Tag Archives: Italian idiom

The Twitter Diaries: 2010-02-22 CO, SF, LA

Porgy gives me my money now – well, actually, Larry does. Or will soon. Whatever – I’ll be employed. #
call them, if you wish… emotions – Learn Italian in Song: Emozioni http://bit.ly/aB7GVi #
Had a skype video chat w the kid last night. She’s settling in to Aus and has fallen in love with a horse (in a good way) #
I’m up on the tightwire, one side’s ice and one is fire http://bit.ly/c7Kz32 …and working without a net. #
that actually went pretty well. #
Italians speak of un lavoro certosino (work of a Carthusian monk) – a numbingly detailed and finicky task. That’s what I’m doing right now #
My tweeps are so diverse that the juxtapositions can be very entertaining. #
Only problem with a public transport commute is that I can’t sing. At least not out loud. #
@nonstick or might make me new friends #
if i could only have you near to breathe a sigh or two, I would be happy just to hold the hands I love on this winter night with you. #
(this morning’s playlist features Gordon Lightfoot, who might be a distant relative; there’s a Lightfoot somewhere in my family tree) #
@nonstick trust me, I have to work at it #
my plan of not working this weekend looks as if it will not work. #

^ why was there a bagpiper walking through Denver International Airport? No idea, but I liked it.

