I HAVE SEEN HER

I HAVE SEEN HER

Mar 9, 2024 | A COFFEE WITH, WOMEN, MUSIC, MUSIC, A COFFEE WITH, WOMEN

I saw her win it …

And “it” is the BB Global Force award presented by Billboard magazine during the BB Women in music ceremony. 

Global Force as an award given in recognition of a woman in the music industry who has made a significant contribution to the business and who, through her work and continued success, inspires generations of women to take on increasing responsibilities in the field.

The Women in music event celebrates women at the forefront of all fields of music from composers and songwriters to educators and all other music professions.

I saw her …

She needs no introduction: Annalisa, @nali is Global Force.

I did not follow her debut, and the first time I heard of her was in the measure of “good but second best.”

Until during a play organised by the middle school my son attends, a pupil struck me by singing about a blue cat. 

I then went to research and discovered that the song was by Annalisa.

Annalisa who for all these years has continued undaunted to be “good, but in second place”.

And yet there is not a person who does not know her ‘I saw her …’.

Despite having my radio perpetually on the frequency of Virgin, a radio that only plays rock music, without really knowing how or why, I have found the refrain of Mon amour in my head.

And ‘I saw her…’ has officially become part of my way of speaking: when I find myself describing something mixed, tangled, entangled.

Physics graduate Annalisa Scarrone, Nali, teaches us how to chase dreams and show the world the Global Force.

Did you see her win?

I dedicate this photo to Tony: ultimate Katy Perry connoisseur.

TOMISLAV TAKAČ

TOMISLAV TAKAČ

Oct 21, 2023 | BOOKS, BOOKS

Tomislav Takač is a writer whom I admire especially for how he shows belief in his dream.

About himself he says: My name is Tomislav Takač and I am a 32-year-old laborer and a beginning writer in Subotica. I started writing 4 years ago and since then I have been writing short stories and have written and published the novel Strigorovu Šuma.

He has been updating me on his progress for a long time, and in the beginning we tried to overcome linguistic obstacles because despite the great help of translators it is not always easy and straightforward to understand a written text without losing its distinctiveness.

However, Tomislav began to translate and write in English as well, so I was able to truly understand the nature of his book Strigorov’s Forest. 

Originally started as Strigorova Šuma, the book has since been translated and Tomislav has also produced a kind of animated trailer.

Knowing me, you must have guessed that I really liked it immediately, from the first notes of the “soundtrack” … you recognized it too, didn’t you?

Rock aside, I became immediately attached to Erena’s character, I could say that she brought me into Tomislav’s world: a Fantasy world composed of fantastical figures but traversed by fully realistic action protagonists.

The secret of the silver door is the first story Tomislav pointed out to me.

Here instead you can find the first chapter of Yelena, First Blood.

Among the other stories I particularly liked Jack which I also found moving.

Not only Fantasy then, not only Action, not only Science Fiction, but the sum of many different facets that come together transporting the reader on an incredible journey.

And Tomislav concretized this path in every possible way, even working with an artist to turn his story into comics as well.

Coffee is often mentioned.

Regarding the cafes, Tomislav sent me videos showing Sarajevo.

I thank him because it gave me great pleasure: so far my knowledge of Sarajevo was limited to reading Margaret Mazzantini’s Venuto al mondo, for which I thank both Monica and Elisa. 

Do you know better than I do?

Tomislav was kind enough to send me this video that shows an interesting coffee route in Sarajevo and describes us Bosnian coffee and their Java

I got hooked on this tradition of “fortune-telling,” you know we had already mentioned the reading of the coffee grounds, but in this case the story being told and the star at the bottom of the cup are really enchanting.

I also found fantastic the coincidence that the particular street shown in the video of this Bosnian café was a street dedicated to shoe making. 

And this is a small view of Subotica, Serbia, Tomislav’s hometown.

I’LL EVEN PUT IT IN COFFEE

I’LL EVEN PUT IT IN COFFEE

Sep 2, 2023 | WHO CARES, WHO CARES

I’ll even put it in coffee how many times have you said these words referring to something you like so much that you use it everywhere?

If you were to give a wacky example of something you would even put in coffee, what would you say?

What if I said oil?

Yes: extra virgin olive oil.

The person who thought of putting it in coffee is Howard Schultz aka the one who during a trip to Milan in the 1980s got the inspiration that led him to create Starbucks.

By the way, I don’t know about you, but I can’t help but associate Starbucks with this scene from You’ve got mail every time.

So we also listened again to Dolores‘ voice in Dreams.

