in small pieces\n\n1 large carrot chopped fine\n\n1 medium onion chopped fine\n\n3 large garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)\n\n1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\n\n1 tsp dried red Pepperoncini flakes (red pepper flakes)\n\nsalt and pepper (added to your bowl of soup)\n\n1 entire package of the precooked bacon slices cut up into bite sized pieces.  (since it is already cooked just cut them up and put in the pot.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn a large soup pot saute\' the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until a nice golden color.  Then add the chicken stock to this and the cut up bacon.  While that is coming to a boil clean and chop up your carrot and celery.  Add that to the pot.  Let simmer one hour.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nDrain and rinse your beans and add to the pot.  Simmer for 45 minutes.   When that has cooked take a potato masher or an immersion blender and puree right in the pot a small amount of the beans to make the broth a little thicker.  Don\'t puree it all just about a third or a little more.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn the meantime clean your escarole by removing the outer leaves and discarding.  Wash and rinse well.  Chop up the escarole.  This looks like a tremendous amount of Escarole but believe me it will boil down to nothing.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAfter the beans have simmered in the broth for 45 minutes and you have done the pureeing put in the escarole.  Cover and cook approx 15 - 20 minutes or until tender.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nLadle into soup bowls drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt and pepper to your taste.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nServe with a nice artisan bread and a dipping oil* or bread and butter (real butter).    Don\'t ruin the experience by using margarine.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong>*Dipping oil:</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSlice 3 to 4 cloves garlic\n\n1/2  tsp sea salt\n\n1 tsp. fresh ground coarse pepper\n\n1 tsp dried basil\n\n1 tsp dried rosemary\n\n1/2 cup good Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPour the olive oil in a saute\' pan.  Add the salt, ground pepper and herbs and garlic.  Saute\' until the garlic turns a nice golden color.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.  Remove the garlic and pour into a dish to serve with bread.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n**********\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle, this is a link to a picture of the Better Than Bullion Chicken Base that I used:\n\n&nbsp;\n\nhttp://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg','Day 362:  Can The Magic Of Tuscany Be Re-Created In A Pot Of Bean Soup?','','inherit','open','open','','8001-revision-8','','','2011-10-23 19:23:08','2011-10-24 02:23:08','',8001,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/23/8001-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(8022,1,'2011-10-23 19:23:46','2011-10-24 02:23:46','<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong><em>Editor\'s Note:  This is a guest post Mary-Alice D. aka Mom. </em></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8019\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>Hello everyone,  I am Michelle\'s mom, Mary-Alice.  Michelle asked me to be a guest blogger for today.     So what better way to keep the magic of Tuscany simmering than to simmer a big pot of Tuscan Bean Soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home from Italy via Houston.  We had kept the grandpup, Bella, here with us while her mom was biking her way through the magic of Tuscany.  Michelle had to fly here to pick up little Bella and also spend a few days with her family.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe arrived here and was going to spend a few days with us which was a very good thing since she had a massive headache from her head colliding with the pavement in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  She needed rest and some good nourishing food.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>She told me she had tasted the best bean soup in the world in Tuscany.  Would I please make a pot of it, Momma Mia?</strong>  </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe might have said Momma Mia to add to the entire Tuscan experience.   She didn\'t yet have the exact recipe for it but Fabio 1 was working on getting it for her.  Instead she had a little cookbook that she purchased while there and surely there was a bean soup in it that we could use.  So, we opened her book, perused the recipes and found one.  A quick trip to Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck to purchase all the fresh ingredients and we were ready to cook.  We even bought several loaves of their very best Chiabatta bread to have with the luscious soup and some expensive aged Parmesan Cheese to grate on top of the soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI chopped, sautéed, simmered and made the biggest honking pot of Tuscan Bean Soup on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  The rest of the family was invited over  to eat dinner that night.  Michelle\'s younger sister, Jennie,  the World\'s Best Son-In-Law, World\'s Most Precious Granddaughter and World\'s Most Precious Grandson arrived with great anticipation and tummies waiting to be filled and partake of this Tuscan feast!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nGreat bowls of steaming soup were ladled out and set before the eager diners and then it happened.  It was not magical and it was basically tasteless!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Now I make the Portuguese version of this soup.  Portuguese babies are weaned from their mother\'s milk (mine were bottle fed) on Portuguese Bean Soup which is heaven in a bowl!  What went wrong? </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell I scanned the ingredients and I did put everything in that pot that the recipe called for.  However, there was nothing in that recipe to give it the flavor that would roll across the taste buds and make us groan with pleasure.  It was a huge disappointment!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle and I were discussing how tasteless this soup actually was and World\'s Most Precious  Grandson who I might add now towers over me overheard us.  He said, \"Nana, I didn\'t want to say anything to hurt your feelings but it really didn\'t have any taste.\"   I told him thank you for sparing my feelings but all I did was follow the recipe.  I consider myself a good cook and it really bothered me that this was such an abysmal failure!  I vowed to try and fix this soup and make it yummy.  I would go to work on it again in a day or two by adding a few magic ingredients to the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home the next day leaving me in tears because I knew I would miss her and Bella terribly.  The next time I will see them will be Christmas.  I was also very worried about her massive headache.  I wanted her to go to urgent care here but she said no and that she would see a doctor at home if she continued to feel so miserable.  We just chalked it up to a really bad case of jet lag!  Little did we know that she had suffered a concussion!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>The day after Michelle left for home  I vowed to fix that soup. </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI needed to doctor it up and make it taste good.  I got out the leftover soup, poured it into my soup pot and brought it to a simmer.  I stirred in a big blob of Better  Than Boullon Chicken Base.  I opened my pantry closet up to see what else I had in there that I could add to the pot to make it speak to our taste buds.  Eureka!!!  I had a package of precooked bacon.  According to my grandson, everything tastes better with bacon.  Did you know you can even find chocolate bars with bacon!  I pulled out several slices and cut them up into bite size pieces and threw that in the pot.  It smelled divine simmering away.  I served up two bowls one for me and one for World\'s Best Husband aka Saint Larry to many of our friends and family members.  We sat down lifted the spoons to our lips and then it happened..........Magic in a bowl of hot steaming Tuscan Bean Soup......with a Portuguese twist!  Buon Appetito!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHere is the recipe for the soup which I have changed to make a much tastier version of it. Please note that when I made it I had to double it to feed the crowd at my house.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Tuscan Bean and Escarole Soup (Fajioli &amp; Scarole)</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Cannellini Beans and Escarole</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n3 large escarole heads (about 2.5 lbs.)\r\n\r\n2 cans (15 oz. each) Cannellini Beans\r\n\r\n60 ounces chicken stock (use Swanson lower sodium)\r\n\r\n2 - 3 tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Chicken Base (It can be found by the bullion in the soup aisle)\r\n\r\n1 large stalk celery chopped in small pieces\r\n\r\n1 large carrot chopped fine\r\n\r\n1 medium onion chopped fine\r\n\r\n3 large garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)\r\n\r\n1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried red Pepperoncini flakes (red pepper flakes)\r\n\r\nsalt and pepper (added to your bowl of soup)\r\n\r\n1 entire package of the precooked bacon slices cut up into bite sized pieces.  (since it is already cooked just cut them up and put in the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn a large soup pot saute\' the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until a nice golden color.  Then add the chicken stock to this and the cut up bacon.  While that is coming to a boil clean and chop up your carrot and celery.  Add that to the pot.  Let simmer one hour.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDrain and rinse your beans and add to the pot.  Simmer for 45 minutes.   When that has cooked take a potato masher or an immersion blender and puree right in the pot a small amount of the beans to make the broth a little thicker.  Don\'t puree it all just about a third or a little more.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the meantime clean your escarole by removing the outer leaves and discarding.  Wash and rinse well.  Chop up the escarole.  This looks like a tremendous amount of Escarole but believe me it will boil down to nothing.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the beans have simmered in the broth for 45 minutes and you have done the pureeing put in the escarole.  Cover and cook approx 15 - 20 minutes or until tender.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLadle into soup bowls drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt and pepper to your taste.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nServe with a nice artisan bread and a dipping oil* or bread and butter (real butter).    Don\'t ruin the experience by using margarine.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>*Dipping oil:</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSlice 3 to 4 cloves garlic\r\n\r\n1/2  tsp sea salt\r\n\r\n1 tsp. fresh ground coarse pepper\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried basil\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried rosemary\r\n\r\n1/2 cup good Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPour the olive oil in a saute\' pan.  Add the salt, ground pepper and herbs and garlic.  Saute\' until the garlic turns a nice golden color.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.  Remove the garlic and pour into a dish to serve with bread.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n**********\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle, this is a link to a picture of the Better Than Bullion Chicken Base that I used:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nhttp://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg','Day 362:  Can The Magic Of Tuscany Be Re-Created In A Pot Of Bean Soup?','','inherit','open','open','','8001-revision-9','','','2011-10-23 19:23:46','2011-10-24 02:23:46','',8001,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/23/8001-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(8023,1,'2011-10-23 19:24:50','2011-10-24 02:24:50','&nbsp;\n\n<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong><em>Editor\'s Note:  This is a guest post Mary-Alice D. aka Mom. </em></strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8019\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>Hello everyone,  I am Michelle\'s mom, Mary-Alice.  Michelle asked me to be a guest blogger for today.     So what better way to keep the magic of Tuscany simmering than to simmer a big pot of Tuscan Bean Soup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle flew home from Italy via Houston.  