ah... *sigh* ahh...

it's that time of year again...

ALLERGY season.

I was out like a light all afternoon yesterday, waking up to a runny nose and constant sneezing (or the constant, "ah... ahhh... come on, sneeze!!!!). dang it!

It is HOT today - 20C (68F) and the sun is out in full force, but I still went out with a full winter coat and had to force myself to leave my scarf behind. The sign for March, here in Torino (or perhaps I'm wrong) is the same sign as "maniac" - the hand splitting the face in half vertically, flipping back and forth from one side to another. It's true! Cuz the weather for March is always cold, warm, cold, warm... like a maniac going from one emotion to another!

I can't believe it... in a few weeks I'll be in the United States again... but I'm worried what kind of weather there will be! I've been reading sporadic reports about the storms and the "white rages" in the snow-bound cities where people go into a rage over parking spots and clearing snow (I read a story about one man who brought out a shotgun against a public worker plowing snow who got snow on his property). My goodness.

For International Women's Day, I went out with a bunch of friends here in Torino, including Carlo who had come up from Genova for his class (and plus to see me). Since he wasn't around to clean my apartment (that's one of the obligations of men on International Women's Day, I think ;-)), he said he'd pay for my dinner. Fine by me! :-D We went out to eat at an English pub. For sure I'd have some pub food and a pint of beer! (British pint, that is) Sure enough, I was pleasantly surprised to see cheeseburgers with fries and Czech beer on the menu. I ordered both. However, since I'd never had a cheeseburger in Italy before, I wasn't prepared for what was delivered to me. It was a hamburger with cheese melted on it, with a side of lettuce and tomato, and a side of oven roasted potatoes (close enough). No bun! But... needless to say, by Italian standards, this is a very balanced meal. If I wanted a bun, I would have gotten the hamburger SANDWICH, which is without the fries. I cleaned the plate, and felt very satisfied. I know that as soon as I arrive in the USA, I'll order a cheeseburger with fries and only finish half the burger and 1/4 the fries because of the sheer size of the portions! The beer of course was just perfect. :-) The Czechs really know how to brew a good beer!