Community Service

by Julianna Squicciarini

I don’t want to draw the attention away from Edward Norton, TANFF, or Nortonmania in any way, but I did want to do a short post on the volunteer work in which Morgan and I are now involved.

This month, Morgan and I both became official volunteers at the Charlotte USO.  It’s located in the Charlotte-Douglas Airport “up the stairs and to the right”.  We have little badges and a green thing to hang in our car window (this entitles us to free parking in the employee lot ).

Our first shift was today; we get to choose when we want to work, and they do it by three-hour shifts.  Since they need help most in the mornings, we volunteered for the 6:00-9:00am shift.  Doing so means we got up at 4:30am, were in the car by 5:00am, and started “working” at 6:00am on the dot.  To some of you, that may not be a huge deal (I’m thinking of you, specifically, Uncle Jim), but 4:30 is a stretch, even for me.  I’m still feeling a little fuzzy.  I’m sure I’ll get used to it

It was fabulous - I feel so connected and helpful.  This is true community service.  Plus, I’ve always had a heart for the military.  Unfortunately, you have to be over 18 to volunteer; Christine was pretty bummed about that.  Next year!

I strongly encourage those reading this blog to consider helping out at the USO.  The military personnel we saw just this morning are so grateful for all the USO does.  It’s heartwarming!

Nortonmania

Today, 18 August 2008, is Edward Norton’s 39th birthday. We are celebrating the occasion with a week-long festival, beginning tonight. Tuesday through Friday we will be showing a different Norton film each evening at the Residence. TANFF (The Annual Norton Film Festival) is open to the public; movies will begin promptly at 7.30pm. Below is a schedule and description of each event:

• Monday 18 August: TANFF opening ceremony, sponsored by Mysteries Al Fresco
• Tuesday 19 August: The Italian Job (2003) starring Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Donald Sutherland, and Edward Norton. Rated PG-13.
• Wednesday 20 August: The Painted Veil (2006) starring Liev Schreiber, Naomi Watts, and Edward Norton. Rated PG-13.
• Thursday 21 August: The Illusionist (2006) starring Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell, and Edward Norton. Rated PG-13.
• Friday 22 August: The Score (2001) starring Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando, and Edward Norton. Rated R.

Consider this your invitation to come watch Edward Norton shine onscreen throughout the week. Coffee included!

 

For Norton biography, trivia, quotes, filmography, and pictures, check out IMDb.

Out with the Old, In with the New

Note: it has been brought to my attention that if you haven’t seen the Godfather, this post doesn’t really make sense. Those not familiar with the Corleone family drama may want to skip this one.

It’s a bittersweet time at the Squicciarini Estate, as one of our beloved relations leaves our employ. Paul Herbert Squicciarini started life as a nameless pool cleaner at the home of Henry Stelzl in Mint Hill, and after a few years joined our family in 1999. We welcomed Herb, or Herbie, as we called him, with enthusiasm, and now after almost 10 years of dedicated, reliable, pool service we couldn’t be more pleased with his performance.

Herb was always leaving us little notes around the pool, advising us to raise the chlorine levels, or warning us of dead mice in the skimmers. He would apologetically inform us when it was time to buy new filters or other replacement parts for him. Once or twice we had to ship Herb off to the pool cleaner hospital for repairs, including a new skin several years ago (bright blue, instead of his original burgundy). Even though he changed on the outside, we knew it was the same lovable Herb inside.

We never blamed Herb for little incidents in the course of his pool duty - like the time he got tangled in his cord and scraped paint off the pool floor, or the time he broke his foot on the pool edge. We assumed he would always be a part of our pool… but recently, his impeccable service started slipping, and we noticed a diminished capacity for dirt removal as well as lack of energy. He just didn’t have enough stamina for the job anymore, requiring extended breaks and frequent care to make an attempt at cleaning the pool.

The decision wasn’t easy, but we were forced to retire Paul Herbert this week. His future is still uncertain - he may be decommissioned entirely, or we may find him a new situation with a smaller pool where his life will be easier. It’s nothing personal, strictly business. (Herb’s first name, Paul, is a reference to Paulie Gatto from the Godfather, and as we should all know, the one thing about Paulie is that you won’t see him anymore.)

Now, on a similar note, we are thrilled to announce the arrival of our newest family member, Luca Tommasino Squicciarini. Luca comes highly recommended from AquaBot, and his pool service is said to be exceptional. We were amazed to see him jump right into the pool and start vigorously climbing the walls. Luca, named in tribute to Luca Brasi, made a beautiful speech the other night, telling us how honored and grateful he was to be invited to our home. His name is poetically appropriate since ’sleeping with the fishes’ indicates being underwater, and that’s where Luca will spend his days.