We had kept the grandpup, Bella, here with us while her mom was biking her way through the magic of Tuscany.  Michelle had to fly here to pick up little Bella and also spend a few days with her family.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe arrived here and was going to spend a few days with us which was a very good thing since she had a massive headache from her head colliding with the pavement in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  She needed rest and some good nourishing food.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>She told me she had tasted the best bean soup in the world in Tuscany.  Would I please make a pot of it, Momma Mia?</strong>  </span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe might have said Momma Mia to add to the entire Tuscan experience.   She didn\'t yet have the exact recipe for it but Fabio 1 was working on getting it for her.  Instead she had a little cookbook that she purchased while there and surely there was a bean soup in it that we could use.  So, we opened her book, perused the recipes and found one.  A quick trip to Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck to purchase all the fresh ingredients and we were ready to cook.  We even bought several loaves of their very best Chiabatta bread to have with the luscious soup and some expensive aged Parmesan Cheese to grate on top of the soup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI chopped, sautéed, simmered and made the biggest honking pot of Tuscan Bean Soup on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  The rest of the family was invited over  to eat dinner that night.  Michelle\'s younger sister, Jennie,  the World\'s Best Son-In-Law, World\'s Most Precious Granddaughter and World\'s Most Precious Grandson arrived with great anticipation and tummies waiting to be filled and partake of this Tuscan feast!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nGreat bowls of steaming soup were ladled out and set before the eager diners and then it happened.  It was not magical and it was basically tasteless!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Now I make the Portuguese version of this soup.  Portuguese babies are weaned from their mother\'s milk (mine were bottle fed) on Portuguese Bean Soup which is heaven in a bowl!  What went wrong? </strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWell I scanned the ingredients and I did put everything in that pot that the recipe called for.  However, there was nothing in that recipe to give it the flavor that would roll across the taste buds and make us groan with pleasure.  It was a huge disappointment!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle and I were discussing how tasteless this soup actually was and World\'s Most Precious  Grandson who I might add now towers over me overheard us.  He said, \"Nana, I didn\'t want to say anything to hurt your feelings but it really didn\'t have any taste.\"   I told him thank you for sparing my feelings but all I did was follow the recipe.  I consider myself a good cook and it really bothered me that this was such an abysmal failure!  I vowed to try and fix this soup and make it yummy.  I would go to work on it again in a day or two by adding a few magic ingredients to the pot.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle flew home the next day leaving me in tears because I knew I would miss her and Bella terribly.  The next time I will see them will be Christmas.  I was also very worried about her massive headache.  I wanted her to go to urgent care here but she said no and that she would see a doctor at home if she continued to feel so miserable.  We just chalked it up to a really bad case of jet lag!  Little did we know that she had suffered a concussion!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>The day after Michelle left for home  I vowed to fix that soup. </strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI needed to doctor it up and make it taste good.  I got out the leftover soup, poured it into my soup pot and brought it to a simmer.  I stirred in a big blob of Better  Than Boullon Chicken Base.  I opened my pantry closet up to see what else I had in there that I could add to the pot to make it speak to our taste buds.  Eureka!!!  I had a package of precooked bacon.  According to my grandson, everything tastes better with bacon.  Did you know you can even find chocolate bars with bacon!  I pulled out several slices and cut them up into bite size pieces and threw that in the pot.  It smelled divine simmering away.  I served up two bowls one for me and one for World\'s Best Husband aka Saint Larry to many of our friends and family members.  We sat down lifted the spoons to our lips and then it happened..........Magic in a bowl of hot steaming Tuscan Bean Soup......with a Portuguese twist!  Buon Appetito!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHere is the recipe for the soup which I have changed to make a much tastier version of it. Please note that when I made it I had to double it to feed the crowd at my house.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Tuscan Bean and Escarole Soup (Fajioli &amp; Scarole)</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Cannellini Beans and Escarole</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIngredients:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n3 large escarole heads (about 2.5 lbs.)\n\n2 cans (15 oz. each) Cannellini Beans\n\n60 ounces chicken stock (use Swanson lower sodium)\n\n2 - 3 tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Chicken Base (It can be found by the bullion in the soup aisle)\n\n1 large stalk celery chopped in small pieces\n\n1 large carrot chopped fine\n\n1 medium onion chopped fine\n\n3 large garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)\n\n1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\n\n1 tsp dried red Pepperoncini flakes (red pepper flakes)\n\nsalt and pepper (added to your bowl of soup)\n\n1 entire package of the precooked bacon slices cut up into bite sized pieces.  (since it is already cooked just cut them up and put in the pot.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn a large soup pot saute\' the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until a nice golden color.  Then add the chicken stock to this and the cut up bacon.  While that is coming to a boil clean and chop up your carrot and celery.  Add that to the pot.  Let simmer one hour.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nDrain and rinse your beans and add to the pot.  Simmer for 45 minutes.   When that has cooked take a potato masher or an immersion blender and puree right in the pot a small amount of the beans to make the broth a little thicker.  Don\'t puree it all just about a third or a little more.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn the meantime clean your escarole by removing the outer leaves and discarding.  Wash and rinse well.  Chop up the escarole.  This looks like a tremendous amount of Escarole but believe me it will boil down to nothing.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAfter the beans have simmered in the broth for 45 minutes and you have done the pureeing put in the escarole.  Cover and cook approx 15 - 20 minutes or until tender.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nLadle into soup bowls drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt and pepper to your taste.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nServe with a nice artisan bread and a dipping oil* or bread and butter (real butter).    Don\'t ruin the experience by using margarine.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>*Dipping oil:</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSlice 3 to 4 cloves garlic\n\n1/2  tsp sea salt\n\n1 tsp. fresh ground coarse pepper\n\n1 tsp dried basil\n\n1 tsp dried rosemary\n\n1/2 cup good Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPour the olive oil in a saute\' pan.  Add the salt, ground pepper and herbs and garlic.  Saute\' until the garlic turns a nice golden color.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.  Remove the garlic and pour into a dish to serve with bread.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n**********\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle, this is a link to a picture of the Better Than Bullion Chicken Base that I used:\n\n&nbsp;\n\nhttp://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg','Day 362:  Can The Magic Of Tuscany Be Re-Created In A Pot Of Bean Soup?','','inherit','open','open','','8001-revision-10','','','2011-10-23 19:24:50','2011-10-24 02:24:50','',8001,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/23/8001-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(8024,1,'2011-10-23 19:25:50','2011-10-24 02:25:50','&nbsp;\n\n<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong><em>Editor\'s Note:  This is a guest post Mary-Alice D. aka Mom. </em></strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8019\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>Hello everyone,  I am Michelle\'s mom, Mary-Alice.  Michelle asked me to be a guest blogger for today.     So what better way to keep the magic of Tuscany simmering than to simmer a big pot of Tuscan Bean Soup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle flew home from Italy via Houston.  We had kept the grandpup, Bella, here with us while her mom was biking her way through the magic of Tuscany.  Michelle had to fly here to pick up little Bella and also spend a few days with her family.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe arrived here and was going to spend a few days with us which was a very good thing since she had a massive headache from her head colliding with the pavement in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  She needed rest and some good nourishing food.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>She told me she had tasted the best bean soup in the world in Tuscany.  Would I please make a pot of it, Momma Mia?</strong>  </span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe might have said Momma Mia to add to the entire Tuscan experience.   She didn\'t yet have the exact recipe for it but Fabio 1 was working on getting it for her.  Instead she had a little cookbook that she purchased while there and surely there was a bean soup in it that we could use.  So, we opened her book, perused the recipes and found one.  A quick trip to Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck to purchase all the fresh ingredients and we were ready to cook.  We even bought several loaves of their very best Chiabatta bread to have with the luscious soup and some expensive aged Parmesan Cheese to grate on top of the soup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI chopped, sautéed, simmered and made the biggest honking pot of Tuscan Bean Soup on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  The rest of the family was invited over  to eat dinner that night.  Michelle\'s younger sister, Jennie,  the World\'s Best Son-In-Law, World\'s Most Precious Granddaughter and World\'s Most Precious Grandson arrived with great anticipation and tummies waiting to be filled and partake of this Tuscan feast!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nGreat bowls of steaming soup were ladled out and set before the eager diners and then it happened.  It was not magical and it was basically tasteless!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Now I make the Portuguese version of this soup.  Portuguese babies are weaned from their mother\'s milk (mine were bottle fed) on Portuguese Bean Soup which is heaven in a bowl!  What went wrong? </strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWell I scanned the ingredients and I did put everything in that pot that the recipe called for.  However, there was nothing in that recipe to give it the flavor that would roll across the taste buds and make us groan with pleasure.  It was a huge disappointment!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle and I were discussing how tasteless this soup actually was and World\'s Most Precious  Grandson who I might add now towers over me overheard us.  He said, \"Nana, I didn\'t want to say anything to hurt your feelings but it really didn\'t have any taste.\"   I told him thank you for sparing my feelings but all I did was follow the recipe.  I consider myself a good cook and it really bothered me that this was such an abysmal failure!  I vowed to try and fix this soup and make it yummy.  I would go to work on it again in a day or two by adding a few magic ingredients to the pot.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle flew home the next day leaving me in tears because I knew I would miss her and Bella terribly.  The next time I will see them will be Christmas.  I was also very worried about her massive headache.  I wanted her to go to urgent care here but she said no and that she would see a doctor at home if she continued to feel so miserable.  We just chalked it up to a really bad case of jet lag!  Little did we know that she had suffered a concussion!