http://www.rkwest.com/personal/newblog Whatever's on my mind Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:55:22 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en If you're interested in my posts about local sights and issues, please see Touring the Valley, my current blog about the San Fernando Valley. Today's post foreshadows the replacement of our lawns with synthetic stuff. http://www.rkwest.com/personal/newblog/2009/06/04/san-fernando-valley/ Becoming Italian Word by Word, a blog by Dianne Hales, is an absolute must-read for anyone with an interest in Italian and Italians. Hales discusses the nuances of words and phrases, provides cultural insights, and talks about the history and structure of the Italian language, all in a way that ... http://www.rkwest.com/personal/newblog/2009/04/22/becoming-italian/ This blog will be undergoing some changes in the near future. Instead of sporadic updates about my personal adventures, I will be focusing on resources for students learning to speak Italian. In the meantime, I have launched a new blog called "Touring the Valley" that focuses on the sights and landmarks ... http://www.rkwest.com/personal/newblog/2009/03/18/moving-on-2/ It's the first day of the "spring" semester. A crown popped off one of my back molars. Fortunately, the dentist was able to fit me in this morning (I'm about to leave for my appointment), so I should be okay in time for tonight's Italian class. I'm so glad it's ... http://www.rkwest.com/personal/newblog/2009/02/09/its-always-something/ Crazy weather we've been having these past two weeks. There were a few days that were near freezing, and several that were beautiful, but marred by high winds. The last couple of says were quite warm, with temperatures reaching the 80's. Today it's just cool enough for a jacket. It ... http://www.rkwest.com/personal/newblog/2009/01/19/dressing-for-the-weather/ Brr! The temperature was in the high 30's when I left the house this morning for statistics class. Yes, it's the same class that I dropped because it was too much to handle during the five-week summer session. And yes, the winter session is only four weeks, so this is ... http://www.rkwest.com/personal/newblog/2009/01/05/winter-session/ Along with the chocolate and a candy cane or two, my Christmas stocking always held a banana and an orange. It's a simple way to get kids to eat breakfast on a busy morning. Photo from clipart.com http://www.rkwest.com/personal/newblog/2008/12/24/breakfast/ Pimsleur offers the best audio program for learning Italian I have found, and I was sorry that it stopped at Level 3. Now, there is Italian Plus,which goes to the next level. It contains only 10 lessons, compared to 30 in the other levels, so it's not quite as expensive. ... http://www.rkwest.com/personal/newblog/2008/12/23/pimsleur-italian-4/ When I was little, it was a Christmas tradition to find little bags of chocolate coins in our stockings. Yum! When I saw these at the grocery store (perfectly positioned for impulse buying), I couldn't stop smiling. Photo by Rosemary West http://www.rkwest.com/personal/newblog/2008/12/20/tradition/ I was moving some things around in the kitchen, and left this cupboard standing open just for a couple of minutes while I was busy at the counter. While I wasn't looking, Bob decided it looked very cozy. Photo by Rosemary West http://www.rkwest.com/personal/newblog/2008/12/19/never-turn-your-back-on-bob/