Wednesday, December 17, 2014
My Italian Christmas memories
So someone brought back a memory for me the other day on Facebook by mentioning Christmas holidays we used to have at my Great Grandma Ramicones house. So for all my relatives on here who were around i thought i would jog down memory lane.
Every year for probably the first 16 to 17 years of my life was a Christmas routine. It started on every year the day after Thanksgiving. The tree and the decorations went up and so did the swearathon between my mother and father over how the tree lights went on. Cookies were baked on moms day off from the hospital and hidden with care for Christmas company.Sugar cookies, pinwheels, chocolate chip, pizzells,etc.....and of coarse cheese cakes by the dozen. We couldn't wait for relatives to visit so we could feast on the cookies and the cakes my mother made. We also did the Christmas tour of relatives houses which meant more, cookies, pies and cakes and yeah family.My favorite house to visit was my Uncle Mel, my mothers brother for the only reason he had a ton of cool decorations and trains like we did.His yard and his neighbors yard on Starrline dr in Tallmadge were like the winter wonderland at the mall. There used to be a house in Silver Lake that decorated like The North Pole with high end stuff for the day being the 60's and 70's cars would be all backed up through the Tiny Village to see the display.
For my mother Christmas started in November but for me it started on the first day of Christmas break from school. When the hidden cookie hunt started, but were never found. Our routine changed over the years but the memories will always be with me.
The routine you ask? Well Christmas eve always started at my Grandma Aristides house in Ravenna, Ohio. we would get there around 6 pm and feast. So anyway back to Christmas eve, let me paint the picture. Walked into Grandma's House and the first thing you saw was the cookie trays, filled with anise cookies with different color icing, pizzells as far as the eye could see and candy old lady candy,ribbon candy, which was way to much work to eat very exhausting. Then the other stuff...and of coarse the mountain of Krespels...a deep fried bread dough that no one else could duplicate. Krespels or prespalls depending who was pronouncing them were like biting into heaven. The smell was of Sauce and fish the seven fishes were baccala, tuna, eel, calamari, smelt, sardine and octopus. Now we didn't have them all in dishes they were in the sauce instead of meat. The kitchen was small and directly off the kitchen was the master bedroom and the dining room which both led to the living room.The front porch was nice it was an old style home with two floors and a basement. My dads brother and his wife lived upstairs, which was turned into an apartment. The Christmas tree sat by an end table and had gifts for grandma underneath.Early on it started to be traditional with no meat but that gave way after time. We would sit around after dinner and talk and listen to my dad and his twin Joe tell stories from the days they grew up and all the Ravenna characters from days passed. We would sit and wait with anxiousness watching the clock and eating Grandmas cookies and the krespels.. So we would wait on Grandma to open gifts, which when i was a kid it was usually around 1030. Which was followed by mass down the street. That gave way as the years waned on and if mom worked in the morning we never went. So returning home late when you were that young 5 to 8 years old was terrifying. What if Santa had passed me up because my ass is still awake? But still Christmas eve was so magical to me as a kid I loved it i waited to go to Grandmas more than i waited for Christmas day. Maybe it was the excitement of waiting 12 months was coming to a close and soon i would know what i got for Christmas...o yeah and there was that Jesus thing. Christmas day mass was the worst especially if had gone with my grandmother the night before twice in less than 12 hours....wtf. I wanted to be with my riches but had to go and sit in church with my dad, sister and my mother when she wasn't working. that was the only time of year mom went to mass unless someone died.
So Christmas morning was done, gifts were opened. When i was really young we would get ready to go to Great Grandma Ramicones House on North Hill, Akron.We would spend the day there and eat lunch. The cookie tray was unreal the pizzells were so perfect and round you could practically see through them.We had pasta, pasta and more pasta. Now my memory of this part is sketchy because it stopped after Great Grandpa died in 71 i think about a month after Grandpa Zito, but after we would all journey to Warren, Ohio to my other grandmothers house, mom's mom. To complete the Christmas day tour. The one thing i do remember but my mother denies.....was the ticket incident.
So after the climatic end to gift opening, Christmas day was always kind of hum drum for me especially the older I got. The years my mother would work we would show for Christmas day at Grandma Zito's house at around 5 p.m. which was good because everyone was waiting on us to eat and open gifts. It was really good because i could stay home and begin breaking my new toys. The years she didn't work on Christmas day we would be there by noon, which meant a long torturous day. Now don't get me wrong i loved being with all my relatives and exchanging gifts after dinner. One memory, you know how they say smells trigger memories, its true because every time i smell wedding soup it reminds me of walking down Grandmas steps and smelling the homemade wedding soup, it would fill your nostrils with its sweet aroma of greatness and I couldn't wait to eat a bowl or five. but when we got there that early we would have lunch with everyone and then everyone but us would leave for the afternoon to go visit their in laws around town.