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>The day after Michelle left for home I vowed to fix that soup. </strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI needed to doctor it up and make it taste good.  I got out the leftover soup, poured it into my soup pot and brought it to a simmer.  I stirred in a big blob of Better  Than Boullon Chicken Base.  I opened my pantry closet up to see what else I had in there that I could add to the pot to make it speak to our taste buds.  Eureka!!!  I had a package of precooked bacon.  According to my grandson, everything tastes better with bacon.  Did you know you can even find chocolate bars with bacon!  I pulled out several slices and cut them up into bite size pieces and threw that in the pot.  It smelled divine simmering away.  I served up two bowls one for me and one for World\'s Best Husband aka Saint Larry to many of our friends and family members.  We sat down lifted the spoons to our lips and then it happened..........Magic in a bowl of hot steaming Tuscan Bean Soup......with a Portuguese twist!  Buon Appetito!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHere is the recipe for the soup which I have changed to make a much tastier version of it. Please note that when I made it I had to double it to feed the crowd at my house.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Tuscan Bean and Escarole Soup (Fajioli &amp; Scarole)</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Cannellini Beans and Escarole</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIngredients:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n3 large escarole heads (about 2.5 lbs.)\n\n2 cans (15 oz. each) Cannellini Beans\n\n60 ounces chicken stock (use Swanson lower sodium)\n\n2 - 3 tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Chicken Base (It can be found by the bullion in the soup aisle)\n\n1 large stalk celery chopped in small pieces\n\n1 large carrot chopped fine\n\n1 medium onion chopped fine\n\n3 large garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)\n\n1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\n\n1 tsp dried red Pepperoncini flakes (red pepper flakes)\n\nsalt and pepper (added to your bowl of soup)\n\n1 entire package of the precooked bacon slices cut up into bite sized pieces.  (since it is already cooked just cut them up and put in the pot.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn a large soup pot saute\' the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until a nice golden color.  Then add the chicken stock to this and the cut up bacon.  While that is coming to a boil clean and chop up your carrot and celery.  Add that to the pot.  Let simmer one hour.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nDrain and rinse your beans and add to the pot.  Simmer for 45 minutes.   When that has cooked take a potato masher or an immersion blender and puree right in the pot a small amount of the beans to make the broth a little thicker.  Don\'t puree it all just about a third or a little more.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn the meantime clean your escarole by removing the outer leaves and discarding.  Wash and rinse well.  Chop up the escarole.  This looks like a tremendous amount of Escarole but believe me it will boil down to nothing.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAfter the beans have simmered in the broth for 45 minutes and you have done the pureeing put in the escarole.  Cover and cook approx 15 - 20 minutes or until tender.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nLadle into soup bowls drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt and pepper to your taste.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nServe with a nice artisan bread and a dipping oil* or bread and butter (real butter).    Don\'t ruin the experience by using margarine.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>*Dipping oil:</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSlice 3 to 4 cloves garlic\n\n1/2  tsp sea salt\n\n1 tsp. fresh ground coarse pepper\n\n1 tsp dried basil\n\n1 tsp dried rosemary\n\n1/2 cup good Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPour the olive oil in a saute\' pan.  Add the salt, ground pepper and herbs and garlic.  Saute\' until the garlic turns a nice golden color.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.  Remove the garlic and pour into a dish to serve with bread.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n**********\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle, this is a link to a picture of the Better Than Bullion Chicken Base that I used:\n\n&nbsp;\n\nhttp://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg','Day 362:  Can The Magic Of Tuscany Be Re-Created In A Pot Of Bean Soup?','','inherit','open','open','','8001-revision-11','','','2011-10-23 19:25:50','2011-10-24 02:25:50','',8001,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/23/8001-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(8025,1,'2011-10-23 19:26:03','2011-10-24 02:26:03','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong><em>Editor\'s Note:  This is a guest post Mary-Alice D. aka Mom. </em></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8019\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>Hello everyone,  I am Michelle\'s mom, Mary-Alice.  Michelle asked me to be a guest blogger for today.     So what better way to keep the magic of Tuscany simmering than to simmer a big pot of Tuscan Bean Soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home from Italy via Houston.  We had kept the grandpup, Bella, here with us while her mom was biking her way through the magic of Tuscany.  Michelle had to fly here to pick up little Bella and also spend a few days with her family.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe arrived here and was going to spend a few days with us which was a very good thing since she had a massive headache from her head colliding with the pavement in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  She needed rest and some good nourishing food.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>She told me she had tasted the best bean soup in the world in Tuscany.  Would I please make a pot of it, Momma Mia?</strong>  </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe might have said Momma Mia to add to the entire Tuscan experience.   She didn\'t yet have the exact recipe for it but Fabio 1 was working on getting it for her.  Instead she had a little cookbook that she purchased while there and surely there was a bean soup in it that we could use.  So, we opened her book, perused the recipes and found one.  A quick trip to Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck to purchase all the fresh ingredients and we were ready to cook.  We even bought several loaves of their very best Chiabatta bread to have with the luscious soup and some expensive aged Parmesan Cheese to grate on top of the soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI chopped, sautéed, simmered and made the biggest honking pot of Tuscan Bean Soup on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  The rest of the family was invited over  to eat dinner that night.  Michelle\'s younger sister, Jennie,  the World\'s Best Son-In-Law, World\'s Most Precious Granddaughter and World\'s Most Precious Grandson arrived with great anticipation and tummies waiting to be filled and partake of this Tuscan feast!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nGreat bowls of steaming soup were ladled out and set before the eager diners and then it happened.  It was not magical and it was basically tasteless!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Now I make the Portuguese version of this soup.  Portuguese babies are weaned from their mother\'s milk (mine were bottle fed) on Portuguese Bean Soup which is heaven in a bowl!  What went wrong? </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell I scanned the ingredients and I did put everything in that pot that the recipe called for.  However, there was nothing in that recipe to give it the flavor that would roll across the taste buds and make us groan with pleasure.  It was a huge disappointment!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle and I were discussing how tasteless this soup actually was and World\'s Most Precious  Grandson who I might add now towers over me overheard us.  He said, \"Nana, I didn\'t want to say anything to hurt your feelings but it really didn\'t have any taste.\"   I told him thank you for sparing my feelings but all I did was follow the recipe.  I consider myself a good cook and it really bothered me that this was such an abysmal failure!  I vowed to try and fix this soup and make it yummy.  I would go to work on it again in a day or two by adding a few magic ingredients to the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home the next day leaving me in tears because I knew I would miss her and Bella terribly.  The next time I will see them will be Christmas.  I was also very worried about her massive headache.  I wanted her to go to urgent care here but she said no and that she would see a doctor at home if she continued to feel so miserable.  We just chalked it up to a really bad case of jet lag!  Little did we know that she had suffered a concussion!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>The day after Michelle left for home I vowed to fix that soup. </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI needed to doctor it up and make it taste good.  I got out the leftover soup, poured it into my soup pot and brought it to a simmer.  I stirred in a big blob of Better  Than Boullon Chicken Base.  I opened my pantry closet up to see what else I had in there that I could add to the pot to make it speak to our taste buds.  Eureka!!!  I had a package of precooked bacon.  According to my grandson, everything tastes better with bacon.  Did you know you can even find chocolate bars with bacon!  I pulled out several slices and cut them up into bite size pieces and threw that in the pot.  It smelled divine simmering away.  I served up two bowls one for me and one for World\'s Best Husband aka Saint Larry to many of our friends and family members.  We sat down lifted the spoons to our lips and then it happened..........Magic in a bowl of hot steaming Tuscan Bean Soup......with a Portuguese twist!  Buon Appetito!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHere is the recipe for the soup which I have changed to make a much tastier version of it. Please note that when I made it I had to double it to feed the crowd at my house.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Tuscan Bean and Escarole Soup (Fajioli &amp; Scarole)</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Cannellini Beans and Escarole</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n3 large escarole heads (about 2.5 lbs.)\r\n\r\n2 cans (15 oz. each) Cannellini Beans\r\n\r\n60 ounces chicken stock (use Swanson lower sodium)\r\n\r\n2 - 3 tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Chicken Base (It can be found by the bullion in the soup aisle)\r\n\r\n1 large stalk celery chopped in small pieces\r\n\r\n1 large carrot chopped fine\r\n\r\n1 medium onion chopped fine\r\n\r\n3 large garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)\r\n\r\n1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried red Pepperoncini flakes (red pepper flakes)\r\n\r\nsalt and pepper (added to your bowl of soup)\r\n\r\n1 entire package of the precooked bacon slices cut up into bite sized pieces.  (since it is already cooked just cut them up and put in the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn a large soup pot saute\' the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until a nice golden color.  Then add the chicken stock to this and the cut up bacon.  While that is coming to a boil clean and chop up your carrot and celery.  Add that to the pot.  Let simmer one hour.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDrain and rinse your beans and add to the pot.  Simmer for 45 minutes.   When that has cooked take a potato masher or an immersion blender and puree right in the pot a small amount of the beans to make the broth a little thicker.  Don\'t puree it all just about a third or a little more.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the meantime clean your escarole by removing the outer leaves and discarding.  Wash and rinse well.  Chop up the escarole.  This looks like a tremendous amount of Escarole but believe me it will boil down to nothing.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the beans have simmered in the broth for 45 minutes and you have done the pureeing put in the escarole.  Cover and cook approx 15 - 20 minutes or until tender.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLadle into soup bowls drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt and pepper to your taste.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nServe with a nice artisan bread and a dipping oil* or bread and butter (real butter).    Don\'t ruin the experience by using margarine.