Heading back to SF after a tough workday/week. Cautiously hopeful the next will be easier. Wd help to rest this wkd, may not get much. #
@lewellyn notUnless they let me in for free. #
@lewellyn thanks, let me see what tomw looks like. Will you be there? #
@jeffreytaylor I will slap them if you won’t. That’s never good behavior, and wildly unacceptable now. #
Waking up slowly. Wish I had someone to bring me coffee in bed. Guess that wd be room service. #
@trine @jeffreytaylor maybe the correct response is yes, thank the Lord. When is He bringing lunch? #
@c_bright you can comevisit in CO fog our next snowstorm. Actually, you /should/ come while I’m still there. #
@c_bright don’t even know! Guessing I’ll move after my intl trip mid march to early April. #
Quiche and coffee on Mkt st. Might be nicer with company, but it’s pretty damn good alone. #
Just passed John Cleese walking around Union Sq. I was cool. #
@NomdeB no, I played it yes I know who you are but I’m so cool I’ll leave you alone #
Time to dress a bit more formally for work. Burning up the Amex @bananarepublic #
@nonstick I was guessing. #
@Schlomo where are you geographically? I’m in SF til next Friday evening. #
Not usually an enthusiastic shopper, but that was fun, and pretty good value for money. Woulda bought red if I’d found it, got pink instead. #
RT @c_bright: RT @TheSquare M.C. Escher… in Lego: http://bit.ly/bTqg0D – one thing I will need for my new home: big pile o’ Legos! #
@italylogue I was a frustrated Lego lover as a kid, now that I’m a grownup I can have as many Legos as I damn well please! #
time to go find a book to read and something to eat. And maybe shoes. #
Dim sum for lunch. Have i mentioned I love this city? #
Afternoon of wine and talk with @jeffreytaylor – we both needed it #
in an amazingly good mood. Half (or more) a bottle of NZ Pinot Noir – but, more, good friendships – will do that for me. #
@JohnCleese that /was/ you I saw in SF’s Union Square today, wasn’t it? #
waiting for my Valentine. #
@lskrocki highly non-specific use of language, IMHO. A French kiss is just one way of making out. #
the problem with fancy business clothing is that it needs to be ironed. Did enough of that in one year of attending a private girls’ school. #
@webmink yum! Please share that recipe. #
@bubbva are you sure it was the cat? #
@lskrocki kids these days! You can’t teach ’em anything. #
I should be out enjoying the city or at my desk working. What I may actually do is go back to sleep. Or read a book. #
@jeffreytaylor do NOT feel guilty. You cannot take care of anyone if you’re falling apart yourself. That Is the first rule of caregiving #
@almightygod but Jesus was a Capricorn #wwjd #
Barbies Next Career? Computer Engineer – Bits Blog – NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/bMkql2 #
Learn Italian in song: My skin, white and perfumed, Needs caresses stillNeeds caresses now http://bit.ly/1194h9 #
Learn Italian in Song: Parole Parole If you didnt exist, someone would have to invent you http://bit.ly/9QLuuw #
@feliciaday the shortest Darth Vader ever #
learn an Italian song for Valentine’s Day: Gli Ostacoli del Cuore http://bit.ly/dc6XWT #
here’s a long-lost (by me, anyway) treat for my geek Valentines: Bryan Cantrill talks Dtrace at Google http://bit.ly/a4TmMs #
does anyone know how to turn off the 2-finger resize on Mac touchpads? Annoys the crap out of me in OpenOffice. #
yes, I am doing work. No, I will not be doing this all day. #
seems like parents worry way too much about the influence of cartoon role models on their girls. But, then, my daughter had Buffy. #
@webmink one of my favorite things to do when traveling: buy local groceries #
I have been so girly this weekend: bought clothes, shoes, and makeup. #
Slow train to my first day on campus as an Oracle employee. Suspect it will differ from analogous day at Sun, April 1 2008. #
@GeorgeTrujillo isn’t it Day One all over again for you? 😉 #
Cultural adjustment is always tiring, even when it’s also exciting. #
@cwarticki #
@italylogue actually, this is about corporate cultural adjustment, but the principle is the same. #travel #
RT @oracletechnet: Remember to land at otn.oracle.com tomorrow at 10am PT for my live chat with Mark Reinhold. We want your questions! #
hmm. Not all of my usual communications channels work from here. #
Productive day. Hope to regain a few braincells with food. #
Remains of breakfast scone (in bag) found upon purse excavation. Yay! Now I can hold out til a decent hour for dinner. #
Btw, Oracle has very good coffee. I approve. #
