Me in our box.

All the dancers from around the world saluting the Nutcracker.

The curtain call of the entire cast.

Christine and me in the Bellini

Ballet Weekend at the Bellini Theatre and Soccer in Ramstein

I know this sounds more like something that should be done around Christmas time, but my friend Christine and I went to see the ballet "The Nutcracker" last Saturday at the Bellini theatre in Catania. During the entire performance I was conflicted between watching the orchestra play and the dancers dance--they were all so amazing! I love Tschiakovsky and I love to watch dancers doing their thing--this was much more engaging than the opera I saw. We were seated in a box on the 4th floor kind of along the side, so it was a bit hard to see the entire stage. We were sharing the box with 2 other people from Sig, and let me tell you, those were not designed to seat more than 2 with a view of the stage. I actually ended up standing the majority of the time so I wouldn't have to strain my neck to see, but I actually preferred that because then I could mimic the dance moves at the same time--never should have dropped out of ballet all those years ago!! There are some pictures on my Yahoo site of the performance and my friend and I in the theatre--although we got yelled at a few times for taking too many pictures of the theatre interior with the flash on--who knew, they didn't have any signs with that info! Apparently, you can take 1 shot with the flash, but then "basta". I got 3 and talked the lady out of deleting the 2 that were only of our faces--we'll probably never be allowed back in there.

Another funny story--while we were waiting for Matt, Christine's husband to come and pick us up, we went to a bar and I ordered a White Russian to drink. So we pay, give the bartender our ticket, Christine gets her drink and I wait for mine. Then I wait some more because the bartender has decided to make this drink the best white russian I have ever had (which it did eventually turn out to be). 15 minutes later I see the guy frothing up the cream and pouring it into the drink over a spoon so it will stay on top. Then, as he hands it to me he moves his hand too quickly and sloshes it a bit. I say "va bene" and take it rather than wait another 15 minutes for the refreshment. It was, however, worth the wait. The ratios of Kahlua, vodka, and cream were perfecto and I loved every minute of that concoction. There is also a picture of that in Yahoo. Enjoy!

For all you soccer fans, Philip has finally returned to me from Germany, safe and sound. No injuries this time. Just a little lost luggage and delays, but they made it to Ramstein. The boys were seeded 8th, so they played 2 games on Thursday--won 1, lost 1. This allowed them to go onto Friday, where they lost to the number 1 seeded team 3-0. Philip said they dominated the game, but just couldn't score. Unfortunately, they did not place, but there is always next year:)

The Sig girls team was on a winning streak. They were seeded #3 going in, and they actually won the tournament! They are now the #1 girls soccer team in all of DODDS Europe for Div 3.

A detailed look at the work in Noto.

The Street of Flowers in Noto

Festa di Fiore in Noto

Last Sunday my friend Christine and I took an ITT tour down to the city of Noto, a city from the Baroque era, to marvel at the incredible works of art made entirely out of flowers, seeds, grains; basically anything natural! I think the theme this year had something to do with Opera--I'm not quite sure. What happens is people submit their design early to be considered for the annual event, then about 12 are picked to actually be created on this street in Noto using nothing but all natural materials. It was truly amazing to witness--I cannot even imagine how long those artists must have labored to create such exact replicas of their original designs! We were also just in time for a parade, which included people dressed in Baroque-style pieces. I think they were recreating some sort of event and they represented people from the big families of older times. They all met in front of the town hall and sat under their family flag, then I have no idea what was happening, but it was being televised, so it must have been pretty important!

Noto is an interesting place to visit, although a lot of its main buildings were damaged during the earthquake of '92, so there is a lot of scaffolding covering them presently. It is located in the southeastern tip of Sicily, about 35 kilometers SW of Siracusa. The original city of Noto (now referred to as Noto Antica) was destroyed in the big earthquake of 1693 and was rebuilt completely on a different site in the Baroque style. I also learned about a great drink to help cool you off--a glass of iced tea with a few scoops of lemon granita in it--so good! It's like an Arnold Palmer (my favorite summer time drink), but better!

I have posted some pictures from Noto on my Yahoo photo link.

http://www.bestofsicily.com/noto.htm for info about Noto

The 2005 Sigonella Soccer Team

The Head Guys, Lally on the left and Stuyvesant on the right singing "You've Lost that Loving Feeling".

Me and Julianna, aka "The Groupies"

The band. Leslie is in the front on the far right, and Manny is next to her. The really tall guy is the orthodontist, and Gary is in the back, second from the right.

Sigonella Idol

Hi everyone! I had the best time last night at the third annual Sigonella Idol!! It is more of a talent show than a competition and it is sponsored by the AOSC (all officers spouse club) to raise money for the senior scholarship fund. I went ultimately to see the performance of not only my neighbor, Manny, but also of my friend Leslie and her husband Gary, who all performed as a live band the song "Short Skirt, Long Jacket" by the group Cake. It was so funny! The lead singer was the orthodontist from the base, Leslie and her 2 friends were the back up singers, Gary was playing bass, and Manny was on drums--there were a few others, but I cannot remember their names. A few other really good performances came from "Madonna" singing "Dress You Up (in my love)", a man singing "Mrs. Jones" was really talented and soulful, and an Italian man named Massimiliano Constantino who sang "Con Te Partiro" (Time to Say Goodbye) so perfectly it gave us all goosebumps. As I later learned, he is on his way to "making it big", so remember that name!

Another highlight of the show was the "Kamakazee Karaoke" which happened about 5 times inbetween song blocks. People could pool money to get someone up to sing karaoke. The person nominated could either match the money raised against himself, or sing karaoke. Well, someone raised $200 for 2 of the COs (commanding officer--THE head people) of the base to get up and perform, and they did! It was so funny!

Phil was gone to Naples with the soccer team, so he missed the show. The team lost pretty majorly, like 0-9 or something. They also lost at home last weekend to the American School of Rome, 1-4. They will be playing Marymount next weekend, then flying to Milan the weekend after that, then tournament in Ramstein, Germany after that. After that, no more sports!! Oops, did I sound too enthusistic about that??:)