Another Asheville Adventure - with Anna!

by Julianna Squicciarini

Does anyone reading this think I am posting too much?  I think this is my third IN A ROW.  But I have been doing a lot lately, and I really want to fill everyone in on my activities.  Plus, you want to hear about them, right? 

Oh, and I hope you’re all impressed with my aliteration

On Thursday of this week, the 14th, I took yet another trip to Biltmore.  I don’t know if I mentioned it previously, but for my graduation, my parents gave me a 12-month pass.  Therefore, I go to Biltmore as often as physically possible.  It expires in March.  Because of my wonderful pass, I am able to go for free (of course) and all “children” 16 and under get in for free with me.  So on this particular trip, I was accompanied by my sisters Christine (who, incidentally, was willing to pay her discounted admission) and Mary (free!) and one of our newest friends, Anna Gordon from Rock Hill, SC (also free!).

We met the Gordons at our Passover Seder this year; we had invited our Aunt Lynn, and told her she was welcome to bring anyone along.  What we didn’t expect was for her to bring a whole family, consisting of 10 people (okay, only 8 showed up for Passover, but you get the point).  As I mentioned in a long-ago post, this was an excellent decision on her part.  We enjoyed meeting the Gordons, and they have become very much a part of our social life, due to the fact that they are willing to drive upwards of 45 minutes to get together with us

So anyway, the four of us girls drove to Biltmore and spent the day.  This was Anna and Mary’s first time there, and they LOVED it!  The house is always magnificently impressive, and the gardens are in full bloom right now.  Anna is tons of fun, and willing to take any and all crazy pictures.  So we ended up with loads of cute photos of the four or three of us.  Ask for a Biltmore slide show next time you’re here - it’s totally worth it!

Even though Anna and her mom had forgotten about the trip when we arrived to pick Anna up at around 9:00am, she was able to hop right into the car without a second thought.  Spontaneity is a very valuable characteristic

I think we decided that we had walked over 5 miles by the time we finished all tours.  Huge house and extensive grounds make for a great workout.  And once again, I can’t wait to go back!

Personal Opinion - Read All About it!

News bulletin: the correct answers have been posted for the “Personal Opinion” post below.  Check it out!

Italian Ice I

by Julianna Squicciarini

It’s time for another post, as our blog stats show us way down in reads/views.  I guess if there’s nothing new up here, you people stop reading!  What’s up with that?!

Anyway, as a little bit of an update, the girls in the family (that would include my mom) went to Bristol to visit our grandparents Wednesday - Friday last week.  Lots of fun.  We even got to go to some kind of art “thing” that was going on.  Very cool!

The highlight in my week, however, was the concert we gave at Mt. Harmony Baptist Church this past Sunday.  My piano teacher, Phyllis Teague, set this up (thanks a bunch, Mrs. Teague).  Christine, Peter, Mary, and I planned and practiced a half-hour concert and performed it on Sunday evening.  Mrs. Teague, who attends that church, said we got a marvelous turnout and that they really liked us.  I thought so too, but couldn’t be sure

Our concert included hits like Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis, Fur Elise  by Ludwig Van Beethoven (I know, I know - worlds apart), and vocal performances of Red, Red Robin, and Swingin’ With the Saints.  Plus we interspersed our songs with vignettes and anecdotes delivered with our signature “Squicciarini” style.  Peter had actually arranged a piece specifically for this concert.  He took ultra-recognizable pieces (Saturday in the Park, Linus & Lucy, and Heart & Soul) and combined them into one song, which went from one piece to the next seamlessly.  The really cool part is that it was written for three people on one piano.

So here’s what we did: we started with just Christine, by herself, looking like she was just hitting keys on the piano.  Then Peter joined her, adding some Saturday in the Park chords.  Then Mary walked up and added the melody.  After the tune finished, Peter did a riff and transitioned us into Linus & Lucy.  Christine stood aside, Mary slid down to bass, and I took up the middle section.  You get the idea; four people in constant motion, and the music never stopped.  The audience went wild

On our way to the church, we were all thinking, “Why did we agree to this?  We don’t really feel like doing it…” and on the way out, we were thinking, “Wow!  When’s our next concert?!  The only thing that could have made this better is getting PAID for doing it!”

Lots of fun.  Feel free to sign us up for other 30-minutes opportunities

Oh, and P.S. - the reason that this post is titled Italian Ice I is because that’s what we’ve named ourselves.  Italian Ice (the “I” part is because this was our first concert).