Does Stallman drive a ‘Stang? Could swear I just saw him in one in SF #
Return to Denver late Friday, fly to LA Sunday. Who do I know there? #
Hangin out to observe how the pros doVideo/webcast. Already concluded i can’t afford these production values #
RT @ocp_advisor: Watching Oracle Technology Network Live @livestream http://bit.ly/ak8OvU #
RT @dboyll: RT @oracletechnet: It’s Oracle TechCast Live! Ask Mark Reinhold your questions: http://ow.ly/17VLj #oracletechnet #oracle #java #
This is impressive, takes ~10 people to do besides the ones you see on camera. #
Gotta get some of my folks on here. Maybe all four of the Bs at once. No, studio would combust… #
Brendan’s back: Little Shop of Performance Horrors – Sun Video http://bit.ly/3r89dH (told you I’d get my videos back online…) #
@bsousapt we’re here to help. Especially when the ideas you’re taking to management involve Sun+Oracle goods. 😉 #
Richard’s back and downloadable (slowly) ZFS Workshop at LISA 08 – http://bit.ly/7KDLHS – gonna have to BitTorrent this stuff… #
@bsousapt Nice. I always enjoy direct contact with the customers. #
@NomdeB I’ll hopefully need house stuff soon. 😉 #
@NomdeB looking for easy commute, hence near Caltrain. Don’t know when. (Wd be nice if I had control over ANY aspect of my life rt now!) #
a cheerful little song for the day Learn Italia in Song: La Pulce dAcqua http://bit.ly/biHpjv #
and here’s a silly one: Learn Italian in Song: Eri Piccola Cosi http://bit.ly/brndN9 #
okay, would anybody else in the entire universe like to come hit me in the head with a baseball bat? Take a number. #
…and a melancholy one Learn Italian in Song: Questo Piccolo Grande Amore http://bit.ly/dmvMJ3 #
can’t win for losing today. Hotel offers wine in the evenings, but only til 6:30, it turns out. I got there at 6:40. #
Grabbed wrong bits of paper out of ticket machine so I’m on caltrain w/out a ticket. Conductor nice, so it’s not a 250 mistake… #
RT @danilop: OpenOffice.org and Solaris 10 in eWEEK’s Top 25 Technologies Of The Decade – http://shar.es/m19EZ #
RT @creepyed: Super excited for the Colorado Front Range Girl Geek Dinner at 6pm at CB & Potts Restaurant & Brewery in Broomfield!! #
@acworkma we were advised to change even if not expiring. Thanks for the reminder – haven’t done it yet #
@MYSTICASALLY trust me, c’e’ molto che non va in Shreveport. #
Don’t forget that when. you. get. to. Heaven you’ll be blessed, yes, it’s All For The Best http://bit.ly/dBDh12 #
the Bill ‘n’ Jeff show is back: Kernel Conference Australia 2009: Jeff Bonwick and Bill Moore keynote – Sun Video http://bit.ly/onzN3 #
RT @guercheLE: If Men Wrote Womens Magazines | Cool Material http://ping.fm/audlQ #
RT @wanderingitaly: Let the barfing begin! On Tuscans EatingCat | Wandering Italy Blog–> http://bit.ly/coU4WD #
Talk about Republicans shutting down the American policymaking process, and ignoring the will of the voters. http://bit.ly/b503nu #
@mschoenu say no. #
today’s video talent is late, perhaps because of the small plane crash in Palo Alto. I need a do-over on most of this week. #
Graham’s back: ZFS Discovery Day: Total Cost of Ownership – Sun Video http://bit.ly/desSTO #
Bryan’s back: Visualizing DTrace: Sun Storage 7000 Analytics – Sun Video http://bit.ly/8ZmpEG #
Sriram is back: Using DTrace to Analyze Your Webstack – Sun Video http://bit.ly/ds1L3c #
@bubbva were you able to get in to MPK? Waiting to film somebody and he ain’t showing, wondering if he’s having trouble getting here. #
@jimpick y’all just never get tired of Cantrill, do you? 😉 #
Now archiving stuff I didn’t know I would need to archive… #
Now archiving stuff I didn’t know I would need to archive… #
@mschoenu confront him/her? Sounds like they’re deliberately taking advantage. Or say sorry, I have to spend my time on paying work. #
When they leave me alone to get on with what I’m good at, well, the results are good. Really pleased with today’s video shoot. #
I see red, people – YouTube – deirdresun’s Channel http://bit.ly/c5dW1v #
Nick is once more highly available – A Conversation with Jack Adams – Sun Video http://bit.ly/aGj0Y5 #
George is back: Jack Adams Interviews George Wilson on ZFS – Sun Video http://bit.ly/GUTvf #
…and Valerie is once more secure: OpenSolaris Security – Sun Video http://bit.ly/KvwoH #
RT @akumar: The Case For An Older Woman OkTrends http://j.mp/bTWZya [incidentally, *much* better graphs then last time] #
RT @bklein34: These silly naysayers getting in the way… they’ve yet to learn resistance is futile. – Heh. You and I should work together. #