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>*Dipping oil:</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSlice 3 to 4 cloves garlic\r\n\r\n1/2  tsp sea salt\r\n\r\n1 tsp. fresh ground coarse pepper\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried basil\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried rosemary\r\n\r\n1/2 cup good Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPour the olive oil in a saute\' pan.  Add the salt, ground pepper and herbs and garlic.  Saute\' until the garlic turns a nice golden color.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.  Remove the garlic and pour into a dish to serve with bread.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n**********\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle, this is a link to a picture of the Better Than Bullion Chicken Base that I used:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg</a></strong>','Day 362:  Can The Magic Of Tuscany Be Re-Created In A Pot Of Bean Soup?','','inherit','open','open','','8001-revision-12','','','2011-10-23 19:26:03','2011-10-24 02:26:03','',8001,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/23/8001-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(8026,1,'2011-10-23 19:26:50','2011-10-24 02:26:50','&nbsp;\n\n<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong><em>Editor\'s Note:  This is a guest post Mary-Alice D. aka Mom. </em></strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8019\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>Hello everyone,  I am Michelle\'s mom, Mary-Alice.  Michelle asked me to be a guest blogger for today.     So what better way to keep the magic of Tuscany simmering than to simmer a big pot of Tuscan Bean Soup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle flew home from Italy via Houston.  We had kept the grandpup, Bella, here with us while her mom was biking her way through the magic of Tuscany.  Michelle had to fly here to pick up little Bella and also spend a few days with her family.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe arrived here and was going to spend a few days with us which was a very good thing since she had a massive headache from her head colliding with the pavement in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  She needed rest and some good nourishing food.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>She told me she had tasted the best bean soup in the world in Tuscany.  Would I please make a pot of it, Momma Mia?</strong>  </span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe might have said Momma Mia to add to the entire Tuscan experience.   She didn\'t yet have the exact recipe for it but Fabio 1 was working on getting it for her.  Instead she had a little cookbook that she purchased while there and surely there was a bean soup in it that we could use.  So, we opened her book, perused the recipes and found one.  A quick trip to Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck to purchase all the fresh ingredients and we were ready to cook.  We even bought several loaves of their very best Chiabatta bread to have with the luscious soup and some expensive aged Parmesan Cheese to grate on top of the soup.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI chopped, sautéed, simmered and made the biggest honking pot of Tuscan Bean Soup on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  The rest of the family was invited over  to eat dinner that night.  Michelle\'s younger sister, Jennie,  the World\'s Best Son-In-Law, World\'s Most Precious Granddaughter and World\'s Most Precious Grandson arrived with great anticipation and tummies waiting to be filled and partake of this Tuscan feast!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nGreat bowls of steaming soup were ladled out and set before the eager diners and then it happened.  It was not magical and it was basically tasteless!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Now I make the Portuguese version of this soup.  Portuguese babies are weaned from their mother\'s milk (mine were bottle fed) on Portuguese Bean Soup which is heaven in a bowl!  What went wrong? </strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nWell I scanned the ingredients and I did put everything in that pot that the recipe called for.  However, there was nothing in that recipe to give it the flavor that would roll across the taste buds and make us groan with pleasure.  It was a huge disappointment!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle and I were discussing how tasteless this soup actually was and World\'s Most Precious  Grandson who I might add now towers over me overheard us.  He said, \"Nana, I didn\'t want to say anything to hurt your feelings but it really didn\'t have any taste.\"   I told him thank you for sparing my feelings but all I did was follow the recipe.  I consider myself a good cook and it really bothered me that this was such an abysmal failure!  I vowed to try and fix this soup and make it yummy.  I would go to work on it again in a day or two by adding a few magic ingredients to the pot.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle flew home the next day leaving me in tears because I knew I would miss her and Bella terribly.  The next time I will see them will be Christmas.  I was also very worried about her massive headache.  I wanted her to go to urgent care here but she said no and that she would see a doctor at home if she continued to feel so miserable.  We just chalked it up to a really bad case of jet lag!  Little did we know that she had suffered a concussion!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>The day after Michelle left for home I vowed to fix that soup. </strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI needed to doctor it up and make it taste good.  I got out the leftover soup, poured it into my soup pot and brought it to a simmer.  I stirred in a big blob of Better  Than Boullon Chicken Base.  I opened my pantry closet up to see what else I had in there that I could add to the pot to make it speak to our taste buds.  Eureka!!!  I had a package of precooked bacon.  According to my grandson, everything tastes better with bacon.  Did you know you can even find chocolate bars with bacon!  I pulled out several slices and cut them up into bite size pieces and threw that in the pot.  It smelled divine simmering away.  I served up two bowls one for me and one for World\'s Best Husband aka Saint Larry to many of our friends and family members.  We sat down lifted the spoons to our lips and then it happened..........Magic in a bowl of hot steaming Tuscan Bean Soup......with a Portuguese twist!  Buon Appetito!\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHere is the recipe for the soup which I have changed to make a much tastier version of it. Please note that when I made it I had to double it to feed the crowd at my house.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Tuscan Bean and Escarole Soup (Fajioli &amp; Scarole)</strong></span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Cannellini Beans and Escarole</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIngredients:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n3 large escarole heads (about 2.5 lbs.)\n\n2 cans (15 oz. each) Cannellini Beans\n\n60 ounces chicken stock (use Swanson lower sodium)\n\n2 - 3 tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Chicken Base (It can be found by the bullion in the soup aisle)\n\n1 large stalk celery chopped in small pieces\n\n1 large carrot chopped fine\n\n1 medium onion chopped fine\n\n3 large garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)\n\n1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\n\n1 tsp dried red Pepperoncini flakes (red pepper flakes)\n\nsalt and pepper (added to your bowl of soup)\n\n1 entire package of the precooked bacon slices cut up into bite sized pieces.  (since it is already cooked just cut them up and put in the pot.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn a large soup pot saute\' the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until a nice golden color.  Then add the chicken stock to this and the cut up bacon.  While that is coming to a boil clean and chop up your carrot and celery.  Add that to the pot.  Let simmer one hour.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nDrain and rinse your beans and add to the pot.  Simmer for 45 minutes.   When that has cooked take a potato masher or an immersion blender and puree right in the pot a small amount of the beans to make the broth a little thicker.  Don\'t puree it all just about a third or a little more.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nIn the meantime clean your escarole by removing the outer leaves and discarding.  Wash and rinse well.  Chop up the escarole.  This looks like a tremendous amount of Escarole but believe me it will boil down to nothing.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAfter the beans have simmered in the broth for 45 minutes and you have done the pureeing put in the escarole.  Cover and cook approx 15 - 20 minutes or until tender.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nLadle into soup bowls drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt and pepper to your taste.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nServe with a nice artisan bread and a dipping oil* or bread and butter (real butter).    Don\'t ruin the experience by using margarine.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>*Dipping oil:</strong></span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nSlice 3 to 4 cloves garlic\n\n1/2  tsp sea salt\n\n1 tsp. fresh ground coarse pepper\n\n1 tsp dried basil\n\n1 tsp dried rosemary\n\n1/2 cup good Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\n\n&nbsp;\n\nPour the olive oil in a saute\' pan.  Add the salt, ground pepper and herbs and garlic.  Saute\' until the garlic turns a nice golden color.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.  Remove the garlic and pour into a dish to serve with bread.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n**********\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMichelle, this is a link to a picture of the Better Than Bullion Chicken Base that I used:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg</a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;','Day 362:  Can The Magic Of Tuscany Be Re-Created In A Pot Of Bean Soup?','','inherit','open','open','','8001-revision-13','','','2011-10-23 19:26:50','2011-10-24 02:26:50','',8001,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/23/8001-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(8027,1,'2011-10-23 19:29:24','2011-10-24 02:29:24','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong><em>Editor\'s Note:  This is a guest post Mary-Alice D. aka Mom. </em></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8019\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>Hello everyone,  I am Michelle\'s mom, Mary-Alice.  Michelle asked me to be a guest blogger for today.     So what better way to keep the magic of Tuscany simmering than to simmer a big pot of Tuscan Bean Soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home from Italy via Houston.  We had kept the grandpup, Bella, here with us while her mom was biking her way through the magic of Tuscany.  Michelle had to fly here to pick up little Bella and also spend a few days with her family.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe arrived here and was going to spend a few days with us which was a very good thing since she had a massive headache from her head colliding with the pavement in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  She needed rest and some good nourishing food.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>She told me she had tasted the best bean soup in the world in Tuscany.  Would I please make a pot of it, Momma Mia?</strong>  </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe might have said Momma Mia to add to the entire Tuscan experience.   She didn\'t yet have the exact recipe for it but Fabio 1 was working on getting it for her.  Instead she had a little cookbook that she purchased while there and surely there was a bean soup in it that we could use.  So, we opened her book, perused the recipes and found one.  A quick trip to Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck to purchase all the fresh ingredients and we were ready to cook.  We even bought several loaves of their very best Chiabatta bread to have with the luscious soup and some expensive aged Parmesan Cheese to grate on top of the soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI chopped, sautéed, simmered and made the biggest honking pot of Tuscan Bean Soup on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  The rest of the family was invited over  to eat dinner that night.  Michelle\'s younger sister, Jennie,  the World\'s Best Son-In-Law, World\'s Most Precious Granddaughter and World\'s Most Precious Grandson arrived with great anticipation and tummies waiting to be filled and partake of this Tuscan feast!