Francesca was picked to “train” Ana Belaval of WGN’s Morning News on how to call-take at our City’s 911 center. Check out the video here. If the video doesn’t immediately load, look for “Around Town at a 911 Center.”
How do you think she did???
Posted by Felicia
It was the weirdest thing. I was half-awake, just lying in bed, and I felt the bed moving - not really shaking, but moving. Mark had already left for work so I continued to lie there with my eyes shut, thinking it was the dog, who normally sleeps in the bed with us (I know, he’s spoiled), just scratching himself. I sat up to tell him to stop and I noticed he wasn’t in the bed with me. I looked over and there he was, fast asleep on the floor. I thought, “Ok, what the hell….??” To prove I wasn’t losing my mind, I lay down again but the bed was still moving! It wasn’t as strong this time and I felt a weird sensation, almost like a tingling feeling, in my lower legs. Then I started thinking that maybe I did something weird and screwed up my calves at yoga class last night. But would that cause my whole bed to move?? I finally got up and started about my morning routine when my mother called to me from downstairs. She said, “Francesca, the whole house was shaking!” I won’t tell you where she was or what she was doing at the time (hee hee…) but she said it felt as if the foundation were going to cave in. That’s when I said, “We had an earthquake!”
I immediately turned on WGN radio, AM 720, and people were already calling in reporting the same experience as I had. The station hadn’t received any official word yet at that point but it wasn’t long before we learned that we had experienced an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale. Its epicenter was about seven miles outside of West Salem, Illinois (about 45 miles NW of Evansville, Indiana). Knowing now that there have been no reports of injuries or major damage, I can say that it was pretty damn cool. I’m a geek so I’m amazed by science and the natural world; stuff like this is right up my alley. It was the first time I ever felt an earthquake. There was another measurable earthquake in the area in 1987. I remember when it happened but I didn’t actually feel anything. At the time, Mom and I were shopping at the mall in North Riverside. But I definitely felt the one today!
Before last night, it had been almost two years since I went to my last Cubs home game. It was good to be back at Wrigley and see the Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-5. Felicia and I had seats way up in section 509, row 6. We had a pretty decent view from up there; there was only one pole obstructing our view of left-center field. But I had my fancy camera with the super zoom lens so I was able to get some surprisingly good shots of the players on the field and the signs and rooftops across from Wrigley. I didn’t need any lens to see some interesting things at the ballpark, though. The first was the extraordinary number of “Glamour don’ts”. Seriously, ladies, you’re going to a ballgame, not an audition for “The Bachelor”. I’ll leave it at that. The other was the amount of White Sox fans. A fan of any team is welcome at Wrigley Field. But when your main intent is to go to a ballgame, dressed head to toe in the home team’s rival team’s gear, and proceed to cheer on the opposing team, you deserve to be thrown over the railing from the 500 level. Felicia and I lost count of how many Sox fans were there, talking trash about the Cubs and cheering on the Reds. Seriously, what’s your point? These are the people that give the rest of the Sox’s fans a bad name. I’ve gone to White Sox games and, even though the Sox aren’t my top team, I’ve cheered them on. Even though my loyalties lie with the Cubs and they always will, I still like to see the White Sox do well. But it’s their jerk fans that make me want to hate the White Sox. What would happen if I went to a game at U.S. Cellular Field, decked out in Cubs gear, and cheered for whichever team the Sox were playing? First of all, I’d never do that because I have class. But if I did, do you think I’d leave that park in one piece?
It’s just annoying and frustrating that so many people can be that ignorant and close-minded. I know it’s just baseball but it makes you wonder what their views are on the more important things in life.
Today I took down the 2007-08 Blackhawks schedule that was hanging on the refrigerator for their season has come to an end. The Hawks ended it on a very high note, coming quite close to grabbing that last playoff spot, and we do have a lot to look forward to next season. It’s the Chicago fan’s mantra, “Wait til next year”, but with this Blackhawks team, next year has the potential to be absolutely awesome. Rocky Wirtz and John McDonough have done a tremendous job of getting Chicago excited about hockey again. All Blackhawks games will be televised next year. That’s right, ALL games, even the ones played at home. We’ve got a roster full of young, talented, gritty players who can skate, score, and hit. They’re not afraid to fight, either. I’m already looking forward to again seeing Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Dustin Byfuglien, and Adam Burish on the ice next season. I’m not predicting the Hawks to win the Stanley Cup or anything, but I do expect their season to last longer than it did this year. These kids are for real, and they’re only going to get better. The buzz definitely is back.
Posted by Francesca
Joseph William - 10 days old, originally uploaded by superstarsinger.
Born March 20, 2008 at 9 lbs. 15 oz and 22 inches long, Joseph William is the first son to Andrea Palmisano & Willie Morales. Andrea is my boyfriend Joe’s sister. Joseph William is the first grandchild for Mom & Dad Palmisano and the first baby in this family for 24 years. Needless to say, little Joseph William will be SPOILED. And, how could you not spoil this child? Look at how freakin’ adorable he is!!!
Posted by Felicia
Official statement from ATA website
I can’t say I am surprised. This airline should have ceased operations years ago. I never had a positive experience with ATA and the last time I flew this airline, back in 2002, I swore I’d never fly ATA again. And I didn’t. Looks like I won’t have to worry about it anymore.
