America -> Italy
And so it begins. Let me put this succinctly.
I am on my way to Italy.
I have been invited to receive an award/recognition from my great-grandparents’ hometown.
I have had almost no contact with or details from this town.
I am taking my not-so-worldly parents.
I am also visiting Matera, where I have been invited to give a presentation.
I am not sure what the hell is going to happen.
Follow the travails here.
One response to “America -> Italy”
Hi, I’m John Tolva!
The Ampcamper
How I hauled myself, two teens, an 80 lb dog, and a whole load of crap 4000+ miles across six states in twenty days using an electric vehicle. And survived to tell the tale.
The Terror Tourist
A roughly monthly exploration of places in horror fiction — real or imagined, geographical or psychological — culled from The Heavy Leather Horror Show.
Subscribe to the podcast or the email newsletter or just read through the archives posted here.
Views From The Tank
Coral and fish photos, water chemistry data, and notes on home reef-keeping. Dive in.
Latest Photos
Marginalia
Stuff I’ve found interesting from around the web lately.
Chromeography
Original range in our cabin built by my grandparents in the 1930s.
Hlavní nadraží Praha - znělka 02 (Dlouhá verze)
Nové video: https://youtu.be/bjAakPRYN0c Hlavní nádraží Praha - znělka 02 (Dlouhá verze) Když se člověk zaposlouchá, slyší muziku na každém rohu. Na nádraží hrají třeba tento notoricky známý barokní hit. Schválně, kdo z vás pozná o jakou skladbu se jedná. Originál je
Dark Matter Black Holes Could Fly through the Solar System Once a Decade
Black holes the size of an atom that contain the mass of an asteroid may fly through the inner solar system about once a decade, scientists say.
What's the worst meal you've ever had?
If you're like us, you enjoy a good meal. Doubly so in the company of friends. The atmosphere, the food, and the conversation all add up to a great time. Not every meal goes as planned, though. There's the noisy business-bro two tables over. Or that case of food poisoning.
Sports Celebrate Physical Variation—Until It Challenges Social Norms
The Olympics are a celebration of athletic prowess, an event that incidentally highlights the diversity of the human body. Take height for example. Simone Biles, the GOAT, hurtled herself through her Paris 2024 floor routine at 4’8”.
I Wish I Went Before Mary Shelley in This Storytelling Contest
“‘We will each write a ghost story,’ said Lord Byron; and his proposition was acceded to. There were four of us.” – Mary Shelley, Introduction to Frankenstein. Wow, Mary! Wow. Dr. Frankenstein and his monster. I can’t imagine anything more chilling.
The FTC is finally making it easier to cancel your gym membership
The US Federal Trade Commission is taking action against subscriptions that are difficult to get rid of. On Wednesday, it adopted a final “click-to-cancel” rule requiring businesses to make canceling a subscription as easy as signing up.
The Terrible Urban Mistakes That All of America Made
The Power Broker is 50 years old. Robert Caro’s riveting account of the career of the New York City urban planner Robert Moses is being celebrated once again as a modern masterpiece, and it’s hard to quarrel with that judgment. Certainly I won’t.
Field Notes: Repair
In this latest narrative survey, our goal is to explore the keen and rising interest in practices of repair, reuse, preservation, maintenance, and care, and the growing conviction that such practices are vitally important to our cultures and economies, our ecosystems and ecologies.
🔊 Listen Now: Richard Powers' new book is filled with awe
Sorry, Pocket didn't save an excerpt for this link.
Sounds exciting, congrats!