Carbonboy's Weblog

February  2008

Well - too much to do - these updates will surely follow.

First observations of the Nikon D300, Dell M1330 and Vista Ultimate tomorrow - minor gripes for sure.

~~~

Turbo Tax Online and Appealing an Outrageous Property Tax Increase

So not to upset my brother-in-law, but I fired my accountant two years ago, in spite of her overwhelming help over the years transitioning out of a business. 

Now I don't need her anymore.  I've used TurboTax Online for the last two years and have had my Federal refund in my bank account within eight days of filing.  Did I squeeze every penny of deductions out of the federal government?

Maybe not, but for the $59 I paid for Federal and State filings I saved enough to offset the hundreds I would have paid the accountant to save a few more dollars.

Is TurboTax for everyone?

Yes, unless your are a multi-millionaire that needs to legally defraud the government using all the loopholes granted to the rich.

~~~

Speaking of which, I also filed an appeal to my property tax increase on-line.  Seems the local government thinks my house is worth the bubble price at its peak.   Hardly so.  I'll let you know the outcome.

 

February 26, 2008

A Different World - a Different Time

i trulli - alive and occupied in 2008 - more to come!

February 24, 2008

A Neapolitan Sunday Afternoon

We begin - Antipasti - salami, prosciutto, ripe melon, two cheeses (I will get their names) and olives with favor that one cannot believe - with, of course, a sparking vino rosso from a vineyard just down the road, and available only if you know the guy who produced it.

Spring has arrived in Southern Italy this weekend, or at least made an appearance.  Saturday was the first day since last November that I would even consider venturing outside without a coat.  The fruit trees are slowly beginning to bloom and there is more green to be seen each day, although most trees are still bare of leaves.

My friend Franco invited me to his home for Sunday Dinner with his family - four generations represented.  It was wonderful and I felt at home immediately.  The "home" was more of a compound in a semi-rural area about 10 kilometers outside of Napoli.  To the back of the house was a stunning view of Mount Vesuvio.  To one side, fruit trees ripe with oranges, mandarins and lemons.

I took only one "people" photo and it is awesome - but out of respect to the occasion, I refrained annoying my hosts with photos - and there were a hundred great ones to be had.  But no problem in photographing the meal - and what a meal it was!

Italians, of course, don't eat like this everyday, as they could not be as slim as they are if they did.  I forgot the "cheat sheet" that Franco prepared for me to properly identify each element of each course - so I will add that tomorrow with a few more photos.  I hope I have the chance to go back and recapture the "people shots" I passed on today.  More to come.

Well, I was called away to another site - so the actual names of these marvelous dishes will have to wait until I return to Paolisi next week.  Until then, I'll have to use the generic.  This pasta was remarkable and so, so authentic.

il primo pliatto

il secondo pliatto - la carne e la verdura          

vomgola

i doici - at least momma  didn't have to bake all these!

OK, I rushed through all this because I had to leave for a few days.  Note my friend Franco also stoked up a Weber Kettle and grilled some steak for the men, after the clams.  Meanwhile I took a walk with his padre and hand-picked a mandarin and regular orange to snack on.

So, I am told, I am part of the family now.  I never ate so much in my life, and, if ever again, I will request half-portions.  Yet it is a day I will never forget.  What an honor and a privillage to share this day!

February 17, 2008

SS7 West to Formia and Gaeta

An old, but not ancient olive tree on the SS7 to Formia

It was bitterly cold in Caserta on Saturday night, not by US standards, but cold none-the-less as I brought only a light coat along this time (foolishly assuming Southern Italy would be warm and sunny in mid-February).  Well, sunny yes, but on Saturday morning it was a mere 5 C in Caserta.  So, I spent most of Saturday working in the hotel room, but did mange an hour in the empty (my private) fitness center.

 The next day, I wanted to get out as there was not a cloud in the sky on Sunday morning.  So I figured if I headed to the coast it might be a tad bit warmer.  I was right - the day peaked at a pleasant 12 C in Gaeta.

I have grown accustom to driving in Italy.  Being cut-off, tailgated, near head-on collisions, side impact collisions and all the the other oddities that are normal driving behaviors in Italy don't stress me out any more.   But I was just not up for driving South to Napoli and beyond to Pompeii or the Amalfi Coast where traffic is a mess even in the coldest of winter days.

So I headed to two small towns north of Napoli on a somewhat scenic drive on SS7, opposite the direction I drive daily to Paolisi.   My Nuvi took me off SS7 on a peaceful coastal mountain road with miles of vineyards, olive groves and small farms. 

The towns of Formia and Gaeta have a relatively small historically significance (as best I know) and lack the quaintness and charm of many other towns in Italy, but are relatively peaceful this time of year.  And, of course the seafood and pasta are great along the coast about anywhere. 

Each town has multiple harbors and every kind of vessel can be seen in great numbers, from skiffs that will never see water again to mega-yachts, many, many mega-yachts!  And, of course, thousands of spectacular villas with stellar Mediterranean views, any of which I'd be happy to call home - at least after an inspection anyway.

Formia


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gaeta

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 14, 2008

OK - it's not easy maintaining a Blog - even weekly

Early Spring in the Swiss Alps or Global Warming?

So I was home in Piney Point for a week and too busy or lazy (you choose) to update my Blog.  Sometimes this is such a burden, even though I do this only weekly.  Now I am back in Italy, it is still cold, but not frigid like much of the US and I have no real adventures planned - although I feel one coming this weekend.

I picked up a new Dell XPS M1330 and Nikon D300, breaking my New Year's resolution to stop spending money on new toys.  But the US Stock Market didn't call me to invest the money and the recent Fed interest rate reductions made saving cash almost a dumb idea.  So, more on my impressions on Dell, Vista Ultimate and the revolutionary Nikon later.

Italy would be a really beautiful country if not for two things - garbage piled up everywhere and graffiti (well add litter to the list but classify it as garbage in general).  I've got numerous pictures of Italian garbage, but out of respect for my Italian friends I won't publish them here.  Graffiti - well that could also be considered an artform:

Oh, persistence pays off - I finally managed to rent a really new Alfa Romeo 159 - only a 130 kilometers, as I was the second renter.  I may even take this one to the carwash weekly.  Driving in Italy now is so natural that I even pass in the imaginary third lane - with common sense still dictating of course.

  

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