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nGreat bowls of steaming soup were ladled out and set before the eager diners and then it happened.  It was not magical and it was basically tasteless!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Now I make the Portuguese version of this soup.  Portuguese babies are weaned from their mother\'s milk (mine were bottle fed) on Portuguese Bean Soup which is heaven in a bowl!  What went wrong? </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell I scanned the ingredients and I did put everything in that pot that the recipe called for.  However, there was nothing in that recipe to give it the flavor that would roll across the taste buds and make us groan with pleasure.  It was a huge disappointment!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle and I were discussing how tasteless this soup actually was and World\'s Most Precious  Grandson who I might add now towers over me overheard us.  He said, \"Nana, I didn\'t want to say anything to hurt your feelings but it really didn\'t have any taste.\"   I told him thank you for sparing my feelings but all I did was follow the recipe.  I consider myself a good cook and it really bothered me that this was such an abysmal failure!  I vowed to try and fix this soup and make it yummy.  I would go to work on it again in a day or two by adding a few magic ingredients to the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home the next day leaving me in tears because I knew I would miss her and Bella terribly.  The next time I will see them will be Christmas.  I was also very worried about her massive headache.  I wanted her to go to urgent care here but she said no and that she would see a doctor at home if she continued to feel so miserable.  We just chalked it up to a really bad case of jet lag!  Little did we know that she had suffered a concussion!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>The day after Michelle left for home I vowed to fix that soup. </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI needed to doctor it up and make it taste good.  I got out the leftover soup, poured it into my soup pot and brought it to a simmer.  I stirred in a big blob of Better  Than Boullon Chicken Base.  I opened my pantry closet up to see what else I had in there that I could add to the pot to make it speak to our taste buds.  Eureka!!!  I had a package of precooked bacon.  According to my grandson, everything tastes better with bacon.  Did you know you can even find chocolate bars with bacon!  I pulled out several slices and cut them up into bite size pieces and threw that in the pot.  It smelled divine simmering away.  I served up two bowls one for me and one for World\'s Best Husband aka Saint Larry to many of our friends and family members.  We sat down lifted the spoons to our lips and then it happened..........Magic in a bowl of hot steaming Tuscan Bean Soup......with a Portuguese twist!  Buon Appetito!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHere is the recipe for the soup which I have changed to make a much tastier version of it. Please note that when I made it I had to double it to feed the crowd at my house.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Tuscan Bean and Escarole Soup (Fajioli &amp; Scarole)</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Cannellini Beans and Escarole</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n3 large escarole heads (about 2.5 lbs.)\r\n\r\n2 cans (15 oz. each) Cannellini Beans\r\n\r\n60 ounces chicken stock (use Swanson lower sodium)\r\n\r\n2 - 3 tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Chicken Base (It can be found by the bullion in the soup aisle)\r\n\r\n1 large stalk celery chopped in small pieces\r\n\r\n1 large carrot chopped fine\r\n\r\n1 medium onion chopped fine\r\n\r\n3 large garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)\r\n\r\n1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried red Pepperoncini flakes (red pepper flakes)\r\n\r\nsalt and pepper (added to your bowl of soup)\r\n\r\n1 entire package of the precooked bacon slices cut up into bite sized pieces.  (since it is already cooked just cut them up and put in the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn a large soup pot saute\' the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until a nice golden color.  Then add the chicken stock to this and the cut up bacon.  While that is coming to a boil clean and chop up your carrot and celery.  Add that to the pot.  Let simmer one hour.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDrain and rinse your beans and add to the pot.  Simmer for 45 minutes.   When that has cooked take a potato masher or an immersion blender and puree right in the pot a small amount of the beans to make the broth a little thicker.  Don\'t puree it all just about a third or a little more.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the meantime clean your escarole by removing the outer leaves and discarding.  Wash and rinse well.  Chop up the escarole.  This looks like a tremendous amount of Escarole but believe me it will boil down to nothing.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the beans have simmered in the broth for 45 minutes and you have done the pureeing put in the escarole.  Cover and cook approx 15 - 20 minutes or until tender.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLadle into soup bowls drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt and pepper to your taste.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nServe with a nice artisan bread and a dipping oil* or bread and butter (real butter).    Don\'t ruin the experience by using margarine.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>*Dipping oil:</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSlice 3 to 4 cloves garlic\r\n\r\n1/2  tsp sea salt\r\n\r\n1 tsp. fresh ground coarse pepper\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried basil\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried rosemary\r\n\r\n1/2 cup good Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPour the olive oil in a saute\' pan.  Add the salt, ground pepper and herbs and garlic.  Saute\' until the garlic turns a nice golden color.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.  Remove the garlic and pour into a dish to serve with bread.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n**********\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle, this is a link to a picture of the Better Than Bullion Chicken Base that I used:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 362:  Can The Magic Of Tuscany Be Re-Created In A Pot Of Bean Soup?','','inherit','open','open','','8001-revision-14','','','2011-10-23 19:29:24','2011-10-24 02:29:24','',8001,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/23/8001-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(8028,1,'2011-10-23 19:29:54','2011-10-24 02:29:54','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong><em>Editor\'s Note:  This is a guest post Mary-Alice D. aka Mom. </em></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8019\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>Hello everyone,  I am Michelle\'s mom, Mary-Alice.  Michelle asked me to be a guest blogger for today.     So what better way to keep the magic of Tuscany simmering than to simmer a big pot of Tuscan Bean Soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home from Italy via Houston.  We had kept the grandpup, Bella, here with us while her mom was biking her way through the magic of Tuscany.  Michelle had to fly here to pick up little Bella and also spend a few days with her family.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe arrived here and was going to spend a few days with us which was a very good thing since she had a massive headache from her head colliding with the pavement in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  She needed rest and some good nourishing food.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>She told me she had tasted the best bean soup in the world in Tuscany.  Would I please make a pot of it, Momma Mia?</strong>  </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe might have said Momma Mia to add to the entire Tuscan experience.   She didn\'t yet have the exact recipe for it but Fabio 1 was working on getting it for her.  Instead she had a little cookbook that she purchased while there and surely there was a bean soup in it that we could use.  So, we opened her book, perused the recipes and found one.  A quick trip to Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck to purchase all the fresh ingredients and we were ready to cook.  We even bought several loaves of their very best Chiabatta bread to have with the luscious soup and some expensive aged Parmesan Cheese to grate on top of the soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI chopped, sautéed, simmered and made the biggest honking pot of Tuscan Bean Soup on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  The rest of the family was invited over  to eat dinner that night.  Michelle\'s younger sister, Jennie,  the World\'s Best Son-In-Law, World\'s Most Precious Granddaughter and World\'s Most Precious Grandson arrived with great anticipation and tummies waiting to be filled and partake of this Tuscan feast!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nGreat bowls of steaming soup were ladled out and set before the eager diners and then it happened.  It was not magical and it was basically tasteless!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Now I make the Portuguese version of this soup.  Portuguese babies are weaned from their mother\'s milk (mine were bottle fed) on Portuguese Bean Soup which is heaven in a bowl!  What went wrong? </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell I scanned the ingredients and I did put everything in that pot that the recipe called for.  However, there was nothing in that recipe to give it the flavor that would roll across the taste buds and make us groan with pleasure.  It was a huge disappointment!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle and I were discussing how tasteless this soup actually was and World\'s Most Precious  Grandson who I might add now towers over me overheard us.  He said, \"Nana, I didn\'t want to say anything to hurt your feelings but it really didn\'t have any taste.\"   I told him thank you for sparing my feelings but all I did was follow the recipe.  I consider myself a good cook and it really bothered me that this was such an abysmal failure!  I vowed to try and fix this soup and make it yummy.  I would go to work on it again in a day or two by adding a few magic ingredients to the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home the next day leaving me in tears because I knew I would miss her and Bella terribly.  The next time I will see them will be Christmas.  I was also very worried about her massive headache.  I wanted her to go to urgent care here but she said no and that she would see a doctor at home if she continued to feel so miserable.  We just chalked it up to a really bad case of jet lag!  Little did we know that she had suffered a concussion!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>The day after Michelle left for home I vowed to fix that soup. </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI needed to doctor it up and make it taste good.  I got out the leftover soup, poured it into my soup pot and brought it to a simmer.  I stirred in a big blob of Better  Than Boullon Chicken Base.  I opened my pantry closet up to see what else I had in there that I could add to the pot to make it speak to our taste buds.  Eureka!!!  I had a package of precooked bacon.  According to my grandson, everything tastes better with bacon.  Did you know you can even find chocolate bars with bacon!  I pulled out several slices and cut them up into bite size pieces and threw that in the pot.  It smelled divine simmering away.  I served up two bowls one for me and one for World\'s Best Husband aka Saint Larry to many of our friends and family members.  We sat down lifted the spoons to our lips and then it happened..........Magic in a bowl of hot steaming Tuscan Bean Soup......with a Portuguese twist!  Buon Appetito!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHere is the recipe for the soup which I have changed to make a much tastier version of it. Please note that when I made it I had to double it to feed the crowd at my house.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Tuscan Bean and Escarole Soup (Fajioli &amp; Scarole)</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Cannellini Beans and Escarole</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n3 large escarole heads (about 2.5 lbs.)\r\n\r\n2 cans (15 oz. each) Cannellini Beans\r\n\r\n60 ounces chicken stock (use Swanson lower sodium)\r\n\r\n2 - 3 tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Chicken Base (It can be found by the bullion in the soup aisle)\r\n\r\n1 large stalk celery chopped in small pieces\r\n\r\n1 large carrot chopped fine\r\n\r\n1 medium onion chopped fine\r\n\r\n3 large garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)\r\n\r\n1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried red Pepperoncini flakes (red pepper flakes)\r\n\r\nsalt and pepper (added to your bowl of soup)\r\n\r\n1 entire package of the precooked bacon slices cut up into bite sized pieces.  (since it is already cooked just cut them up and put in the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn a large soup pot saute\' the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until a nice golden color.  Then add the chicken stock to this and the cut up bacon.  While that is coming to a boil clean and chop up your carrot and celery.  Add that to the pot.  Let simmer one hour.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDrain and rinse your beans and add to the pot.  Simmer for 45 minutes.   When that has cooked take a potato masher or an immersion blender and puree right in the pot a small amount of the beans to make the broth a little thicker.  Don\'t puree it all just about a third or a little more.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the meantime clean your escarole by removing the outer leaves and discarding.  Wash and rinse well.  Chop up the escarole.  This looks like a tremendous amount of Escarole but believe me it will boil down to nothing.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the beans have simmered in the broth for 45 minutes and you have done the pureeing put in the escarole.  Cover and cook approx 15 - 20 minutes or until tender.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLadle into soup bowls drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt and pepper to your taste.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nServe with a nice artisan bread and a dipping oil* or bread and butter (real butter).    Don\'t ruin the experience by using margarine.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>*Dipping oil:</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSlice 3 to 4 cloves garlic\r\n\r\n1/2  tsp sea salt\r\n\r\n1 tsp. fresh ground coarse pepper\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried basil\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried rosemary\r\n\r\n1/2 cup good Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPour the olive oil in a saute\' pan.  Add the salt, ground pepper and herbs and garlic.  Saute\' until the garlic turns a nice golden color.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.  Remove the garlic and pour into a dish to serve with bread.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n**********\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle, this is a link to a picture of the Better Than Bullion Chicken Base that I used:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 362:  Can The Magic Of Tuscany Be Re-Created In A Pot Of Bean Soup?','','inherit','open','open','','8001-revision-15','','','2011-10-23 19:29:54','2011-10-24 02:29:54','',8001,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/23/8001-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(8033,1,'2011-10-23 19:30:18','2011-10-24 02:30:18','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong><em>Editor\'s Note:  This is a guest post Mary-Alice D. aka Mom. </em></strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8019\" title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" src=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P9230020-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" /></a>Hello everyone,  I am Michelle\'s mom, Mary-Alice.  Michelle asked me to be a guest blogger for today.     So what better way to keep the magic of Tuscany simmering than to simmer a big pot of Tuscan Bean Soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home from Italy via Houston.  We had kept the grandpup, Bella, here with us while her mom was biking her way through the magic of Tuscany.  Michelle had to fly here to pick up little Bella and also spend a few days with her family.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe arrived here and was going to spend a few days with us which was a very good thing since she had a massive headache from her head colliding with the pavement in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  She needed rest and some good nourishing food.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>She told me she had tasted the best bean soup in the world in Tuscany.  Would I please make a pot of it, Momma Mia?</strong>  </span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe might have said Momma Mia to add to the entire Tuscan experience.   She didn\'t yet have the exact recipe for it but Fabio 1 was working on getting it for her.  Instead she had a little cookbook that she purchased while there and surely there was a bean soup in it that we could use.  So, we opened her book, perused the recipes and found one.  A quick trip to Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck to purchase all the fresh ingredients and we were ready to cook.  We even bought several loaves of their very best Chiabatta bread to have with the luscious soup and some expensive aged Parmesan Cheese to grate on top of the soup.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI chopped, sautéed, simmered and made the biggest honking pot of Tuscan Bean Soup on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  The rest of the family was invited over  to eat dinner that night.  Michelle\'s younger sister, Jennie,  the World\'s Best Son-In-Law, World\'s Most Precious Granddaughter and World\'s Most Precious Grandson arrived with great anticipation and tummies waiting to be filled and partake of this Tuscan feast!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nGreat bowls of steaming soup were ladled out and set before the eager diners and then it happened.  It was not magical and it was basically tasteless!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>Now I make the Portuguese version of this soup.  Portuguese babies are weaned from their mother\'s milk (mine were bottle fed) on Portuguese Bean Soup which is heaven in a bowl!  What went wrong? </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWell I scanned the ingredients and I did put everything in that pot that the recipe called for.  However, there was nothing in that recipe to give it the flavor that would roll across the taste buds and make us groan with pleasure.  It was a huge disappointment!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle and I were discussing how tasteless this soup actually was and World\'s Most Precious  Grandson who I might add now towers over me overheard us.  He said, \"Nana, I didn\'t want to say anything to hurt your feelings but it really didn\'t have any taste.\"   I told him thank you for sparing my feelings but all I did was follow the recipe.  I consider myself a good cook and it really bothered me that this was such an abysmal failure!  I vowed to try and fix this soup and make it yummy.  I would go to work on it again in a day or two by adding a few magic ingredients to the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle flew home the next day leaving me in tears because I knew I would miss her and Bella terribly.  The next time I will see them will be Christmas.  I was also very worried about her massive headache.  I wanted her to go to urgent care here but she said no and that she would see a doctor at home if she continued to feel so miserable.  We just chalked it up to a really bad case of jet lag!  Little did we know that she had suffered a concussion!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>The day after Michelle left for home I vowed to fix that soup. </strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI needed to doctor it up and make it taste good.  I got out the leftover soup, poured it into my soup pot and brought it to a simmer.  I stirred in a big blob of Better  Than Boullon Chicken Base.  I opened my pantry closet up to see what else I had in there that I could add to the pot to make it speak to our taste buds.  Eureka!!!  I had a package of precooked bacon.  According to my grandson, everything tastes better with bacon.  Did you know you can even find chocolate bars with bacon!  I pulled out several slices and cut them up into bite size pieces and threw that in the pot.  It smelled divine simmering away.  I served up two bowls one for me and one for World\'s Best Husband aka Saint Larry to many of our friends and family members.  We sat down lifted the spoons to our lips and then it happened..........Magic in a bowl of hot steaming Tuscan Bean Soup......with a Portuguese twist!  Buon Appetito!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHere is the recipe for the soup which I have changed to make a much tastier version of it. Please note that when I made it I had to double it to feed the crowd at my house.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Tuscan Bean and Escarole Soup (Fajioli &amp; Scarole)</strong></span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #008000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Cannellini Beans and Escarole</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIngredients:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n3 large escarole heads (about 2.5 lbs.)\r\n\r\n2 cans (15 oz. each) Cannellini Beans\r\n\r\n60 ounces chicken stock (use Swanson lower sodium)\r\n\r\n2 - 3 tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Chicken Base (It can be found by the bullion in the soup aisle)\r\n\r\n1 large stalk celery chopped in small pieces\r\n\r\n1 large carrot chopped fine\r\n\r\n1 medium onion chopped fine\r\n\r\n3 large garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)\r\n\r\n1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried red Pepperoncini flakes (red pepper flakes)\r\n\r\nsalt and pepper (added to your bowl of soup)\r\n\r\n1 entire package of the precooked bacon slices cut up into bite sized pieces.  (since it is already cooked just cut them up and put in the pot.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn a large soup pot saute\' the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until a nice golden color.  Then add the chicken stock to this and the cut up bacon.  While that is coming to a boil clean and chop up your carrot and celery.  Add that to the pot.  Let simmer one hour.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDrain and rinse your beans and add to the pot.  Simmer for 45 minutes.   When that has cooked take a potato masher or an immersion blender and puree right in the pot a small amount of the beans to make the broth a little thicker.  Don\'t puree it all just about a third or a little more.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the meantime clean your escarole by removing the outer leaves and discarding.  Wash and rinse well.  Chop up the escarole.  This looks like a tremendous amount of Escarole but believe me it will boil down to nothing.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAfter the beans have simmered in the broth for 45 minutes and you have done the pureeing put in the escarole.  Cover and cook approx 15 - 20 minutes or until tender.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLadle into soup bowls drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt and pepper to your taste.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nServe with a nice artisan bread and a dipping oil* or bread and butter (real butter).    Don\'t ruin the experience by using margarine.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: medium; color: #008000;\"><strong>*Dipping oil:</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSlice 3 to 4 cloves garlic\r\n\r\n1/2  tsp sea salt\r\n\r\n1 tsp. fresh ground coarse pepper\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried basil\r\n\r\n1 tsp dried rosemary\r\n\r\n1/2 cup good Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (look on the label.  Anything under .8 acidity is good)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPour the olive oil in a saute\' pan.  Add the salt, ground pepper and herbs and garlic.  Saute\' until the garlic turns a nice golden color.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.  Remove the garlic and pour into a dish to serve with bread.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n**********\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMichelle, this is a link to a picture of the Better Than Bullion Chicken Base that I used:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong><a href=\"http://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.superiortouch.com/uploads/products/product-31.jpg</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 362:  Can The Magic Of Tuscany Be Re-Created In A Pot Of Bean Soup?','','inherit','open','open','','8001-revision-16','','','2011-10-23 19:30:18','2011-10-24 02:30:18','',8001,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/23/8001-revision-16/',0,'revision','',0),(8034,1,'2011-10-24 20:09:03','2011-10-25 03:09:03','There is a song that is about to take the nation...no, the WORLD...by storm!  