dear lazyweb: what’s the best/easiest way to make my videos available via BitTorrent? #
@macsun needs more expertise than I have to set it up, tho I did sign up a while ago. #
@creepyed wish I was there! Tell the gals I said hello. #
Perhaps my job title should be talent manager for alpha geeks. #
@Padmasree been wondering whether the US infatuation with novelty is genetic. Most of our ancestors had to be risk-takers. #rustechdel #
@creepyed glad to hear it! Sounds like a success. #
@IgorMinar yay! #beatCancer #
@AdamBusch not if he recently had oral surgery #
At the end of a highly varied day, can’t decide whether to take a hot bath or just go to sleep. #
had a coupon from my Banana Republic shopping spree, used it at the Gap to buy new jeans. Surprise: fit into a yet smaller size! #
didn’t I just do this drinking from the firehose thing 3 years ago? Good thing I have lifelong skills in cultural adaptation. #
@thinguy I already like the hold music better. And now I know who’s behind the scenes at BTV. #
@ptribble link? #
ummm… dance music changed to Mozart. Interesting. #
http://twitpic.com/13zun7 Hermione is a chav? #
I enjoy@iamsrk ‘s tweets. He seems like a very nice guy, especially considering he’s a global megastar. Americans: look up Shah Rukh Khan #
not shown – ouch! #
@thinguy me, too. So we should be able to breeze through these, right? #
is anyone able to download the preso from the link they gave us? #
@bsousapt internal thing #
http://bit.ly/dtUTPN – Configuring Sun Cluster Software With Oracle RAC/CRS and Sun Storage 7000 Unified Storage Systems #
going to need to get well away from a desk after this. #
argh! It’s the answerbot! #
well, yes, of course I’m traveling in this interim period. And every other month of the year. #
hrm. I don’t think blip.tv’s ftp upload option is working. Tried it twice, no new files showing up anywhere. #
Somehow my brain just totally shuts out words from the answerbot. #
RT @TEDchris: I was criticized last yr for reading ?s for Bill Gates from my Mac. So this year… http://bit.ly/cQjHT0 – thx for LOL! #
Strange mood. So much was good this week, so much was horribly stressful. Can I declare this Friday night already? Need a weekend. #
besides, I’m having weird attacks of numbness in my right hand which probably mean I should lay off the keyboarding… #
We’d be so grand at the game, so carefree together that it does seem a shame… http://bit.ly/cZCdOZ #
@comay very strange week. What was up with the fire alarm in MPK today? (I wasn’t there, but we had a meeting interrupted.) #
agh! complicit in their own oppression! they deserved their punishment & it would help stem sex outside marriage. http://bit.ly/abnyfI #
RT @Radu43: @empoprises we are having a great time. – did that need a /sarcasm tag? #
RT @NomdeB: Mindtime Maps http://bit.ly/b6gbYJ says I refuse to acknowledge or be bound by others’ rules. 😉 – u needed to be told that? #
could use about a week of sleep. Ain’t gonna get it. #
Tucker is back: SETI For The People: Addressing the Challenge of Massive Data Sharing – Oracle Solaris Video http://bit.ly/ddTkZ1 #
is email weirdly quiet today, or is it just me? #
@kbeninato equestrian events are also unisex, but sadly lacking in winter Olympics #
Free ride on muni because the machine is broken. I owe you a buck, Jeffrey! #
@nonstick yeah, who knew that having >1 gb of storage was extravagant? I have 5.5 tb of video material #
Been a lovely 10 days in SF. Back to Denver (to drive home in the snow?), wash clothes, and repack for LA. Gnah. #
Fri night traffic far less than predicted, butgives me time for a tempura dinner at sfo. #
Sfo STILL doesn’t have free wifi? Lame. #
Nice to be somebody on sn airline agAin. Frontier Ascent status netted me 2 free checked bags and a seat upgrade tonight #
Whoever Brendan Hickey is, they’ve been paging him for an hour at sfo #
Looks like a couple inches of snow. Drive home gonna be fun #
Get me my damn bags before I fall asleep! #
ah, yes, home is where the TV is ALWAYS ON. Gah! Can’t wait to NOT share living space. #
got home at 1:45 am after a tense drive in the snow, slept til 9, leapt out of bed to do laundry, expense report, repack… #
it’s days like this when I need a house spouse #
My no news is good news kid: if she calls me, it’s a crisis. If she doesn’t, she’s probably fine. Wd be nice to hear 1st-hand she’s happy. #
Roger Ebert’s Journal It is more erotic to wonder if you’re about to be kissed than it is to be kissed. http://bit.ly/bCm9uB #
kid was talking to everyone else in the world, on my AT&T bill. Guess who no longer has a working iPhone? AT&T cust serv rocks, I must say. #
