Spa-ing in Vail

By my latest calculation, I have had a total of 4 1/2 hours of spa treatments (a wine-therapy combo salt scrub, wrap, massage and mini facial; a 90 minute aboriginal-based massage and a deep anti-aging facial that apparently used real caviar. Not sure if I'll ever be this glow-y again. But what really got my glow going was taking the gondola up Vail mountain, seeing the snow capped peaks in the distance, going on a little hike (the altitude kills you!) and doing this bungee cord trampoline thing. (Yes, that's me, screaming my head off above.)

Very nice.
Ciao--
Paola

Public School Rocks!

At least PS 87 does. Here, for your perusal, are a few, final photos from Jordan's graduation from elementary school. Poignant!
Ciao--
Paola

Little boys....and other fun family stuff

The nice thing about being an aunt is that you can say stuff like: Aren't my nephews the cutest EVER? Aren't they the smartest and sweetest and best? If I was a parent saying that about my own kids, everyone would think I was an annoying nut job. But because I'm an aunt, I'm allowed to crow and kvell and brag. So, take a look at some cute photos of Jordan and Caleb, along with some nice family photos from last weekend's bar mitzvah fest. Yes, that is my parents and my cousins Nancy and Herb holding up a version of the cover of my book, looking proud and only a tiny bit embarrassed.
baci--
Paola

Blogging blip

Blame the book, blame teaching, blame everything. I simply haven't felt like blogging lately. But got a few new snaps from the family gathering in Baltimore last weekend for my cousin Andrew's bar mitzvah--really nice to see everyone and get them accustomed to the fact that I am about to be the author of a book about....sex!
Ciao amici--
Paola

The book jacket photo, revealed, in all its retouched glory

The sunniest my bedroom gets

at around 2 pm, I get a bit of direct sun in the bedroom I'm so happy whenever I happen to be home for it. The better to show off the bit of redecorating I've been doing. I had a painting of a nude over my bed which my friend MP kept referring to as "Lonely Girl." She felt like the woman was bad sexual karma. I had never seen it that way. To me, the painting, which was of a girl lying in a field, evoked the memory of where I bought it (in Northhampton, Mass, with an old, old boyfriend), and I liked the curves of her body and colors. I never thought of it as lonely or anything else. In any case, she's been persisting, so I took it down and in its place, put a beautiful map of Naples and hung a new print over my desk--a watercolor of the church of Santa Maria d Trastevere, which is beautiful and was about one minute from where I lived in Rome last year.

Some milestones today:
149!
Ran around the reservoir 2 and 1/4 times. Which was EASY.
Ciao--
Paola
P.S.
Check out my poppy new shower curtain, from the hardware store for $13!