You haven\'t heard it yet, but it\'s called \"Bella is so Cute\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI admit that the song title isn\'t all that original, but the concept behind the making of the song is beyond clever.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHave you heard of the app \"Songify\"? World\'s Most Precious Niece showed it to me on her iTouch.  You speak a few words and phrases into the iTouch\'s microphone, and the app regurgitates a song.  In this case, it is a song that refuses to leave my head.  It haunts me during long plane rides, while I\'m trying to fall asleep, and while I\'m driving to work.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis Songified song is DESTINED to be a one hit wonder.  I can FEEL it!  I live in a country where talentless, vapid <strong><a href=\"http://guestofaguest.com/television/which-real-housewife-has-the-best-song/\" target=\"_blank\">Real Housewives</a></strong> produce one hit wonders!  Whose to say World\'s Most Precious Niece, inspired by World\'s Most Precious Pooch and helped by <strong><a href=\"http://www.thegregorybrothers.com/2011/07/our-free-app-songify-is-songifying-the-world/\" target=\"_blank\">ingenious app designers</a>, </strong>can\'t achieve MegaStardom?!?!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/L-QzWvncyhk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Here are the words that WMPN uttered for Songification:</strong></span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Bella is so cute.</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Bella Boo</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Bella</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>She hijacked a computer.  </em>(You can read all about the hijacking in <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/05/06/day-220-my-dog-hijacked-my-computer/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>this blog post</strong>.</a>)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>My Aunt calls her Little Miss B.</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s all, folks!  Pretty amazing, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou can download The Gregory Brothers\' stellar Songify app <strong><a href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/songify/id438735719?mt=8\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 363:  Bella The One Hit Wonder Dog!','','publish','open','open','','day-363-bella-the-one-hit-wonder-dog','','http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/05/06/day-220-my-dog-hijacked-my-computer/\nhttp://www.thegregorybrothers.com/2011/07/our-free-app-songify-is-songifying-the-world/','2011-10-24 20:11:12','2011-10-25 03:11:12','',0,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?p=8034',0,'post','',5),(8035,1,'2011-10-24 19:50:29','2011-10-25 02:50:29','There is a song that is about to take the nation...no, the WORLD...by storm!  You haven\'t heard it yet, but it\'s called \"Bella is so Cute\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe title isn\'t all that original, but the concept behind the making of the song is beyond clever.  Have you heard of the app \"Songify\"? World\'s Most Precious Niece showed it to me on her iTouch.  You speak a few words and phrases into the iTouch\'s microphone, and it regurgitates a song.  In this case, it is a song that refuses to leave my head.  It haunts me during plane ride, while I\'m trying to fall asleep, and while I\'m driving to work.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis Songified song is DESTINED to be a one hit wonder.  I can FEEL it!  I live in a country where talentless, vapid Real Housewives produce one hit wonders!  Whose to say World\'s Most Precious Niece with the help of an <strong><a href=\"http://www.thegregorybrothers.com/2011/07/our-free-app-songify-is-songifying-the-world/\" target=\"_blank\">ingenious app designers</a></strong> and inspired by World\'s Most Precious Pooch can\'t achieve MegaStardom?!?!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Day 363:  Bella The One Hit Wonder Dog! ','','inherit','open','open','','8034-revision','','','2011-10-24 19:50:29','2011-10-25 02:50:29','',8034,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/24/8034-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(8036,1,'2011-10-24 19:59:33','2011-10-25 02:59:33','There is a song that is about to take the nation...no, the WORLD...by storm!  You haven\'t heard it yet, but it\'s called \"Bella is so Cute\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI admit that the song title isn\'t all that original, but the concept behind the making of the song is beyond clever.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHave you heard of the app \"Songify\"? World\'s Most Precious Niece showed it to me on her iTouch.  You speak a few words and phrases into the iTouch\'s microphone, and the app regurgitates a song.  In this case, it is a song that refuses to leave my head.  It haunts me during long plane rides, while I\'m trying to fall asleep, and while I\'m driving to work.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis Songified song is DESTINED to be a one hit wonder.  I can FEEL it!  I live in a country where talentless, vapid <strong>Real Housewives</strong> produce one hit wonders!  Whose to say World\'s Most Precious Niece, inspired by World\'s Most Precious Pooch and helped by <strong><a href=\"http://www.thegregorybrothers.com/2011/07/our-free-app-songify-is-songifying-the-world/\" target=\"_blank\">ingenious app designers</a>, </strong>can\'t achieve MegaStardom?!?!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHere are the words that WMPN uttered for Songification:\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBella is so cute.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBella Boo\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBella\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe hijacked a computer.  <em>(You can read all about the hijacking in <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/05/06/day-220-my-dog-hijacked-my-computer/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>this blog post</strong>.</a>)</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy Aunt calls her Little Miss B.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThat\'s all, folks!  Pretty amazing, isn\'t it?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou can download The Gregory Brothers\' stellar Songify app <strong><a href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/songify/id438735719?mt=8\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Day 363:  Bella The One Hit Wonder Dog! ','','inherit','open','open','','8034-revision-2','','','2011-10-24 19:59:33','2011-10-25 02:59:33','',8034,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/24/8034-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(8037,1,'2011-10-24 20:00:33','2011-10-25 03:00:33','There is a song that is about to take the nation...no, the WORLD...by storm!  You haven\'t heard it yet, but it\'s called \"Bella is so Cute\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI admit that the song title isn\'t all that original, but the concept behind the making of the song is beyond clever.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHave you heard of the app \"Songify\"? World\'s Most Precious Niece showed it to me on her iTouch.  You speak a few words and phrases into the iTouch\'s microphone, and the app regurgitates a song.  In this case, it is a song that refuses to leave my head.  It haunts me during long plane rides, while I\'m trying to fall asleep, and while I\'m driving to work.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis Songified song is DESTINED to be a one hit wonder.  I can FEEL it!  I live in a country where talentless, vapid <strong><a href=\"http://guestofaguest.com/television/which-real-housewife-has-the-best-song/\" target=\"_blank\">Real Housewives</a></strong> produce one hit wonders!  Whose to say World\'s Most Precious Niece, inspired by World\'s Most Precious Pooch and helped by <strong><a href=\"http://www.thegregorybrothers.com/2011/07/our-free-app-songify-is-songifying-the-world/\" target=\"_blank\">ingenious app designers</a>, </strong>can\'t achieve MegaStardom?!?!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHere are the words that WMPN uttered for Songification:\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBella is so cute.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBella Boo\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBella\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe hijacked a computer.  <em>(You can read all about the hijacking in <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/05/06/day-220-my-dog-hijacked-my-computer/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>this blog post</strong>.</a>)</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy Aunt calls her Little Miss B.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThat\'s all, folks!  Pretty amazing, isn\'t it?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou can download The Gregory Brothers\' stellar Songify app <strong><a href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/songify/id438735719?mt=8\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Day 363:  Bella The One Hit Wonder Dog! ','','inherit','open','open','','8034-revision-3','','','2011-10-24 20:00:33','2011-10-25 03:00:33','',8034,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/24/8034-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(8038,1,'2011-10-24 20:01:33','2011-10-25 03:01:33','There is a song that is about to take the nation...no, the WORLD...by storm!  You haven\'t heard it yet, but it\'s called \"Bella is so Cute\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI admit that the song title isn\'t all that original, but the concept behind the making of the song is beyond clever.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHave you heard of the app \"Songify\"? World\'s Most Precious Niece showed it to me on her iTouch.  You speak a few words and phrases into the iTouch\'s microphone, and the app regurgitates a song.  In this case, it is a song that refuses to leave my head.  It haunts me during long plane rides, while I\'m trying to fall asleep, and while I\'m driving to work.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis Songified song is DESTINED to be a one hit wonder.  I can FEEL it!  I live in a country where talentless, vapid <strong><a href=\"http://guestofaguest.com/television/which-real-housewife-has-the-best-song/\" target=\"_blank\">Real Housewives</a></strong> produce one hit wonders!  Whose to say World\'s Most Precious Niece, inspired by World\'s Most Precious Pooch and helped by <strong><a href=\"http://www.thegregorybrothers.com/2011/07/our-free-app-songify-is-songifying-the-world/\" target=\"_blank\">ingenious app designers</a>, </strong>can\'t achieve MegaStardom?!?!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<iframe width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/L-QzWvncyhk\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen></iframe>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHere are the words that WMPN uttered for Songification:\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBella is so cute.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBella Boo\n\n&nbsp;\n\nBella\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe hijacked a computer.  <em>(You can read all about the hijacking in <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/05/06/day-220-my-dog-hijacked-my-computer/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>this blog post</strong>.</a>)</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\nMy Aunt calls her Little Miss B.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThat\'s all, folks!  Pretty amazing, isn\'t it?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou can download The Gregory Brothers\' stellar Songify app <strong><a href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/songify/id438735719?mt=8\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;','Day 363:  Bella The One Hit Wonder Dog! ','','inherit','open','open','','8034-revision-4','','','2011-10-24 20:01:33','2011-10-25 03:01:33','',8034,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/24/8034-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(8042,1,'2011-10-24 20:07:17','2011-10-25 03:07:17','There is a song that is about to take the nation...no, the WORLD...by storm!  You haven\'t heard it yet, but it\'s called \"Bella is so Cute\".\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI admit that the song title isn\'t all that original, but the concept behind the making of the song is beyond clever.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHave you heard of the app \"Songify\"? World\'s Most Precious Niece showed it to me on her iTouch.  You speak a few words and phrases into the iTouch\'s microphone, and the app regurgitates a song.  In this case, it is a song that refuses to leave my head.  