This was the scene, My dad and I upstairs watching TV with the rest of the stragglers, maybe one or two, my mother and her sister watching some lame show or soap opera and my Uncle Al slowly falling asleep, which led to everyone but me asleep. So i would journey back downstairs and guard the cookie tray, which was filled with every Italian cookie imaginable. G-Grandma Ramicone would take off the plastic and hand me a few and we would eat them together, Grandma Zito seemed to Ninja up from no where and catch us and threaten me with her wooden spoon. The cookies were for after dinner. G-Grandma would laugh at me and point like she was innocent, it was our little game. So after the 4 hour hiatus everyone else would return and it was dinner time. The worst memory is the year she got sick on Christmas day and threw up on the table and my mother rushed her into the bathroom and she balled her eyes out next to me, she had a deep accent and would curse you out at the drop of a hat, she called me Antony. Turned out she had Stomach Cancer and died before Easter. She was a great old gal, miss her. I was 10.
So every year we had Christmas day we had a small lunch and a big dinner and every year the same things always happened. One was my mothers yellow bowl, which, made every holiday. Then My cousin Chris would spill his drink every year...without fail. My dad told inappropriate jokes with the punch lines in Italian so only 3 people would laugh. We ate and ate and ate. All I cared about were the cookies and when Grandma Zito took the wrapper off it was go time and every year she would tell me to make sure I saved some for everyone. G-Grandma would always say "Virginia let Antony eat it is Christmas." She would put her hands up and say "Julie are you gonna bake me more cookies for the rest of the holidays." and everyone would laugh. So now it was gift time....
We used to buy something for every member of the family but that ended when I was real young because the family began to grow. So then we started drawing names from a hat. My mother never followed the rules and always bought something for everyone, even if was a few bucks. So Every year the Christmas day went off the same. Grand ma Zito moved into her Daughters house, My Aunt Mary a short while after G-Grandma Ramicone died and we began having Christmas there. It was ok, but never the same and the gift exchange stopped. usually what would happen is we would all gather in my Aunts basement, which was good sized. Her kids and their families would be in the TV room and the rest of us would be in the main area at the table. I guess it was kind of awkward and I don't know why it went off that way. Eventually that get together became more of a skeleton crew as well and everyone of the new generation went their own way.I too had a growing family and it was hard to spend time with everyone over a two day period the Holiday sucks when you spend it in the car. Grandma Zito died in 2002 she was eighty-something....when she died the holiday get together was over.
A very interesting thing to do is sit back and think of the math of how many people you have lost and gained over the holidays over all the years. My Grandpa Zito died when i was 5,, i barely remember him, but i do remember this dream. I was buying insurance and having a hard time deciding on a good package from the Knights of Columbus. My grandfather among many other things sold their insurance for years. After the agent left i was distraught and forgot half the stuff he told me so now i was just irritated. Dom, my oldest, cried during the whole presentation, more like screamed. As soon as the guy walked in and he stopped as soon as he left, so most of what he said when in on ear and out the other. That night while sleeping i dreamed this. A knock on my door i opened it and there stood Bruno Zito my Grandfather. He handed me his card and a pen. we sat down and went over everything in detail about every policy and he picked one he thought was best for my family. I thanked him he grabbed his coat and hat and began to leave he opened my front door and i said. "ya know Bruno kinda pissed you died before i got to know you very well i don't really remember you very well. All i have is the train pocket watch you gave me one Christmas." He chuckled and replied "Anthony I am sorry i left you so early, but don't take it personally. I can take care of my whole family better from here, I love you." He walked out.
Now those of you who know me know i don't believe in that kinda stuff, but that was ........surreal?
Merry Christmas....
Friday, December 12, 2014
building a snare drum.
New project building a snare drum. Using the stave method. Stave is the same method used to make barrels. I want to produce hand made wooden drums. Laura Partlow and I are working on our test model. There are so many different methods used for this type of construction so we must find one or two we are good at. Laura does a lot of woodworking and she sells a lot of small stuff. I will put some of her stuff on here that she sells.
So here is a picture dairy of this project. Who knows maybe we will have our own world wide drum company someday......
. It's a fun project. Who knows ....if we can perfect this then we can move on to bigger drums maybe a whole kit!
Stage 1: Cutting our boards and laying them out we went with poplar for the trial stave. The measurements were off but we marched on anyway, again its the test model so this is the one to mess up on.
. It's a fun project. Who knows ....if we can perfect this then we can move on to bigger drums maybe a whole kit!
Stage 1: Cutting our boards and laying them out we went with poplar for the trial stave. The measurements were off but we marched on anyway, again its the test model so this is the one to mess up on.
Step 2; Gluing. We need another clamp and from more research i did masking tape and radiator clamps will work best.
step 3: sanding. just a basic sand job.more sanding to come then trimming.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
The Julia Ticket Incident
The ticket incident happened one Christmas day, i don't remember the year but I do remember the incident. We were headed to Grandma Ramicones and my mother was puled over by the Cuyahoga Falls Police. The officer came to the window and my mother yelled, "what did I do?" in which he replied " well ma'am you ran three red lights in a row on second street." My dad looked at her and said" see i told you you'd get caught." If she would have had a gun she may have shot him, cop or no cop..lol.. We had our family thing and headed to Warren. My mother driving, my dad and my sister and me all silent and overstuffed. Then we enter the Ravenna Arsenal and damn if she doesn't get pulled over again.