I do feel sorry for the people who had vacations planned and now, suddenly, their trips have been cancelled. From what I read on the ATA website, some people may even have a difficult time getting a refund. I feel sorry for some of the employees, but definitely not the check-in agents and gate agents who worked for ATA at Midway Airport. They are some of the rudest, most ignorant creatures on the planet. I believe I never told my horrible ATA story on this blog. Maybe I should do that now in an effort to explain why I swore I’d never again fly ATA, and why I am not surprised the airline has been grounded for good.
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Yesterday, as part of Opening Day ceremonies at Wrigley Field, the Cubs unveiled a statue of Cubs legend, Ernie Banks. I watched the replay of the ceremony during the 40-minute rain delay and, shortly after the statue was uncovered, I was horrified by what I saw. At the base of the statue is inscribed the phrase that Ernie made famous: “LETS PLAY TWO!”
Um, anyone see what’s wrong there? I noticed it right away and it almost sent this punctuation stickler into convulsions. Whoever did the engraving forgot an apostrophe! It should read, “LET’S PLAY TWO!” “Let’s” is a contraction comprised of two words, let and us; therefore, that apostrophe is vital! How embarrassing… I couldn’t believe that no one noticed the mistake ahead of time, as I’m sure this statue was in the making for a long time and that there was plenty of preparation for the unveiling ceremony. Lynne Truss, author of one of my favorite books, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, would also be mortified. I have a desk calendar that has excerpts from the book printed on each day’s page. How fitting that today’s page would have the following excerpt:
We may curse our bad luck that it’s sounds like its; who’s sounds like whose; they’re sounds like their (and there); and you’re sounds like your. But if we are grown-ups who have been through full-time education, we have no excuse for muddling them up.
I couldn’t agree more.
Posted by Francesca
On Saturday, March 29th, at 8:00pm, Chicago will turn out the lights and participate in Earth Hour. For one whole hour, residents, communities, and business owners are encouraged to turn out all non-essential lights to show support and commitment toward taking action to combat climate change. From the official Earth Hour website (the site takes quite a while to load):
On March 31 2007, for one hour, Sydney made a powerful statement about the greatest contributor to global warming – coal-fired electricity – by turning off its lights. Over 2.2 million Sydney residents and over 2,100 businesses switched off, leading to a 10.2% energy reduction across the city. What began as one city taking a stand against global warming caught the attention of the world.
In 2008, 24 global cities will participate in Earth Hour at 8pm on March 29. Earth Hour is the highlight of a major campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis. It is about simple changes that will collectively make a difference – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.
Chicago is proud to be the U.S. flagship city for Earth Hour. The city will not be the same without the bright lights of the skyline but I imagine it will be eerily beautiful. Sure, the lights will be out and energy will be conserved for only one hour but it is a step in the right direction. Climate change (or global warming, whatever you want to call it) is an unfortunate reality, and it is not something that was fabricated by a certain political party (before that argument even starts). The 160-square-mile ice shelf that is breaking away from the western coast of Antarctica should be evidence enough.
Posted by Francesca
Dad sent these pictures to me to scan, upload, and post here on the blog. They are from Sambiase, the town in Calabria where our family is from. Dad says a lot of Folinazzos still live there. The home pictured on the left is where some Folinazzos currently live. As for the photo on the right, Dad claims that the woman on the balcony was flirting with him. Yes, flirting with my father. Right. Anyway, she asked him why he was in Sambiase and he responded by saying that he’s looking for a Calabrese wife. The woman just laughed and waved her arm at him, as if she were saying, “Take your nonsense elsewhere, Americano pazzo!”
Posted by Francesca
March 19th is celebrated in many Italian and Italian-American communities as the Feast of St. Joseph. It all started back in the Middle Ages when there was a drought in Sicily. The desperate people who lived off the land prayed to St. Joseph to bring them rain. In return for rain, they promised to host a huge meal in his honor. Sure enough, the rains came and the land was prosperous once again. An enormous feast was prepared and so began the tradition of the St. Joseph’s Table and the custom of giving food to the needy. Today, hundreds of years later, many churches and organizations still host St. Joseph’s Tables. Parishioners or members prepare and donate large amounts of food, all meatless items. St. Joseph’s Day was always an exciting time for me growing up. When I was very young, my mother made a novena to participate in the St. Joseph’s Table every year at Notre Dame de Chicago Church. Her specialty was deviled eggs (why? I’m not so sure as it’s not traditionally Italian, but they were delicious nonetheless). It was just fun to be in the kitchen with Mom, helping her peel the eggs and getting to eat the ones that didn’t turn out so perfectly. But I also learned about the concept of charity, of helping those who aren’t as privileged as I am.
In addition to the St. Joseph’s Tables, other customs include wearing red on March 19th and eating zeppole. What are zeppole, you ask? Well, let me tell you: they are fried, custardy mounds of deliciousness. Actually, a zeppola (plural: zeppole) is lightly fried Italian bread dough filled with custard (see my photo below).
We get them only once a year, on St. Joseph’s Day, and I know it’s something I look forward to. This year we got ours from Naples Bakery.
Aside from wearing red and eating zeppole, I regard St. Joseph’s Day as a time to reflect on and celebrate my rich Italian heritage, and to contemplate how I could give more to those who are in need.
Posted by Francesca