It haunts me during long plane rides, while I\'m trying to fall asleep, and while I\'m driving to work.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThis Songified song is DESTINED to be a one hit wonder.  I can FEEL it!  I live in a country where talentless, vapid <strong><a href=\"http://guestofaguest.com/television/which-real-housewife-has-the-best-song/\" target=\"_blank\">Real Housewives</a></strong> produce one hit wonders!  Whose to say World\'s Most Precious Niece, inspired by World\'s Most Precious Pooch and helped by <strong><a href=\"http://www.thegregorybrothers.com/2011/07/our-free-app-songify-is-songifying-the-world/\" target=\"_blank\">ingenious app designers</a>, </strong>can\'t achieve MegaStardom?!?!\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/L-QzWvncyhk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nHere are the words that WMPN uttered for Songification:\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>Bella is so cute.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>Bella Boo</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>Bella</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>She hijacked a computer.  </em>(You can read all about the hijacking in <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/05/06/day-220-my-dog-hijacked-my-computer/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>this blog post</strong>.</a>)\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<em>My Aunt calls her Little Miss B.</em>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThat\'s all, folks!  Pretty amazing, isn\'t it?\n\n&nbsp;\n\nYou can download The Gregory Brothers\' stellar Songify app <strong><a href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/songify/id438735719?mt=8\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a></strong>\n\n&nbsp;','Day 363:  Bella The One Hit Wonder Dog! ','','inherit','open','open','','8034-revision-8','','','2011-10-24 20:07:17','2011-10-25 03:07:17','',8034,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/24/8034-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(8041,1,'2011-10-24 20:02:46','2011-10-25 03:02:46','There is a song that is about to take the nation...no, the WORLD...by storm!  You haven\'t heard it yet, but it\'s called \"Bella is so Cute\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI admit that the song title isn\'t all that original, but the concept behind the making of the song is beyond clever.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHave you heard of the app \"Songify\"? World\'s Most Precious Niece showed it to me on her iTouch.  You speak a few words and phrases into the iTouch\'s microphone, and the app regurgitates a song.  In this case, it is a song that refuses to leave my head.  It haunts me during long plane rides, while I\'m trying to fall asleep, and while I\'m driving to work.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis Songified song is DESTINED to be a one hit wonder.  I can FEEL it!  I live in a country where talentless, vapid <strong><a href=\"http://guestofaguest.com/television/which-real-housewife-has-the-best-song/\" target=\"_blank\">Real Housewives</a></strong> produce one hit wonders!  Whose to say World\'s Most Precious Niece, inspired by World\'s Most Precious Pooch and helped by <strong><a href=\"http://www.thegregorybrothers.com/2011/07/our-free-app-songify-is-songifying-the-world/\" target=\"_blank\">ingenious app designers</a>, </strong>can\'t achieve MegaStardom?!?!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/L-QzWvncyhk\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHere are the words that WMPN uttered for Songification:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBella is so cute.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBella Boo\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBella\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe hijacked a computer.  <em>(You can read all about the hijacking in <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/05/06/day-220-my-dog-hijacked-my-computer/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>this blog post</strong>.</a>)</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy Aunt calls her Little Miss B.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s all, folks!  Pretty amazing, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou can download The Gregory Brothers\' stellar Songify app <strong><a href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/songify/id438735719?mt=8\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n','Day 363:  Bella The One Hit Wonder Dog! ','','inherit','open','open','','8034-revision-7','','','2011-10-24 20:02:46','2011-10-25 03:02:46','',8034,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/24/8034-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(8039,1,'2011-10-24 20:01:54','2011-10-25 03:01:54','There is a song that is about to take the nation...no, the WORLD...by storm!  You haven\'t heard it yet, but it\'s called \"Bella is so Cute\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI admit that the song title isn\'t all that original, but the concept behind the making of the song is beyond clever.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHave you heard of the app \"Songify\"? World\'s Most Precious Niece showed it to me on her iTouch.  You speak a few words and phrases into the iTouch\'s microphone, and the app regurgitates a song.  In this case, it is a song that refuses to leave my head.  It haunts me during long plane rides, while I\'m trying to fall asleep, and while I\'m driving to work.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis Songified song is DESTINED to be a one hit wonder.  I can FEEL it!  I live in a country where talentless, vapid <strong><a href=\"http://guestofaguest.com/television/which-real-housewife-has-the-best-song/\" target=\"_blank\">Real Housewives</a></strong> produce one hit wonders!  Whose to say World\'s Most Precious Niece, inspired by World\'s Most Precious Pooch and helped by <strong><a href=\"http://www.thegregorybrothers.com/2011/07/our-free-app-songify-is-songifying-the-world/\" target=\"_blank\">ingenious app designers</a>, </strong>can\'t achieve MegaStardom?!?!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/L-QzWvncyhk\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHere are the words that WMPN uttered for Songification:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBella is so cute.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBella Boo\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBella\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe hijacked a computer.  <em>(You can read all about the hijacking in <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/05/06/day-220-my-dog-hijacked-my-computer/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>this blog post</strong>.</a>)</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy Aunt calls her Little Miss B.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s all, folks!  Pretty amazing, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou can download The Gregory Brothers\' stellar Songify app <strong><a href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/songify/id438735719?mt=8\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 363:  Bella The One Hit Wonder Dog! ','','inherit','open','open','','8034-revision-5','','','2011-10-24 20:01:54','2011-10-25 03:01:54','',8034,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/24/8034-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(8040,1,'2011-10-24 20:02:02','2011-10-25 03:02:02','There is a song that is about to take the nation...no, the WORLD...by storm!  You haven\'t heard it yet, but it\'s called \"Bella is so Cute\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI admit that the song title isn\'t all that original, but the concept behind the making of the song is beyond clever.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHave you heard of the app \"Songify\"? World\'s Most Precious Niece showed it to me on her iTouch.  You speak a few words and phrases into the iTouch\'s microphone, and the app regurgitates a song.  In this case, it is a song that refuses to leave my head.  It haunts me during long plane rides, while I\'m trying to fall asleep, and while I\'m driving to work.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis Songified song is DESTINED to be a one hit wonder.  I can FEEL it!  I live in a country where talentless, vapid <strong><a href=\"http://guestofaguest.com/television/which-real-housewife-has-the-best-song/\" target=\"_blank\">Real Housewives</a></strong> produce one hit wonders!  Whose to say World\'s Most Precious Niece, inspired by World\'s Most Precious Pooch and helped by <strong><a href=\"http://www.thegregorybrothers.com/2011/07/our-free-app-songify-is-songifying-the-world/\" target=\"_blank\">ingenious app designers</a>, </strong>can\'t achieve MegaStardom?!?!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/L-QzWvncyhk\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHere are the words that WMPN uttered for Songification:\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBella is so cute.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBella Boo\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBella\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nShe hijacked a computer.  <em>(You can read all about the hijacking in <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/05/06/day-220-my-dog-hijacked-my-computer/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>this blog post</strong>.</a>)</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMy Aunt calls her Little Miss B.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s all, folks!  Pretty amazing, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou can download The Gregory Brothers\' stellar Songify app <strong><a href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/songify/id438735719?mt=8\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 363:  Bella The One Hit Wonder Dog! ','','inherit','open','open','','8034-revision-6','','','2011-10-24 20:02:02','2011-10-25 03:02:02','',8034,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/24/8034-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(8043,1,'2011-10-24 20:07:22','2011-10-25 03:07:22','There is a song that is about to take the nation...no, the WORLD...by storm!  You haven\'t heard it yet, but it\'s called \"Bella is so Cute\".\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI admit that the song title isn\'t all that original, but the concept behind the making of the song is beyond clever.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHave you heard of the app \"Songify\"? World\'s Most Precious Niece showed it to me on her iTouch.  You speak a few words and phrases into the iTouch\'s microphone, and the app regurgitates a song.  In this case, it is a song that refuses to leave my head.  It haunts me during long plane rides, while I\'m trying to fall asleep, and while I\'m driving to work.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThis Songified song is DESTINED to be a one hit wonder.  I can FEEL it!  I live in a country where talentless, vapid <strong><a href=\"http://guestofaguest.com/television/which-real-housewife-has-the-best-song/\" target=\"_blank\">Real Housewives</a></strong> produce one hit wonders!  Whose to say World\'s Most Precious Niece, inspired by World\'s Most Precious Pooch and helped by <strong><a href=\"http://www.thegregorybrothers.com/2011/07/our-free-app-songify-is-songifying-the-world/\" target=\"_blank\">ingenious app designers</a>, </strong>can\'t achieve MegaStardom?!?!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"http://www.youtube.com/embed/L-QzWvncyhk\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Here are the words that WMPN uttered for Songification:</strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Bella is so cute.</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Bella Boo</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Bella</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>She hijacked a computer.  </em>(You can read all about the hijacking in <a href=\"http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/05/06/day-220-my-dog-hijacked-my-computer/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>this blog post</strong>.</a>)\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>My Aunt calls her Little Miss B.</em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThat\'s all, folks!  Pretty amazing, isn\'t it?\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou can download The Gregory Brothers\' stellar Songify app <strong><a href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/songify/id438735719?mt=8\" target=\"_blank\">here.</a></strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Day 363:  Bella The One Hit Wonder Dog! ','','inherit','open','open','','8034-revision-9','','','2011-10-24 20:07:22','2011-10-25 03:07:22','',8034,'http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/10/24/8034-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0);