But back to our evo oil, would you have dreamed of putting it in your coffee?

Howard Schulz did, and again the idea came to him during a vacation in Italy, this time in Sicily.

He even started a collaboration whereby Starbucks’ Oleato line is prepared strictly with Partanna oils. 

Unfortunately, I never tasted Partanna’s oil but undoubtedly in Italy extra virgin olive oil is excellent.

For example, the oil that a friend brought me from Puglia was almost as precious as liquid gold, so good that I had to get it out of sight, because with bread on hand I would not have been able to resist.

I could almost say that I liked it so much that I even put it in my coffee …

For that matter, it is not so outlandish: if we think of the more famous bullet coffee aka coffee with butter.

More precisely bulletproof coffee which more than bulletproof is hungerproof since it contains clarified butter and coconut oil and is on a mission to maintain satiety without taking food in the morning.

Will Oleato follow the same purpose in your opinion?

Actually, Starbucks has introduced a line of beverages that contain other ingredients in addition to coffee and oil.

The consistency of the oil can undoubtedly provide more body to the coffee, and it may be that it also works in terms of taste, the variables are many both in terms of the coffee blend and the degree of acidity of the evo, but is it the sum that makes the total?

FLORENCE COFFEE

FLORENCE COFFEE

Jun 17, 2023 | WHO CARES

Florence coffee … what comes to mind?

Actually the correct wording is Florence by Mills coffee and Mills is Millie Bobby Brown. 

Why Florence then?

Florence is the name of Millie’s great-grandmother, a woman who left her with a lesson: beauty is about loving and expressing yourself.

In fact, the brand was originally born for a makeup line.

What about the coffee?

Well … the connection is with the morning routine: waking up with a burst of energy helps you get the most out of your day. Coffee, moisturizer and depuffing … What else do you need? ☕️

I’m going to make a bad impression but my morning mood is much more on the chords of Hopper‘s “coffe and contemplation.” 

Millie Bobby Brown morning routine is:

– waking up

– feed the dogs

– take the dogs out

– drinking coffee

– take supplements

– starting work

Undoubtedly Eleven also has the power of business: this is demonstrated by this line of products dedicated to a very specific target audience.

Morning routine equals time to devote to oneself, a repeated ritual, a habit rather than a practice.

What is your morning routine like?

I do not have a morning routine: there are always many things to do in the morning, however if I could hypothetically my morning routine would be:

– breakfast sitting and outside

– reading

ok, let’s exaggerate: dream morning routine

– walking on the beach

Do you want to dream too?

SPOONS

SPOONS

May 27, 2023 | WHO CARES

The magical world of spoons was the title of the exhibition in Vigevano that I missed.

I was able to retrieve the images here but I would like to chat about spoons with you.

First of all, I admit that I have stopped using spoons since I do not put sugar in my coffee, although in doing so I violate the rules of bon ton that requires that the spoon is always served.

Not only that: I’m also wrong because I don’t follow the advice of experts who say that espresso should be stirred anyway.

Do you use a spoon?

Do you have a favorite spoon?

There are some really fancy spoons actually, here for example the New Wave by Villeroy & Boch

or the Alessi set, again we are outside of the Etiquette though, which requires that the spoons be equal to each other

 

And had you ever seen Lavazza’s ESpoon?

 

There is even a “cream-saving” spoon.

Then if the cream is matched with this choc… spoon, isn’t the result sublime?

 

What spoon do you use?

Among the spoons we have I prefer the white and yellow checked ones, which are not elegant, but are very nice.

Would you believe it if I told you that I managed to lose two of them?

Who loses them, who drops them … Salvador Dalì made the spoons symbol of his research on the oneiric.

Have you ever woken up during a dream and felt the desire to memorize the images in your head the instant they vanished?

Salvador Dalì used to fall asleep after lunch in his armchair with a spoon in his hand, knowing that when his sleep was deep, his fingers would drop the spoon, and expecting that the thud of the spoon would wake him abruptly allowing him to remember.

Undoubtedly he gave us dream works, if you will allow me this pun.

 

Incidentally, spoons are also a symbol of good luck: the tradition of giving silver spoons to new babies still continues.

This custom comes from the Middle Ages: when newborns of noble families received a silver spoon as a gift as proof of wealth from birth.

Born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth.

What did yours look like?

I didn’t get any silver spoons, but I consider myself equally lucky, and I can always fill my empty spoon with a nice dose of Nutella, can’t I?  🙂

Have a good coffee then, perhaps inspired by Liz’s elegance to stir it, what do you say?

 


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