The State Patrol comes to the window and my fathers face is red as Santa's hat. "what I do?" my mother almost in tears bellows. "well ma'am you speeding, the limit is 50 and you are going 60." My dad lips pierced shut and swallowing hard says nothing until he walks away after citing her for the 2nd time that day he yells "lead foot!" Thee next 30 minutes of driving was yet another classic mom and dad swearathon with plenty of F bombs for the whole family. We spent the rest of the day at Grandma Zitos house.
We left there sometime around 8 p.m. and headed home my mother driving, when the impossible happened driving through the Ravenna Arsenal. My mother was pulled over again. My dad looked as though he was having a small stroke. Different State Trooper approached the window my mother asks in a soft whimpering voice "what did i do?" "Ma'am, you are speeding you are going 60 and the speed limit through here drops to 45 at night which is posted all the way down route 5." for some unknown reason my older sister began to cry. Again my mother was cited. 3 tickets in one day December 25th I don't remember they year.
Not a word was spoken from that point to home. I think my dad was physically unable to speak English, My mother got dressed for work putting on her nurses uniform to go to the night shift. When she left the only word spoken was from my dad which i heard from my room was" do you think you can get another ticket and make it even?" No reply door slammed car pulled out mom went to work. I dont think she got another ticket.
The State Patrol comes to the window and my fathers face is red as Santa's hat. "what I do?" my mother almost in tears bellows. "well ma'am you speeding, the limit is 50 and you are going 60." My dad lips pierced shut and swallowing hard says nothing until he walks away after citing her for the 2nd time that day he yells "lead foot!" Thee next 30 minutes of driving was yet another classic mom and dad swearathon with plenty of F bombs for the whole family. We spent the rest of the day at Grandma Zitos house.
We left there sometime around 8 p.m. and headed home my mother driving, when the impossible happened driving through the Ravenna Arsenal. My mother was pulled over again. My dad looked as though he was having a small stroke. Different State Trooper approached the window my mother asks in a soft whimpering voice "what did i do?" "Ma'am, you are speeding you are going 60 and the speed limit through here drops to 45 at night which is posted all the way down route 5." for some unknown reason my older sister began to cry. Again my mother was cited. 3 tickets in one day December 25th I don't remember they year.
Not a word was spoken from that point to home. I think my dad was physically unable to speak English, My mother got dressed for work putting on her nurses uniform to go to the night shift. When she left the only word spoken was from my dad which i heard from my room was" do you think you can get another ticket and make it even?" No reply door slammed car pulled out mom went to work. I dont think she got another ticket.
work out routines and diet
Crap fallen off the diet wagon again over the weekend, cookies and pizza are my heroin. Holiday season is no excuse to eat like a dragon. I need to drop 50Lbs by June 2015 and 75 by next birthday then i will be back to my fighting weight, which is Sept 29th while adding more muscle mass, very tricky for an endomorph. Its gonna be tough because over the last 5 years stress and carbs have been killing me.
9 December 2014 second week of 4 week bulk routine
Leg Presses 3 x 10 x 275lbs
leg extensions 3x10 x 50 lbs
Leg Curls 3x 10x30lbs
Leg kickbacks 3 x 10 x 70 lbs
abs 15 minutes
easy workout day my knee is still weak so i have to go easy already tightening around the cap.
breakfast
protien drink with water
2 scrambled eggs
2 pieces of wheat toast
lunch
Turkey bologna
1 slice cheddar cheese
2 pieces of wheat toast
dinner
2 shake and bake pork chops
1 baked potato
green beans
around 1400 cals for the day...need more protein !!!
10 December 2014
Today is my lift day off so just doing some light cardio
11 Dec 14
shoulders and traps
shoulder press alternating 3x10 x90each
Arnold press 3x10x65each
barbell pull-ups to chin 3x10x105
cable crosses 3x10x65
Side laterals 3x10x25
rear laterals 3x10x100
dumbell shrugs 3x10x100each
calorie count for today 2100....
12 Dec 14
Biceps and Triceps and Forearms
EZ bar curls 4x8-10x100
Hammer curls 3x8x30each
preacher cable curls 3x8x75
reverse curls 4x15x25
close grip bench 4x10x185
push downs 4x10x110
nose busters 3x10x90
Changed routines i do this routine once or twice a year for 4 weeks.takes a lot out of you. It is called the HIIT routine.
12/15/14
monday and Thursday
| Exercise | Sets/Distance | Reps/Time | Rest (min) |
|---|---|---|---|
12/16/17
tuesday and friday
12/17/14 This is a tough one there are a lot of sets I super set shrugs and curls to save time.
wedensday and saturday
You can view this routine at
http://www.weighttraining.com/workout-plans/hiit-100-workout-plan
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