@LusciousPear laying eggs appeals to you? #
my generation survived our youth without being constantly in touch with distant friends and family. Seems to be a lost art. #
last day to use old expense reporting system is Monday. So of course it’s down for maintenance today. #
the way were celebrating and getting drunk on it is far more depraved than anything hes done. http://bit.ly/9dQbWV http://bit.ly/dqXgSL #
In Italy, Mussolini makes comeback – Italy for the past 15 years has cultivated a gradual revisionism of Fascism http://bit.ly/dq0z6Y #
a profound statement of traditional Italian vacation habits: the same sea, the same beach, practically the same ombrellone (beach umbrella #
Im a woman, Im not a saint; Dont tempt me, Im not a saint http://bit.ly/1194h9 #
Learn Italian in Song: Sentimento, Pentimento when there is feeling There is never regret. http://bit.ly/cfffq3 #
an Italian Malaysian pirate: Learn Italian in Song: Sandokan http://bit.ly/9VCEsq #
Cultural divides within families are hard. #
Better learn to go it alone, recognize you’re out on your own http://bit.ly/bIafmk (don’t be distracted by the very 80s video…) #
Realizing I failed to manage cultural expectations within my own family. Failed to be an Italian wife or mamma. Never wanted to be either. #
got a lot done today but haven’t packed yet. What’s the weather going to be like in El Lay? #
@svaroschi I failed with my family because they expected me to be those things. It was a wrong expectation, though. #
Wth is going on at DIA? Never saw it so crowded #
Wifi at DIA is AWOL. So much for getting that expense report done here. Flights leaving gates early to de-ice. Hmm. #
Nodules of ice and grit looked like a skin disease on my car. Grossed me out; had to scrape it all off with my shoe. Ok, I’m a little OCD. #
Wd have preferred To be doing this training in SF. #
Waiting to get a rental car at LAX. Good thing I’ve got over my driving phobia #
Haven’t been to LA in 10 years or more. If Disneyland even counts. #
Apologies to my kid: she ran up the bill b4 understanding she’d pay roaming even on skype calls w iPhone in Aus. #
Last wk was All About Oracle. This wk is Solaris sysadmin training pt 2 (don’t laugh). My head may explode. #
Avis, when you’ve got a long line of people waiting to rent is not the time for employees to go on break. #
This is why I avoid renting cars whenever possible: process too slow. #
last time ever wrestling with our old and very sucky expense reporting system. Tells me there’s an error when there isn’t one. #
@vdotw my understanding was deadline tomorrow, receipts tomorrow. Sure hope so, else I have wasted a few more unrecoverable hours onthis POS #
Don’t have a dinner engagement tonight after all. Just as well – tired, with another intense week ahead of me. #
@bubbva they’re going to let you entertain us? #
Tintarella (a little color) is a cutesy word for suntan.This was one of the first big hits for the fabulous Mina. http://bit.ly/1194h9 #
for an urb that relies so much on the car LA has a disproportionate share of idiotic drivers. Nearly got hit twice – in a parking lot! #
kid lamenting the drawbacks of parents on FB. She should be glad she was born too soon for me to be a mommy blogger. 😉 #
@nonstick don’t worry about it. No matter what you do, your kids will someday blame you for everything. #
@NomdeB damn, sorry I missed it. Is there a reply somewhere? What music did they use? #
Countries Beginning with I Learn Italian in Song: Ti Voglio Bene http://bit.ly/9u5mGB #
RT @lewellyn: In the Linux vs. Solaris Debate, Watch out for Scalability FUD http://shar.es/mm0nX – (damn, do I know /everyone/?) #
His entire expression and posture are eloquently Italian, a cross between a shrug and Che ci vuoi fare? http://bit.ly/bwRZds #
@svaroschi I was. For that matter, I probably don’t fit the American wife/mother norms, either. #
@lewellyn I think I’ve filmed practically everyone who is anyone in my corner of this industry… #
Waking up is hard to do. #
@vdotw when he’s a teenager you’ll have the opposite problem. #
Not feeling well at all. I may have finally reached break point. Which is going to make sysadmin training all kinds of fun. #
@jlb13 thanks, I dimly recall we covered SMF in part 1 of the training, so I may be safe. #
@NomdeB requires Silverlight, one thing too many to deal with today #
@PizzoC: here’s a Papa Ratzi antidote: Papa Fan: A Satirist for the Modern Papacy http://bit.ly/axKCH1 #
RT @IgorMinar: Only wimps use milliseconds in perf tests! Nanoseconds FTW! #