Invitations Galore

Although our house doesn’t often lack company, it’s rare for our family to be invited over someone else’s home. Rare is a slight understatement… let me illustrate the point: from January to July of 2008, we were invited to exactly 1 home for dinner (an invitation which, incidentally, came as a total shock, and resulted in a very nice time).

Now that you have the appropriate background, imagine how amazed we were to receive two such dinner invitations recently, back-to-back! In one weekend we enjoyed two extremely different but equally delicious dinners in the company of two extremely different but equally delightful families.

We know it’s not easy to have 7 people over, but most friends probably don’t realize how easygoing we are. We will invariably offer to bring food with us, we don’t inspect the surfaces for dust or the floors for dirt, and we can be easily entertained by a good conversation. Having the Squicciarini family over should be simplicity itself. Essentially, no house is too small, no table too limited, no (kosher) menu too varied for us. We will fit anywhere and eat almost anything.

With that said, I expect to see the invitations flooding in.

Returning to last weekend… the main difference would be the food, I suppose. One night we had a traditional Russian festival dinner, the next night we were served “American” cuisine. One meal took place with everyone grouped around a large formal dining table, the other had a more casual layout with several smaller tables. One family served hot tea after dinner, the other made coffee.

These two evenings also had some elements in common. Both times included at least one fun group game. Peter played a musical instrument at both homes (first it was The Old Gray Goose performed on the banjo; the next night he gave a rousing rendition of Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis). Both served cake and fruit for dessert.

The most significant thing in common with our two “nights out on the town” is that we are very grateful to both of these families for their generous hospitality… for adventurously opening their homes to the Squicciarini crowd… and for being our friends. We love you guys.

Personal Opinion

by Julianna Squicciarini

Here’s a cosmic question to get those mental gears churning: If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be?

My brother says I have a habit of asking pretty deep questions.  Whenever we go out on a “date”, I find myself asking stunning, thought-provoking questions, because I really want to know him as well as I possibly can, and asking questions is the best way to do that.  Right?  Right.  And it’s not just Peter, although he does seem to get the brunt of those kinds of questions.

So my latest one has been, “If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be?”  The whole beauty of the question is the lack of explanation.  People usually ask something like, “Well, what do you mean - a good thing or a bad thing?”…”An adjective?”…”A character trait?”…The whole point of asking is NOT telling them what you mean - the way they answer defines what kind of person they are.

Now here’s the kicker: I asked my entire family, including myself.  The following seven words are our respective answers.  See if you can match each one with one of us.  If you really think you might have it (and even if you’re only sure about one or two), “comment” your answers!!  First person to answer more than half correctly gets a ride in the brand new Mini Cooper
(um…if my dad says yes )

ANALYTICAL | BLESSED | COMPLEX | CREATIVE | LOVABLE | SMOOTH | THOUGHTFUL

And hey - if you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be?  Let’s see those comments, people!

Serendipity

Our Shabbat table last week was graced by the presence of a new friend, Gloria Alexander. We met Gloria recently through the merest chance: Quo Vadis has a client in one of the Matthews business centers, and I was leaving their office when I saw a woman outside near the door. It turns out she works in the next office, and as we talked I noticed she had a necklace that spelled out her name in beautiful silver Hebrew letters. It ended up that we have some friends in common (of course!), and similar beliefs, which led to an invitation for dinner at The Residence.

Friday evening was a pleasant time of excellent discussion, complete with espresso and peach kuchen. Later my parents had a chance to chat with Gloria while the small fry were engrossed with the specifics of a conceptual rating system I created.

Thanks to a random meeting (or divine appointment), we now know Gloria Alexander better, and we hope she’ll continue to be a part of our lives. We may even benefit from her expertise at the next Holy Day party…

I Love a Rainy Night (Part 2)

Well here it is again, a very rainy night, in which we once again played Eddie Rabbitt’s hit song: “I Love A Rainy Night.“ We all sat around on the porch talking until the bottom of the sky dropped out and there was a momentary flash of lightning, and then next thing we knew we were all kicking our shoes off to run outside and started dancing in the rain! We danced for a little while, until we started to get really wet and sort of scared (I speak only for myself, but others may have felt the same). Anyway, I thought I should mention the torrential downpour here in Matthews… thank goodness we didn’t fill up the pool again… we have a bad habit of filling the pool water because it’s low, and then the next night we get a big rainstorm. But anyhow, it was nice to have a little fun in the rain… we were actually “Singing in the Rain” (and laughing at clouds for that matter).

 

*Editor’s Note: it’s not that we’re huge Eddie Rabbitt fans. We only ever play two of his songs… and this is one of them.