Learn Italian in Signs: Horses and Dogs

^ Milan billboard advertising a van: “Milanese Proverb. The master commands, the horse [he] trots.”

^ This sign on a train has been altered from “service rooms” to “torture rooms”.

07 02 04 013

^ I don’t remember where I took this picture, but it says “Dogs have the right to make dirty [poop], masters have the duty to clean up.”

070422 144
^ This touching graffito says: “Little one, I miss you!!! Thanks for everything.”

Learn Italian in Signs

above: Piazza Gambara, Milano – Vorrei svegliarti ogni mattina con un bacio – “I’d like to wake you every morning with a kiss.”

This sign mysteriously appeared on a bus stop in Lecco. I haven’t seen any others like it, and have no idea who’s responsible, whether it’s one it a series…?

It says: “When you take 5 minutes to do what others do in 5 days YOU GET BORED – I QUIT”

We spotted this poster in a small-town bar, for a series of festivities hosted by a local parish. I was particularly struck by the activities for May 1st: In large type, a donkey race, followed in the evening by “dinner with donkey stew, polenta, ribs, and sausage.”

Eating donkey (and horse) is not unheard-of, but, in the context, seems a bit rude…

Stefano Tonti, supplier of one of the funniest newspaper headlnes I’ve yet seen, strikes again, this time with a graffito which is also a grammar lesson. It originally said “Marty I love you” (ti amo), but was overwritten to the past tense: ti amavo – “I loved you.”

Everyday Italian: Signs of the Times

^ above: Occasione means “For sale, great deal!” (And no wonder…)

^ June 14, 2006 – This new shop in Lecco is “opening soon” (prossima = soon or next, apertura = opening [noun]). But maybe it’ll close soon after?

^ English education in Italy clearly never includes proper use of the apostrophe (a common mistake among native speakers as well, I know!). I simply cannot think of a correct English usage that would be spelled Pant’s. Except in India where the name Pant (pronounced Punt) is fairly common, so you could be referring to something belonging to Mr. or Ms. Pant.

servizi demografici

^ We were walking past a church where a funeral was being held, the hearse parked outside waiting to go to the cemetery, when this official car from the City of Lecco pulled up. The office of servizi demografici (population services) keeps track of the local population. Had they come to make sure the person was actually dead?

^ A chi non farebbe gola? – “Who wouldn’t get hungry for this?”

  • fare gola = to give an appetite.
  • gola = throat
  • goloso = appetitious
  • golosita’ = greed for food.

You could say Sono golosa/o di... or Sono ghiotto/a di to say that you love a particulare kind of food, e.g. cioccolato.

^ Scontata means discounted, but is also used for “taken for granted.” So this advertisement is a play on words: “Happiness is discounted/taken for granted.”

These were part of a series of punny posters advertising flooring materials.

Ne combiniamo di tutti i colori literally means “We put [things] together in all colors,” and can be roughly translated as “We get up to all sorts of mischief.”

In this case, of course, the pun is on the combination of (racial) colors in the picture, and that they seem to be getting up to some sort of hanky-panky (Italy doesn’t know about cheerleaders.)

Supportiamo tutto – “We support/put up with/bear anything”, referring to load weights. I can’t help thinking that in the US they would have to show much fatter people to make their point…